Page 124 of The High Island

‘DSGowan,’ he said. ‘That’s what’s wrong. He was here, looking for Jo. I saw him manhandle her outside in the car park. I told him to stop and he did, but he wasn’t happy.’

Erling waited, knowing there was more.

‘She says they were together in Caithness. When she fell pregnant, she had an abortion because he was violent towards her.’

Erling was at a loss as to how to respond to this. Why had he not questioned Jo more closely about Gowan? He’d known she wasn’t telling him the full story.

‘Right. Thank you, Ethan. I’ll deal with this.’

‘I suspect she told me because she couldn’t bring herself to tell you. If you’d seen Gowan’s face . . .’

‘Please give the phone back toDSGreen, Ethan. And thanks for your help with Cava, and with my sergeant.’

‘Sir?’ Jo’s voice came back on.

‘Can you come back to the station now, Sergeant? There’s things we need to discuss.’

Her ‘Right, sir’ sounded relieved, Erling thought, so he followed it up with, ‘See you shortly, Sergeant.’

He then put a call out forDSGowan to come to his office. The call went unanswered. Gowan may have been at the hospital but he wasn’t as yet back here at the station. Erling now rang his personal number with no result either.

The thought crossed his mind thatDSGowan was making himself scarce for fear of having to answer questions about his conduct this morning.

Ethan Howie, Erling realized, might not be known to Gowan. After all, Ethan was a member of the public, not in any obvious way connected with the police force. But he’d intervened in whatever Gowan had been up to. And had challenged him with regard to his behaviour towardsDSGreen.

Gowan would be wondering whether the confrontation would be reported. He wouldn’t be worried about Jo doing so – after all, she hadn’t disclosed his behaviour up to now. Not all of it, anyway. Gowan would no doubt be hoping she would keep quiet again.

But if the unknown guy in the hospital car park reported it . . .

Informing the desk sergeant that shouldDSGowan appear, he would like to see him, he was surprised to be told that he was reported to be heading for the Stromness ferry to Scrabster.

When Erling demanded to know on whose authority, the puzzled voice said, ‘On yours, I thought, sir.’

So he’s done a runner, Erling thought, ringing off.Well, good, soDSGreen need not see him again. But that doesn’t mean we won’t pursue him back in Caithness.

When Jo arrived, he immediately told her thatDSGowan was on his way back to Caithness.

Surprised, she said, ‘But he was at the hospital earlier.’

Erling waited, watching her struggle to decide whether to speak up or not.

‘Ethan told me about it, but I’d like to hear it from you, Sergeant, and I’d like to record it.’

She was hesitating. She’d survived this far without speaking about it. Maybe now that he was gone, she didn’t have to.

‘You won’t be the only woman he’s harassed,’ Erling said quietly. ‘And you won’t be the last. The force needs to know they have a man capable of that in their midst.’

He waited quietly while she went through the implications of what he was asking.

She made up her mind. ‘I told Ethan, so I will tell you,’ she said firmly.

61

ThankingDIMcNab for his assistance, Erling ended their call.

The Glasgow detective had now confirmed what Erling already believed with regard to theDNAtests, the post-mortem results on both Eilidh and the body at Lyrawa Bay, and theCCTVevidence of that Saturday night.

Eilidh Mowat had been a casualty of a drug war between members of her own family and the competing gang from Liverpool, intent on taking over the supply of synthetic opioid drugs both in Aberdeen and Orkney.