though it looked like the less healthy option with the amount of olive oil, cheese and pesto drizzled all over it.
His mother daintily cut into her pizza. "Have you spoken to your sister recently?"
"I knew this was coming," said Cullen, rolling his eyes.
"Well, have you?"
"It's up to Michelle to get in touch with me," said Cullen. "I've tried loads of times."
"Scott, your sister lived in Edinburgh for a whole year and you didn't meet up with her once. It's not like you live out in the countryside, you're on the Royal Mile. Now she's working in Glasgow, I don't see how you'll ever do it."
Cullen ate a forkful of tuna and lettuce leaves. "She's ignoring me. She even unfriended me on Schoolbook. That's just petty."
"Will you at least try again for me? I think she's hurt."
"She shouldn't be so bloody precious," said Cullen, shaking his head, feeling the anger surge. "I didn't do anything wrong, nothing Dad wouldn't have said."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, Scott."
"How is the old bugger?" said Cullen, desperate to change the subject.
"You know your father," she said, "he won't stop playing his games, he's always up to something. And I'm not talking about computer games, though he's finally stopped playing that infernal Xbox so often."
"That'll be where I get it from," said Cullen.
"Well, it's certainly not from me," said his mother, eyes wide.
"Do you know a James Strang?" said Cullen.
"I know his parents. He disappeared, didn't he? They were devastated by it."
"You knew?" said Cullen.
"Is that why you're here?"
Cullen nodded. "Found his body in Edinburgh. Shouldn't really talk about it." He took a drink of lemonade. "Do they have any ideas what happened to him?"
His mum smiled. "Am I a witness in this case?"
"At the moment, I could do with anything," said Cullen. "The guy was three years younger than me, I don't remember him. He'd still have been a wee laddie when I left Dalhousie."
"I'll see what I can dig up on the grapevine."
Cullen's phone started buzzing - a text from Buxton, chasing him up. "I'll have to go back to Edinburgh just after this," he said, finishing his salad, a puddle of green goop at the bottom.
"No time for a coffee?"
"Wish I did," said Cullen.
"Well, this has been nice," she said. "Thanks for seeing me. It's a shame you can't come through, but I understand. You're forgiven for that time you were in Carnoustie and didn't call."
"I hope I don't get a bollocking for this," said Cullen, putting a twenty on the table.
His mother smacked his hand. "You put that away, Scott Cullen. This is my treat."
Cullen smiled. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "I promise we'll be through soon."
"You make sure you fulfil that promise."
Cullen left the restaurant, feeling a tight knot in his stomach. Walking towards the car, he thought back to how much simpler life was when he was younger, part of him wishing he could go back.
The old town looked exactly as he remembered it, the same shops, same restaurants and people. One of the things he loved about Edinburgh was how much change there was. Dalhousie, despite his old man's best efforts, was stuck in a rut, at least in the town centre.
"Scott Cullen?"
Across the road, a plump woman in her early thirties was pointing at him. She came towards him, finger stabbing the air, a car swerving out of her way.
"You fucking arsehole!"
"I'm sorry?" said Cullen.
"You fucking arsehole!"
She tried to slap him but he grabbed her hand.
"You fuck off away from me, Scott Cullen!"
Cullen got his warrant card out. "I'm a police officer. Unless you clear off, I'll arrest you."
She took a long look at Cullen then marched off in the direction she'd come from.
Cullen had absolutely no idea who she was.
CHAPTER 19
Back at Leith Walk station, Methven had been busy. He'd acquired an Incident Room and, though it was the smallest of the three, all four walls were covered in whiteboard paint.
They'd put several photos of Strang on the wall though no
His mother daintily cut into her pizza. "Have you spoken to your sister recently?"
"I knew this was coming," said Cullen, rolling his eyes.
"Well, have you?"
"It's up to Michelle to get in touch with me," said Cullen. "I've tried loads of times."
"Scott, your sister lived in Edinburgh for a whole year and you didn't meet up with her once. It's not like you live out in the countryside, you're on the Royal Mile. Now she's working in Glasgow, I don't see how you'll ever do it."
Cullen ate a forkful of tuna and lettuce leaves. "She's ignoring me. She even unfriended me on Schoolbook. That's just petty."
"Will you at least try again for me? I think she's hurt."
"She shouldn't be so bloody precious," said Cullen, shaking his head, feeling the anger surge. "I didn't do anything wrong, nothing Dad wouldn't have said."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, Scott."
"How is the old bugger?" said Cullen, desperate to change the subject.
"You know your father," she said, "he won't stop playing his games, he's always up to something. And I'm not talking about computer games, though he's finally stopped playing that infernal Xbox so often."
"That'll be where I get it from," said Cullen.
"Well, it's certainly not from me," said his mother, eyes wide.
"Do you know a James Strang?" said Cullen.
"I know his parents. He disappeared, didn't he? They were devastated by it."
"You knew?" said Cullen.
"Is that why you're here?"
Cullen nodded. "Found his body in Edinburgh. Shouldn't really talk about it." He took a drink of lemonade. "Do they have any ideas what happened to him?"
His mum smiled. "Am I a witness in this case?"
"At the moment, I could do with anything," said Cullen. "The guy was three years younger than me, I don't remember him. He'd still have been a wee laddie when I left Dalhousie."
"I'll see what I can dig up on the grapevine."
Cullen's phone started buzzing - a text from Buxton, chasing him up. "I'll have to go back to Edinburgh just after this," he said, finishing his salad, a puddle of green goop at the bottom.
"No time for a coffee?"
"Wish I did," said Cullen.
"Well, this has been nice," she said. "Thanks for seeing me. It's a shame you can't come through, but I understand. You're forgiven for that time you were in Carnoustie and didn't call."
"I hope I don't get a bollocking for this," said Cullen, putting a twenty on the table.
His mother smacked his hand. "You put that away, Scott Cullen. This is my treat."
Cullen smiled. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "I promise we'll be through soon."
"You make sure you fulfil that promise."
Cullen left the restaurant, feeling a tight knot in his stomach. Walking towards the car, he thought back to how much simpler life was when he was younger, part of him wishing he could go back.
The old town looked exactly as he remembered it, the same shops, same restaurants and people. One of the things he loved about Edinburgh was how much change there was. Dalhousie, despite his old man's best efforts, was stuck in a rut, at least in the town centre.
"Scott Cullen?"
Across the road, a plump woman in her early thirties was pointing at him. She came towards him, finger stabbing the air, a car swerving out of her way.
"You fucking arsehole!"
"I'm sorry?" said Cullen.
"You fucking arsehole!"
She tried to slap him but he grabbed her hand.
"You fuck off away from me, Scott Cullen!"
Cullen got his warrant card out. "I'm a police officer. Unless you clear off, I'll arrest you."
She took a long look at Cullen then marched off in the direction she'd come from.
Cullen had absolutely no idea who she was.
CHAPTER 19
Back at Leith Walk station, Methven had been busy. He'd acquired an Incident Room and, though it was the smallest of the three, all four walls were covered in whiteboard paint.
They'd put several photos of Strang on the wall though no
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