Page 110 of The High Island

Jo, perplexed, said, ‘You think Ivor may have told Kris to hide out on Cava?’

‘Mackie was suffering from a knock on the head and he’s in his nineties. Maybe his mind was just wandering when he said that.’

‘Mackie was anything but wandering when I worked with him,’ Jo said sharply. ‘And he was definitely trying to tell me something important. The fact that he didn’t tell you suggests that. You could have been a Mowat, after all.’

‘Okay,’ Ethan conceded. ‘Kalfey is Old Norse for calf island, i.e. Cava. Maybe Ivor and Mackie used to go there as boys. It’s rightnext to Lyrawa, where Ivor lived, and the family would have fished that stretch of water.’

Jo considered this. It sounded plausible, but they’d already been on Cava, when looking for the drug boat.

Ethan was reading her expression. ‘It’s unlikely Ivor would have known about what was going on in the dive area,’ he said. ‘An escape to Cava might have seemed better to him than Kris hiding out somewhere on Mainland. It’s uninhabited. Has been for a while, although two ladies from down south used to live there. There’s fresh water, some shelter, just a bit dilapidated. And, assuming Kris has got hold of a boat, he could stock up on provisions when needed.’

‘The food wrappers we found,’ Jo said, remembering when they’d hidden in the derelict house watching the drug boat. ‘Maybe that was Kris.’

‘I could take theAngelback there?’ Ethan said. ‘Have a proper look around?’

‘No. I need to report toDIFlett first. Get his take on this,’ Jo said, possibly more firmly than she’d intended. After all, Ethan had been there when she’d found Mackie and accompanied him to hospital.

Ethan looked briefly disappointed, before saying, ‘Of course.’ And, with a glance at his watch, indicated he should get going.

Once he’d left, Jo gaveDIFlett a call and explained what had happened.

‘Ethan could be right,’ Erling said, ‘about the Old Norse name for Cava. If Mackie was trying to tell you where Kris is, we should take a look there. Do you plan to stay on at the hospital or shall I send aPCto take your place?’

‘You think Mackie could be in danger?’ Jo said worriedly.

‘His attacker might still wish him ill. Especially if they believe he could identify them.’ Erling halted briefly. ‘I’d also like you backworking on the two pages we’ve yet to decipher.DSGowan is required elsewhere,’ he finished firmly.

54

Ending the conversation with his detective sergeant, Erling headed for the incident room. The awaited call came as he was about to enter.

Hand already on the door, he noted the name on the screen and, stepping back, answered.

‘DSMcNab,’ he said. ‘You have news for me?’

‘I do, but I don’t think you’re going to like it,’ the familiar Glasgow voice told him.

‘Go on,’ Erling said, steeling himself.

‘The photo you sent, taken on Flotta? Our super recognizer cannot confirm that the male in the picture is Kris Mowat. Recognition software produced a similar result, although I’d trust the human being more.’

Erling absorbed this, aware that had the sighting been confirmed, then the likelihood of Kris being alive would have risen considerably.

‘Thanks for running the image for us,’ he said.

‘No word back on yourDNAtests yet?’ McNab checked.

‘None,’ Erling confirmed. ‘And we’ve had a second suspicious death, a young female last night. She drowned in Kirkwall harbour. Likely drugs-related.’

A pregnant silence followed. ‘Is this in any way linked to a county-lines gang from Liverpool?’ McNab asked.

‘We believe so. There’s a turf war involving them and the Mowat family,’ Erling told him.

A further silence followed, then, ‘Any images available regarding this gang?’

Erling explained about theCCTVoutside the club and the scene with the dead girl and a man with a Liverpool accent.

‘Send that through to me, pronto. If he’s known to us, we’ll get a match right away.’