‘Thank Christ,’ Colin declared.

They’d dismantled the forensic tent, exposing a gaping hole and the broken pieces of concrete and hot tub that lay close by. Harry approached to tell them that the area should remain off limits for now.

‘Can we put the tarpaulin back?’ Greg said.

Harry nodded. ‘And nothing’s to be disturbed in case they need to come back. Crime scene tape should remain in place. Tell your guests to stay away.’

He would tell them, but Greg knew they would be up there as soon as the police left and he wouldn’t be able to stop them. Not and keep his job. He felt a stab of anger at that.

As the last police car headed off, Colin fetched the tarpaulin from his vehicle, but before they could put it in place, sure enough, Stratton was there asking them to wait until they took their photographs.

‘We want individual shots with our head gamekeeper.’

‘I don’t think that would be appropriate,’ Greg said. ‘I, like everyone in the village, am now a potential suspect.’

He thought he might have got away with trying to sound official, but his hope was short-lived.

‘I insist we have one taken together,’ Stratton was saying. ‘The others don’t need to have you in theirs.’ He turned to Colin. ‘You’ll take it and make sure you get the grave in.’

Never more than in that moment did Greg wish he could bury Aidan Stratton in that gaping hole in the ground.

‘We won’t be requiring either of you today,’ Stratton informed him when the photographs had all been taken. ‘We have other plans.’

Greg badly wanted to ask them what those plans were but knew it wasn’t his place to do so. He could only hope they didn’t involve going into the village.

As the group left, Naomi, who hadn’t had her picture taken, mouthed a silent sorry in his direction.

Securing the tarpaulin, Greg told Colin he would be taking a couple of hours off.

Colin made a suggestive sound. ‘How is it going with the lovely Joanne?’

Greg found himself uncomfortable discussing anything to do with Joanne, and especially not in response to Colin’s innuendos, so he ignored the question.

‘Stratton’s been known to change his mind on the spur of the moment. Make sure everything’s ready in case he does decide to go out shooting. And stay at the Bothy. I’ll call you when I’m back.’

As he made for the Land Rover, he could hear laughter coming from the balcony of Ard Choille.

It sounded like today’s party had already begun.

Joanne

Not expecting Greg to come home until dinner time, and engrossed in what she was writing, Joanne hadn’t noticed the return of the Land Rover.

When the door suddenly flew open and Greg appeared, a grin on his face, she tried to look pleased to see him.