He looked concerned. ‘Word is, she’s very troubled, perhaps even suicidal?’

McNab didn’t respond, mainly because he had no intention of feeding McCreadie any more information, when it should be the other way round.

At that point, thankfully, his mobile rang. Seeing Janice’s name on the screen, McNab said, ‘Sorry, I have to take this,’ and went out into the hall.

‘Are you on your way?’ Janice said briskly.

‘Just leaving Stirling now,’ McNab promised.

‘Change of plans. Eleanor, Karen’s sister, is coming into the station. You have one hour to get back here.’

When McNab rang off, he found McCreadie watching him from the conservatory door.

‘I have to head off. Thank Lucy for the coffee,’ McNab said.

‘If I hear anything more about Karen, I’ll let you know,’ McCreadie promised as McNab let himself out.

‘I’m sure you will,’ McNab muttered to himself as he made for the car.

42

Rhona was in the shower when she heard the phone ring. Jumping out and grabbing a towel, she went in search of where she’d left her mobile, eventually discovering it under Tom on the sitting-room sofa.

It was McNab. ‘Morning, Dr MacLeod. Did I get you out of bed?’

‘No. What’s up?’

‘Some good news and some bad,’ he told her. ‘The Prof located Karen Marshall’s current address in Stirling via the women’s recovery cafe there. Bad news is, when the Prof went to visit her last night with Marge, one of her recovery pals, they found what might be a crime scene.’

McNab explained about blood in the kitchen and the fact that Karen had seemingly left without her mobile or her car.

‘You think she’s just walked out or was abducted?’ Rhona said.

‘It could be either. Whichever way, we need to find her.’

‘Do you want me up there?’

‘The Stirling lot are dealing with it on the ground, but I’ll make sure you get sent whatever forensic evidence is collected.’

‘You’re heading there now?’

‘I took a look first thing. I’ll text you the CSM’s number there, so you can speak to him yourself if need be.’

Minutes later Rhona heard the ping of the promised text. Checking it, she found DS Jones’s name and number. Rhona had dealt with the detective sergeant before, and knew him as an excellent Crime Scene Manager, although that didn’t altogether dispel her misgivings about not being there herself. Context was everything at a scene of crime, and this one was at the residence of a key witness in the Mary McIntyre case.

As she dressed, Rhona contemplated how Karen Marshall might provide the answer to many of their questions regarding the dress, and Mary’s implied pregnancy. Assuming the adult Karen could remember what had happened on that day over forty years ago.

McCreadie had implied that the eleven-year-old Karen had been severely traumatized, to the extent of not being able to speak at the time. Magnus believed that Karen could have buried the trauma so deep that it might never be recovered. But perhaps simple images, like the reconstructed dress or the bracelet Rhona had retrieved from the lochan, might help jog her memory.