The most important thing was to do whatever was required to keep Caroline onside, he reminded himself. However awkward that might prove to be.

Reaching the shop, he found a visitor reading the prominent sign that had so bemused Joanne on her arrival in the village.

‘Is this for real?’ he asked Greg.

‘No mask. No entry. By order of the management,’ Greg said with an apologetic smile.

‘I don’t have a mask,’ the man said.

‘Here.’ Greg pointed to the supply box. ‘Keep it in case you come back again.’

He waited until the man had re-emerged before going inside himself. Caroline, doing a quick check and seeing he was alone, treated him to a wide smile, which Greg quickly met with one of his own.

‘So we’re on for tonight?’ Caroline said.

‘Looking forward to it. Just heading back to Beanach to eat and change.’

Caroline scrutinized him. ‘Is she still up there?’

‘Joanne’s still here, yes.’

‘When’s she leaving?’ she asked pointedly.

‘Not sure yet.’

Caroline threw him a ‘what the hell?’ look. ‘We had an agreement,’ she said sharply. ‘Have you forgotten that?’

‘We have an agreement. I intend on sticking to it. Joanne’s presence doesn’t change that.’

‘It could do,’ she said, challenging him.

He tried to remain calm. ‘We’ll survive this investigation just like we did the last one, if’ – he emphasized – ‘we stick to our original story.’

She eyed him warily. ‘You’ve already been interviewed?’

He thought it had been more of an interrogation than an interview, but didn’t voice that. ‘I have.’

‘And you stuck to the story?’

‘As close as I remembered it.’

Her face collapsed a little at that, and he saw fear enter her eyes. ‘I’m not sure I can do this again.’

He went behind the counter and drew her into his arms. ‘It’ll be okay,’ he said, knowing he’d told her that once before, and it hadn’t been.

She looked up at him. ‘I’m trusting you to make that true . . . this time,’ she said, the veiled threat obvious.

He released her. ‘I have to get going,’ he said abruptly.

‘I take it she’s not coming tonight.’ It was more an order than an enquiry.

He could explain that Malcolm had said that Joanne was welcome to come along, and that he’d already issued an invitation to her himself. However, he chose not to, saying, ‘No, she’s not,’ instead.

Exiting with the lie still on his lips, he knew he would now have to try to dissuade Joanne from showing up at the ceilidh. Make some excuse about it being safer, what with tempers running high in the village.

Joanne wasn’t one to be told what to do. He was aware of that, but if he chose his words carefully, then it might just work.

Joanne