‘Sure. Rachel’s enjoying her promotion. Working like a slave but loving it. She’s picked up a new murder case and that’s always guaranteed to make a girl happy.’

‘The body pulled out of the Molendinar near the Great Eastern?’

Winter nodded.

‘Odd one. Saw it on the news. Did you do the photography?’

‘Yeah. The body had been there for at least a month so it was in a right state. Hell of a place to work in as well.’

‘Sounds right up your street. You’ll have been in stranger places than that.’

Winter didn’t rise to it, seeing the gleam in Danny’s eye and hearing the tease.

‘Anyway, I asked how you were, not how Rachel was. So what aren’t you telling me?’

He sighed. Danny would drag it out of him anyway so he may as well get it over with.

‘It might come to nothing but that twat Baxter had me into his office to give me a bollocking and dropped very heavy hints about me losing my job.’

Danny’s eyebrows rose but his expression didn’t change. ‘They’re going to fire you?’

‘No. Not this time. The suggestion was that I’d be made redundant. “The review of all services is continuing” was how he put it but he couldn’t have laid it on thicker if he’d stabbed me with the trowel he was using. And he was enjoying it, obviously.’

‘Obviously. Pompous arse. You think he’s serious?’

‘It’s certainly possible. I probably shouldn’t have been there for a few years now. The SOCOs can do what I do. Not as well but they do all their forensic shit too so they come in much cheaper. It will make sense to accountants and it’s them that are running the show now.’

Danny nodded soberly. ‘You’ve told Rachel this, I take it?’

‘Nope.’

‘And you think that’s a good idea? Because I don’t. Something like that doesn’t work well as a surprise. Flowers or a weekend away - that’s the kind of surprise women like. You need to tell her, son. You’ll be hard pushed to marry her if she’s killed you.’

Winter hesitated just long enough for Danny to pounce on it. ‘Now, I was just joking but I didn’t hear a denial or a piss off, which I’d have expected. You thinking of making an honest woman of her? Because you won’t do any better, believe me.’

Winter laughed. ‘Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dan. But I’m not about to drag her up the aisle, even if she’d let me. But . . .’

‘But what?’

‘But I’m ready to . . . I want more. I’m fed up of hiding this. I want us to be like normal people. A couple. And you know, I think she is too.’

‘You think?’

‘Danny, you know what she’s like.’

‘Pretty great, I’d say.’

‘Yes, pretty great. Amazing. Fabulous. But she is also capable of being stubborn, contrary and argumentative. If I suggest it, she’s as likely to dump me as say yes. It’s trying to find the best time to talk about it. I’m not sure being landed with this kind of murder case is the best time.’

‘This kind of murder? They’re all this kind, son. Dead body and dead ends. If you’re going to wait till things are nice and quiet, you’ll both be on Zimmers. If you want my advice - and I’m guessing that’s why you’re going to buy me coffee and one of those big pastries – then you need to grow a pair and ask her.’

‘Aye, maybe.’

A beep called from inside Danny’s jacket pocket. He pulled out his mobile phone and read the text. Whatever it was, it seemed to amuse him.

‘Looks like I’m in demand today. We’ll need to wrap this up.’

‘Hot date?’

‘You could say that.’ He typed a reply and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He picked up his coffee mug and looked at Winter over the rim.

‘Here’s what I think. You can listen or not, up to you. Rachel is the best thing that’s happened to you and whatever you decide to do, get it right. And not just right for you, for her too because that lassie’s got enough on her plate without you making it worse. If you upset her and she decides to kill you then I’ll not be helping you. I’ll be holding you down so she can do it. Got that?’

‘Yes, Uncle Danny. I’ve got it. Loud and clear.’

‘Good.’

Half an hour later, Danny was still sitting in the same chair with a fresh coffee steaming gently in front of him. He’d had no more than two cautious sips at it when he heard the door open and looked up to see Narey walk in, her collar turned up against the wind.

‘Rachel.’ He got out of his seat and hugged her. ‘Good to see you.’

She’d known Danny for almost as long as she’d known his nephew. There was a shared respect and a closeness between them, him being an ex-cop, and his knowledge and experience had been of help to her in the past.

She looked around at the café and nodded approvingly. ‘Nice. Didn’t think it would be your kind of place though.’

He half laughed, half groaned. ‘Too trendy for me, do you think?’

She kissed him on the cheek. ‘Not at all. Looks like you started without me. You want a pastry to go with that?’

The waitress had appeared beside them and looked at Danny as if to say did he really want another one. Patting his stomach like a man who’d been caught having a midnight feast, Danny politely said no thanks.

‘So you said you wanted to pick my brains?

‘And to see you,’ Narey assured him. ‘But yes, I could do with some help. I need answers that I’m not going to get from Google. I’ve got a case that—’

‘The Molendinar?’

‘Yes. How did you know?’

‘Lucky guess.’

‘Yeah, sure. But that’s exactly what I mean. I need some answers from the kind of smart-arse that knows everything.’

He grinned. ‘Then you’ve come to the right place. What do you need to know?’

‘The Molendinar. Everything you’ve got.’

He spread his arms wide. ‘Sit comfortably, my child, and I shall begin. History lesson first. In the beginning, God created heaven and earth and Glasgow. But before he created Glasgow, he created the Moldendinar Burn. The Clyde was too big and unmanageable and the land around it was too low and marshy so they built along the Molendinar. The city could never have grown without it but in the end, the burn just got in the way and they covered it over and built on top of it. It’s the city’s own time capsule. Buried and forgotten. Most folk don’t even know it’s there.’

‘And now it’s where the bodies are buried. One of them anyway.’

‘So what are you thinking?’

She exhaled hard. ‘It’s the one thing I can’t get away from. Why would someone be in the Molendinar? Whether it’s to kill or be killed or to play tiddlywinks. Why there? Who would go in there now?’

‘People do know it’s there. Not many but some for sure. Locals will all know it, kids probably played in or around it. Anyone with any knowledge of local history will know all about it. Engineers will be down there, keeping it clear. The council will have responsibility for it, probably have maps of it. Urbexers would probably see it as a challenge. Teenagers might walk it as a dare. I guess it could be used to stash stolen goods or even drugs. And I’d say it would be a good place to hide a body.’

‘Urbexers?’

‘Urban explorers. They like to go places they shouldn’t.

Abandoned buildings. Old places. Tall places. They go in, without breaking in, and photograph what’s there. Old schools, churches, factories, tunnels. That sort of thing. There’s websites if you want to know more.’

‘Maybe . . .’ She sounded doubtful. ‘And how – apart from knowing everything – do you know about urbexers?’

He shrugged casually. ‘I know someone who used to do it.’

‘Okay. You really think someone would see it as a good place to hide a body?’

‘Not now they wouldn’t. Now it looks a pretty stupid place to use. But before . . . you’d think it might never be found.’

‘So my suspect list is locals, kids, historians, council workers, engineers, urbexers, serial killers and teenagers. Have I forgotten anyone?’