Macbeth

Macbeth opened his eyes and looked at her illuminated face. Looked down at both of their bodies. They glowed red from the neon Bacardi lights on the building across Thrift Street.

‘Lennox?’ Caithness was already so frozen that her teeth were chattering as she stood with her arms crossed in the doorway to her flat. ‘Police Officer Seyton?’

‘Inspector Seyton,’ the lean policeman said, pushed her aside and went in.

‘What’s this about?’ she asked.

‘I’m sorry, Caithness,’ Lennox said. ‘Orders. Is Duff here?’

‘Duff? Why on earth would he be here?’

‘And why on earth would you say yes?’ Seyton said, directing the four machine-gun-toting men in SWAT uniforms to the four rooms in the flat. ‘If he’s here it’s because you’re hiding him. You know very well he’s a wanted man.’

‘Feel free,’ she said.

‘Thank you so much for your permission,’ Seyton said acidly. Studying her in a way that made her wish she had more on than her thin nightdress. Then he smiled. Caithness shuddered. His mouth arced up behind his slightly slanting eyes, making him look like a snake.

‘Are you trying to hold us up?’ he said.

‘Hold you up?’ she said, hoping he didn’t notice the fear in her voice.

‘Sir?’ It was one of the men. ‘There’s a door to a fire escape here.’

‘Oh, is there?’ Seyton intoned without taking his eyes off Caithness. ‘Interesting. So when we rang your doorbell down on the street you let the cat out through the flap, did you?’

‘Not at all,’ she said.

‘You are of course familiar with the penalty for lying to the police — in addition to that for hiding a criminal?’

‘I am not lying, Police Officer Seyton.’

‘Inspec—’ He paused, regained his smile. ‘This is SWAT you’re dealing with, Miss Caithness. We know our job. Such as examining the drawings of buildings before we enter.’ He lifted his walkie-talkie to his mouth. ‘Alpha to Charlie. Any sign of Duff by the fire escape door? Over.’

The brief sibilance when he pressed the button of the walkie-talkie made her think of waves lapping on a beach somewhere far far away.

‘Not yet, Alpha,’ came the answer. ‘Conditions for a controlled arrest are good here, so can we confirm that the object should be shot on sight? Over.’

Caithness saw Seyton’s eyes harden and heard his voice sharpen. ‘Duff’s dangerous. The order comes straight from the chief commissioner and must be followed to the letter.’

‘Roger. Over and out.’

The four men came back into the sitting room. ‘He’s not here, sir.’

‘Nothing?’

‘I found this lying on the bedroom floor by the door to the fire escape.’ One of them held up a tennis racket and jewellery.

Seyton took the racket and leaned over the hand holding the jewellery. To Caithness it looked as if he was sniffing them. Then he turned back to her holding the handle of the racket in an obscene way.

‘Big racket for a little hand like yours, Miss Caithness. And do you make a habit of throwing your earrings on the floor?’

Caithness straightened. Breathed in. ‘I think it’s a common habit, Police Officer. Casting pearls before swine. But in time one learns, hopefully. If you’ve finished looking and the cat on the stairs has been executed, I’d like to go back to sleep. Goodnight, gentlemen.’

She saw Seyton’s eyes go black and his mouth open, but he held his tongue when Lennox placed a hand on his shoulder.

‘We apologise for the disturbance, Caithness. But as a colleague you will understand that absolutely no stone must be left unturned in this case.’

Lennox and the rest headed towards the front door, but Seyton stood his ground. ‘Even if we don’t always like the filth we find under them,’ he said. ‘So he didn’t buy you a wedding ring then, I suppose?’

‘What do you want, Seyton?’

His repulsive smile returned. ‘Yes, what do we want?’

Then he turned and left.

She closed the door behind him. Pressed her back against it. Where was Duff? Where was he last night? And what did she wish for him? The hell he had to be in or the redemption he didn’t deserve?