Page 123 of The High Island

Erling acknowledged this with a nod.

‘Harald threatened Kris at the wake. Told him to fuck off or else.’

‘And he did,’ Erling prompted. ‘Did you know where?’

‘I hoped he’d taken Harald’s threat to heart and just left Orkney altogether, because I didn’t know then about Rachael. The lass complicated matters. And then the body was found at Lyrawa. I thought itwasKris. Harald denied he’d done that, but I wasn’t sure.’

‘So you waited?’ Erling said.

He nodded. ‘Then came the will reading and Rachael turned up in Kris’s place. Brave but foolish. Now she was a target too.’

‘But Kris came back for her?’ Erling prompted.

‘I wasn’t sure it was Kris who took her. It could have been one of Harald’s lot. He denied that, of course. I’d been given Ivor’s laptop and mobile when he died. I searched his phone and there was one message I didn’t understand. It was to Kris about Cava, or Kalfey as Ivor called it.’

‘You thought Kris might be hiding there?’ Erling said.

‘I wanted the body on the beach not to be Kris, so I decided to believe he had taken the girl to hide on Cava.’

‘Did Harald have access to the laptop and phone?’

‘No. I wiped them, then handed them in to you. That was something I got right,’ he added. ‘I thought Harald was looking for Kris and Rachael, so hoped I was correct about the beach body. Then I heard about Ivor’s notebook and that Auld Mackie and your detective sergeant were working on it. So I went there, told Mackie enough to get him to confirm Ivor’s message about Kalfey. The rest you know.’ He looked stricken. ‘What about the lassie?’

‘DSGreen is still at the Balfour. She’ll keep us informed. You do know that Mackie was attacked after you left his place?’

‘DSGreen told me.’

‘And who was that, d’you think?’

‘Harald’s been keeping tabs on me. But I don’t know who was on my tail. Maybe Harald. Maybe Max.’

‘Both Harald and Max are supposedly in Aberdeen,’ Erling said.

‘More likely they’ve been out on the water somewhere between here and Aberdeen.’

That was something Erling hadn’t considered up to now.

‘I’ll list possible boat names for you,’ Hugh said. ‘I want them caught. The sooner the better.’

They ended there with a handshake and a commitment by Hugh Mowat to give evidence at the trial that would undoubtedly follow.

‘I owe it to my granddaughter,’ he said.

Seeing Hugh to the door, Erling now gave Jo a call. Her answer was prompt and positive.

‘Rachael is okay, as is the pregnancy, although they plan to keep her in for tonight at least.’

‘And Kris?’ he checked.

‘Remaining by her side. Also, I’ve visited Mackie, who gets out today. He confirmed Hugh’s visit, and says it was Max Mowat who turned up after Hugh and was the one to hit him and take his mobile.’

Despite the positive news all round, Erling felt his sergeant didn’t sound quite right. Aware that if he asked her why outright, she would likely deny this, he instead asked if Ethan was still there with her.

When she confirmed he was, Erling asked to speak to him.

‘Everything okay there, Ethan?DSGreen sounded odd despite the good news about Rachael and Mackie.’

There was a pregnant silence, then the sound of movement as though Ethan was stepping away before answering.