Rhona eased her way past the performing Blaze and, exiting the bar, climbed to the first floor. Listening for a moment outside room six to assure herself Alvis was inside, she knocked.

‘Alvis, it’s Rhona.’

There was a squeaking sound as though he’d been sitting or lying on the bed, then the creak of flooring and the door opened.

‘I wondered if I might use your room to Skype McNab?’ Rhona said. ‘I’ve decided to stay over here tonight again and downstairs is too noisy for a conversation.’

Alvis hesitated but only briefly, then flung the door open wide. ‘As you can see, the room’s not very big,’ he warned her, ‘and you’ll have to sit on the bed, but other than that you’re welcome.’

He was right about the room. The double bed took up most of the space, even though, in his meticulous fashion, Alvis had carefully placed his belongings to allow the most vacant floor space.

‘I was just checking in myself,’ he told her.

‘How’s Stavanger?’

‘Cold and snowy like here.’

Alvis began folding up the map he’d had spread out on the bed.

‘I heard you were asking for a contact for the soldiers?’ Rhona said.

‘Lee asked me to check. They gave me an email address. I’ve sent a message and copied in Lee, but no reply as yet. Then again, if their intention was to go off-grid, that’s not surprising. I was studying the map, wondering where they might have gone.

‘Do you want me to make myself scarce while you Skype?’ Alvis offered.

‘No need,’ Rhona assured him, texting McNab as she said it.

Minutes later, her mobile signalled an incoming Skype call, then McNab’s face appeared on the screen. He looked pleased to see her.

‘Busy day, Dr MacLeod?’

‘Very.’

‘Heard all about it. Your body’s in the mortuary. Your evidence is at the lab. How’s Chrissy doing?’

‘Thanks for sending her.’

‘The boss’s idea, but I’m happy to take the credit.’

She knew by the change of expression that McNab had just spied the man behind her. Plus, he’d probably registered the fact that she was in a bedroom.

‘I’m in Alvis’s room at the Isles,’ Rhona said. ‘The bar’s too noisy to talk.’

McNab’s face showed his disquiet at that information. ‘So what’s wrong with the cottage?’ he demanded.

‘It’s an hour away, and since we need to be back sharp in the morning, I’ve decided to stay here tonight,’ Rhona told him.

By his expression McNab was factoring in the possibility that she actually meant she was staying at the Isles, maybe even in this particular room.

Rhona read the look, which clearly said, with him? and smothered a laugh. Winding McNab up was normally Chrissy’s job, but she found she was rather enjoying it.