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Back Time for the Dead
Chapters (94)
  1. Cover
  2. Time for the Dead
  3. Dedication page
  4. Map
  5. Epigraph page
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. Epilogue
  92. Acknowledgements
  93. About the Author
  94. By Lin Anderson

He recalled the spoiled meal waiting for him when he’d eventually returned to the flat to discover Ellie wasn’t there. If he had gone home as promised, was her plan to tell him the truth?

McNab suspected that’s exactly what Ellie would have done.

But he hadn’t given her the chance.

59

Rhona passed Donald the photograph of the uniformed Private Peter Galbraith and watched as he studied it closely.

‘Yep,’ he eventually came back. ‘I’d say that was the guy in the toilet that night.’

‘You’re sure?’ Rhona said.

‘Pretty sure. He was high, and definitely not as smart-looking, but I would say it’s the same guy.’ Donald hesitated. ‘Would it help if I also took a look at Jamie’s shots of the mountain casualty? See if I think it might be the same bloke? I’ve helped recover quite a few bodies on the hills over the years, and I’m not squeamish.’

‘He’s right,’ Jamie intervened. ‘And he’s the only one to get up close to Galbraith that night in the bar.’

Rhona considered this. Had Donald been out with the team he would have already viewed the body, so she didn’t see there was a problem letting him take a look at it now.

‘Good idea,’ she said.

Jamie brought up an image on his mobile and passed the phone to Donald.

After a few moments, Donald responded. ‘The face is the problem,’ he said. ‘It’s unrecognizable. Height and build are similar, hair colour, but we could probably say that about two of the three guys currently standing at the bar.’

Donald was right, Rhona thought, glancing at a party of male climbers who’d just come in.

‘You don’t happen to have a close-up of the back of his neck?’ Donald said, prompted, it seemed, by a sudden thought. ‘Army personnel are allowed tattoos on the back of the neck, but not on the front where it’s visible in an official photograph. The guy in the toilet had a tattoo of the Scottish flag there. I remember because I fancied getting one done just like it.’

Jamie shook his head. ‘What about you, Rhona?’

There had been a number of tattoos on the body. Had there been a small flag on the nape of the neck or had post-mortem lividity hidden it? Rhona was already going through her own shots just to be sure. She had definitely photographed enough of the underside of the body to give evidence to its having been turned after death. But had she captured the nape of the neck well enough to identify a possible saltire?

‘Look,’ Rhona said. ‘There.’ She expanded the partial image to reveal part of the white cross on a blue background.

It wasn’t definitive evidence, they would need the DNA results for that, but it brought them closer to identifying the climbing casualty as that of Private Peter Galbraith.