Windchill by Ed James

could've met a random guy in the street and invited him home?"
    Cullen frowned. "Are you suggesting this is a gay thing?"
    "I wasn't, no." Methven smoothed down his eyebrows for a few seconds. "I was thinking it was maybe one of his friends he'd just bumped into?"
    "Not that we know." Buxton flipped forward a few pages. "Yeah, found it. He reckons he left on his own."
    "He could've seen someone he knew in the street and invited them back for a few nips of whisky."
    Cullen scowled at him. "Why would anyone do that?"
    "Used to happen a lot, Constable."
    Cullen shrugged. "Must be a generational thing."
    Methven gave him a withering look. "Yes, we all know you're usually not particularly compos mentis by the time you're instructed to head home."
    Cullen clenched his fists under the table. "Look, the guy in the bar said he didn't leave with anyone."
    "I still think it's a possibility he met someone on his way back to Juniper Green." Methven faced the board again, drawing new connections between the boxes. "We know he left the Living Room on his own at the back of eight but was spotted outside his house with someone at quarter to nine."
    "Hang on." Cullen rifled through his notebook. "Alistair Walker said he saw a taxi coming down the hill when he got back around that time."
    "So the taxi driver could've seen whoever he was with?"
    Cullen folded his arms. "Maybe."
    "So what do we know about this companion, Constable?"
    "Nothing, sir. That's where the barman's statement runs out. It's possible McCoull got a cab home but we've got nothing confirmed by any means. He could've picked this person up on George Street, somewhere on the way home or met him in Juniper Green."
    "Buggering hell." Methven slapped the cap of the pen back on. "We need to find the taxi driver and we're not going to get anything out of them today of all days."
    "I'll get someone onto it." Rarity made a note in her pad. "See if we can get something ."
    "Thanks, Catriona." Methven tossed the pen onto the meeting room table. "The sodding press release isn't going out till Friday given the holidays. I'll need to speak to Jim Turnbull about this, see if we can expedite matters."
    "Best of luck with that." Cullen shut his notebook, hoping the meeting was over.
    Methven looked at the board for a few seconds. "So, given what we have here, what do we reckon?"
    Cullen thought it through for a few seconds. "I'm thinking it could be Eric Young. He had an affair with McCoull's wife.He'll be able to buy out the other half of the business now, I'd imagine."
    Methven tapped on McCoull on the whiteboard. "Do we know who stands to inherit Mr McCoull's estate?"
    Cullen shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, sir."
    "Can you look into it?"
    "Will do." Cullen leaned back in his chair, tensing himself to stand up. "I take it Evelyn McCoull is still downstairs?"
    "She's not been charged with this yet to the best of my knowledge." Methven patted his gauze. "Why do you ask?"
    "She's not in the clear for her husband's murder."
    "I know that. She's not exactly in the frame, either." Methven fiddled with the tape securing his bandage. "Catriona, can you arrange for someone to interview her again?"
    "I'll see what I can do, sir."
    Methven frowned at Angela. "While we're on the subject, how's your investigation into Mrs McCoull going?"
    Angela picked up another sheet of paper. "Nothing on house ownership, nothing on the life insurance."
    Methven clapped his hands together. "Oh well. Thanks for trying, Constable."
    "Anything else you need from us, sir?" Cullen got to his feet, his dry mouth needing at least a litre of water. "We're supposed to be in the pub."
    Methven looked past him. "ADC Buxton, I want you to head downstairs to the CCTV suite." He switched to Angela. "You can go once the report from HMRC turns up." Then Rarity. "Catriona, I'll let you decide when you want to leave." Finally, Cullen. "I want a private word with you."
    "What about?"
    Methven looked at the other officers before