Sentence The Sevenhundredandthirtieth 
And meanwhile, in the Spring of 1947, while Glasgow basked in an unexpected heatwave, Sadie Glenfinnan, in her cover name of Mhairi MacDonald, continued to meet Betty Singer, Cook/Housekeeper in the then Martin Elginbrod's residence in that Great Grey City of the West, where he was wont to entertain Sir Paladin MacFarlane and his Man, Doughty Doubleday and, whatismore, give shelter to the abominable rapist and murderer, Charles 'Chick' Cowcaddens, recently released from Barlinnie Prison; being situated in a fairly quiet, certainly respectable, residential street in the West End, on the hill above Byres Road, it may not have been a lust-house in the general understanding of that term, but yet it contained many diabolical lusts when all four men were present, and while Mrs Singer was too conscious of her indebtedness to Mr Elginbrod to speak openly, she could not avoid those hints, pursings of the lips, raisings of a shoulder, or quick shudders, which spoke volumes to Mhairi as they sat over a pot of tea in their favourite cafeteria and watched the world go by on the busy pavement just outside the window – Bernie had asked her to take a bit of a risk today, what he called a zugzwang - "it might lose her, if she begins to think you have just been ingratiating yourself," he had said that morning in bed; she laughed: "well, she would be right, though, wouldn't she?" and he snorted: "initially, yes, but what you have learned is that neither she nor the other staff seem to be involved in their game, and if it all comes crashing down, if we can get evidence that something illegal involving young kids is going on, we would be able to speak up for the staff, I think you have to take her into your confidence," and Sadie had stared out of the window, for several minutes without speaking, then she asked: "have the boys, Tam and Boabie been keeping watch?" and Bernie nodded: "yes, there's someone there at all times; Tam's recruited a local gang, The Byres Young Team, they're a breakaway from the Toon Tongs and keen to establish themselves as the local hard men, though the average age is only 9. with the leader being just 11, so they aren't involved in any heavy stuff yet, just cutting their teeth, but I'm paying them and they are learning how to undertake serious surveillance, so Danny, the leader, recognises that this is a valuable learning experience for them – they know all the occupants by sight and have followed any who leave the house and they've reported that MacFarlane and Doubleday arrived last night with Elginbrod, presumably for a meeting with Cowcaddens and, who knows, maybe AKA will show up for it!"; now, Cowcaddens - or in the Glasgow vernacular - Coocaddens, was a big, boastful, braggart of a man, like a Jotun from Norse Mythology, black-haired,
bearded. with huge shovel-like hands and shoulders so broad he could only pass through doorways sideways - he made brawny Doubleday look positively average-sized and the other two quite puny by comparison; but don't think that Coocaddens was a numbskull - he had perfected a grooming technique quite surprising in such an apparently uncouth man: he had an easy way with children, who seemed less f+rightened of him than adults may have been, perhaps seeing him as the embodiment of Desperate Dan from the Dandy comic and that acted as a magnet and he explained to the others how easy it was to ingratiate himself with children and young people: "never castigate them no matter whit they say, or dae; ye huv tae get on their wavelength, demonstrate yer empathy," and despite themselves having long experience in the arts of seduction and rape, the Edinburgh pair were always keen to learn from others, which was the major benefit of The Ring of Gold, it brought like minds together, to share their methods and techniques, and often to share their prizes! – at which point the doorbell rang and a few moments later, Hamish MacDonald, or AKA to Bernie, Sadie and the boys, came in puffing a cigar, and grinning broadly: "evening gentlemen, I believe I have some information which will please you all," and he threw himself into an armchair and accepted a glass of whisky from Elginbrod!
bearded. with huge shovel-like hands and shoulders so broad he could only pass through doorways sideways - he made brawny Doubleday look positively average-sized and the other two quite puny by comparison; but don't think that Coocaddens was a numbskull - he had perfected a grooming technique quite surprising in such an apparently uncouth man: he had an easy way with children, who seemed less f+rightened of him than adults may have been, perhaps seeing him as the embodiment of Desperate Dan from the Dandy comic and that acted as a magnet and he explained to the others how easy it was to ingratiate himself with children and young people: "never castigate them no matter whit they say, or dae; ye huv tae get on their wavelength, demonstrate yer empathy," and despite themselves having long experience in the arts of seduction and rape, the Edinburgh pair were always keen to learn from others, which was the major benefit of The Ring of Gold, it brought like minds together, to share their methods and techniques, and often to share their prizes! – at which point the doorbell rang and a few moments later, Hamish MacDonald, or AKA to Bernie, Sadie and the boys, came in puffing a cigar, and grinning broadly: "evening gentlemen, I believe I have some information which will please you all," and he threw himself into an armchair and accepted a glass of whisky from Elginbrod!
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