Malcolm wasn’t sure whether or not to comment, and decided to take his cue from Tommy. The house had been sold within a year of the murders. John had been in financial difficulties. All of that came out afterwards, Malcolm becoming caught up almost immediately in legal wrangling that bewildered and distressed him. The estate, he was told, was insolvent. The house had to be sold to pay off John’s debts, and to pay the funeral bills; there was nothing left, in the end, for Tommy. It had been bought by an investor at auction and had lain empty for another two years, until it was sold again to Chris and Mary Dougdale, incomers who moved to the island from Stirling. They didn’t arrive until Tommy had already left, though they knew the story, of course. But it didn’t have the same reality for them as for the locals. Before the house was first auctioned, professional cleaners had to be hired to get out the blood.

When Tommy started to speak, Malcolm thought he would say something about the house. But all he said was, “What about the Wilson twins? Sophie and Millie. They were at school with us too.”

“The Wilsons are still here,” Malcolm said. “Una and James, at any rate. The girls both left after they finished school. Millie lives in Glasgow, married with a couple of children of her own.” They were safely past the track now and he felt it disappearing behind them. “Sophie’s down in London, working for a magazine or a newspaper. Happy, her parents say.” Malcolm remembered the twins when they were young, with their matching plaits. Nice lasses. They still came back to visit their parents occasionally, Millie with her family in tow, Sophie sometimes with a boyfriend, and it was always good to see them. He said, “Young people don’t stay long here. Not now. Most all of them leave as soon as they have the chance.”

Tommy shrugged. “No jobs.”

“Aye.” But it wasn’t just that, and Tommy knew it too.

“Does nobody work on the mainland?” Tommy said.

“No. You know how long the ferry takes, and it’s not reliable.”

There was a short pause, then Tommy said, “My father used to do it.”

Malcolm took his time in replying. He did not look round at Tommy. At last he said, “Your father had his own ideas about how things should be done.”

They finished the walk in silence.