‘How’d it go with Stratton?’ Malcolm said.

‘Never saw him, but Chalmers gave me the impression all was well and I still had a job.’ He could hardly believe what he was saying. ‘Him and Stratton are around for a couple more days, but they won’t be needing me or Colin.’

Malcolm looked as surprised as Greg felt.

‘Colin says some Glasgow bloke from Ailsa’s past has turned up saying she was at the campsite after she left here?’

‘News travels fast in Blackrig,’ Malcolm said. ‘That’s the good news. Unfortunately there’s also bad news.’

‘What?’ Greg looked from Malcolm to a sombre Joanne and back again.

‘They’ve arrested Finn,’ Malcolm said.

‘Finn?’ he said, aghast. ‘What for?’

‘I managed to get an explanation of sorts from Harry, though he was loath to divulge it.’ Malcolm halted there as he chose his words carefully. ‘The police apparently retrieved his fingerprint from the plastic sheet the body was wrapped in.’

‘But Finn wasn’t with the gang that destroyed the hot tub,’ he said without thinking.

Malcolm was staring at him, obviously perplexed. ‘How do you know that?’

He could have fobbed Malcolm off, but with Joanne’s eyes watching him closely, he knew he had to tell the truth about that night and his role in it.

‘I was up there when it happened. I hid when the gang appeared. They wore balaclavas, but I recognized the voices. Finn’s wasn’t among them,’ he said, beginning to realize how serious this was. If Finn wasn’t there, how the hell did his fingerprints get on the plastic?

He wondered if Malcolm would ask why he’d visited the Party House, and whether he could bring himself to tell him that he was revisiting the scene of his crime. The one involving the virus.

When Malcolm remained silent, Greg said, ‘Josh knows who was with him.’

‘So you’re both witnesses to Finn not being there.’ Malcolm cursed in Gaelic and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘The likelihood is the police know all this already.’

Joanne was reading their expressions. ‘You think Finn killed Ailsa?’ she said in a shocked voice.

Greg couldn’t believe it. Or wouldn’t believe it. The mild-mannered Finn he’d known since childhood, who had mysteriously turned into the furious man who’d deposited Joanne at Beanach’s door last night. Telling her – no, threatening her – to never go near his sister again.

‘He brought Joanne back here last night. He was—’

Joanne interrupted him. ‘I told Malcolm what happened,’ she said quietly.

‘What can we do for Finn?’ Greg said. ‘There must be something.’

‘If you or Josh tell the truth, it’ll condemn him. If you tell a lie . . .’ Malcolm came to a halt.