walked around, admiring it, wondering if he wanted a complete change. It was a chunky beast, built for durability rather than the good looks of the S class, he thought, wandering along the rows, looking out for the familiar Lexus logo.
He found it at the very end of the row, parked slightly at an angle from the rest of the cars as though someone had recently driven it there. Lorimer nodded, a smile forming on his lips. The silver car had the sleek lines that he liked and, peering into the interior his smile broadened into a grin as he caught sight of the walnut fascia and polished metal gear stick. It was lust at first sight, Lorimer knew and any misgiving he might have had about relinquishing his old faithful vanished as he was filled with a sudden desire to drive, no, to own this car.
There was no sticker across the windscreen and for a moment his heart sank. If you have to ask how much it is you can’t afford it, his old dad used to tell him sternly. But that was when he was a boy, wasn’t it? Now as a man of almost forty, recently promoted to a senior position in Strathclyde Police, he might well be able to afford this lovely set of wheels.
‘Can I help you, sir?’ A young man was suddenly at his side and Lorimer smiled, recognising him as one of the fellows who sometimes booked his Lexus in for its service.
‘DCI Lorimer, isn’t it?’ the man smiled, putting out a hand.
‘Detective Superintendent since the beginning of this year,’ Lorimer smiled, shaking his hand.
‘Congratulations, sir,’ the salesman said. ‘Thinking of trading the old girl in?’
Lorimer sighed. ‘Aye, it’s well past time I did that. Been too busy,’ he shrugged. ‘But since I had a little time to spare this morning …’ He tailed off, looking back at the silver Lexus, his expression betraying naked longing.
‘That’s a lovely car,’ the salesman said, walking around and nodding in admiration. ‘Just came in last night on a trade-in and we haven’t even had it valeted yet.’
‘Any notion how much …?’
‘Depends on what we give you for yours, of course, but tell you what. Why don’t I get the keys and some trade plates and we can go for a test drive. If you have time, of course.’
Less than half an hour later Lorimer found himself seated in front of the salesman’s desk, his signature already on several different documents.
‘Should be able to collect it by the end of this week,’ the salesman said, smiling happily. ‘And we’ll have it taxed for a full year as discussed.’
‘What about the old car? Do you think you’ll be able to find a buyer for it?’
The salesman shook his head. ‘It’ll most likely go to one of the car auctions.’ He shrugged and gave a sympathetic smile. ‘Big mileage like that. We wouldn’t be able to sell it on from it here, I’m afraid.’
Lorimer sat at a set of traffic lights, his eyes wandering over the old car. Somehow the things that had spelled familiarity now looked simply dusty and worn and his mind shot back to the silver 300 series that he had just purchased. It was the start of a new year and a new job. Time for a change, he decided, accelerating across the junction and heading back to work.
Maggie Lorimer pulled the handbrake and sat back against the driver’s seat with a sigh. A few moments of stillness were what she wanted, just a few moments sitting there, letting the noise and tension of the journey drift away as she listened to music. The CD had been played to death but Nicola Benedetti’s recording of the Mendelssohn concerto still had the power to make her feel that life was good and some things worth the effort. As the rain streamed down the windscreen, she could see a blur of yellow amidst the green; winter jasmine cascading across her doorway, its tiny star-shaped flowers winking beyond this downpour, sheltered by the roofline.
As the last strains of the violin ceased, Maggie smiled and leaned forwards to press the off button then thrust open the door, ready to make a dash for the house. Shaking the water off her raincoat, she hung it across the line of hooks in the hall before turning into the open-plan room that led to her kitchen. A cup of decaf and a wee scone, she thought, her eyes flicking towards the blue