He suspected Aidan was already aware of what had been found and that this meeting was all for show, so they might continue with the vicarious excitement, hopefully with a few more added details.

‘They found human remains in the sandy ground under the hot tub,’ he confirmed.

Viola’s hand flew to her mouth in exaggerated surprise.

‘Male or female?’ Aidan said with interest.

Greg shook his head, indicating he didn’t know, which of course wasn’t true.

He found Aidan studying him intently.

‘So, we have an actual crime scene within viewing distance of the house. How extraordinary,’ the woman called Poppy said.

‘You’ll be glad to know that I’ve checked with the police,’ Aidan said, ‘and they confirmed we were free to stay, since they’ve secured the crime scene.’ He gave Greg a satisfied smile. ‘I’ll let you know later if we’ll need you for the afternoon.’

Summarily dismissed, Greg found that the anger he’d swallowed while in the room was now threatening to overwhelm him. He held it in until he reached Colin, when he finally allowed the stream of invective to escape.

‘Wow! That bad?’ Colin said warily. ‘I take it they’re staying on, then?’

Greg nodded.

‘And are we needed?’

‘Our Lord and Master will let us know.’

Joanne

I shouldn’t have asked outright if it was the body of the missing girl. He didn’t like that.

The image of Greg’s furious face when he’d realized that she had been spying on them returned to trouble her. She hadn’t seen him angry before. Annoyed perhaps, like this morning when he’d realized she was within earshot of his call with Colin.

But when he’d found her in the woods, he’d been outright furious, his knuckles clenched white. If the interloper had proved to be a man, she could imagine Greg punching him.

She’d eventually been saved by the call from the Party House, although her effort to defuse the situation by mentioning ‘their tree’ had seemed to ease the situation a little, followed by her offer to leave if things were difficult for him at this time.

Something, it seemed, he definitely didn’t want.

Her swift walk had brought her to the tarred road into Blackrig. Joanne stood for a moment, contemplating whether to return to Beanach immediately, as she’d told Greg she intended, or to visit the village woods instead.

She was definitely keen to view the carvings at close quarters, but that wasn’t the only reason the lower woods now beckoned.

From the moment Greg had reluctantly confirmed that human remains had been found below the hot tub, she hadn’t been able to set aside the possibility that they might be those of the teenage girl who’d gone missing from those woods five years before.

She also suspected Greg thought the same, despite his unwillingness to say so.