Page 68 of The High Island

Hugh eyed him then with a shrug and said, ‘My father loved a barney. Ask anyone who knew him. It was his life’s blood. He would argue black was white. Up was down. Left was right.’

‘When did he tell you Kris was coming north to see him? Was it on that day?’

Erling watched as Hugh contemplated his answer.

‘He’d been going on about some guy who got in touch with him online about Betty. Spun the old bugger a line about being his great-grandson. That’s when it became obvious he was losing his marbles.’

‘Why?’

‘Because, despite the rumours, Betty didn’t leave because she was pregnant. She just wanted to get away from Hoy. From Orkney. From her family. So she could be herself, as she put it.’ Hugh met Erling’s eye. ‘You remember that feeling, Detective Inspector?’

Erling, ignoring the reference to his own teenage years, said, ‘Kris Mowat is who he says he is. And his mother, Betty Mowat, died when he was nine. After which Kris was brought up in care.’

‘You have proof of this?’ Hugh said.

‘We do. And by the date of his birth, we believe the rumours of Betty’s pregnancy, as you put it, were in fact true. Have you any idea who Kris’s father might be?’

‘None,’ Hugh said firmly.

‘Well, it seems Ivor did. In fact, just before he died, he told one of his carers that he had found out who Kris’s father was. His exact words being “I know who the bastard is”.’

Hugh appeared unfazed by this declaration, merely giving a big sigh and a shake of his head. ‘Well, he never mentioned any of this to me.’

Erling found himself thinking that might well be true. Would Ivor have chosen to tell his eldest son before revealing his findings to Kris in person?

It seemed Hugh was reading his thoughts, because he immediately said, ‘My father might have hinted at such a finding to me to annoy me, of course. But if, as you say, he believed Kris Mowat to be Betty’s son, he would have saved up anything he found out about his father for the boy himself.’

‘Kris turning up here has proved to be a real problem for you,’ Erling offered.

Hugh looked suddenly very weary. ‘My father was always the biggest problem for this family and everyone in it. And it got worse the older and more demented he became. As the eldest son, I was the one who had to deal with that.’

‘So now that Ivor’s gone . . .’ Erling prompted.

‘I get to clean up the mess he left behind.’

‘Does that mess include Kris?’

Hugh was silent for a moment, then, meeting Erling’s gaze, said, ‘Imagine on your own father’s death a man turns up out of the blue and tells you that he’s your great-nephew you never knew you had. And this so-called great-nephew inherits the family business. How would you react to that, Inspector?’

It was a question Erling found himself unable or unwilling to answer.

When Hugh had departed, Erling made the call he’d been putting off since Rory had shown him the photograph of the man who might be Kris.

The gruff voice that answered the call was instantly recognizable.

‘DIFlett. What can I do for you?’ A short pause followed, before he added in a tone that brooked no argument, ‘Apart from coming back to Orkney, that is.’

Erling found himself smiling. ‘No need for that,’ he assured the Glasgow detective. ‘We have a missing person. Kris Mowat. Who may have been spotted on the island of Flotta. I’d like to send you a photo that was taken together with one of Kris for your super recognizer to compare.’ He paused briefly before adding, ‘We also have some security footage from the Stromness Hotel which may be him.’

‘Is this in connection with the body you sent down?’

‘It is,’ Erling confirmed.

‘You think the body may be that of Kris Mowat?’

‘If he’s recognizable from the recent Flotta photograph, then it isn’t him,’ Erling explained. ‘The haste is because his pregnant partner has now disappeared and we fear for her safety too.’

‘What the hell is going on up there?’ McNab said.