Page 126 of Better the Devil

After a quick catch-up with Hamza to make sure the DI was happy, Logan headed for his car, whistling as he approached it like he was summoning a nearby dog.

‘You coming or what?’

DCI Reeve high-fived a visibly delighted Geoff Palmer, then headed in Logan’s direction.

Logan watched as the other detective pointed, winked, waved, and name-checked half a dozen officers that Jack would swear he’d never laid eyes on before.

‘Great work, Ashleigh.’

‘Hey, Ted, hope your mom’s doing better.’

‘Love the beard, Donald!’

Logan got into his car, started the engine, and gripped the wheel while he waited for Reeve to slide into the passenger seat beside him.

‘Phew. Nice to get outta the rain!’ Reeve proclaimed as he pulled the door closed.

Logan waited for the other DCI to click his seatbelt into place, before turning to address him.

‘Is this all bullshit?’

Reeve’s smile was once again showing his perfectly white teeth. ‘Is what all bullshit?’

‘You. This. Everything. All the fucking “gee whizz” and high-fives. Knowing their names.’

‘Knowing people’s names isn’t bullshit, Jack,’ Reeve countered.

‘This isn’t your patch. There are twenty-odd thousand people working for Police Scotland,’ Logan said. ‘You can’t know all their names.’

Reeve laughed. ‘Well, I mean, no. Of course I don’t knowalltheir names.’

He settled back in the seat, and ran his hand through his hair. The water had darkened it, so it didn’t look quite as shockingly orange as it usually did.

He waited for Logan to start pulling away, then gave him a side-eyed look and a wink.

‘But I’m working on it.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The car parkat Burnett Road station was emptier than it had been when they’d left. Even the most die-hard dayshifters had headed home, and though there were plenty of officers still on duty, a large chunk of the civilian staff would now be off for the weekend.

‘Thanks for letting me tag along,’ Reeve said, taking his keys from his pocket.

Logan’s car locked with achi-chirp, the indicator lights flashing as the mirrors folded in.

‘Aye, well, good for you to see how it’s done.’

‘Every day’s a school day,’ Reeve replied.

They stood there in the rain, facing one another over the bonnet of Logan’s SUV. Reeve clicked his fingers, then tapped the side of one hand into the open palm of the other.

‘Guess I’ll be seeing you around, Detective Chief Inspector.’

‘Not too soon, I hope.’

‘Ha! For both our sakes,’ Reeve said.

He hesitated for a few moments, then started off in search of where he’d parked his car. Logan turned, but barely made it a step before the other detective spoke again.