Page 94 of Death at a Scottish Halloween

“Please, give yourself some grace. You’ve been through so much and I know people say that. But it’s true. I’m here for you, though.”

“I—uh—”

“What?”

“I have a huge favor to ask you.”

“Of course, you know I’ll help.”

“Would you go with me to the caravan park? I need to get my stuff from my brother’s place. And I need some space. Ithink I’m going to go home to Edinburgh until the services. I need my own things around me.”

“That’s understandable. I’m happy to go with you, but I think we should take the Constable or one of his team with us.”

“No. It isn’t like that. I’m not afraid. It’s that if Baird asks me to stay, I can’t say no to him. I care about him, and he’s lost his best friend. But I need to be by myself. I know that makes me sound awful.”

“It makes you sound smart,” I said. “You don’t need more emotional upheaval. You are allowed to put up boundaries whenever you need them.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“No problem. I need to run my friend Jasper home. It will take me five minutes. Then we’ll grab your things. Do you have a car? It’s going to be difficult for you to drive with that ankle.”

“No. I took the train. Does it even run today? I could use some of those wonderful stories. It’s a magical ride.”

“Agreed, and it does, but not until one. You are welcome to stay here, and then I’ll run you up there in time to head home. Do you have someone who can pick you up on the other end? The scooter is great but not meant for long distances.”

“I do.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in a bit.”

After depositing Jasper at his place and making sure he had everything he needed. I sent Mara a text to check on him in a bit and to bring him soup. She sent a thumbs up emoji.

Then I headed to the caravan park with Isobel. I made sure I had my pepper spray in my bag. One could never be toocareful in these situations. I almost texted Ewan, but Isobel appeared calm and unworried about what we might find. She swore it was just about moral support.

I’d been called out to the park a few times to do some home visits. Several older patients had caravans that looked out onto the Highlands. I never minded coming up here. It was beautiful and wooded, with caravans spaced on paved spots and walkways. The pavement made it easier for Isobel to get out of the car. I handed her the scooter.

The caravan we had pulled up to appeared fairly new and was attached to a big truck, or a lorry as they called them here.

She made a face.

“What?”

“I forgot about the stupid stairs.”

“Right. I’ll go in, and you sit on one of the steps. Tell me where your stuff is, and I’ll get it bagged up for you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. I just need my purse. I can get the rest later.”

“It’s no problem.”

She knocked on the door. “Baird, are you in there?”

“Would he be here? Doesn’t he have his own caravan?”

“He does. It’s across the way. I just thought he might have waited for me to come back.” She handed me the key. “Are you sure about this?”

“We’re friends. I would do this for any one of mine.” I used the key to unlock the door. Then I stepped inside. It was clean. As if someone had gone overboard scrubbing with lemons. The way she’d said he’d acted, I figured there would be a mess.

“Huh.”