Chapter One
There's no mystery," Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke said.
"Herdman lost his marbles, that's all."
She was sitting by a hospital bed in Edinburgh's recently opened
Royal Infirmary. The complex was to the south of the city, in an
area called Little France. It had been built at considerable expense
on open space, but already there were complaints about a lack of
useable space inside and car parking space outside. Siobhan had
found a spot eventually, only to discover that she would be charged
for the privilege.
This much she had told Detective Inspector John Rebus on her arrival
at his bedside. Rebus's hands were bandaged to the wrists. When
she'd poured him some tepid water, he'd cupped the plastic glass to
his mouth, drinking carefully as she watched. "See?" he'd chided her
afterwards. "Didn't spill a drop." But then he'd spoiled the act by
letting the cup slip as he tried to maneuver it back on to the
bed ...
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