‘Thank you.’ Fletcher nodded at Ann and headed for the door, where he pulled the stationmaster aside. ‘I talked with some whalers last night at my lodgings. They say a drowned body wouldn’t rise to the surface till after seven days, because of the trapped gases. Usually it would be three to four days but at this time of year, in the cold, it would take longer.’

‘But that woman?’ Alec Smith tilted his head towards the mortuary along the platform.

‘Her body must have drifted into the shallow waters. If the others are lying on the riverbed, it could be a long wait.’

Alec Smith watched the diver stride along the platform then turned back towards Ann.

‘I heard that, Mr Smith. So we must truly wait a week for news? What will you do with all the relatives?’

He looked out at them. ‘Unless the provost or harbourmaster have any other ideas, I intend to call in the minister. All we can do is pray. There is nothing more to be done.’

CHAPTER 10

Chapter 10

2015

Fiona and Jamie wandered along the sandy beach, hand in hand. The warm water lapped onto their feet and the sea sparkled in the midday sun. They both smiled and looked up towards the dunes to see a red kite flying over the sandy ridges. Fiona stopped and Jamie began to run towards it. Then they saw whose hand held it: it was Pete, in his favourite beach shorts and a tatty old T-shirt. He beamed when he saw them and Fiona felt a surge of happiness flooding over her like a wave of warm water. But as she watched him approach, she also noticed he kept looking over his shoulder. She found herself unable to walk; the sand was impeding her steps. But Jamie was running towards the dunes and Pete kept turning his head over his shoulder. He stopped and looked round one last time and Fiona could just make out some blurred figures behind him. She wanted to shout to him that she loved him, she missed him, but then as Jamie was about to reach him, she woke up.

Fiona opened her eyes wide and felt a tide of sadness sweep over her. The dream had been so vivid; she wanted to get straight back into it. She frowned as she remembered how keen Jamie was to see him, running over the sand, and she realised how much she missed Pete. What surprised her was that she missed him now more than Iain, who had been her husband for ten years. Theirs had been a happy marriage, until Iain’s cancer had arrived unannounced and he was gone within weeks.