Even dogs in the wild by Ian Rankin Page A

maybe it’s time I called one,’ Rebus suggested.
    ‘Maybe it is,’ Cafferty conceded, leaning back in his chair.
    *

    Clarke arrived with Christine Esson. This, too, was apparently a
    deal-breaker, and Esson was sent to wait in the car. Both note
    and bullet still sat on the coffee table, and Clarke noted them
    immediately.
    ‘Okay,’ she said, exchanging looks with both men. ‘Which
    one of you wants to do the talking?’
    ‘He does,’ Rebus said, nodding towards Cafferty. ‘I need to
    feed the meter and have a smoke.’
    He headed back outdoors, passing the bodyguards’ car. Only
    one of them was inside. The other had his back to Rebus as he
    walked sentry-style towards the rear garden. Rebus tapped on
    the window and the man in the driver’s seat obliged by
    lowering it an inch.
    ‘Just the two of you?’ Rebus enquired.
    ‘We’re working shifts with another pair. Mr Cafferty tells us
    you used to be a cop.’ He watched as Rebus got a cigarette
    going.
    ‘I was army before that – Parachute Regiment.’ Rebus
    exhaled smoke. ‘How about you?’
    The man gave a slow nod.
    ‘I can usually tell.’
    ‘Same way I can usually spot a cop. Is it serious, what’s
    happening with Mr Cafferty?’
    ‘Might be.’
    ‘He’s a sitting target as long as he stays here.’
    ‘Just what I’ve been telling him.’ Rebus flicked ash on the
    driveway. ‘Keep up the good work, eh?’
    As he walked up the road, digging change from his pocket,
    he saw Christine Esson crouched on the pavement next to
    Clarke’s Astra. She was patting the wire-haired terrier.
    ‘Looks like you’ve made a friend,’ Rebus commented.

    She straightened up. ‘It’s nice to feel wanted.’ Then, with a
    gesture towards Cafferty’s house: ‘I’m not happy about being
    shut out.’
    ‘Siobhan will tell you all about it.’
    ‘So why am I not in there?’
    ‘Because Cafferty’s hardly a major contributor to the Police
    Benevolent Fund.’
    ‘Exactly – yet here we are offering our help.’
    Rebus watched as the dog sniffed his shoes before returning
    to the more attentive Esson. ‘That’s what we do, Christine,
    sometimes whether people want it or not.’
    ‘Are you forgetting you’ve retired?’
    Rebus looked at her. ‘You know, for a second there, it
    actually had slipped my mind. But being a civilian has its
    advantages.’
    ‘Such as?’
    ‘Not answering to anyone, just for starters. And at the end of
    the day, no forms to fill in. How’s the Minton case, by the
    way?’
    ‘We’re just back from Linlithgow. Lottery winner got done
    in a couple of weeks back.’
    ‘I remember that. Siobhan thinks there might be a
    connection?’
    ‘Tenuous at best.’
    ‘No note left at the scene?’
    ‘Local team’s going to give the house another search.’
    ‘Your priorities may be about to change,’ Rebus warned her.
    ‘Why’s that?’
    But Rebus just smiled and walked on, crushing the remains
    of his cigarette underfoot and paying for a new parking ticket at

    the machine. She was playing with the dog again as he passed
    her on his way back to the house.
    He had left the front door unlocked so he could let himself
    in. Clarke was seated in the chair Rebus had vacated, Cafferty
    across from her. She was studying the note.
    ‘Whose is the dog?’ Rebus asked Cafferty.
    ‘What dog?’
    ‘The one that’s always outside.’
    ‘Turned up a week or so back. I think it’s a stray.’
    ‘Looks like someone’s feeding it, though.’
    ‘A lot of soft touches on this street – present company
    aside.’
    Rebus turned his attention to Clarke. ‘What’s the thinking?’
    he asked.
    ‘Mr Cafferty is unwilling for this to be made public,’ Clarke
    answered. ‘I’ve told him that will be DCI Page’s decision.
    Meantime, I want the bullet taken to the forensic lab for
    analysis – they might want to send it elsewhere if their
    equipment isn’t up to the job. Could be a while before we get
    any results.’
    ‘And the