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forest on the other side. He drove up into one of the logging trails and parked the Land Rover. Then he settled down to wait.
    After a time, he fell asleep, but he had set an alarm clock next to him for midnight. He woke with a start when the alarm went off. He got down from the Land Rover, lifted the motorbike out of the back, and put on the helmet. He was dressed in black: black sweater and black trousers.
    He roared off over circuitous back paths until he was clear of the village and then set off in the direction of Strathbane. Just short of the Seven Steps restaurant, he dismounted, donned gloves, and lifted a round heavy rock out of the carrier at the back.
    He set off again. When he came level with the plate-glass windows of the restaurant’s dining room, he stopped but kept the engine running. The restaurant was in darkness. He hurled the rock straight through the plate-glass windows and sped off, flying along the roads under the blazing stars above.
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    When he got back to the police station, Dick was in the living room. “Some hooligan’s smashed the windows of the Seven Steps restaurant,” he said. “We’re to get ower there right away.”
    â€œGive me a minute to get my uniform on,” said Hamish.
    Ten minutes later, they set out on the road. “We’ll need to see if we can get a look at the tapes from the CCTV cameras,” said Hamish. “Probably some drunk. How was the party?”
    â€œNot my thing,” said Dick. “I only went in the hope that when Hetty had had a few, she might come up with a bit more information.”
    â€œAnd did she?
    â€œNo,” said Dick curtly.
    Apart from Hetty, the party had consisted of young people of Shona’s age. Dick could just about remember when late twenties was not considered young. Shona, looking pretty in a gold sequinned top and a tiny velvet skirt, had settled him on a sofa and then had brought Hetty over to sit beside him. Hetty had been wearing a blouse with a plunging neckline, revealing a black push-up bra underneath. Her face was like a Japanese Noh mask with heavy make-up.
    Dick estimated that Hetty had already had quite a bit to drink. Obviously she thought herself irresistible. Shona and her friends were all dancing. When Hetty put a hand on his knee, Dick got up abruptly. He had just seen Shona heading for the kitchen. He was about to go in when he heard a girl say, “Thon policeman doesn’t look too happy. Should I ask him for a dance?”
    â€œNo,” came Shona’s voice with dreadful clarity. “Leave the olds to get to know one another. I thought he might be a suitable partner for Hetty.”
    Dick had walked straight out of the house without saying goodbye, that awful word olds ringing in his ears.
    Hamish hoped to get to the restaurant before anyone from Strathbane arrived. He now had an excuse to see the CCTV tapes and hoped he could quickly scan back to earlier in the evening to see if there was any face amongst the customers he recognised. It was a long shot. When he had been there with Priscilla everyone looked respectable.
    The lights were on in the building when they arrived. A squat, swarthy man with a bald head came out to meet them. “I’m the manager, Bruce Jamieson,” he said. “This is awful.”
    â€œDo you live on the premises?” asked Hamish.
    â€œYes, I’ve got a flat upstairs.”
    â€œI’d like a look at your security cameras,” said Hamish.
    â€œCome in and I’ll show you where they are.”
    The manager led the way into a small office and switched on the light. “I’ll get you the recent tape,” he said. He switched on the equipment on a large desk. “You can see we’ve got monitors for the dining room, the brasserie, and the bar.”
    â€œThe outside?” asked Hamish.
    â€œHere you go.”
    Hamish worked the tape backwards. He saw himself roaring up and then speeding