‘There,’ she said. ‘All better.’ She laughed. ‘For a man who can cleanly butcher a deer, you seem a little careless with your own face.’

There was a smear of blood on her lips. He put his mouth on hers, tasting it. This is what it had been like since the moment they’d met in London. This gnawing hunger for her, which had never abated.

Taking her in his arms, he lifted her on to the surface. She laughed as he moved to position himself between her legs.

Later, when he was finally dressed, she asked if he might pick up a few things in the local shop for her.

He assumed an amused smile. ‘I’m out on the hill all day. You could take a walk down yourself?’

She didn’t look keen to do that. ‘Caroline doesn’t like me,’ she said with a wry smile.

‘I told you, it’s not personal. Besides, you don’t strike me as a big fearty.’

‘What’s a big fearty?’ she demanded.

‘Something you’re not.’ He kissed her firmly. ‘There are venison steaks in the fridge. I’ll cook them when I get back.’

He headed out to the Land Rover, releasing his two labs, Cal and Sasha, from their kennels to jump into the back.

In the glen below, where Blackrig nestled, the morning sun had burned off most of the mist, although faint spirals of it still rose from the surrounding pinewoods like spirits escaping the dawn.

Settled now in the Land Rover, he glanced in the rearview mirror to find Joanne, still in a state of undress, observing his departure. He hooted the horn in response to her wave, and thought back to the moment they’d first met.

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Praise for the Rhona MacLeod series

‘Forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod has become one of the most satisfying characters in modern crime fiction – honourable, inquisitive and yet plagued by doubts and, sometimes, fears . . . As ever, the landscape is stunningly evoked and MacLeod’s decency and humanity shine through on every page’

Daily Mail

‘Lin Anderson is one of Scotland’s national treasures . . . her writing is unique, bringing warmth and depth to even the seediest parts of Glasgow. Rhona MacLeod is a complex and compelling heroine who just gets better with every outing’

Stuart MacBride

‘Vivid and atmospheric . . . enthralling’

Guardian

‘The bleak landscape is beautifully described, giving this popular series a new lease of life’

Sunday Times

‘Greenock-born Anderson’s work is sharper than a pathologist’s scalpel. One of the best Scottish crime series since Rebus’

Daily Record

‘Inventive, compelling, genuinely scary and beautifully written, as always’

Denzil Meyrick

‘Hugely imaginative and exciting’

James Grieve (Emeritus Professor of Forensic Pathology)

The Killing Tide