again. This here is Detective Chief Inspector Turner. She’s come to ask you about what happened,’ Lively said.
‘Am I under arrest? Did I do something?’ Parsons muttered, his speech slurred either from years of addiction or the wound across his cheek; it was hard to tell.
Ava unlocked his door and walked into the cell, leaning against the wall opposite the bed Parsons was laid out on. He didn’t attempt to sit up.
‘You’re not under arrest, Mr Parsons. You’re here for your own protection because you refused medical assistance and you were deemed too vulnerable to remain outside. Is there anything at all you can tell us about how you got that injury?’
Parsons raised a shaking hand to his face, investigating the extent of his injury. His fingertips came away bloody as he attempted to plaster the loose flaps of skin back down onto the structure of his cheeks.
‘Don’t remember anything,’ Parsons said, turning his head away from her to stare at the wall.
‘Perhaps the sergeant would get you a cup of tea,’ Ava said. ‘He’s good at making hot drinks for people.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud,’ Lively said, scuffing his feet as he walked away. ‘Give an inch and they take a bloody mile.’
Ava ignored him. ‘Mr Parsons, whatever happened, you’re in no trouble. I understand that drugs were involved, but I’m not interested in prosecuting individual users. Life is tough and you’ve got your reasons. What I want is to find the person who assaulted you. You could have died. Just because you’re homeless doesn’t mean you’re worth less than anyone else. It’s not okay to pretend this doesn’t matter.’
‘I’ll heal,’ Parsons said.
‘If you don’t get medical help, those scars will be more painful than they need to be and liable to infection. Would you mind if I took a closer look at the injury?’ She crossed the cell to stand nearer to him.
Slowly, he rolled his head to the left for Ava to get a better understanding of the extent of the injuries. The slashes were clean, and there was no mistaking the fact that they had been designed to form a Z. This had been no chance encounter. The perpetrator had gone looking for a semi-conscious Spice user to mark. Edinburgh’s so-called zombies were becoming a feature of city life, and apparently attracting the wrong kind of attention.
‘It needs stitching. Not even glue will help with that and it’s beyond our first-aid capabilities. Where did you buy the Spice, Mikey?’ she asked.
‘Traded it for half a bottle of vodka,’ Mikey said. ‘Don’t remember who with.’
‘Did you feel any pain when you were attacked?’
‘Was asleep. Or unconscious. I had a dream there was something biting me. It wouldn’t let go. I thought it was all just part of the trip. I woke up here. Do I get food?’ he asked.
‘I’ll see what the custody sergeant can rustle up,’ Ava said. ‘I need you to give a statement, though. Someone else will write it out for you and you’ll just have to sign it. Also, I’d like to take photos of your injury. Do you consent to that?’
‘Am I under arrest?’ Mikey asked again.
‘No. As I said, you’re not in any trouble.’ Ava sighed. His brain was obviously still too addled to retain information. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she snapped a few photos. He didn’t seem to notice. Lively walked in with a polystyrene cup of lukewarm milky water.
‘Sit up and get this down you, Mikey. It’ll make you feel better,’ he said. ‘Does he remember anything at all?’ he asked Ava.
‘Not a thing. He dreamed some unspecified animal was biting him. Probably a similar dream to the one I’ll be having about Overbeck tonight, thanks to you. Get a statement from him, just so there’s something on record, then spend as long as it takes persuading him that he needs medical treatment. He doesn’t walk out of here and back onto the streets without having that stitched up. I don’t care how long it takes you, understand?’
‘Can one of the uniforms not do that, ma’am? It sounds like rather a waste of MIT time.’
‘Your mess, you clean it up,’ she said. ‘Do you have any idea if DI Callanach is back in the building?’
‘Tripp just walked back in. I think the DI is in reception dealing with someone. Apparently he’s looking for you, too. You and DI Callanach should probably stop asking after each other, truth be told. People will talk.’
‘If I didn’t need you to sort out this man’s face, I’d fire you immediately,’ Ava said, walking out.
‘Promises, promises,’ he muttered.
Callanach was exactly where Lively had said he would be, which was a surprise in itself. He had his back to Ava and was talking intensely to someone just out of sight. Whatever enquiry he was dealing with would have to wait, Ava decided.
‘DI Callanach,’ she said. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but can I have a moment?’
He turned to face her, frowning. When she saw the woman behind him, she understood why. Ava had known Callanach was involved with someone, even if he’d been careful to keep his work and private life separate.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Callanach said. ‘Sorry,’ he told the woman next to him. ‘I’ll call you later, okay?’
‘No, finish your conversation, it’s fine,’ Ava said. ‘I’ll see you in my office when you’re ready.’
The woman stepped forward, extending a hand. ‘DCI Turner,’ she said, her voice husky, with a Spanish accent. ‘I’m Selina Vega. We met briefly at Luc’s once before.’
Ava remembered. She tried not to look Selina up and down, but there was too much not to see. With long dark hair that gleamed auburn at its ends, melting brown eyes, and legs whose shape were not the least bit hidden by her tailored skirt, Ava figured Selina must be at least five foot nine. She suddenly felt short, underdressed and in need of a hair appointment.
‘Selina’s a registrar at the hospital,’ Callanach explained as the two of them shook hands. ‘We met when MIT was investigating a death a few months ago.’
‘Of course, good to see you again,’ Ava told her. ‘I didn’t mean to interrupt. This can wait a few minutes.’ She withdrew her hand and stepped back.
‘It’s no problem,’ Selina said. ‘Luc has talked about you so much that I feel as if I know you already.’
‘Oh,’ Ava said. ‘Well, that must have been very boring for you, so I apologise.’
‘Hardly. It’s obvious how much he admires you. I’ve been suggesting for months that we should all go out,’ Selina said.
‘Months? Wow, I didn’t realise …’ Ava’s voice trailed away into nothing. ‘Anyway, I’ve left DS Lively trying to change the mind of a man who’s refusing medical assistance in spite of the fact that his face is hanging off, so I ought to get back and check on that.’
‘I’ll find you in a couple of minutes,’ Luc said.
‘No
