He pulled a pinafore over his head and moved to the stove to start cooking.

‘I hope the weather changes before tomorrow.’ Sandy looked up from his carnivore’s dream-start to the day. ‘There’s no way the planes will be moving in this. Jimmy and Cassie will be stranded in Aberdeen.’ He sounded anxious, lost without Perez too.

What is it with the man that he’s made us all dependent on him?

Charles looked over from his side of the table. ‘It could be quite clear in Sumburgh, and you know how quickly it can change. Four seasons in a day here.’ He was already accustomed to reassuring visitors about the weather. There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs and he got up to serve his guests in the dining room.

Willow drank some coffee and thought there was a perfectly logical explanation for her anxiety to get Jimmy back. He was her reference point in the islands and she depended on his judgement.

She took Sandy with her to talk to the Arthurs in Spindrift, their new house close to the community hall. The couple might end up as suspects and, if they ever came to court, a single interviewer’s evidence wouldn’t be admissible. Besides, Sandy was a Shetlander and about as unthreatening as you could get. He’d always put people at their ease. Outside the fog was still as thick as when she’d woken up and her coat was covered in drops of moisture by the time they reached the car. In the distance there was a strange diffuse light, which suggested that eventually the sun would burn it away. In this weather anyone might believe in ghosts.

In the bungalow’s porch there was a pram with a tiny baby sleeping inside it. Sandy was ahead of her and saw it and backed away as if it were a bomb. They walked round the side of the house looking for another way in. At the back door he gave a quick knock, then opened it and shouted inside. ‘Anyone home?’

A young woman appeared. She was carrying a mug of coffee and was dressed in pyjamas and dressing gown. Willow introduced herself. ‘I hope we didn’t wake you.’