Page 44 of Death on a Scottish Train

“Aye, maybe even tonight if we dinnae get back too late,” the officer said.

Tommy nodded.

Henry was so good with him, as was Ewan. Growing up, Tommy hadn’t had the best male role model, but he did now. And luckily for him, he’d always had Abigail in his corner. She cherished her younger brother.

“Doc, do you mind if we come with you? This is the first time we’ve made these excursions a part of the end-of-summer festivities.” Ewan asked. “I wanted to check out the format.” As the laird, mayor, and ACC, he had his hands in everything.

“Of course, I don’t mind,” I said. “We are happy to have you.”

“Hello, all. I’m Captain Gillispie,” said an older gentleman with white hair and Santa Clause worthy beard. He wore a blue and white captain’s hat. “My vessel is the Galbraith, and we are heading into fairy territory. This is my daughter, Isobel, she is a master storyteller and knows all of the folklore for our islands where many a fairy and wee folk live. Welcome aboard!”

Isobel motioned for us to step onto the craft. She was dressed in jeans and a cable-knit sweater but had a pair of fairy wings attached to her back.

The boat was bigger than I’d imagined, for which I was grateful. There were benches facing out to sea, and a small cabin with more seats in case the weather turned rough.

As the Captain headed up top, we sat down on the benches. I was surprised when Ewan took the seat next to me.

“Any news?” I whispered.

He shook his head. “We’re waiting for a warrant so we can go through the business files. His partner is acting suspiciously, and I’m curious what we will find.”

“I thought you already had a court order.”

“Only for the deceased,” he said. “I want to see if there are improprieties with the business as a whole.”

“I was thinking about that. He lost the sister’s money, but I’m sure that at least some of his other clients had to be involved. I know we spoke about it before, but money is a good motive.”

“Aye, it is,” he said. “But this murder seems personal, and the killer, or unsub, as you American’s say, would have had to have access to the lip balms. That would take someone who was a part of his everyday routine or had access to him.”

“Does that mean only the people he worked with? That narrows down your suspect list.”

“Unfortunately, no. Several of those he volunteered with remembered that he was addicted to his lip balm. When asked, they all said he’d used it in their presence. And he’d invited some of the volunteers to his house to show off his trains. One of those people could be involved.”

“Oh, bummer.”

“Yes, it leaves us with a fair number of suspects, all of whom were at the event that night.”

I scrunched up my face. “Of those who were there, did he lose their money, as well?”

“We are cross-checking, and that is why we asked for the warrant for the business, rather than just his papers. I think I mentioned I’m bringing in a forensic accountant to help us go through everything.”

“That’s smart.”

Jasper and Angie stopped to hug me as they came on the boat. The newly married Angie was so busy with all of her stores, and her husband, but she was determined to make time for her friends.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said as she squeezed me tight. She was a few decades too late for the punk era, but her wild outfits never disappointed. Today, she wore a sequined sailor shirt, with white leather pants and a rhinestone studded cap.

“I’m glad you could make it. Where is your husband?”

She rolled her eyes. “In London again,” she said. “Though things are finally settling down. And he was able convince the shareholders not to jump ship. He promised another few weeks, and we should be back to normal.”

They had their fair share of family trouble. Some of which had nearly ended with us both dead.

Jasper carried a basket. “I brought treats,” he said. “I know how you are about your snacks.” He pointed at me.

Everyone laughed. I loved our group of friends, who had become like family to me. Even though I’d been in Sea Isle for only a year, I didn’t know how I would do life without them. I prayed I never had to find out.

“Open your mind and pay attention,” Isobel said. She waved her hands in the air. “You never know when a fairy might be peeking into our world. We’ll be circling the islands where you might catch a glimpse of them flying around. And if you see a seal, it may be a selkie or a mermaid or merman in disguise. While they cannot stay on land for long, we sometimes see them shed their seal masks and dance by the firelight.”Her voice was rich and bold, and I couldn’t help but smile. I sometimes wondered if everyone in Scotland was a great storyteller.