‘No,’ I say quickly. ‘Probably not.’ Which is another lie. From what I’ve learned about Robert, he doesn’t seem the suicidal type, and even less, the heroic type. And in spite of, or maybe because of what I’ve found out today – even if it has nothing to do with me any more – my answer is still yes. I think he was murdered.

‘Anyway, there could have been a mistake with the dates, right?’ I force myself to smile. ‘Or maybe reincarnation doesn’t work that way, you know? Maybe there’s like a seven-and-a-half-week cooling-off period or something.’

Will smiles a better smile. ‘A little celestial R and R before heading back to the coal face.’

I smile back, and I feel the slow, heavy beat of my heart against my breastbone as both relief and reprieve.

‘Are you guys eating with us tonight?’ Jack calls over from behind the bar, and I lean quickly away from Will. ‘The restaurant’s pretty booked up, but there’s a table free in the next five minutes.’

‘I’m up for it if you are?’ Will says.

Against all of my better instincts, I nod.

‘But then we should probably head back. There’s bad weather forecast for tonight.’ Will smiles, keeps on looking at me. ‘Better to play it safe, right?’

*

‘So,’ I say, once a waitress has delivered our food and given Will a long, lingering look that makes me bristle. ‘Tell me what it was like growing up on Kilmeray. Must have been a cool place to be a kid.’

‘David, Donnie, and I pretty much lived outside in the summer. Swimming in lochs and the sea around Sheltered Bay or Long Stride. Racing one another round the island, or playing war games in the Valley of Ghosts. The foothills of Ben Wyvis were good for MG nests.’ Will grins. ‘Charlie called us the Three Stooges.’

‘Must have been pretty lonely sometimes.’

Will shrugs. ‘Not when you don’t know anything else. Plus there was Heather and Sheena too.’ He pulls a face. ‘Even if they were girls.’

‘Kelly said Sheena has always had the hots for you.’

‘Well. You can imagine what it’s like growing up on a small island. Hormones everywhere and nowhere to put them.’ He shifts in his seat, and I’m charmed by his discomfort. ‘Anyway, more families started moving into Urbost. And then we were all off to school: me and Iain to Glasgow; everyone else to Lewis. Sheena and David ended up going out for most of high school.’

‘Isla’s living room is covered in photos of him,’ I say.

‘Yeah, she thinks he farts sunshine, all right.’ Will laughs. ‘Last time I saw him was when he came back for Christmas. He’s a good guy.’

‘What happened to Kenny?’

Will pours me more wine. ‘Story I heard was he went out alone on the Unity, as far as the shelf, even though he’d mostly been working inshore. And he went overboard in heavy seas. The boat was recovered, but just like Robert and Lorne a few weeks before, his body was never found.’