The cold Edinburgh air stung my cheeks as I stepped out of the car. It was just before six; the sky was dark, the streets silent. No doubt, the presence of two police cars contributed to the hush. They were parked tidily in front of a row of old stone houses. Frost dusted the slate roofs, and despite being in central Edinburgh where space was scarce, each house boasted a small but neatly kept garden. Terraced or not, these places must have come at a premium.

Two officers, bundled tightly in their uniforms, stamped their feet and blew into their hands for warmth as I approached. They cast a quick glance my way, then nodded towards the doorway of the house behind them, where a short man stood on guard. His shirt strained at the seams, suspenders held up his dark trousers, and a black suit jacket hung too long on his arms.

The man gave me a slow once-over, eyes narrowing as I crunched over the snow up the steps. ‘Only authorised personnel or those invited by the family are allowed in,’ he said, offering no introductions. Or asking questions.

‘DS Logan Fraser. I was invited,’ I said, trying to be polite since I was new. When there was no change in the man’s expression, I added, ‘by DCI Dunnet.’

Still nothing. I bit back my automatic response. Officially, I wasn’t due to start my new job for a few more days. I’d only just moved here from London, and I’d intended to spend that time settling in with my daughter. But a curt phone call from my new boss, ordering me here, had cut my short holiday even shorter. The last thing I needed was to play games when I could be home.

‘Look, mate, I’m just here to do my job,’ I said, mostly managing to keep my tone even.

‘I don’t recall anyone mentioning you,’ the man said, straightening the best he could with all that weight dragging him down.

There was something about his tone that made me doubt he was telling the truth. Or maybe it was the sneer. This man clearly didn’t like me, but since I’d not met anyone here yet except my boss, it couldn’t have been something I’d done.

‘I’m the new Detective Sergeant with major crimes,’ I said, handing over the wallet with my warrant card. It hadn’t been updated yet and still showed the London details, but at least I’d already been a Detective Sergeant there, so I didn’t have to worry about rank.

The man turned over the leather, then brought the ID card up to his eye line, comparing me to my photo.

‘It looks like a fake to me,’ the man said. ‘I work for major crimes, and I’ve never heard of you.’

I drew in a deliberate breath, trying to steady myself. It was clear this man was well aware of who I was; the level of animosity in his greeting left little doubt, and I was pretty sure I knew why.

The role of detective sergeant in major crimes was a rare opportunity. The unit typically dealt with high-value theft, kidnapping, and organised crime. Anything terror or death related went to the Justice Department and their Seers, while smaller offences are passed to other divisions within the police. As a result, major crimes tended to be small, so there had presumably been a lot of local people applying for the job.

This man had probably been one of them.

‘DC Roger,’ a voice shouted from inside the house, making the man jump. ‘What are you doing?’

‘DCI Dunnet,’ Roger said, lowering my ID as the man came out. His entire demeanour changed, the sneer vanishing, something submissive taking its place. ‘I was just reviewing this guys creds.’

DCI Dunnet was tall, with broad shoulders and thick arms. Where Roger was fat, this man was all muscle. He was wearing a dark blue suit that had to have been custom made to fit him. I’d met him twice now, the first time during my interview and the second a few days ago to go over the last of the paperwork in advance of my starting. He had, so far, seemed like a solid guy who took no shit.

‘How many DS Frasers do you think there are?’ DCI Dunnet said, narrowing his eyes on Roger as the man stepped back into the space beside the door.

Roger opened his mouth, but DCI Dunnet didn’t wait for whatever the excuse would have been as he turned to go back inside, motioning for me to follow him.

The petty part of me considered saying something as I took back my warrant card from Roger, but engaging wouldn’t really gain me anything. At least I was left with no doubts about where I stood with one member of Major Crimes.

I put thoughts of Roger aside as I closed the door behind me and took in the entryway. The ceiling was half again as tall as a normal house, with cove edges, tiled floors, and expensive-looking furniture. There was no sign of anything personal here, like it was a blank canvas waiting to be started.

‘Do you want to tell me what’s going on?’ I asked. Dunnet hadn’t shared anything about why I was here yet.

‘Someone broke in and stole some valuable art and a statue,’ Dunnet said, watching me.

I raised my eyebrow. Even with how expensive this house looked, what could have been so urgent about a theft that Dunnet had needed me to start early, and late in the evening? I didn’t know anything about the local criminal elements in Edinburgh; there would be local cops who’d be far better placed to investigate a theft.

‘Who’s the owner?’ I asked. I’d worked on my fair share of theft cases back in London. The priority was always higher when the owner was high profile, which may explain the sudden urgency of my attendance.

‘Miss Sophie Galloway. She’s a Seer,’ Dunnet said.

Well, that explained the extra attention. Seers, while always women, came in a variety of flavours. Seeing the past, either through touching items or reliving the moments of someone’s death. Being able to tell if someone was lying. And finally, Dreamers with the ability to see the future. But they all had one disadvantage. When a Seer inherited their ability, they lost their regular sight and went blind.

I doubted this house belonged to a Dreamer; their security would be a lot higher. The ability was exceptionally rare. Other Seers tended to work in senior government–the Coalition of Seers had been in charge for hundreds of years and was made up entirely of Seers–or the Justice Department. Either would be a headache to deal with, and usually crimes against them were dealt with by Justice Department investigators. Major Crimes were rarely invited to assist. Justice hated to share jurisdiction.

‘Why isn’t Justice looking into this?’ I asked.

‘They don’t have the resources right now,’ Dunnet said. ‘They’ve requested our assistance in the matter.’

I didn’t know Dunnet well enough to pick up what he felt about that or why he’d thought I’d be best placed to lead this one.

‘Anything else I should know?’ I asked.

‘Sophie Galloway, the owner of the missing item, is a senior crime scene investigator within Justice,’ Dunnet said, his neutral mask slipping slightly to show his annoyance.

I silently cursed. I doubted someone who was normally in charge was going to sit back and let me do my job. But none of that explained why Dunnet had pulled me in early.

‘Any particular reason you want me to take this one?’ I asked, deciding that it would be better to just come straight out and ask.

‘Miss Galloway asked for you personally,’ Dunnet said. ‘Any reason why she might do that?’

‘No, I don’t know her,’ I said. Not only that, but I’d also rarely worked with Seers back when I’d been in London, so it wasn’t like I had a good reputation following me here. They liked obedient people, and I didn’t really conform to that preference. My time seconded to America in my early career also didn’t go in my favour. The UK didn’t agree with their system of solving crimes. We relied entirely on Seers’ Visions to get evidence rather than science. My exposure to the differences often made my life more difficult.

Dunnet watched me for a heartbeat like he was waiting for more, then sighed. ‘Let me show you what’s missing and introduce you to Miss Galloway.’

***

Dunnet walked me through the house, showing me all the points of entry. Justice had spared a Seer to check the entry points, but the thief had been calm enough that he’d not left any trace for them to pick up. It took strong emotions to leave a Vision that could be read. I had a quick look at each lock but couldn’t see scratches associated with a lock pick or any other signs of forced entry.

If I’d been in America, there’d have been a way to check for prints or other traces a person might have left. But the UK had refused to adopt anything other than the Seer’s visions as evidence. It was cases like this that made me wish they’d loosen some of those rules, but I’d been told very clearly to stop asking when I’d first arrived back in London after my secondment.

There were no CCTV cameras in this area. They were more interested in their privacy than security, clearly. Or they believed that no one would target a Seer. To be fair, that belief wasn’t entirely wrong. The government heavily punished crimes targeting Seers. Whether it was theft or something more serious, life in prison or death sentences were common.

The street had extra patrols because of the number of Seers living on this street, but no one had seen or heard anything. Thankfully, they’d needed photos of what had been stolen for insurance purposes, so at least I had an idea of what I was looking for.

The first stolen item was an oddly shaped sculpture with a dozen different textures. The rest were paintings, the most expensive being an eighteenth-century portrait of one of the founders of the Coalition of Seers. She was a Seer in her mid-fifties, her green eyes the main colour that popped out of the painting. When the Coalition of Seers had taken over after the last Royal had died, they’d ensured that only Seers could be in charge of the country. Too many wars had been lost due to someone not listening to their predictions. It had remained that way ever since.

The good news was that the art would be easily recognisable if I did find it. The bad news was that while these might be originals, there were enough replicas of the artwork out there that it was going to make my life harder.

With that done, we went to meet Sophie Galloway and see why she’d decided that I needed to be the one to assist her in this case.

She was waiting for us in a formal living room that looked about as welcoming as the hallway had been. Cream sofas, a light wood floor, white walls, and no art displayed at all. Two women sat on the sofa. The first was probably in her early forties, plump, with auburn hair up in a bun. The second was tall, in her sixties, with grey hair in a pixie cut and hard, green eyes. Very few people other than Seers had eyes that colour, so it wasn’t hard to guess this was Sophie, which probably meant the first woman was her assistant and guide. Neither of the women was familiar.

‘This is senior crime scene investigator, Sophie Galloway,’ the assistant said, nodding at the woman beside her. ‘And I am Charlotte Spencer, her assistant.’

‘This is DS Logan Fraser,’ Dunnet said, indicating to me, though only Charlotte would have been able to see me. ‘He’s just arrived from London this week.’

Sophie stood, offering her hand to me. I accepted it, closing both of my hands around hers. It was an old-fashioned handshake to show ‌the Seer both of the other person’s hands and prove they meant no harm.

‘You have a beautiful home,’ I said, stepping back to let Sophie sit again, and then I sat on the sofa opposite her. Dunnet stayed back. Charlotte was so close that her hand rested against Sophie’s leg. I’d seen this a lot among Seers and their assistants. Usually, it meant the assistant had a way to communicate to her Seer about what they were seeing. A language all unto themselves of taps and pressure.

Sophie’s lips twitched. ‘I would’ve expected white on white would appear bland to most people,’ she said. ‘But it is nice to know we are teaching kids manners.’

I glanced at Dunnet, but he didn’t react to her words. I decided it was best to follow suit.

‘Can you tell me what happened?’ I asked.

‘Something woke me in the middle of the night,’ Sophie said, voice even, like she was talking about the weather, not a break-in. ‘I don’t know if there was a sound, just that I could feel something was wrong. I’ve lived here a long time, and I know all the creaks and whispers that belong to this house. There was something different. Something not normal. So, I got up to lock my bedroom door and call security. By the time they responded, the noise had stopped, and the person had fled.’

Considering what the person stole, he’d probably hoped to remain undetected. It was brazen of anyone to steal from a Seer. I’d heard of one case in all my years in London. Though Justice might deal with more and just not tell us.

‘When morning arrived, I had Charlotte come and do an inventory,’ Sophie said.

‘You should have called me last night,’ Charlotte said, huffing a breath. Sophie patted Charlotte’s hand.

‘There was no need for both of us to have a long night,’ Sophie said. ‘I was safe, and that was the main thing.’

It couldn’t have been easy to have been blind and alone in that circumstance. I doubt I would’ve been as calm talking about it, but she didn’t seem shaken at all.

‘Did you hear the thief leave?’ I asked.

Sophie paused, eyes flickering left to right. ‘No.’

‘Did you hear the thief speak at all?’ I asked.

‘No,’ Sophie said, faster this time. So no way to know the gender of the thief either.

‘Did you lock up before you went to bed?’ I asked since we still weren’t sure how the thief had got in.

‘Yes,’ Sophie said. ‘The officers double-checked the doors as well. You can check with them if you wish to confirm.’

There was no sharpness in her tone despite my implication, just confidence. Surprising from someone in Justice. I asked a few more general things to get a feel for what she’d sensed last night. It was a surprising amount, but none of it included a description of the suspect or name, so ultimately, it was unlikely to be that useful.

‘Has anyone been around recently showing interest in the items that were stolen?’ I asked.

That one had her hesitating. Whether she didn’t want to talk about the people who’d come to her house, or she didn’t like the idea one of them could have done it, I couldn’t tell.

‘I haven’t had many visitors, mostly other Seers and their assistants,’ Sophie said eventually.

‘Would you be willing to provide a list of their names?’ I asked.

Charlotte flushed and drew in a breath, making me brace for a lecture, but Sophie replied first.

‘Of course, anything we can do to assist,’ Sophie said. Charlotte deflated, staring at Sophie in surprise. ‘Charlotte, would you please make the list?’

Charlotte took a second to get her face under control. ‘I will do it the moment we’re finished here,’ she said, giving me another look like she didn’t trust me to be alone with Sophie. She was being quite hostile for a woman I’d never met before. But it wasn’t entirely unusual for Seers’ assistants. They tended to have a high sense of self-importance and protectiveness.

‘Can you also include in that list those who had keys or access to keys, please,’ I said.

‘Is there anything else you need from me?’ Sophie said, still unruffled as she stood. Charlotte stood with her.

It was a not-so-subtle hint that she was done answering questions. I was never very good at taking cues. ‘I have one more question. DCI Dunnet tells me that you requested me specifically. May I ask why?’

‘You may ask,’ Sophie said, eyes seeming to focus on me even though I knew she couldn’t see. She didn’t offer anything more in the way of a response.

‘Then I think that’s everything for now, but if I need anything else, I’ll reach out,’ I said, standing to face her. I wasn’t about to beg for an answer. Whatever her reasons for asking me here, I was going to do my job.

‘Allan, please make sure to keep me updated with the progress,’ Sophie said. It took me a moment to realise she was talking to Dunnet.

‘Of course,’ Dunnet said, nodding his head.

Charlotte muttered something to Sophie, then motioned to the door.

‘Thank you for your time,’ I said to Sophie, then we followed Charlotte out of the room until she stopped in the lobby.

‘This matter is sensitive,’ Charlotte said, looking at me like she thought I was about to argue. ‘There is no need for the public to learn that a Seer has been the target of a thief.’

The word target had an odd emphasis, like she was avoiding using victim.

‘We appreciate the privacy and safety needs of all Seers,’ Dunnet said, voice a hair less respectful than it had been to Sophie. ‘We’d never do anything to compromise that.’

The statement skirted the promise nicely. If Charlotte noticed, she didn’t react as she gave me one last look, then turned and walked back towards Sophie.

‘What else do you need?’ Dunnet asked, turning to me.

‘Outside the list of people who had access to the key, I need a list of the local places where someone could sell art like this,’ I said.

‘Don’t expect the former in a hurry,’ Dunnet said, lip twisting as he glanced back the way we’d come. ‘The latter I can have for you tomorrow.’

‘I want to take another look at the entry points. Then if it is alright with you, I’ll head home,’ I said. There wasn’t much I could do without the info.

Dunnet nodded. ‘Keep me updated on your progress.’

It looked like my first day on the job was going to be a lot sooner and busier than I’d first expected.