‘None at all. He wasn’t in the hotel when I went there looking for Archie. You’ll have to ask him.’

  ‘We’re struggling to get in touch with him. He flew south and he’s not answering his phone. We’re hoping he’ll be back today.’ Willow paused. ‘How did George and Archie get on? I assume they knew each other.’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Vaila looked horrified. ‘That George Riley killed my husband? Why on earth would he do that?’

  ‘We have to ask these questions,’ Willow said, ‘if we’re going to find out how Archie died. George might be an important witness if he met up with Archie that evening. Were they friends?’

  ‘I wouldn’t say they were friends. George taught Lawrie throughout the grammar school. The boy’s never been particularly academic, but George was good at bringing subjects to life. We were grateful for the effort he made. Some of the teachers didn’t seem to care, because everyone knew he’d probably leave as soon as he could and come back to work here on the island. Folk think of Westray as a wealthy place, where the kids just fall into a job. Iain’s only been there for a term, but George has been great with him too. We had George in for drinks and a meal a couple of times when he was here researching his book – a way to thank him for being such a good teacher – but we’ve never been into his home. It wasn’t that sort of friendship.’

  ‘And there was never any animosity between them?’

  ‘No! Nothing like that.’ Vaila looked at Willow. ‘You have to be close, don’t you, before you can really fall out?’

  ‘Like you and Rosalie?’

  Vaila seemed shocked by the question. ‘Aye, just like us.’

  ‘Ellie and I are leaving today. Phil Bain will be in to keep an eye on things here.’

  ‘You’re giving up looking for Archie’s killer?’ Vaila was scathing. ‘Just so you can be home for Christmas?’

  ‘Of course not. The team from Glasgow will be in soon. They have the manpower and the skills to do the real investigation. And Jimmy and our team will be working from Kirkwall. We can be here in an hour if we need to be. You know that.’ Mentally she crossed her fingers behind her back. She wasn’t sure when the Glasgow officers would get here. ‘And Jimmy will be talking to George as soon as his flight gets in. He might well have important information for us.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Vaila paused. ‘I know you’ll both be doing your best. I’ve booked us into the Kirkwall Hotel until the New Year. There are friends who’ve offered us rooms, but I wanted somewhere more anonymous. I don’t want to have to talk about any of this. Lawrie thinks he has a good chance of getting the Boys’ Ba’ this year. His father was a staunch doonie and he sees it as a way of honouring him. It’s all he thinks about. After that, we’ll take time to think about our future and where we want it to be.’

  ‘That makes sense. You know where we are. You’ll be welcome in Harray any time. And we’ll be there in the town on Christmas morning to cheer Lawrie on.’

  They went back to Pierowall to collect their things and texted Vaila to let her know her car was at Rapness ferry terminal. Willow left the keys in the ignition. Someone would give Vaila a lift to fetch it. They’d arrived at the pier early enough to watch the ferry come in; the water was as still as a mirror and reflected the distant islands, the creel boats out working. They waited for the trucks and cars to drive onto the ferry, and walked on once the vehicles were loaded. As they made their way to the passenger lounge, Willow recognized Bill MacBride climbing out of his car. They sat in the stuffy little cafeteria together. Ellie ordered a bacon roll and Willow drank weak tea.

  ‘Are you out for a bit of Christmas shopping?’ Willow asked Bill.

  ‘Aye. And sometimes I just need to get away for a few days. I’m a city boy at heart. Annie was brought up to Westray, but she understands how I feel. Sometimes the claustrophobia gets to me. If I don’t get into the town every month or so, I feel as if I’m going mad.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  AS SOON AS HE WOKE UP that morning, Perez checked the airport website. All the flights from the Scottish mainland had been cancelled again, and Riley still wasn’t answering his phone. But Willow would be home later in the day, and the inspector’s mood lifted a little just because of that. It would be splendid to have her safely home.

  When they’d started their new roles in Orkney for Police Scotland, Perez had been anxious about how it would work. In Shetland, she’d been his boss, flying in to bring a new perspective to a troubling investigation. He’d still been grieving over the death of his fiancée, awkward, spiky. Then he’d been riddled with guilt when it seemed he might find happiness again. Here in Orkney, Willow had been given a wider remit, more political. A woman who’d grown up in the Outer Hebrides was overseeing policing throughout the Scottish islands. In his more cynical moments, he’d thought it was a ploy, a way of persuading people living far from the Central Belt that under the reorganization of Police Scotland their needs were still being met.

  His role was more traditional, and his focus was tighter. He was a police inspector, a detective, but overseeing a small, uniformed team, and much of his work was routine, more mundane. He and Willow had been based in the same police station, but since moving to Orkney, they’d never before worked on the same case. In Westray, she was live policing again, and though he’d never admit it to Willow, he’d been worried about her.

  Perez dropped James at the nursery and went straight to visit the grammar school head teacher. She’d invited him to her home and not to the school.

  ‘I’ve got a plumber coming to the house this morning, Inspector. I’ve been waiting an age to get my boiler fixed and I don’t want to miss him.’

  Lucy Martindale lived in an Edwardian villa on the outskirts of Kirkwall on the road leading to the airport. It was separated from the street by a small front garden. There were bare sycamores and a holly bush bright with berries. She seemed a little disappointed when she opened the door to him. She must have hoped that it would be the plumber.

  ‘Inspector Perez, come into the kitchen. It’s the only warm room in the house.’

  He saw that was true. There was still ice on the outside of the front room window.

  Perez knew, because her appointment had been recorded in the Orcadian, that Martindale was new to the post, that she was single, and that she’d arrived from a large comprehensive school in southern England.

  ‘I’m here because of the Westray murder.’ It was warm in the kitchen. A solid fuel range was belting out the heat, and almost every surface held tropical plants that were thriving. It felt like being in a greenhouse. He took the seat that she indicated close to the table.

  ‘Of course. The victim was the father of two of our students. I’ve been there such a short time that I don’t know them well, but the whole community is in shock. Of course, we’ll make sure that the boys have all the support they need once school starts again.’ A pause. ‘Is there anything I can do to help them before then? Is that why you’re here?’ She was in her forties, tidy, composed. The only indication of personality long, colourful earrings that might have been made by Rosalie Greeman. He thought she’d be efficient. After all, she’d come straight to the point as soon as he’d entered the room.

  ‘That’s not why I’m here. One of your members of staff was on Westray that day. George Riley. He could be an important witness. He’s not in Orkney and he’s not answering his phone. I wondered if you might know where he is.’

  ‘George, yes. I arranged for all senior members of staff to attend a short conference on school leadership. They weren’t entirely enthusiastic.’ She gave a brief little smile that made him think she might be rather fun if she weren’t in work mode. ‘There are a number throughout the year, but George drew the short straw and agreed to do his session this close to Christmas. It’s taking place in Inverness. I can give you the telephone number of the hotel if that’s any help.’

  Perez said that indeed it would be a great help. He’d never thought of Riley as a potential murderer, but he was pleased that there was a logical reason for his disappearance. The doorbell rang and this time it was the plumber. Perez thanked Miss Martindale and took his leave.

  He made his way back to the Kirkwall police station. A member of the public had brought in a box of home-made mince pies. He ate one while he emailed the team in Glasgow. It was a full report, though he thought it would be hard for city officers to understand life on a small island, the preoccupations and concerns of the community.

  There was a one-line reply: ‘You’d better talk to that teacher and find out what he knows.’ Which was all very well, Perez thought, but easier said than done. He’d phoned the number given to him by Lucy Martindale. A receptionist told him that the education conference was over, and all the delegates had left. Perez didn’t want to go public with an invitation through the media for Riley to contact him. If he was the dedicated teacher he’d always seemed, the last thing he’d need would be his photo on the Scottish television news in connection with a brutal murder.

  He tried to talk to James Grieve about the Wilkinson drowning in North Ronaldsay, but his secretary said the pathologist was tied up in the university. She’d ask him to get in touch when he was free. Perez’s frustration only increased. He’d always thought of himself as a patient man, but this lack of progress was eating away at him. He felt he was letting down Vaila and the lads. Archie had never been patient, and he could hear his friend’s voice in his head: Will you just get on with it, man.

  Back in the station, he had a meeting with Phil Bain, briefing him on his role in Westray. ‘You’re Orcadian. The only one of the team that is. They’ll speak more freely in front of you than to any of the others. There are five hundred residents, and we haven’t had the chance to talk to them all. Visit them. Listen to the gossip. Chat up the lonely, elderly women and see what they have to say about Archie Stout. These are the questions we need to be covered: What was going on there that could have made him so worried? Had he plans for some development on his farm that might have upset folk? Or has anyone else done something that might have changed the nature of the island? Archie was always a traditionalist when it came to Westray.’

  Phil nodded and scribbled more notes. He looked like an eager schoolboy.

  ‘You said George Riley taught you. How did you get on with him?’

  ‘I liked him fine. In some ways he was like a kid himself. Not much time for rules. Full of enthusiasms. He was there every Christmas Day at the Ba’ cheering on the uppies who’d been at the school. He had time for everyone.’

  ‘Well, if you can find anyone in Westray who saw him on the night Archie went missing, or who knows where he is now, I’d be very grateful. You’d get a bottle of the best malt to put in your Christmas stocking.’

  Phil pulled a face. ‘I’m not really a whisky drinker, sir, but a good Burgundy would go down a treat.’

  They drove in Phil’s car to the pier. The constable would need to take it to Westray with him, and Willow, on the same ferry coming into the harbour, travelled light. She could walk back to the station with Perez. He’d be glad to carry her bag. Phil sat in his car in the queue while the ferry unloaded. Then Willow was there, striding to meet him, a rucksack on one shoulder, a knitted hat over her hair. With her outsized anorak hiding her belly, she could have been a student, home after a backpacking trip to the wilds. Perez thought this was crazy; he was feeling like a teenager again, giddy at the sight of her.

  She kissed him. He was the one to pull away, feeling awkward and shy, aware that Phil Bain would be watching, but he took her bag and her hand, and they walked together like that into the town. For once, he wasn’t embarrassed by the public show of affection. In the police station, Willow made straight for her office.

  ‘Hey, you’re supposed to be on maternity leave. Why don’t you go and get James early? Surprise him.’

  ‘I just want to make a few notes. While things are still fresh in my mind. Then we’ll go to the nursery together, shall we, at the end of play.’

  When they collected James, he had paint on his sleeve and glitter in his hair. Willow swung him into her arms, and all the way home in the car they listened to his chatter about his day.

  I know I’m a soppy git, Perez thought, but I want nothing more than this.

  The call came just as they were thinking of going to bed. They’d fed James early and Willow had pulled something veggie and home-made from the freezer. He’d drunk several glasses of wine to celebrate her return. They’d lit a fire and eaten chocolates for pudding.

  Perez recognized the voice at once, loud and confident and English.

  ‘Hello, Inspector. Miles said you’d been trying to get hold of me.’

  ‘George, where are you?’ Now that he could hear the man, Perez thought that his suspicions about Riley must surely be groundless. Someone with this cheerful disposition and standing in the community couldn’t be a killer. ‘I’m glad your friend passed on my message. I wasn’t sure that he would.’

  There was a throaty chuckle on the other end of the line. ‘Miles is rather more than a friend, Inspector. We’ve been together on and off since he taught me at university. But he’s a private man and he persuaded me to be discreet.’ A pause. ‘I’m home. I got a lift to Scrabster and then the ferry back to Stromness.’

  ‘Why haven’t you been in touch?’

  ‘I’ve been stuck just outside Inverness at a conference in some soulless hotel. The new head stamping her mark. All about training for school leadership. A load of bollocks, especially when we’re supposed to be on leave, but sometimes you have to play the game.’

  ‘I’ve been phoning, leaving messages.’ Perez thought he sounded like a jealous and suspicious lover, checking up on a partner.

  ‘I dropped my phone somewhere in Inverness airport on the way out. Bloody nightmare.’

  ‘I need to talk to you.’

  ‘About Archie Stout. Yes, Miles explained.’

  ‘You must have heard about his death when you were away.’ Again, Perez tried to keep the suspicion from his voice.

  ‘I didn’t! Honest. It was nose to the grindstone all day. You wouldn’t believe the boredom! All targets and budgets and bugger all about the poor bastards we’re supposed to be teaching. Then getting pissed in the evenings with my teaching mates to let off steam. I didn’t know anything about it until I got home to Miles. Then of course I checked the news.’ A pause. ‘Those poor lads. I taught them both.’

  ‘When can I come to see you?’

  There was a hesitation on the other end of the line. ‘I’m rather tied up for most of the day tomorrow.’

  ‘This is urgent, George. More important than admin meetings at the school. It’s a murder investigation.’

  ‘I know. Look, I’ve got special access to Maeshowe in the afternoon. They’re keeping the visitors away for one day, so I can spend a bit of time there to myself. Research for my kids’ book. It’s all rather wonderful – I’ve been taken on by a mainstream publisher down in London.’ Riley sounded so excited that Perez suspected that he might have been drinking too, celebrating his return to Miles and his book deal. ‘Why don’t you meet me there? About three o’clock. If it stays this clear, we might even see the solstice light on the back of the burial chamber. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.’

  ‘You really can’t make it before that?’

  ‘Sorry, no. I have something rather urgent myself that I need to get sorted. I can’t do it later because I’m singing in the cathedral for the carol service. And then of course, there’s Miles . . .’

  Before Perez could press him again to meet in the morning, the line went dead.

  Chapter Fifteen

  THE NEXT DAY, WILLOW DECIDED TO keep James at home. They could put up a few decorations and perhaps she’d try some baking. She could pretend to be one of those women she saw in the magazines at this time of year. Perfect mothers. Domestic goddesses. Besides, she didn’t want to cramp Perez’s style. He was in charge of the Kirkwall police station. He didn’t need her breathing down his neck.

  Perez headed out to work, grumbling about entitled Englishmen. Willow presumed he was talking about George Riley, who’d refused to see him until the afternoon, and then only on his own terms and in a place of his choosing. She listened to Radio Orkney and was told that this would be the longest cold, clear spell that the islands had endured for years.

  ‘We’re not expecting the temperature to rise above freezing for the next few days. But there’ll be no snow for the big day, unlike in the central belt of Scotland which experienced a blizzard overnight, with more forecast over the next few days.’ Then a list of the major road and motorway closures. Willow thought they’d definitely not see the Glasgow team until the New Year.

  Her interest in local news started to wander at about the same time as James’s. She put CBeebies on the TV, gave him his advent calendar chocolate to keep him quiet and devoted her attention to Archie Stout and his death. She trusted Rosalie’s evidence that the man had been anxious about more than their relationship. Willow had got on with Archie well enough, but she’d never liked his attitude to women. He’d always been charming, but a bit flirty in an old-fashioned rather lecherous kind of way.

  His relationship with Rosalie had seemed different, more serious. Willow could see how he might imagine himself in love with someone like the artist – strong, intelligent, a little exotic because she was an outsider. It was likely though that the infatuation would soon have passed. What mattered most to Archie was his family, and then Westray and the community where he’d grown up. She knew he was fiercely proud of the place’s forward thinking, its courage in starting new ventures. He would be an awkward adversary to anyone who challenged Westray’s integrity.

  She took James into the kitchen to make gingerbread men. The smell of spices always made her think of Christmas and the boy loved baking. But while she was helping him roll the dough and cut out the figures, she was pondering the investigation, Archie’s relationship with the artistic Rosalie and Vaila’s bitterness and jealousy.