‘He didn’t say. Just asked me to warn you.’

‘Not enough,’ McNab said.

Rhona didn’t think so either. ‘If you have information related to this case, you must inform the police.’

‘Mark’s being investigated by the Met, according to my editor. Seems he’s upsetting some important people who don’t want Go Wild exposed for what it is . . . supplying the wealthy with ways to commit murder and get away with it.’

‘Or he’s the one that’s not to be trusted,’ McNab challenged her.

‘There are four people dead who were connected to Go Wild. You look as though you could have been number five.’

Rhona turned to McNab. ‘Are your injuries connected to the investigation?’

She watched as he tried to figure out his response.

‘You can’t accuse Ava of withholding information if you’re doing the same thing.’

‘It’s not the same,’ McNab finally said.

The drill of Ava’s mobile broke the silence that followed. She’d laid it alongside her on the table as though concerned that she might miss a call.

Her face was fraught as she listened. ‘Call Erling. Tell him what’s happened. Then stay inside. D’you hear me, Dougie? I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.’

‘What is it?’ Rhona said as soon as the call ended.

‘One of our cows has been knifed to death in the field.’ She looked stricken. ‘That’s the second in days and I left Dougie there on his own.’

‘Why would anyone do such a thing?’ Rhona said.

Ava shook her head. ‘All I know is that it began when I started investigating what was going on aboard the Orlova.’

27

There was a light on in the second-floor window and a motorbike parked up next to the front door. McNab lifted the cover and recognized the markings.

It looked like Ellie was home and hopefully alone, although he couldn’t be certain of that.

He stood for a while, his eyes fastened on that window, and saw no movement inside. Of course, she could be in the kitchen or the bedroom, both of which were at the back of the building.

He wrestled with his decision, knowing that walking on was the easier thing to do, but maybe not the wisest. That’s the way Rhona had put it. They’d sat for a bit after Ava had left, discussing what had been said.

Rhona had eventually extracted a potted version of what had happened to him at the fight club, but only because he’d planned to come clean to the boss tomorrow anyway. She’d also prised out of him what he and Sean had been talking about when she’d arrived at the club.

‘It’s not another woman,’ he’d told her.

‘So what the hell’s going on?’