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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

As they took this in, Rhona spotted McNab’s arrival in the bar and waved him over. McNab’s scowl, Rhona noted, suggested he wasn’t keen on joining the party, but he came anyway.

Ignoring a pointed look that indicated he would prefer to speak to her alone, Rhona passed McNab her mobile.

‘Donald spotted the flag tattoo on his neck when he encountered him in the Gents,’ she said. ‘Which suggests the dead climber may well be your soldier.’

Her declaration was followed by an extended silence on McNab’s part, after which he said pointedly, ‘Can we speak alone, Dr MacLeod?’

Jamie and Donald glanced at one another. ‘We’ll let you two talk,’ Jamie said as they rose.

‘What’s going on?’ Rhona demanded as soon as the two men were out of earshot.

‘You’ve been off the job far too long, Dr MacLeod,’ McNab said. ‘Sharing evidence with the general public—’

Rhona cut him off right there. ‘I was not sharing evidence, I was gathering evidence.’

‘Who’s to say either of those men might not end up as a suspect?’

‘A suspect in what?’ Rhona said.

‘Your other friend Archie McKinnon and his mates all gave the exact same story to DS Clark regarding Paul Watson. Looks like the locals may not all be telling the truth.’

‘Donald has no reason to lie about the tattoo,’ Rhona countered.

‘Donald saw someone snorting cocaine in the Gents. Didn’t mention it to anyone until he got in tow with Chrissy, which might be considered a convenient coupling, particularly if you wanted to get close to the action?’

‘Chrissy would never discuss the case with him.’

‘It seems to me that everyone is openly discussing the case, at every opportunity. Like you, here in the pub with those two.’

There was an element of truth in what McNab was saying, but he was still wrong. ‘Things work differently in an island community,’ Rhona said. ‘I thought you’d learned that on Sanday.’

When McNab didn’t respond, Rhona continued, ‘I suggest you take Jamie to the police station after this and record what he says about the locus, which I had, if you recall, suggested you do in the first place. As for showing Donald the photograph of Private Galbraith, Sergeant MacDonald had already okayed that.’

When McNab still didn’t respond, she added, her ire up, ‘Maybe you’d like to interrogate the dog too, while you’re at it? After all, it was Blaze that led me to the scene in the woods in the first place.’

McNab had the grace to look momentarily abashed, but Rhona knew it wouldn’t last long, so she waved the two men back over. Once they were seated, she directed her next comment at Jamie. ‘The wound to the face most likely occurred when he was still alive. Any thought on how that wound might have happened?’

‘You mean with respect to the terrain?’