Page 106 of The High Island

Jo’s words brought a worried look to Helen’s face, but she remained silent.

‘Thank you for coming in,’ Erling said, taking note of the young eyes reddened by crying.

‘Tell me about Eilidh,’ he said. ‘You were pals, although she went to Stromness Academy and you’re at Kirkwall Grammar . . .’

‘I’ve known Eilidh all my life. I used to live on Hoy when I was wee. We played together. I moved to Kirkwall when I went to the grammar school. Eilidh stayed on Hoy and took the ferry to Stromness.’ She paused there for a moment. ‘She came to stay with me at weekends, sometimes I went to hers.’

‘And she came to stay with you this weekend?’ Erling said.

Helen nodded, remaining silent, a quick glance atDSGreen showing her discomfort.

‘But her mum didn’t want her to stay over last night. Didn’t want her to come to Kirkwall at all?’ Jo said gently.

‘I didn’t know that. Not at first anyway. She told us – me – what ferry she would be on.’

‘And your brother Ragnar and you picked her up?’ Jo said.

‘Yes . . . no. I mean, it was just Ragnar picked her up last night.’

‘So what happened then?’

‘When she arrived, I thought they’d fallen out. Ragnar went off somewhere and Eilidh and I got ready.’

‘Were you drinking?’

‘Yes,’ she said defiantly. ‘We had shots in my room, but we weren’t drunk.’

‘And how did you get into the club, being underage?’ Erling asked.

‘Ragnar lets us in.’

‘What about drugs?’ Erling said.

Her eyes were darting again, first to Jo then to him.

‘Eilidh didn’t do hard drugs. Weed sometimes.’

‘And you?’ Jo said.

‘The same.’

Erling thought she might be telling the truth about Eilidh, but doubted what she said about herself. Hugh had been against the drug trade. Both Helen’s father and grandfather apparently had other ideas.

‘There’s a strong chance that the state Eilidh was in when she wandered to the harbour was caused by her taking a substance,’ Erling said.

‘She wouldn’t take anything like that,’ Helen said adamantly.

‘Then maybe someone dosed her without her knowledge,’ Jo said. ‘Might that have been Ragnar?’

The girl looked shocked. ‘Why would he do that?’

Erling came back in then. ‘We have footage of Eilidh talking to a dark-haired man outside the club,’ he said. ‘He had a Liverpudlian accent. They were arguing. Do you know why?’

Helen’s face went ashen, so much so that Jo got up and went to her, suggesting she put her head between her knees for a moment.

As the girl recovered herself, she sat up, her expression still shocked, but determined.

‘Then Eilidh argued with the wrong man,’ she said.