A Puzzle for Logan

CHAPTER ONE

An escape and a murder

Jenny Logan was enjoying an afternoon of warm Scottish sunshine on the beach at Portobello, five kilometres from the centre of Edinburgh, when her phone rang.

'Logan.'

'Grant here, madam.'

'It's my day off, Grant,' said Logan.

'I know. I'm sorry,' said Grant. 'But Ronnie Campbell, the murderer, has escaped from prison.'

'OK,' said Logan. 'I'll meet you in my office in about fifteen minutes.'

She put on jeans and a T-shirt over her swimsuit and walked quickly to her car.

* * *

Jenny Logan was an inspector in the Edinburgh Police. During the ten-minute drive from Portobello to the London Road police station, she thought about Ronnie Campbell. She knew that he had gone to prison for murdering a man called Craig Sinclair. That was about seven years ago, just after she had joined the police, but she couldn't remember anything else.

Sergeant Grant was waiting for Logan in her office. He was fifty-nine but looked younger. His hair was thick and black and he had a large black moustache. He was holding some papers with 'Police Record: Ronnie Campbell' written on the front.

'Tell me what's happening,' said Logan, putting her beach bag in a cupboard under the window.

'Campbell escaped from a prison van near Dundee some time this morning,' said Grant. 'They were moving him down to Saughton.' Saughton was a prison in the western part of Edinburgh. 'Campbell escaped at a petrol station and got away. We found out later he'd stolen a car, a dark blue Audi.'

'What have you done so far?' asked Logan.

'We've told the newspapers, the radio and the TV stations. We've given them the car number, and described what Campbell was wearing.'

Logan said nothing and thought for a moment.

'Is he dangerous, do you think?' she asked Grant. 'Possibly,' said Grant, putting Campbell's police record on Logan's desk and pointing to it. He opened his mouth to say something else but just then the phone rang. Grant answered it. He listened, said OK twice and then put the phone down. He looked at Logan.