Tooth for a Tooth (Di Gilchrist 3)

it,’ objected Gilchrist, then chuckled. Despite recent events, it was nice to see Jack so relaxed. A noise from the hallway, the metallic clink of a key being inserted into a lock, diverted his gaze.
    ‘That’ll be Kara,’ Jack said, and walked from the bedroom.
    In the hallway, Gilchrist met a fresh-faced woman with blue eyes and fine blonde hair hanging straight to the shoulders of a grey business jacket. A black skirt came to just above her knees, revealing slim legs that stopped at a pair of running shoes. Jack closed the door behind her. She put her leather briefcase and canvas bag on the floor, then approached Gilchrist with an extended arm.
    ‘I’m Kara. I’ve heard so much about you.’
    Her grip felt firm. ‘All good, I hope.’
    ‘And I’m sorry to hear about Gail,’ she said. ‘It was a blessing in the end.’
    Gilchrist nodded, tight-lipped. She had not accompanied Jack to the crematorium yesterday, and the first-name familiarity seemed odd to him. Perhaps she had gone along to the clubhouse later.
    As if sensing a need to lift the mood, Kara said, ‘I see Jack’s already got you on his favourite subjects. Drink and art.’ She gave off a laugh that brought colour to her cheeks. ‘Let me get out of this lot, and I’ll join you.’
    ‘Working overtime?’ Gilchrist asked.
    ‘Had to stay late, finish a report for a case that finds in court tomorrow.’
    ‘You’re a solicitor?’
    ‘That’d be the day. I’m a paralegal. I do all the dirty work, while others get to stand up in court and take all the glory.’ She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘The hours are long and the money’s poor. But it pays the bills.’
    Gilchrist thought he detected a hint of resentment. ‘What would we do all day if we didn’t have to work to pay the bills?’ he tried with a smile.
    ‘Paint?’ she offered.
    Gilchrist felt himself cringe on Jack’s behalf.
    ‘Kara’s a bit like you, Andy. Thinks I should go out and find a proper job.’
    ‘One that gives a bit of financial security,’ she added.
    ‘You’re only as safe as the length of your notice,’ Jack said. ‘And in this climate, who knows whether their job is safe or not. At least I’ll always paint.’
    ‘Yes,’ Kara said, ‘we’ll always have that.’ She glanced at Gilchrist. ‘Excuse me,’ and picked her bags up from the floor and disappeared into the bedroom opposite.
    ‘Don’t worry about Kara,’ Jack said. ‘She takes her work too seriously. And to make matters worse, some plonker in her office treats her like shite.’
    ‘Charming,’ Gilchrist said.
    ‘Needs taken out the back and beaten up,’ Jack snapped, and something in the flare of his eyes, the set of his jaw, had Gilchrist wondering if Jack had changed.
    ‘Seems like she can look after herself,’ Gilchrist offered.
    ‘When push comes to shove, she chickens out.’
    ‘Probably afraid of losing her job.’
    ‘And therein lies the problem,’ Jack growled. ‘See what I mean? Everyone’s got to suck up to everyone else so they don’t get canned.’ He shook his head, finished his whisky, grabbed the bottle for a refill. ‘That’s what’s wrong with this fucking place—’
    ‘Glasgow?’
    ‘Planet Earth.’
    ‘It’s all we’ve got—’
    ‘Not for much longer, the way we’re fucking it up.’
    Gilchrist held Jack’s blazing eyes for a moment, before saying, ‘Are you all right?’
    ‘’Course I am.’ He spilled some whisky on the table. Gilchrist watched him flourish his glass, thought he must have had a drink, maybe two, before they met. ‘All this money talk. It’s all everyone thinks about. Instead of all these rich capitalist bastards making more money than they could spend in ten lifetimes, they should be taxed to the hilt and the money put back into the environment—’
    ‘To save Planet Earth?’
    ‘We should abandon the monetary system. Go back to trading. That’d sort the fuckers out.’ He tilted his head back, almost emptied his glass then faced Gilchrist with a knowing grimace.
    ‘You know,’ he said, ‘it’s been a while since I got arseholed. Fancy a pub crawl down Byres Road?’
    ‘What about Kara?’
    ‘She’ll catch us up. Come on.’ He drained his glass, opened the bedroom door and shouted, ‘We’re going down the pub. Meet you in Curlers if you’re quick.’
    But Kara didn’t make it to Curlers, or Tennents, but caught up with them as they were ordering a second pint in Jinty’s in Ashton