‘You’re sure?’ Ava said for the second time.

‘No one was in the boathouse. No people and no dog. Dougie’s boat wasn’t there either.’

Ava felt the horror retreat. Dougie hadn’t died in that fire, just as Magnus had said. She thought of how long and hard they’d searched for Finn while they’d waited for the embers to cool. They’d still been searching for the collie when Sandy and the fire team had come rolling down the track to take charge of the site.

‘Thanks, Sandy,’ she said, with an attempt at a smile.

‘He’s out somewhere in his boat, like always,’ Sandy told her.

Ava nodded, as though accepting that. Sandy Balfour was, after all, an Orphir man, living on the hill not far from Erling. He’d known Dougie all his life and probably better than she had during the time she’d been away.

‘Was it accidental, the fire?’

‘I can’t tell you how it started. Not for sure. You’d need a forensic fire investigator for that. We could request one, but since—’

‘No one died,’ she finished for him.

He nodded. ‘The whole of Orkney’s on the lookout now for Dougie, and the girl. We’ll find them soon enough.’

So all their attempts to keep Nadia hidden from view had failed. In fact, they’d only made her more visible to anyone from Go Wild who might be looking for her.

Which meant she could delay her decision no longer.

She walked Sandy out to his vehicle, said her goodbyes, then went swiftly inside to make her phone call.

David was quick to answer, perhaps because he’d been expecting to hear from her.

‘Ava, how are things?’

‘I’ve been waiting for you to get back to me,’ she said pointedly.

‘I know and I’m sorry.’ David’s tone was conciliatory. ‘Your piece is currently with our lawyers. I have to be sure we’re safe to print it.’

His voice, she realized, had changed. She’d rarely heard fear from him before, but it was there now.

‘What’s going on, David? You’ve never been afraid to print our material before.’

There was a moment’s silence before he said, ‘The police have been here about Mark’s death. They’re aware he was working on an exposé of Go Wild. They asked if it had been for this paper because Mark’s material can’t be published as it’s now evidence in a suspicious death. This survivor you have . . . you have to tell the police about her.’

‘Police Scotland already know,’ Ava told him, not mentioning Nadia’s recent disappearance.

The voice on the other end went quiet . . . Then, ‘The Met are trying to kill this story. There’s high-up people involved.’

‘Which is exactly why it should be printed,’ Ava told him. When silence fell again, she said, ‘I’ll publish it myself,’ and cut the call.