‘So where is McNab?’ Rhona eventually asked.

‘He got a call from IT just before we headed here,’ Janice said. ‘I believe the remains have been ID’d as Mary McIntyre?’

Rhona nodded. ‘There are anomalies, which I’ll enlighten everyone on.’ She halted there as Janice’s attention was drawn elsewhere.

‘Well, well, well,’ Janice was saying, amazement in her voice. ‘Look who’s here.’

Rhona turned to see a tall, imposing elderly bloke with grey hair enter the room.

‘Who’s that?’ Rhona said, genuinely interested.

‘That is bestselling author J. D. Smart, aka former Detective Inspector Jimmy McCreadie, who was in charge of the original abduction case. Until, that is, he was shown the door, the reasons for which are unclear. You want to meet him?’

‘You know him?’ Rhona said, interested.

‘The boss sent us to interview him when there was a suspicion that the remains might be wee Mary McIntyre. Needless to say, DS McNab wasn’t impressed.’

‘What about you?’

‘I like his books, so I was interested in meeting him in whatever context.’

‘And?’ Rhona urged her on, realizing there was more to come.

‘Turns out he kept personal notes about the investigation, which he handed over to us. Since the original police notebooks are missing from the stored evidence, they’re proving very useful, once you decipher the handwriting,’ Janice explained as she and Rhona began to weave their way towards the gentleman in question.

Spotting Janice and obviously recognizing her, a big smile spread across the former detective’s face.

‘DS Clark, I was hoping to see you here.’ He held out his hand. ‘And this is?’ He gestured to Rhona.

‘Dr Rhona MacLeod,’ Janice gave the introduction.

‘Ah,’ he said, taking Rhona’s hand this time. ‘I am very pleased to meet you, Dr MacLeod. I am an admirer of your work, so much so that I took the forensic course you’re involved in. Very enlightening, especially for a detective from the old school.’

‘A lot of things have changed since your time in the force,’ Rhona said.

‘They have indeed, and for the better. Hopefully, with your help, this one,’ he gestured at the current evidence on display, ‘will finally be solved.’

‘Will you be contributing today?’ Rhona said.

‘DI Wilson asked me in to give an overview of the initial investigation. I hope that what I can offer helps. It’s such a long time ago and many of those close to the case are dead and gone.’ He paused, his look darkening. ‘In truth, the story of Mary McIntyre never left me, even after I left the force. Thank God I had the wit to write it all down at the time, so that I would never forget.’

They said there was always at least one unsolved or unresolved case that haunted every detective. By his tone and expression, the disappearance of Mary McIntyre was the one forever on McCreadie’s mind.

At that moment the large screen at one end of the room came on and the babble of chat quickly died away. Bill introduced the man and woman on either side of him as the brother and sister of Mary McIntyre, who had been abducted on the first of May 1975.