George waited in the school house until Jonathan had finished teaching. That day the island had seemed full of frenzied activity, as the men chased the geese in Alec’s battered car. He supposed that Robert must be with them. He did not want to approach them to find out, so he decided that he would talk to Jonathan. If Sylvia was hiding something, her husband must suspect it. When the school bell rang to send the children home, he made a pot of tea, and waited in the kitchen for the teacher to come in.

Jonathan looked tired.

“Maggie Stennet was waiting for me again,” he said. “She’s been trying to find out how long Sylvia will be away.”

“How long will Sylvia be on Baltasay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Has she phoned?”

“Yes.”

“Why did she leave the island so suddenly?”

“I don’t know.”

“You must have some idea.”

Drysdale remained silent.

“Was it my talk of secrets?”

“It’s none of your business!” For a moment he lost control.

George spoke quietly and calmly. “ I explained my concern about the disappearance of Mary’s scarf. It was found on Monday. I think Sylvia was talking to the person who dropped it before she got on to the boat. If you know anything you must tell me.”

“Really. I don’t know anything.”

“Did you walk some of the way with Sylvia on Monday morning?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“She said not to bother. We’d arranged for Alec to pick up her luggage.”

“What happened to make you both so unhappy?”

“I told you. She’s bored here.”

“Why does Maggie Stennet dislike Sylvia so much?”

It was a stab in the dark, a wild guess, but at last he provoked a reaction.

“Because Maggie’s a venomous bitch. It’s not Sylvia’s fault that Alec Stennet chases every woman under forty on the island.”

“Was Sylvia having an affair with. Alec?”

“No!” He was shouting. “She flirted with him. I’ve told you. She was bored. She flirted with every man on Kinness.”

He stood up, said that he was going for a walk, and went out.

In Kell, Melissa waited for James. She did not mind that he had been out all day. She knew that he enjoyed the companionship of the other men. She was not much company now. He was a good shot, too, and always came back with more birds than the others. But she knew that she was spending more and more time alone, and knew that it did her no good. I must make the effort, she thought, or I’ll go mad like poor Ellie Dance, and start howling at the moon like a dog.

Ben had been late home from school again, very late, and Elspeth had begun to panic.