Chapter 18
MAC
Jock pulled up in front of my car outside Arro’s. The days were longer now as we entered the first week of summer, though it remained cold this far up the coast. It felt like early spring, except for the light. It was eight in the evening and still light out and would be for another hour.
I got out to greet Jock and update him on the quiet day.
Arro had been working from home for the last few weeks on a new project, and when we did venture out, she was good at ignoring me.
It stung, but it didn’t feel as hopeless as it once did.
I’d been going to therapy every week and could not believe how much better, how much more optimistic, I felt.
Which was why I’d decided tonight was the night I needed to talk to Lachlan.
Jock looked grim as he got out of the car.
“Everything all right?” I asked, approaching him.
He shook his head. “Sorry, Mac, but I don’t know how much longer I can do these night shifts.
Will understands and wants to help Arro”—Will was Jock’s fiancé—“but raising my boy has been left to him for over a month now, and it’s not fair to him or to Adam.
” Adam was Jock’s son from a previous relationship, and he had full custody now.
Knowing what it was like to raise a small child when you were doing night shifts, I sympathized fully. “I know.”
“Nothing has happened in weeks. I’m starting to think this was a prank, that having seen how much police involvement there is and the protection we’ve put on Arro has scared the shit out of whoever it was.”
There had been no new notes. The police returned Arro’s Defender and unsurprisingly told us they had no leads.
Unsurprising because we were probably following the same information as they were during our private investigation, and until today, we’d had no leads either.
My PI had tracked Arro’s scum of an ex-boyfriend Guy Lewis down, and he was living his life, working as a chef in a wee café near the Lake District in England.
I’d had someone watch Guy, but there was nothing about his daily routine that suggested he was remotely interested in Arro.
Good for him, because I’d like any excuse to scare the shit out of him for what he did to her.
For now, he was not a suspect, though I wanted to monitor his movements.
I’d hired the ethical hacker we kept on retainer for the club to register Guy’s vehicle so she’d get any hits on the license plate if he entered Scotland.
As an ethical hacker, Nylah regularly attempted to hack our security systems and pointed out any issues or flaws.
That was her primary job. But she also moonlighted as our unethical hacker because we never asked her to do anything illegal that might harm an innocent.
Morally ambiguous, aye, but weren’t we all?
The PI had also provided information on Lucy’s loudest and most active fans, who believed her incarceration part of some conspiracy. However, a few lived in the States and the other in mainland Europe, and not one of them had traveled to Scotland or seemed to have any immediate connections here.
But today, I’d received information that changed everything and more than likely proved there was a threat.
“I hope you’re right,” I hedged, not willing to share outside the family for now. “I’ve been so focused on Arro that it hasn’t been fair to put all these shifts on you—”
“I did volunteer.”
“I know, but I doubt you thought it would go on this long. I’ll talk to Lachlan tonight about giving the boys at work a bonus to guard Arro on rotation. How does that sound?”
Jock exhaled with relief. “Perfect. I can’t take another argument with Will.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault. Totally mine for not thinking the whole thing through.”
I clamped a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll have this all sorted out tomorrow, but know you don’t need to come back on night shift for this tomorrow night. Take the rest of the week off, and we’ll get you into the rotation from next week.”
“Och, you don’t have to do that, Mac.”
“I do. You earned it. Spend some time with your family.”
He gave me a grateful, tight-lipped smile. “Thanks.”
Getting back into my SUV, I gave Arro’s bungalow one last long look.
Lights glowed behind the living room curtains.
I wondered what she had on the TV and if there would ever be a time again when she cuddled into me on the sofa to watch a film.
Something I’d indulged in, taken very much for granted in the past. Ignoring the familiar ache that flared in my chest, I pulled away.
Not even ten minutes later, I drove down the narrow country road toward the water in Caelmore, toward the Adair homes by the sea.
Pulling in behind Lachlan’s Range Rover, it did not surprise me when his front door opened and his body appeared as a haloed shadow from the light flooding out behind him. I’d texted him earlier to say I needed to talk.
“Everything all right?”
“We’ve got a few things to discuss.”
“Coffee?” Lachlan asked as he stepped aside to let me in.
“Please. Decaf.”
As I walked down the narrow corridor that widened into an impressive open-plan living space, Robyn jumped off the couch and strolled toward me. “Dad.”
I hugged her harder than usual, more thankful for her than ever after these last draining weeks of therapy. Robbie had been the person I talked to about it afterward, the person who understood.
“How you doing?” she asked as we dropped our embrace.
“Good,” I promised her. “Really good.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Is there something I’m missing?” Lachlan asked from the kitchen, peering at us with a crease between his brows.
“Uh—”
I cut Robyn off before she had to lie to her husband. “I’m seeing a therapist.”
Lachlan looked up from the coffee machine, both eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
He seemed a bit dazed, and I fought a twinge of embarrassment. While I might have been wary and uncomfortable as fuck going into those sessions, the entire experience had opened my mind. Not even my friend could make me feel ashamed that I’d needed to talk to someone.
“Lachlan.” Robyn’s tone held a warning.
“No.” He held up a hand, waving her off. “I’m not being judgmental. I’m just surprised.” His gaze met mine. “You’ve never been one to talk about things unless you’re drunk.”
I snorted. “Perhaps that was the problem.”
Lachlan studied me. “You actually look different. It’s going well, then?”
“Aye. I mean, it’s difficult and …” Harrowing, heartbreaking, and I’d been in tears more in the past four weeks than in my entire fucking life, but it was also … “A relief. I feel better. It’s hard to describe.”
“That’s great, Mac. I’m happy for you.”
Appreciative, I nodded my thanks.
“Can I get you anything to eat, Dad? We have some leftover pasta from tonight.”
“You know, that would be great, actually. I haven’t had dinner.”
“You got it.” Robyn walked into the kitchen and as she passed Lachlan while he made the coffee, she pressed a tender kiss to his biceps before moving to the hob. He flicked her an equally tender look over his shoulder. I envied them.
We settled around the dining table so I could eat, and I explained why I’d come to see them.
I told them about the real reason my gran had sent me to Boston as a young teenager, about the murder of Craig Kilmany.
Though it was difficult, it was nowhere near as difficult as it might have been before my sessions with Iona.
I also explained what Billy had told me, and that today, I’d gotten word from my police friend, Lisa, that Lee Kilmany, brother of Craig, had just been arrested and released on bail for running a chop shop.
The kicker was they’d found the car that ran over Bryan McNab in that chop shop.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Robyn asked, looking upset.
“It’s not something I ever liked to dwell on.”
Lachlan said nothing because he was the one person who already knew about Craig.
He’d never condemned me for it, which should’ve made me realize, as Iona had, that Craig’s death wasn’t my fault.
I’d made mistakes running around with those boys, but Billy and I had tried to do the right thing.
I could see that now, and I understood more than ever why Billy had suggested I talk to a therapist.
I had a thank-you email to send to Australia.
“So have you talked to Iona about all this? I think you should,” Robyn said.
“I have. It helped a lot.”
“Good.”
“Aye, very good.” Lachlan nodded a little impatiently. “But what isn’t good is this threat against you, Mac.”
“What if it isn’t just against me?” I shared the information they’d found on Lee’s computer. He’d investigated me and the Adairs and had saved links to newspaper articles about Lucy’s trial.
“You think he’s behind the notes?” Robyn asked.
“It’s a bit off-piste,” I admitted, “but he’s looking like the obvious suspect.”
“Shit.” Lachlan sighed. “I was hoping with things being so quiet, maybe we’d overreacted.”
“If it is Lee, Lisa assures me the charges brought against him will mean he’s back in prison for a long time because it’s his third offense.
” I then explained what Jock had said about his night shift issues, and Lachlan agreed to offer my security team a bonus for adding Arro’s guard duty to their rotation.
“Good,” I said. “I’ll make up the schedule and email it over to the team.
However, could you discuss it with them?
I would, but I have to take over guarding Arro early tomorrow morning so Jock can get home. ”
“Of course,” Lachlan agreed.
Pushing my empty dinner plate away, I mentally drew myself up. “There’s something else.” I looked at Robyn. “Would you mind, wee birdie, if I spoke to Lachlan alone?”
Curiosity sparked in my daughter’s eyes, but she stood without argument. “Of course not. I’ve got some things to finish up in my darkroom, anyway.”
“Now?” Lachlan frowned.
“Yeah.”