by Ian Rankin
REBUS
You think I couldny get that done? I knew she looked familiar. Should have guessed, right then. Take away the ugly and I can see her, right there, on your face . . .
SIOBHAN is climbing back up, she comes in. CAFFERTY is just frozen.
SIOBHAN
Alright. Here’s what’s going to happen . . .
REBUS
(cutting her off) Cafferty’s changed his mind. The deal’s off.
SIOBHAN
What?
CAFFERTY’S still frozen.
REBUS
We had a wee talk. He’s had a change of heart.
SIOBHAN
Cafferty?
CAFFERTY
What?
SIOBHAN
The deal’s off?
REBUS
He’s no longer a witness for the defence. He’s withdrawing his statement. He’s denying he saw any bit of the bastard that mugged him.
CAFFERTY still doesn’t speak.
SIOBHAN
What’s going on?
REBUS
A Cold War. Mutually assured destruction. It’s a 60’s thing Shiv. Before your time.
SIOBHAN
(to CAFFERTY) Is that right? I need to hear you say it.
CAFFERTY
Get him out of here.
SIOBHAN
Are you withdrawing your statement?
CAFFERTY
YES! Now get him out of here before I . . . Just get out.
They start to leave. SIOBHAN is out and on the stair, recovering. She can’t hear the following dialogue.
CAFFERTY
John . . .
REBUS stops.
CAFFERTY
What do you mean . . . you recognised her?
REBUS
People can say anything Big Ger. Especially when they want to get rid of you. Maggie lied to you. But DNA canny lie.
CAFFERTY
Where is she? Where’s my daughter?
REBUS
I wouldny tell you if I knew.
Transition into—
Stairwell, Quartermile
SIOBHAN and REBUS on the stair. We see the stairwell but if the penthouse remains visible CAFFERTY does not move.
REBUS
Panic over. See? I told you. You just had to trust me. It’s fixed. I fixed it.
SIOBHAN
Do you know where I’ve just been, in the dark?
REBUS
Round the Meadows?
SIOBHAN
Don’t talk to me.
REBUS
Hey. You’ve seen me bend the rules before. You’ve helped me a few times.
SIOBHAN
The price of losing was never this high.
REBUS
We didn’t lose. We won.
SIOBHAN
Yes. I suppose you did.
She’s gone into darkness. ANGELA is in front of him.
ANGELA
But I’m still dead.
MAGGIE is there.
MAGGIE
And I’m still waiting.
ANGELA
Nothing solves murder. The dead stay dead.
MAGGIE
You promised me justice. You promised!
ANGELA
We’re lost in the dark.
MAGGIE
Always.
We see MORDAUNT. He walks forward. MAGGIE and ANGELA watch.
Outside court
SIOBHAN is making a press statement. We still see MORDAUNT.
SIOBHAN
I have a statement from Angela’s father which I’ll read to you now. (takes it out, reads) ‘Peter Mordaunt has been found guilty and today our daughter has finally received the justice she deserves. Nothing can fill the dark hole she has left in the lives of those who loved her. Nothing can replace her spirit or compensate for its loss, but there is some comfort in knowing that her killer has finally been identified and punished. All her surviving family would like to thank the police for their persistence and dedication over twenty-five years.’
Lights are going down on MORDAUNT. ANGELA fades away. MAGGIE is still with REBUS, watching.
SIOBHAN
In return I’d like to thank Angela’s family for their faith in the police over those twenty-five years. A conviction like the one we saw today would not have been possible in 1992. It is possible today because of advances in science, modern police techniques. It was not the work of one but of many, a team, working together to painstakingly preserve and examine evidence. No one person could have won justice for Angela. Good police work is team work and I’m grateful to each and every person who built this case. Thank you.
A flash of press cameras. SIOBHAN is moving away as we still see REBUS and MAGGIE.
MAGGIE
What about me?
REBUS
(quiet) I’m sorry. I’m sorry Maggie.
MAGGIE
What good’s that to me? You let me down John.
MAGGIE is gone. REBUS steps into—
Stairwell, Police H.Q.
SIOBHAN is coming downstairs. REBUS is waiting for her.
REBUS
I owe you breakfast.
SIOBHAN says nothing.
REBUS
Saw you on the box. Good stuff. You’re taking the promotion then? Sounded like a Chief Inspector to me.
SIOBHAN
What do you want John?
REBUS
Just . . . wanted to say congratulations. You got him.
SIOBHAN
Yes. We got him.
REBUS
Well done.
SIOBHAN
Thanks.
REBUS
Got to be worth a cappuccino, come on . . .
SIOBHAN
What have you got on Cafferty?
A beat.
REBUS
I can’t tell you that Shiv.
Another beat. Then SIOBHAN’S moving.
SIOBHAN
’Course not.
REBUS
Siobhan . . .
SIOBHAN
(cutting him off) But it’s something big, something that could put him away for good, something that scares him. And the thing is John, the thing I’ve worked out is, that if we didn’t have to keep him quiet about your drunken, stupid violence, we could turn that weapon on Big Ger. We could use it. We could put him away. But hey, Mordaunt’s finally locked up eh? That what they called a win? In your day?
SIOBHAN is gone. REBUS waits a moment then moves into—
Stairwell, Arden Street
Slowly REBUS starts to walk up the stairs. HEATHER is sitting on the stairs.
REBUS
Where did you go to?
HEATHER
Och . . . around and about. You know.
REBUS is taking his phone out.
REBUS
I need to call this in . . .
HEATHER
(urgent) Don’t! Wait till I’m gone. I just wanted to know if you’d found anything. About my Mum.
A beat..
HEATHER
It’s lost history isn’t it? Didn’t realise I was hopeful but . . . That’s stupid eh? The way you can keep hoping. Like still believing in Santa . . . or life after death. Look it’s ok. As long as you tried.
REBUS
You have to talk to the police, Heather, about the night Andy was killed.
HEATHER
No!
REBUS
Why not?
HEATHER
Don’t call them.
REBUS
Well I have to . . .
He stops as HEATHER takes out a gun and points it at him.
HEATHER
Stupid fucker didn’t think I’d use a knife so he came at me. That’s when I knew I needed a gun. Should have realised: if you don’t look like you’re big enough to give them a doing they will try eh? And that’s just messy. And upsetting. I need folk to stand still when I’m talking to them.
REBUS
Right.
&n
bsp; HEATHER
If I’d had a gun that night I probably wouldny have had to use it. But he thought he could take me. Stupid fuck.
REBUS
You were supplying Andy. You were his boss.
HEATHER
And he was a fucking idiot. All he had to do was take the business off the stair. Like you said. You noticed. You knew exactly what he was doing. Can’t have folk working for me that are that kind of stupid. I wouldny have killed him but . . . Like I said, he tried to take me. (breaks off) What are you looking at me like that for?
REBUS
That’s the business plan is it Heather? This is how you’re going to make your fortune?
HEATHER
This is just how I’ll get started. Then I’ll diversify.
REBUS
Thing is, when you’ve got a toe in one world, it’s awfy hard to pull it loose and jump into another.
HEATHER
Richard Branson kick started his millions by fiddling his VAT.
REBUS
Is that a fact? Och you’ll be fine then.
HEATHER
All I’m doing is what the whole world does to get rich.
REBUS
Only difference is you’re doing it with your own hands.
HEATHER
That’s right.
REBUS
Must be in your blood.
HEATHER
What do you mean?
REBUS
Remember your mum Heather. She’d want you to do that.
HEATHER
Sometimes I kid on she’s watching me. Think she’d be proud John?
REBUS
I think she’d be worried for you. There’s sharks out there Heather. Seriously sharp teeth.
HEATHER
I can look after myself. Better than she could. Maybe I take after my Dad eh? What do you think?
REBUS
Careful what you wish for.
HEATHER’S on the move.
HEATHER
You can make your phone call now. I’m going. See you around John.
She’s leaving.
REBUS
I won’t do that. I won’t call it in.
HEATHER
(stopped) Why not?
REBUS
(offering her a card) Because one day, if you ever meet the biggest shark out there, you should phone me.
HEATHER
Why?
REBUS
Because if you meet him, you’ll really need my help.
HEATHER
And what’s in it for you?
REBUS
Maybe something we called a win . . . back in my day.
HEATHER
Alright. I’ll do that.
She takes the card and leaves. After a moment REBUS follows her down the stairs. The song, HEATHER and MAGGIE’S song starts and swells in volume.
We see CAFFERTY lit up in his penthouse, staring out over the city.
REBUS is in the Meadows, staring up towards CAFFERTY’S penthouse. They can’t see each other but each knows the other is there.
Music hits a crescendo.
BLACKOUT.
IAN RANKIN and RONA MUNRO
In conversation
Ian: So, Rona, what were your feelings when you were first approached about Long Shadows?
Rona: My first reaction was that I hadn’t read the books with enough attention! I think my brain clicked into ‘homework’ mode. Years of encounters with John Rebus, purely for pleasure, didn’t seem to qualify me for the responsibility. Of course, I then re-read the novels, especially the ones that focused on that strange, potent dynamic between Rebus and Cafferty. That reminded me that reading for pleasure was the point; that’s why the books are so fantastic. The job was to try and transfer that appreciation to the stage in a way that was theatrical but also satisfying to fans of the books.
Ian: Yes, I was certainly keen to see your ‘take’ on that powerful relationship between Rebus and Cafferty. The two share an empathy but also an antipathy. They seem to me like warring sides of the same split personality – and as you know I’ve always had a fascination for books such as R L Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and James Hogg’s Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. I was also interested in the way you had dealt with masculine/ royal power (and disempowerment) in your James Plays for the National Theatre of Scotland. Scotland is such a small country, I think people outside reckon all the writers must know each other, but we had somehow conspired never to bump into one another until we started bouncing ideas around about a Rebus stage play. Do you remember the early stages of that working relationship?
Rona: Well, I think we made it up as we went along, didn’t we? I don’t know about you, but I always felt that it had to be as organic as a conversation. I didn’t go into the project with any expectations of how we would work together. I thought we’d probably just start from that first mug of coffee and chocolate biscuit in your living-room and see what felt comfortable. I think every creative collaboration I’ve ever been part of has depended on mutual respect and trust. In this case, the biggest leap of trust probably came from you – Rebus is yours, after all. I know you’ve let others get their sticky paws on him with TV adaptations, and you seem very laid back and not at all possessive of the great man. Is that something you’ve had to work at or did you always feel able to detach?
Ian: I think it was easier to detach in the early years. When the first Rebus novel came out, there was immediate TV interest from Leslie Grantham (who was famous at the time for playing Dirty Den on BBC’s East Enders). He wanted to move the action to London so he could play Rebus as a London cop. I took one look at the fee being offered and I was delighted with that. But then it never happened. I think throughout my years with Rebus I’ve come to accept that he belongs to everybody, most notably his fans. You and I did discuss this, I remember – we wanted to produce a play that would engage lifelong fans while still being accessible to an audience who might not know the books but love a night out at the theatre. I know you hadn’t worked with the whodunit genre previously – did the format present you with particular issues as a playwright?
Rona: I think it depends on the whodunit, doesn’t it? Drama is always a whydunit – that’s what creates drama, the emotions and character backstories are what creates the action. A whodunit then needs a twist which satisfies, a plot twist, something the audience can’t see coming but which satisfies when it does. There are very skilfully created detective novels that provide a puzzle or a plot twist but don’t necessarily have character change. I don’t think that kind of story transfers well to the theatre stage. Fortunately, the Rebus novels have always been as much about character – and character development – as plot. Over the course of the series we’ve been able to watch Rebus shift his views as he ages and takes in the moral lessons of the various cases he has worked on.
Ian: Yes, I think from the get-go we both felt this had to work both as a twisty psychological thriller and as a study in character. What did you feel the stage version of Rebus could bring out that the novels couldn’t?
Rona: You get to see the characters live in real-time. I think that has an excitement – as all theatre does – that’s unique. The characters appear in living, breathing 3D in front of the audience.
Ian: Yes, when I go to the theatre I feel a level of participation in these characters’ lives that rarely happens when they are on a screen, big or small. But let’s go back to the process, because as well as working with me, you were also liaising with the play’s director – can you say a little about that?
Rona: Where do I start? The relationship between playwright and director is a particularly close one in theatre. In this case, of course, it’s essentially a relationship between two writers and a director, and I think with new writing the director is an essential conduit between the writer’s intentions and the actors’ portrayal of those intentions. A good director understands what you meant by any particular line of dialogue and what�
��s working about the drama. They then know how to translate that into instructions and support that the actors will find useful or vital. Directors can also let you know when your intentions – what those lines of dialogue need to convey – is not surviving the test of the rehearsal room.
Ian: Not so dissimilar from the relationship between novelist and editor. A good editor makes the book better by pointing to where lines, scenes or characters don’t work or could work better.
Rona: Yes, sometimes what’s in the playwright’s head needs a rewrite to make it into better theatre. I always sit in on the first part of the rehearsal process and fully expect to have to ‘tweak’ a script (at the very least!) once we get things up on their feet and being played out live in that room.