‘It is,’ he said. He thought it was up to her to decide how important that fact might be.

‘John Henderson hasn’t had a woman since his wife died. Not as far as I know.’ Sandy was sitting in the corner furthest away from the fire. He never seemed to feel the cold. ‘I can’t see him carrying on with all that nonsense with the yoal. Why would he do that? And what reason would he have for killing Markham anyway?’ He paused for a moment. Perez thought he was rolling through the archives of his memory. Sandy held small details of Shetland gossip in his head better than an old wife with nothing else to do. Finally he spoke again. ‘Henderson was always one for good works. He ran the Youth Club in North Mainland and still helps out with the lads’ football team.’

‘Markham had been trying to contact Evie since he came home,’ Perez said. ‘The first time he’s made any effort to get in touch since he went away, apparently. Could be that Markham had heard about her marriage and decided that she was the one for him after all. A last romantic gesture.’ The thought moved him almost to tears.

‘And you reckon Henderson saw the man as a rival and killed him because of that?’ Sandy made the idea sound like a fairy story.

‘Or perhaps it was to do with work.’ Perez looked up. ‘Jerry’s and Evie’s work. Evie’s involved in developing green energy in the islands, and Jerry’s planned story included details of that. If Andy Belshaw is to be believed.’

‘A small group of activists met at Vatnagarth on Friday night,’ Sandy said. ‘They’re fighting the new tidal-energy scheme at Hvidahus. Worried about the impact on the environment apparently. They were expecting Jerry Markham to be there. They’d invited him, hoping that he’d cover the story.’ Sandy looked around vaguely, and Perez hoped Willow had worked out that Sandy wasn’t very good at detail, that he was easily bored.

There was a moment of silence, but Perez thought he could almost hear Willow Reeves’s thoughts hissing and sparking in her brain.

‘Could Markham have been killed to stop him going to that meeting?’ She looked at them both, demanding a response.

‘I can’t see it was that important.’ Sandy was dismissive. ‘A group of soothmoothers, pissed off because their view might be spoiled.’

‘Everything’s connected,’ Willow said. ‘There are too many links to be coincidental. Andy Belshaw’s wife volunteers in the place where Markham’s car was found, and Markham was expected to attend a meeting there the night he died. Belshaw and Henderson both run a boys’ footie club.’

‘Evie Watt is probably involved in the tidal project,’ Perez said. ‘Sustainable energy comes within her remit.’

‘Does it?’ Willow looked up sharply. ‘Where does Jen Belshaw work?’