After Gabe disconnects the call, I crumble on the sofa and cry till I have no more tears to shed. When I left India, I’d promised myself to stay strong and see this through. But how can one stay strong in the face of such adversity? How long should I continue down this path when there’s no end in sight? When will it be a good time to tell him? Once again, I’ve no answers, only more questions.

Damien

IT’S BEEN TWO DAYS since the shooting. Each time I think about that incident, I hear the sound of bullets echoing in my ears, I taste the terror that had engulfed me, I see the pavement that was painted red by the blood of two men. A man died because of me. Peter was injured because of me. Thankfully, the bullet only scraped his arm and he wasn’t too badly hurt. I’m glad that he’s back home safe and sound. But that other man Timothy Rivers...I can’t even think of him without breaking into a cold sweat. And it constantly keeps ringing in my head that it could’ve been me.

Shutting down those thoughts, I peer outside the car window as we drive through the interiors of Scotland. A light snow is falling, painting all the tops of the trees white. I yawn, my tired eyes stinging from lack of sleep. I should have cancelled this meeting today, but after the crazy two days I’ve had, visiting Jonathan’s estate in Scotland seemed like a fine idea to take my mind off the shooting.

I’ve spent the whole of yesterday deferring questions from the police. I refuse to tell them my suspicions and to involve them in my own situation until I’ve sorted the mess my father and brother have left behind at Annette & Co.

The car stops in front of Jonathan’s house and the waiting butler shows me to his study. Refusing his request to sit, I stride towards the window instead and peer at the rolling dark clouds. The snow is steadily falling now. The weather is taking a turn for the worse and I don’t want to be stranded here when that happens.

The Sommerfield Estate is fifty kilometers north of Inverness and is in the middle of nowhere. My plane landed at a private airstrip in Inverness and from there Mike drove us here. Usually, the drive through any part of Scotland is beautiful but driving back even to Inverness in bad weather will be fraught with danger.