Mike waited until she’d gone before speaking. Ross didn’t hurry him along, he was almost afraid to know.
Mike picked up the bottle of Dalmore whisky and frowned when he saw it was empty.
“Sorry,” said Ross. “But in my defence, Phoebe poured it out.”
“Not to worry,” he replied, going to the window seat, pulling aside a couple of the cushions - being careful not to dislodge Isla’s book - and lifted up the seat to reveal a cubbyhole in which were secreted two more bottles of whisky. “Phoebe doesn’t approve of how much I’ve been drinking lately, so I’ve had to hide it.”
“Be careful Mike, that’s the start of a slippery slope.”
“It’s the only thing getting me through.”
He poured out two glasses, Ross snatching up his and downing it with a shaky hand. When he’d finished he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, slammed down his glass and said, “Right, spit it out then.”
“Sure you’re ready to hear it?”
“I’ve had enough shocks lately. One more isn’t going to make any difference.”
“Alright. The police found the body of your grandfather Robert buried under the cellar floor.”
Ross stared at him unblinking for a full twenty seconds before he choked out, “What? But he ran away years ago, leaving gran alone.”
“So I heard, Isla told me about it but there’s no mistake. It’s him.”
“But…how did he die?”
“There’s no nice way to say this. Blunt force trauma to the head.”
“You mean it was murder?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
Ross slumped onto the couch as he attempted to take this in. “Most families have skeletons in the closet,” he eventually said. “Ours keeps them in the cellar.”
“What do you remember about your granddad’s disappearance?”
“Err, we were away on holiday when it happened. Gran called Mum to tell her he’d run off and left her.”
“Can you remember what your Mum told you about it?”
“Just that Granddad Robert wasn’t happy with Gran and he’d decided to leave and start a new life somewhere else. I told her she didn’t need to treat me like a child, I was nineteen years old. Then I said I was glad he’d gone because he hit gran. She was surprised I knew that, she thought they’d hidden it so well. I got the impression he’d whacked Mum a few times too when she was growing up. No one looked for him. Good riddance to bad rubbish but I never dreamed he’d been killed and buried under the house.”
“What did Isla say about his disappearance?”
“She was fifteen at the time and she knew what Gran had suffered too.”
“How?”
“One day when she was ten years old she was too ill to go to school. Mum had to work so she stayed here for the day. She was sat in this very room and she could hear Granddad shouting at Gran in the kitchen, although the door was closed. He was just yelling and yelling and she could hear Gran whimpering. There was a loud crack and her whimpering stopped. Worried about Gran, Isla went into the kitchen. Gran was slumped at the kitchen table. Her face was bruised and she was crying. She said Granddad looked insane. I remember her saying his eyes were bulging right out of his head and it scared her. He yelled at her to go upstairs and she did. She locked herself in the spare bedroom until Mum came to pick her up.”
“She told me about that. It really upset her. After that Robert was really careful not to get angry in front of her again. He tried to make it up to her by giving her treats and being extra nice but she’d seen the real man underneath and she didn’t want anything to do with him after that.”
“He was a nasty piece of work and we were a happier family without him.”
Mike nodded. “The police will want to talk to you about all that. Do you think your grandma could have killed him?”
“I really don’t know. She was so small, petite. Granddad was a big strong man. She certainly couldn’t have got him down into the cellar.”
“The police think he could have been snuck up on when he was asleep. He was attacked from the front. Most people who are hit on the head are attacked from behind.”
“Makes sense. He always slept on his back with his arms crossed over his chest, like a corpse. It always spooked me and Isla out when we were kids. We used to wonder if he was a vampire. We’d watch him when he fell asleep on the couch. Once we even held garlic over him but he didn’t react.”
“The police have a theory,” began Mike uncertainly. This was Campbell family history and he felt he was intruding. “That someone else killed Robert. Me and Isla were discussing having the cellar remodelled in the café, a lot of the locals overheard.”
“And you think the killer panicked about the body being found and kidnapped my sister?”
“I reckon so.”
“But Granddad died twenty years ago. His killer would have to be pretty old by now.”
“Maybe.”
“Well, it’s certainly a theory. Phoebe told me you proposed to Isla right before she disappeared and she said yes.”
Mike ground the palms of his hands together and nodded. “Yeah, she did. If only I hadn’t come back to the house for a stupid bottle of champagne she would have been safe.”
“I have to ask this Mike, as Isla’s big brother - did you do something to her?”
Rather than the expected anger at this slur, Mike only experienced an intense pain in his chest. “No,” he whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek.
Ross nodded. “I believe you.”
“Thank you.”
“What do you think has happened?”
“Someone took her. They took Hannah McNair too. Did Phoebe tell you about the clothes that have been left?”
“Yes.” Ross swallowed hard before continuing. “As well as her ponytail.”
“Hannah’s coat was left in her back garden today.”
“That proves it. This is some psycho doing this. It’s not connected to Granddad Robert.”
“Maybe. After how crazy things have been lately, I’m not willing to rule anything out.”
Companionable silence reigned as they sipped their whisky, the only sound the crackling of the fire, their thoughts with Isla.
Eventually Ross said, “I’ll go upstairs and take a shower. I’ll stay in the spare room, if that’s okay with you?”
“Fine by me but doesn’t it spook you out that your granddad’s body was found in the cellar?”
“No. Best place for the bastard if you ask me.”
“Okay,” said Mike slowly as Ross got to his feet. “I said I’d help Alex check every outbuilding in the area for Isla and Hannah.”
“Just let me have my shower and I’ll come with you. That’s a lot of ground to cover so you’ll need all the help you can get.”
“Don’t you need to sleep?”
“I slept on the plane, I’m fine. I need to find my sister.” Ross had always been one for putting on a strong front, for not showing pain or fear. Mike guessed that schooling had come from his grandfather but his strong front briefly crumpled. “She’s all the family I have left.”
Mike clasped his arm. “We won’t stop until we find her.”
Ross nodded, his pale skin even paler. “I won’t be long.”
CHAPTER 14
Ross was true to his word and half an hour later they were on the road, heading back to Strachur. Mike had called Alex, who told him he was searching a derelict building on the road between the village and Ardnagowan. Mike told Ross about Alex’s affair with Hannah then swore him to secrecy. He didn’t like to gossip but he felt Ross should know as it could possibly be related to his sister’s disappearance.
They found a bedraggled and muddied Alex desperately staggering around a dilapidated cottage calling Hannah’s name. It came as a bit of a shock because Alex was usually so immaculate, Phillipa insisted on it.
“Any luck?” said Mike.
“No,” he panted, out of breath. “Ross,” he added,
extending his hand for him to shake. “I’d say welcome home but this has got to be a shitty homecoming.”
“It is,” he replied. “I wish I hadn’t spent so much time away. She’s my little sister and I wasn’t here when she needed me.”
“You’re here now, that’s what’s important.”
Ross just nodded, appreciating the sentiment but knowing it was bullshit.
“So where to next?” said Mike.
“I was thinking about the photo you showed me,” began Alex.
“Photo?” said Ross.
“Phoebe didn’t tell you about the photos?” said Mike.
“No.”
“Dammit,” he muttered, inwardly cursing Phoebe then thinking that was a bit unfair. “The kidnapper sent photos of Isla and Hannah.”
“Jesus Christ,” breathed Ross. “I want to see the one of Isla.”
“It’s not pleasant.”
“I want to see it Mike.”
He brought up the photo on his phone and held it out for him to see.
“Oh God,” breathed Ross, burying his face in his hands.
“I was thinking,” said Alex, breaking the awkward moment. “That the background doesn’t look somewhere rundown or old. It’s clean, looked after, so searching these manky old buildings could be a waste of time.”
“So we’re back to bursting into people’s houses with shotguns,” said Mike.
“Shotguns?” frowned Ross.
“Oh not again,” sighed Mike when his phone started to ring. “It’s DI Stewart. Maybe he’s found something at Portavadie? Hello?” he said into the phone. “What have you found?” He huffed and jabbed at the ground with the toe of his boot at his reply. “Alright, I’ll tell him.”
“Well, have they found anything?” said Alex.
“No. There’s no sign of Isla or Hannah at Portavadie. They think the kidnapper was misdirecting them.”
Alex took in a deep breath and turned his back on them while he gathered himself together.
Mike looked to Ross. “Stewart knows you’re back. He wants to talk to you. He’s already at the cottage.”
“How did he know I’m back?” said Ross.
“Apparently they’ve been keeping an eye on your passport.”
“But I want to look for Isla.”
“You need to get this out of the way. If you don’t he’ll only arrest you and make you talk.”
“Fine.”
Mike handed him his car keys. “Go and see Stewart then meet up with us. We’ll keep looking.”
“Alright,” said Ross, trudging back across the field.
“Isla and Hannah are in Strachur, I’m sure of it,” Mike told Alex. “Or the person who took them certainly is. It’s how they were able to leave Hannah’s coat in Will’s back garden.”
“I was wondering about that,” replied Alex. “Do you think Will could have found out about our affair and hurt her, or worse and he’s using Isla’s kidnapping as an excuse to hide what really happened to her?”
Mike’s automatic reaction was to deny it, then he hesitated. That actually made a lot of sense. “But the police said he never left the house and I know they’ve already searched it.”
“He could have hidden her somewhere in the house. After all, the police searched your cottage and didn’t find Robert’s body until later.”
“Because initially they were looking for a missing person. It’s only now they think they’re looking for a body,” he said, the words choking him.
“So it’s not out of the realms of possibility that Will did something to her. We’ve only his word for it that she did go to the beach.”
“It’s possible but I don’t think so. Don’t forget, the girls were in the house with him and Maggie said her mother told them she was going to the beach.”
“He could have convinced her to lie for him.”
“He wouldn’t do that to his kids.”
“Will’s a builder, he could have constructed somewhere to hide her.”
“I know it would suit you if Will was proved to be the bad guy so you don’t have to feel guilty about having an affair with his wife,” said Mike coldly. “But he’s not a killer.”
“Did you ever think Rhona Campbell could have been a killer?”
“I’ve no idea.”
“But it’s very possible and it’s possible Will is too. I’m not saying he is for definite Mike but we have to bear it in mind.”
“There’s one possibility you’re forgetting.”
“What’s that?”
“That I did something to Isla, or has that thought already crossed your mind?”
Alex cleared his throat and tilted back his head. “Yes actually, it has. I’m not going to deny it but I don’t think you have.”
“Why do you think I’m innocent and Will might be guilty?”
“Because you and Isla are happy together. Simple as that.”
Mike could see he was genuine and he stood taller, prouder. “Thank you Alex.”
“No problem. So where next? Back to Strachur?”
“Yes. They’re there, I’m sure of it. Is the Colonel out with his search party today?”
“Aye, they’re covering Loch Long.”
“Do you know what time they set off?”
“It was about seven this morning. I saw them setting out from my bedroom window.”
“Maybe we should go and speak to him? He knows what he’s doing more than us, we’re just stumbling about, clueless. If we tell him we think Isla and Hannah are in Strachur he might be able to help us narrow down the search.”
“That’s a pretty good idea. Let’s go and find him.”
The search party had spread itself out around Loch Long. Alex fortunately had the Colonel’s phone number stored on his phone and managed to get through to him. He agreed to meet up with them at The Arrochar Hotel on the banks of the loch to discuss their plan.
Even though the day was cold they found the Colonel ruddy-cheeked, sat on a picnic bench on the lawn outside the hotel enjoying a hot chocolate.
The Colonel got to his feet to greet them. “Damn fine day for searching,” he announced. “The weather’s perfect for it. Rest assured Mike, if there’s anything to find then we’ll find it.”
“I know and I’m so grateful for all the effort you’re going to.”
“No trouble at all, I’ve known Isla and Hannah their whole lives. It’s been a pleasure watching them grow from good, if rather mischievous children into the fine women they are today. I find it repellent that someone has taken them from their homes.”
“About that,” began Mike. “We think they’re both in Strachur.”
“I can assure you we’ve searched that area thoroughly, as have the police and we’ve found nothing.”
“We don’t think they’re in the woods or the loch. We think they’re being held captive somewhere indoors, probably by someone local, someone we know.”
The Colonel’s sandy eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
They both nodded.
It occurred to Mike that the Colonel himself could be responsible for their disappearance but he hadn’t seemed worried when he’d trespassed on his land to search his extension. He was quite sure the genuine kidnapper would have shown more panic. Plus they needed his skills. An ex-soldier could be very useful, so he was left with no choice but to trust him.
“Interesting,” said the Colonel thoughtfully. “Makes sense I suppose. Obviously whoever took them has intimate knowledge of the area and its residents. I just can’t imagine anyone in Strachur doing something like this.”
“Neither can we,” said Mike. “But it’s all we’ve got.”
“Have you told your theory to the police? I do have certain skills but none that will allow me to search someone’s property.”
He shook his head. “The police need search warrants and they have no cause to get one.”
“Do you have any suspects?”
“No, that’s the problem. We don’t even k
now if they’re being held by a man or a woman.”
“Well, I’ll do my best but I’m not sure what I can do. Just let me tell the others where I’m off to.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Alex asked Mike after the Colonel had ambled away.
“Think about it. You said he set out at seven this morning with the search party, which means he wasn’t back at Strachur leaving Hannah’s coat in her back garden.”
“Good point.”
“He’ll be able to tell us who else was on the search party, meaning we can rule them out too.”
“Unless they’re working as a pair and someone else dumped the coat.”
“We could even say that about each other. We’ll drive ourselves demented thinking like that, we have to trust someone and I’m choosing to trust the Colonel.”
“Suppose.”
“One thing about Hannah’s coat is weird though - all of Isla’s things were left at night but hers was left during the day.”
“What does that mean?”
“No idea.”
Alex huffed and kicked at the grass.
The Colonel returned with a genial smile. “I’ve left the group in Malcolm’s capable hands.”
“I thought you hated him?” said Mike.
“Correction. I hate the hideous workshop he’s building but he is an excellent orienteer. I’ve said I’ll leave my car with him so he can help ferry people back to Strachur, so I’ll have to ride with you two if that’s okay?”
The three of them headed back to Strachur in Alex’s huge Lexus SUV. Mike sat up front with him while the Colonel remained in the back, studying his map of the village, using a ruler and pencil to divide it into sections.
“Here’s what I think gentlemen,” he announced after ten minutes of study. “If someone is keeping two women on their property then they must live alone. It would be impossible to hide such a secret if you have a family.”
“Agreed,” said Alex.
“It would also be very difficult to keep them in their own home. A visitor or delivery person might see or hear them, so I propose we begin our search with the homes of all the single men in the village aged under seventy who have outbuildings in their gardens. As I myself fall into that category feel free to search my home.”
The Loch Page 20
