Questions for a Dead Man

Alex Gray is the Sunday Times-bestselling author of the Detective William Lorimer series. Born and raised in Glasgow, she has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers’ Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing and is the co-founder of the international Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival. To find exclusive articles, reviews and the latest news about Alex Gray and the DSI Lorimer series, visit www.alex-gray.com or follow Alex on Twitter @alexincrimeland. ALSO BY ALEX GRAYThe William Lorimer seriesNever Somewhere ElseA Small WeepingShadows of SoundsThe RivermanPitch BlackGlasgow KissFive Ways to Kill a ManSleep Like the DeadA Pound of FleshThe Swedish GirlThe Bird That Did Not SingKeep the Midnight OutThe Darkest GoodbyeStill DarkOnly the Dead Can TellThe StalkerWhen Shadows FallBefore the StormEcho of the DeadEbook onlyThe Bank Job CopyrightPublished by SphereISBN: 978-0-7515-8331-1All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.Copyright © Alex Gray 2023The moral right of the author has been asserted.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.SphereLittle, Brown Book GroupCarmelite House50 Victoria EmbankmentLondon EC4Y 0DZwww.littlebrown.co.ukwww.hachette.co.uk ContentsAbout the AuthorAlso by Alex GrayCopyrightDedicationPrologueChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenChapter NineteenChapter TwentyChapter Twenty-OneChapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-ThreeChapter Twenty-FourChapter Twenty-FiveChapter Twenty-SixChapter Twenty-SevenChapter Twenty-EightChapter Twenty-NineChapter ThirtyChapter Thirty-OneChapter Thirty-TwoChapter Thirty-ThreeChapter Thirty-FourChapter Thirty-FiveChapter Thirty-SixChapter Thirty-SevenChapter Thirty-EightChapter Thirty-NineChapter FortyChapter Forty-OneChapter Forty-TwoChapter Forty-ThreeChapter Forty-FourChapter Forty-FiveChapter Forty-SixChapter Forty-SevenChapter Forty-EightChapter Forty-NineChapter FiftyChapter Fifty-OneChapter Fifty-TwoChapter Fifty-ThreeChapter Fifty-FourChapter Fifty-FiveChapter Fifty-SixChapter Fifty-SevenChapter Fifty-EightChapter Fifty-NineAcknowledgements This novel is dedicated toall the officers of PoliceScotland, past and present. Bi glic, bi glic (Gaelic)Be wise, be wise‘Consistency is all I ask!’‘Give us this day our daily mask.’Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are DeadTom StoppardWhen devils will the blackest sins put on,They do suggest at first withheavenly showsOthello Act 2 Scene 3Shakespeare PROLOGUEThe dark-skinned man leaned forward and picked up CHAPTER ONESunlight filtered through the trees reminding him