McNab thought of Mr Wollstone. The ease with which he’d allowed McNab to enter. The likelihood that the Met had never been there. The whole scenario had screamed ‘wrong’ at him. Then that photo of Olivia with the posh fucker who’d been in Glasgow around the time of the storm. Maybe the missing Olivia had been there with him?

He tried to bring up an image of the fight room. The audience had been mostly men, but there had been females too. He cursed himself for not registering them properly.

If he hadn’t been knocked out cold, he would have likely seen the posh fucker leave with one of them on his arm, and that one might have been the real Olivia.

Coming back to the present, he found the journalist studying him.

‘My interpretation? Cleverly was sent north to check out your moves on the fire death because they believe a high-profile bastard was involved in the torture and death of the victim,’ he said. ‘As for the Orlova coming ashore on Orkney, thus involving Police Scotland even further in what the Met see as their case . . .’ He made a face. ‘My bet is you’ll shortly be getting requests, which are really demands, to send south all evidence relating to the investigation into Go Wild. In the interests of national security, of course, which supersedes everything.’

42

Dusk had settled over the park, with a clear sky and the prospect of a full moon. The call from Bill had come as she’d headed down the path from the university, having decided to go home rather than to the jazz club.

Which was just as well, since what he’d had to say meant that she was headed back to Orkney next morning and would have to pack again.

‘Give Erling a call,’ Bill had told her. ‘He’ll give you the full story.’

Opening her front door, Rhona was greeted with some enthusiasm by Tom, which only lasted until she’d checked his dish and replenished the contents. After which food became much more interesting than she ever could be.

Rhona extracted a ready meal from the freezer and put it in the microwave, then poured herself a glass of wine and set about calling Erling.

‘I take it DI Wilson told you what’s happened?’ he said after the usual greetings.

‘Only what was required to get me to agree on a return trip tomorrow.’

‘The body was discovered this evening. A male, probably in his twenties. We had to move him further up the shore because of the tide. We’ve covered him but the wind’s up, so no tent. D’you want us to move him to the mortuary?’

‘It’s better if I see him in situ first,’ Rhona said.