‘Ava’s brother called Magnus and he picked them up from where they were hiding out on Hoy. She asked specifically to be interviewed by you, Sergeant.’

‘Good job I’m on my way back then, sir.’

There was one thing he needed to do before he hit the sack. One thing he’d missed in his Afghan pad. Dropping what little luggage he had in his berth, he headed for the bar.

It was just as he remembered it, minus the pretty woman he’d shared it with last time. McNab ordered a double whisky, paid for it, and took it back with him.

Sitting on his bunk, he put the whisky on the fold-down shelf and opened Mark’s laptop. In all the trauma he had yet to read through the material Ava had put up online. Opening Ollie’s email, he found his latest update, which included a list of the online sources for him to view.

McNab settled down to study them. If he was to interview Nadia Kowalski and Ava Clouston tomorrow, then he wanted to be certain he’d read all they’d had to say.

71

Ava went outside to watch the sunset, not knowing when she might see it quite like this again. She had no plans to linger in Glasgow, but something told her that by going there she was already re-entering her previous life.

The posting of her material online had echoed this.

No longer could she hide away on Orkney, pretending to run a farm and play happy families. A decision would have to be made about the future.

She headed for the field and the kye, taking pleasure in their presence, remembering how her father seemed to know every single one of his herd, had even given them names. She wondered if Dougie would do the same. Maybe he already had.

She stopped now and again to rub a head or to admire how much a newborn calf had grown, while above her dark clouds scudded across a blue and red sky. That was the thing about Orkney, she thought, it was all sky and sea, with the land playing a lesser role, green and luscious though it might be.

When Rhona had asked her if she believed Dougie to be alive, she had realized in that moment that she did. Even stronger than that, she’d known it to be true.

She’d been twelve when he was born, and had been thrilled by his arrival. In fact, she’d always thought of him as her baby. Her teenage years had changed that, of course, when she’d gone off to the city and university, but even then, each time she’d returned, things were the same as soon as she saw him.