cat so that they could enjoy their overnight stay in the Malmaison. As she drove home, Maggie found herself humming along to an old Joni Mitchell song that she’d put on the CD player.
There was a DJ coming later on after the meal and there would be dancing till after midnight. She grinned as she remembered being shown that luxurious room and the chequered floor in the en suite bathroom: the bed was easily big enough for a night of fun and games. Then there was the promise of a big breakfast (if they got up in time, she thought wickedly) before a taxi took her back to Muirpark for work. Maggie made a mental note of everybody who was to be there and her grin deepened as she anticipated her husband’s delight at seeing so many of his old friends. Och, it was going to be a night to remember! She was certain of that.
The woman who sometimes called herself Diana sat on the edge of the bed, intent on filing her nails into gentle curves. A pot of scarlet polish sat on the bedside table, ready to be applied once she had performed the initial manicure. Tonight was going to be the night when she finally found him. Her face took on a thoughtful cast. Barbara had been able to tell her so much, hadn’t she? The surveillance operation was a difficulty she hadn’t expected to face, though. The woman smiled, tossing back her mane of dark hair. With any luck they would simply take her for one of the undercover officers. And that shouldn’t be something that would present any problems, should it?
She laid down the nail file on the satin bedspread and glanced out of the window. It was to be a full moon tonight and the scraps of cloud lingering above the city were shifting fast, swept along by a chill east wind. Well, neither wind nor weather was going to stop her now: she’d be ready and waiting whenever that white car appeared on the corner.
Lorimer smiled to himself as he tucked the birthday card away in his desk drawer. It had been nice of Rita to organise the cake and everything and several of the team had managed to sign his card, some of them adding cheeky comments. Then the smile turned to a sigh. It would remain as a small souvenir of his time with them all in Pitt Street, something to look back on when he was fifty, maybe, and approaching retirement.
He looked at his desk and nodded in satisfaction. All the paperwork was in order, the undercover units organised for tonight so he could slip off with a clear conscience and enjoy his evening with Maggie. A quiet night, just the two of them, was what he wanted and he was glad she hadn’t suggested anything more. He glanced at his watch and rose from his chair. It was time to be off, have a quick shower and shave then change into whatever met with his wife’s approval for their night out.
As Lorimer walked across the street to where the silver Lexus was parked, he saw its outline glimmering in the moonlight. Happy birthday to me, he sang softly. He hoped Maggie wouldn’t have spent her hard-earned money on anything else. It’s all I want, he’d told her simply, when he’d first brought it home. The big car unlocked itself silently and he moved into the driver’s seat, shivering suddenly. Goose walked over your grave? he asked himself then pushed the heated seat control to its maximum before driving off into the night.
CHAPTER 41
‘Hope you enjoy the food,’ Maggie said as she teetered down the spiral staircase in her high heels.
Were these new shoes to match her classy outfit? Lorimer wondered, catching her arm lest she stumble. It was quite dark down here in what the receptionist had called the brasserie. Too damn dark for anyone to see where they were going properly, he thought, finding the ground floor at last.
‘Surprise!!!’
When all the lights went on Lorimer raised a sudden hand to shield his eyes from the dazzle. A chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ rang out and he stood, mesmerised, looking at all the familiar faces grinning back at him.
There was Alistair Wilson and his wife, Betty, Niall Cameron, the lanky Lewisman and even wee Sadie Dunlop from the canteen, dressed up to the nines in a sparkly number.
‘Flynn!’ he said in surprise as he noticed the lad who he’d taken