‘I didn’t know. I guessed. Worked it out. It clicked for certain when I saw him in the Metro yesterday, watching those school kids talking about the murderer. He looked full of himself. As if he was a pop star or something. A celebrity. When we had that last walk on the beach Margaret told me that Ryan was . . .’ he tried to remember the word ‘. . . irredeemable, and she might have to go to the police. Somehow he’d worked out about her past and was trying to get money from her.’ Malcolm looked up. ‘Before that, she thought she could save him. Turn him round. Or that we could save him together.’

‘You guessed he was trouble, but you still took him on to work at the yard.’ Vera leaned back in her chair. For the first time throughout the interview Joe thought she seemed tired.

Malcolm raised his shoulders. ‘Margaret asked me to,’ he said.

‘I know.’ Vera gave a very sweet smile. ‘And if she’d asked you, you’d have swum three times round Coquet Island.’

He nodded and returned the smile. ‘Naked,’ he said.

‘Oh, pet, I do hope that she was worth it.’

On the way out of the interview room Joe paused and turned back. ‘You saved my girl,’ he said. ‘Thanks. Can you tell me what happened? She was a bit confused when they got her home to her mam.’

Malcolm looked up. ‘That was your lass? A polite little thing. She was in the Metro chatting to her friends, talking about finding Margaret’s body. But Ryan Dewar was there too. I saw him as soon as I got on the train. Fate, I thought. Or Margaret sending me a message. Out of the Metro, your lass got separated from her friends and he was following her. Maybe he thought she’d be able to identify him.’ The man paused. He was staring out of the window replaying the scene in his head ‘Ryan was chatting to her when I found them. Putting on the charm. Offering to get her home safely. But she’d recognized him and was starting to get scared. There was a community-support officer walking past and I asked her to help get your lass home. I got hold of Ryan – he wasn’t going to make a fuss there in the street, with the law looking on – and took him back with me. He thinks he’s a hard man, but he’s a kid. No match for me.’

‘Would you have killed him on the beach if the inspector hadn’t turned up?’

Malcolm looked up sharply, but didn’t answer.

Chapter Forty-Three