Page 72 of The High Island

Now that was interesting, Erling thought.

‘Our burning guy might have come from that boat?’ he said.

‘Could be,’ Jo answered. ‘He’ll keep a watch for it coming back, he says, and try to take a photograph.’

She halted there and he had the sense she felt she should ask aboutDSGowan’s arrival, but didn’t want to.

‘DSGowan’s here,’ he told her. ‘He’s being brought up to speed on where we are with the investigation and he’s going out on drug patrol tonight.’

When she replied with a ‘good’, he could sense the relief in her voice.

Jo, he registered, now believed that Gowan hadn’t mentioned her name in their conversation, which was what Erling had sought to achieve.

As to what her history was with Gowan, he had no doubt his sergeant would tell him in her own good time, although he already thought it wouldn’t be positive.

‘We have another session at the fire station tonight,’ she was saying.

‘So nothing useful came up this morning?’

She hesitated. ‘We plan to go through the responses together in preparation for later.’

He accepted that before saying, ‘I intend to come across tomorrow, depending on tonight’s patrol of Kirkwall. But if anything important comes up before that, just call me.’

When she rang off, Erling phoned Eddie Balfour and asked if he was free to come into the station. Eddie immediately guessed the reason.

‘It’s open-the-box time, I take it?’ he said.

‘It is. And I’d like you to be there representing Kris and Rachael.’

‘In truth, I was hoping you were calling to tell me you’d located Rachael.’

‘No, but we’re working on it,’ Erling assured him. ‘Can you come now?’

‘I’ll be with you in fifteen minutes,’ Eddie promised.

Erling used the time to retrieve the box from the evidence room and take it upstairs, where the whole team would be party to its opening. Including the recently arrivedDSGowan. Whatever was in there might impact any of the areas currently under investigation.

As the team assembled, together with Eddie, he explained thebackground to the tin box, and reminded them that Ivor had given it to two of his carers at the home for safekeeping until his great-grandson Kris should appear.

‘Ivor died before that could happen and Kris disappeared before he could be told about its existence. As you are all aware, Rachael learned about the box, but understood that until we confirmed Kris’s identity, she could not take custody of it. She was happy for us to keep it until then. With Rachael’s disappearance, her solicitor, Mr Balfour, is here to represent her today.’

He signalled that the video recording should begin, then, using the key attached by a cord to the handle, Erling opened the box.

34

The weather had stayed on their side throughout their time at the site of the fire and on the beach, but as they continued along the road to Moaness, dark clouds claimed the sky and large drops began to patter the windscreen.

After an hour at the ferry terminal, their only taker was a boy with a dog who asked if they’d found any more burnt bodies, and one of the ferry crew Jo recognized from earlier, who came up to ask if the body on the beach was Kris Mowat.

‘And you are? she asked firmly.

‘Ethan Howie,’ he told her.

When Jo assured him that the victim’s identity had not yet been confirmed, he remarked, with a puzzled look, ‘Who else could it be, then?’

Trying not to despair, she asked if he’d seen Rachael Everett, the young woman who had been reported missing from the Stromness Hotel, and whose photograph had been made available online.

At that, he shook his head. ‘Haven’t seen it. But I heard that Kris Mowat left everything to her, so she’s likely dead too.’