Beyond the Rage by Michael J. Malone

vocal.’
    ‘Colin?’ asked Kenny.
    ‘Was that his name? I remember him vaguely. He was an accountant. A proper accountant. There were suspicions about his connections with the crime factions in the city but nothing was ever uncovered. In the end we discounted him. We put any suspicions down to the fact Peter was his brother-in-law, kept an eye on him from time to time and let it go at that.’
    Kenny’s phone buzzed as a message came through. He ignored it.
    ‘Ach, it’s good to talk about the old times. Sometimes I think it’s all I’ve got.’ He looked in the direction of Kenny’s pocket. ‘You want to get that?’
    ‘Nah,’ said Kenny, feeling his heart charge at the thought it might be Alexis. ‘But I do have to move on.’ He got to his feet and Harry walked with him to the door. As they shook hands Harry said, ‘Next time you need to share a wee bottle of whisky, feel free to stop by.’
    ‘I will, Harry, I will.’ To his surprise, Kenny felt that he meant it. He ’d enjoyed the man’s company. ‘Oh, before I go...’ It had suddenly occurred to him that McBain might visit the man at the end of his shift. And then he ’d be in the shit. ‘...Kenny O’Neill is an impatient guy. He might turn up here pretending to be me before the end of the day. If you could just humour him?’
    Harry’s eyebrows dipped. ‘Impersonating a policeman is a serious offence.’ Then he grinned and winked. ‘But in this instance, Kenny, I’ll let it pass.’
    Kenny turned and took a couple of steps up the path. He stopped. Harry just called him Kenny. He turned to see Harry still standing at the door.
    ‘You knew all along?’
    Harry was so pleased with himself he was rocking on his heels. He nodded.
    ‘How?’
    ‘I haven’t lost it after all these years, eh?’
    ‘What gave me away?’
    ‘I knew. Just let’s leave it at that, son.’
    ‘And when Ray McBain comes visiting?’
    ‘You were never here.’
    ‘And the gay couple thing?’
    Harry laughed and rocked back on his heels. ‘You should have seen your face. I was just yanking your chain, son.’
    Kenny shrugged it off with a smile. He ’d earned it. ‘What about the rest of your story?’
    ‘Don’t worry, Kenny. You don’t joke about with stuff like that.’

13
    Kenny steered the car off the A84 at the Kingshouse Hotel and passed an old signpost that looked like it might have guided Queen Victoria herself down this road. In one direction it arrowed the miles for Crianlarich and Oban, in the other it pointed towards ‘Rob Roy’s Grave’.
    Alexis squealed from the passenger seat.
    ‘It’s soooo romantic, Kenny.’ Her head swivelled from side to side as she processed the scenery. ‘It’s gorgeous.’ She squeezed out the word gorgeous as if it hurt her to say it.
    It was now three weeks after Alexis had suffered at the hands of her assailant. For the first few of those she had ignored Kenny’s calls. He had persisted and eventually she agreed to meet him. She refused to talk about the incident, however. She insisted she had put it behind her and told Kenny he must too. She also declined to explain why she hadn’t taken any of his calls and he put this down to the fact that he had been with her shortly after. He reasoned that this must have built an association with the rape and that she couldn’t bear to be reminded of it. This logic collapsed when eventually she answered when he rang. Two visits later and he told her they were going away for the weekend and that she would be paid for her time.
    ‘Isn’t it just beautiful?’ She was leaning forward in her seat. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open. ‘I’ve been in Scotland for six years now and haven’t been out of the city.’ She playfully punched Kenny’s arm. ‘How could you not tell me there was so much beauty out here?’
    ‘We’re kind of famous for it.’ Kenny gave the shrug of the inured. Which he wasn’t. He always felt a soothing, a loosening of dark energy whenever