In fact, since his terror at seeing her run past the fire engine and into the woods, he’d been viewing everything through her eyes. Something that had never happened with Caroline. Even in the aftermath of the miscarriage.

He’d realized that today in the cemetery.

The pregnancy ending the way it did had provided an escape for him. One that he’d taken. But it wasn’t only the miscarriage and Caroline he’d been escaping from. It had also been the memory of Ailsa.

Inverness lay huddled under a blanket of cloud that obscured the rise of the land on both banks of the River Ness and turned the Moray Firth a glowering grey. Gone was the sunshine and the light, for now at least.

It suited his mood, this gloomy city, he thought as he drew into the police car park. Snyder’s reaction to his call had been difficult to read. He was interested, but not overly so. Greg had the idea that the detective had other more pressing things on his mind.

On announcing his presence at the desk, he was asked to take a seat and wait . . . and no, the duty sergeant had no idea how long that wait would be.

He tried to be pleased that on this occasion at least he wasn’t under arrest, although he reminded himself that he might soon be. He’d heard nothing from Josh since his threat to reveal his presence when the grave was uncovered, but then again he’d been given until tomorrow to agree to support Finn with their lie, or else deal with the consequences.

Maybe, he mused, that particular lie wouldn’t be required after all.

Eventually he was called and admitted to an interview room, just like on the previous occasion.

Snyder and DS Reid were already there and awaiting him. However, the situation felt nothing like the last time. Then they’d been there to interrogate him. Now, it appeared from their demeanour, they were merely curious to know what exactly he had come here to say.

‘Mr Taylor.’ Snyder scrutinized him. ‘I understand you have something you wish to tell us about the night Ailsa Cummings disappeared?’

He had no idea how to say this, because whichever way he did, it would sound, if not lame, then deranged.

Eventually he said, ‘I spoke to Caroline this morning in the cemetery. I realized that something had happened that night with her that I’d either forgotten or blanked from my memory. After she left, I tried to remember.’ He halted there. ‘You see, I’d been drinking a lot, because of Ailsa and the need to break things off with her, because of the baby. I’d been drinking at the ceilidh, trying to stop myself from going to meet Ailsa in the woods as promised. Then when I got back to Beanach I continued drinking . . .