some bacon in if you don't mind waiting?"
"You're a lifesaver." Cullen grinned as he walked over, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "Surprised you're in today."
"Got to provide Christmas cover, don't we? Mind you, there are still rumours about shutting this place down."
"That'd be a disaster."
"Tell me about it." She glanced to Cullen's right. "I'll just make your roll. Got to cook the bacon from scratch."
"Long as you don't have to kill the pig as well."
"You're one of my favourites." She smiled before wandering off into the kitchen.
"That your next conquest, Sundance?"
Cullen swung round.
DI Brian Bain stood there, arms folded, leaning against the counter. He sniffed, his top lip still bereft of his moustache.
Cullen tightened his grip on his wallet. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Charming." Bain dumped a sandwich on the counter and crossed his arms. "First day back."
"On Christmas Eve?"
"My choice." Bain shrugged. "They're desperate for cover tomorrow and Boxing Day, so I thought fuck it."
"Tell me you're not based through here again?"
"Aye. I am."
"Shite."
Bain laughed. "Should see your face, Sundance."
"You aren't, though, are you?"
Bain looked away. "Bloody DCS Soutar made me come through here to apologise to that fat bastard."
"Who?"
"Don't fuckin' play that game with me, Sundance." Bain ran a hand across his scalp, the salt and pepper stubble now more white than black. "Jim fuckin' Turnbull. Should've seen the state of him - looked like he'd been going pint for pint with you. Fucker was acting like I'm five years of age."
"Right. Well, you were kind of out of order in March."
"No, I fuckin' wasn't. I was cleared of any wrongdoing and you know it."
Cullen nibbled at his bottom lip. "I wish I'd told them the truth about what you were doing."
Bain got in his face. "I was just taking a leaf out of your book, Sundance. Your nice wee cowboy streak always gets results, or so you keep telling people."
"Don't start."
Bain nodded over to Bollocking Corner. "That what Crystal Methven was speaking at you for?"
"You saw that?"
"Been here a while. Found your wee boyfriend downstairs watching home movies, asked him where you were. Told me you'd be up here."
Cullen took a step back, Bain's acrid breath getting too much. "You glad to be back?"
"Beats lying in a fuckin' hospital bed, Sundance." Bain laughed. "Anyway, got out of the whole thing alive. Can't really complain, can I?"
"You still a DI?"
"Mind your own fuckin' business."
"Right." Cullen stepped away from him, craning his neck to see where Barbara had got to with his roll. He could smell the bacon frying.
Bain nudged his shoulder. "You not going to thank me, then?"
Cullen frowned at him. "What for?"
"For saving your fuckin' life, Sundance!"
"That." Cullen sighed. "Cheers."
"Fuck's sake. I was in a fuckin' coma for three days cos of that and I've been signed off for over eight months! If that's all the thanks I get, I might as well have not bothered."
"Right. Aye. Cheers."
Bain shook his head. "You're something else, Sundance. You really are."
"Look, I appreciate it, don't get me wrong. It's just..." Cullen shrugged. "I don't know. It's good to see you. I'm glad you pulled through."
"At least somebody is."
"There you go, precious." Barbara tossed Cullen's roll on the counter, her eyes bulging as she spotted Bain. "I thought I'd banned you from here?"
"Aye, well you're welcome to try chucking me out." Bain handed her exact change for his sandwich before patting Cullen on the arm. "I need to get back through to civilisation, all right? Keep in touch, you grumpy sod."
"Will do." Cullen watched him retreat to the exit, a ghost from his past he didn't need to see again.
Chapter 15
"Here you are." Cullen stood in the doorway to the CCTV suite. "It stinks of Pot Noodle in here."
"Yeah, I got hungry." Buxton paused the tape. "Found a chicken and mushroom one in the corner. Only a month out of date."
"You're a brave man."
"You're a lifesaver." Cullen grinned as he walked over, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "Surprised you're in today."
"Got to provide Christmas cover, don't we? Mind you, there are still rumours about shutting this place down."
"That'd be a disaster."
"Tell me about it." She glanced to Cullen's right. "I'll just make your roll. Got to cook the bacon from scratch."
"Long as you don't have to kill the pig as well."
"You're one of my favourites." She smiled before wandering off into the kitchen.
"That your next conquest, Sundance?"
Cullen swung round.
DI Brian Bain stood there, arms folded, leaning against the counter. He sniffed, his top lip still bereft of his moustache.
Cullen tightened his grip on his wallet. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Charming." Bain dumped a sandwich on the counter and crossed his arms. "First day back."
"On Christmas Eve?"
"My choice." Bain shrugged. "They're desperate for cover tomorrow and Boxing Day, so I thought fuck it."
"Tell me you're not based through here again?"
"Aye. I am."
"Shite."
Bain laughed. "Should see your face, Sundance."
"You aren't, though, are you?"
Bain looked away. "Bloody DCS Soutar made me come through here to apologise to that fat bastard."
"Who?"
"Don't fuckin' play that game with me, Sundance." Bain ran a hand across his scalp, the salt and pepper stubble now more white than black. "Jim fuckin' Turnbull. Should've seen the state of him - looked like he'd been going pint for pint with you. Fucker was acting like I'm five years of age."
"Right. Well, you were kind of out of order in March."
"No, I fuckin' wasn't. I was cleared of any wrongdoing and you know it."
Cullen nibbled at his bottom lip. "I wish I'd told them the truth about what you were doing."
Bain got in his face. "I was just taking a leaf out of your book, Sundance. Your nice wee cowboy streak always gets results, or so you keep telling people."
"Don't start."
Bain nodded over to Bollocking Corner. "That what Crystal Methven was speaking at you for?"
"You saw that?"
"Been here a while. Found your wee boyfriend downstairs watching home movies, asked him where you were. Told me you'd be up here."
Cullen took a step back, Bain's acrid breath getting too much. "You glad to be back?"
"Beats lying in a fuckin' hospital bed, Sundance." Bain laughed. "Anyway, got out of the whole thing alive. Can't really complain, can I?"
"You still a DI?"
"Mind your own fuckin' business."
"Right." Cullen stepped away from him, craning his neck to see where Barbara had got to with his roll. He could smell the bacon frying.
Bain nudged his shoulder. "You not going to thank me, then?"
Cullen frowned at him. "What for?"
"For saving your fuckin' life, Sundance!"
"That." Cullen sighed. "Cheers."
"Fuck's sake. I was in a fuckin' coma for three days cos of that and I've been signed off for over eight months! If that's all the thanks I get, I might as well have not bothered."
"Right. Aye. Cheers."
Bain shook his head. "You're something else, Sundance. You really are."
"Look, I appreciate it, don't get me wrong. It's just..." Cullen shrugged. "I don't know. It's good to see you. I'm glad you pulled through."
"At least somebody is."
"There you go, precious." Barbara tossed Cullen's roll on the counter, her eyes bulging as she spotted Bain. "I thought I'd banned you from here?"
"Aye, well you're welcome to try chucking me out." Bain handed her exact change for his sandwich before patting Cullen on the arm. "I need to get back through to civilisation, all right? Keep in touch, you grumpy sod."
"Will do." Cullen watched him retreat to the exit, a ghost from his past he didn't need to see again.
Chapter 15
"Here you are." Cullen stood in the doorway to the CCTV suite. "It stinks of Pot Noodle in here."
"Yeah, I got hungry." Buxton paused the tape. "Found a chicken and mushroom one in the corner. Only a month out of date."
"You're a brave man."
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