I shut the door now, pushing a chair beneath the handle, but not before briefly gazing on the forest. The rain has lifted and though there are still clouds, the sun, which is low, is breaking through and painting them purple. It must be seven or eight in the evening, I’m guessing, by the light and the position of the sun, which would mean we’ve been asleep for hours. I want to check the time but then I remember that my phone was in the pocket of my jeans when I fell in the loch, and, if it’s even still in my pocket, then it won’t be working. And the electricity is out so the clock on the stove isn’t working either.

I stagger to the sink and gulp down two glasses of water. I’m dehydrated, my head throbbing, and I stare out the window, lost in thought for several minutes. The boatman isn’t picking us up until Friday. Two more days until help arrives. I think about the man in the castle, my mind conjuring the image of him standing on the landing, gun to his shoulder. Who is he? What could he want? Worse, how will he react once he discovers his boat is missing?

I turn to head back into the front room and notice that the pile of paper and the map that Liam stole from the man’s belongings are still on the kitchen table. I glance at the article again and then I realise that there’s another folded square of newspaper lying beneath it. I pick it up and unfold it.

ANDREW MCKAY FOUND

Quickly, I scan the article, hands shaking. It’s dated December 9th, two weeks after Nancy and Elliot died.

The body of Andrew McKay was found washed ashore yesterday, two weeks after he disappeared following the murders of his wife and son. The coroner’s initial report indicates that McKay drowned. Speculation persists around the murders and Andrew McKay is the only suspect. Police believe he killed his wife, Nancy, and son, Elliot before taking his own life. The brutal murders shocked the close-knit community around Shura.

‘It’s not him,’ I whisper to myself, feeling at once relieved and then in the next instant confused.

Who the hell is the man in the castle then? I wonder to myself.