“I’m just cold.” Though in truth the healthy-but-dead fox is simultaneously more upsetting yet less revolting than the raven. “It’s my second cadaver of the week, actually. There was a dead raven on our doorstep the other morning.” Ben blinks in surprise. I look down at the fox again. “At the risk of sounding selfish, I really wish this had found somewhere else to die. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Dinnae worry about that. I’ll get rid of it,” Ali offers, in a surprisingly kindly fashion. “Do you have a bin bag or the like?”

I nod and we turn for the house. “I don’t know how we didn’t see it in the headlights when we arrived,” I muse. The men dutifully wipe their feet on the mat before traipsing behind me through the hallway to the kitchen. I start to rummage beneath the sink. “Will this do, Ali?”

“Aye. What did you do with the raven?”

“Nothing. I didn’t have to; it wasn’t there when I got back from giving Carrie a lift. I suppose some animal carted it off for its dinner.” I turn to Ben with a forced smile. “I guess this puts paid to Callum’s hypothesis that animals won’t come in here.” Even mentioning Callum brings a warmth to me.

“Callum said that?” says Ali. His voice is oddly neutral.

“Yes, he said that was why Toast wouldn’t come in the grounds. I keep forgetting to quiz him on it.” Ben and Ali are exchanging glances. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ben says, but his eyebrows are drawn together, and there’s an uncharacteristic uneasiness in the set of his mouth.

“Come on, what?” They look at each other again. “It doesn’t seem like nothing. Look, guys, I’m the one who has to live here.” Temporarily. “If you have something to say, for God’s sake, spit it out.”

Ben looks at his friend as if for approval but if Ali gives any sign, I don’t see it. “Callum is . . . Callum is usually right, on animals,” Ben says quietly. Right, on animals. What does that mean? “And Ali and I were looking on TripAdvisor the other day, just for research if I’m going to buy it, trying to figure out why the Manse hasn’t been renting.”

“And?”

“There are reviews from people with pets. It’s supposed to be a pet-friendly rental, but their pets . . . their pets wouldn’t sleep in the house. Wouldn’t even set foot in the grounds unless dragged in, actually, and then they’d run straight out first chance they got. One of the guests parked their car on the verge of the road and the dog slept in there each night.”

“I see.”

Ali finally speaks up. “What we mean is, well, the fox and the raven, they wouldnae have come in here—”

“So you think someone brought them in. Yeah, I grasped that.”