Chapter 4
FOUR
Ross was helping his son at the veterinary surgery for part of the morning. ‘I must go too, love, so see you later,’ he said to Ally, kissing her, as he and his black Labrador, Ebony, made their way towards the back door, where Morag was still pulling on her boots.
Just at that moment, Murdo arrived with the post, and Morag trundled back into the kitchen.
‘Have ye heard the latest?’ Murdo asked hopefully as he laid a couple of envelopes onto the kitchen table.
‘I expect you’re needing some tea?’ Ally said, knowing that Murdo liked to stop off on his rounds for constant refreshment.
‘Aye,’ he said. ‘I’ll just have a wee mouthful, if ye please.’ He nodded towards the front of the building. ‘I see the police car’s outside there?’
‘Yes, Detective Inspector Kandahar’s just leaving. He’s been talking to the Armstrongs,’ Ally replied, handing him a large mug of tea, which was Murdo’s idea of a wee mouthful.
Morag stood, hands on hips, and glared at her husband. ‘Have we heard what?’
‘The earl’s goin’ potty cos of that break-in they had at the castle when someone stole a rifle, and the police think it’ll likely be the one that was supposed to kill that Armstrong bloke.
’ Murdo took a couple of long gulps. ‘And poor old Angus is awful worried cos he’s supposed to be lookin’ after all the guns. ’
‘And are they certain that was the rifle that fired the shot?’ Ally asked.
‘Well,’ said Murdo, ‘you’re the one that’s pally with that inspector! Did he not tell you?’
‘No, he didn’t!’
Murdo nodded. ‘They found that bullet stuck in the caber. I heard they’re runnin’ tests, but it looks like being the right kind of bullet to have come from one of the earl’s rifles.’
Ally was horrified. So was that the weapon? It was too much of a coincidence not to be surely? She had no idea in which part of the castle the gun cabinets were, but she guessed that they were probably somewhere in the utility area at the back or in one of the outbuildings.
When they’d finished breakfast, Patti asked Ally if it would be all right to use the sitting room for most of the day. They’d do their best to take their minds off the horrendous tragedy by watching TV or trying to read. The girls had their phones, of course, and would be glued to those.
As predicted by Amir, the media had arrived in force – reporters, film crews and photographers all hanging around in the lane between the malthouse and the village.
Two of them ventured to the door to ask the whereabouts of the Armstrong family, and Ally politely told them that she was not at liberty to give out that sort of information, hoping that none of them would leave the sitting room while she was dealing with the press.
One reporter was particularly persistent.
‘Surely,’ he said, ‘it’s not going to harm the case if we just have a chat with Mrs Armstrong? ’
‘Mrs Armstrong does not want to be disturbed at this sad time,’ Ally said, repeating one of Amir’s suggestions.
In spite of their grief, everyone got hungry around lunchtime, and Greg was dispatched to find some pizzas, which he did, after directions to Concetti’s from Ally.
The reporters presumably didn’t know who Greg was, so he was able to walk down to the village, returning with a mountain of boxes, in every imaginable flavour, plus two bottles of wine, and they all moved to the dining room after Ally produced some plates, glasses and cutlery.
Back in the kitchen, she was making herself a sandwich when there was a knock on the back door and in walked the earl.
‘Oh, Hamish. Good to see you! Can I make you a sandwich?’
‘That’s kind, Ally, but no thanks. I just wondered how the Armstrongs were bearing up?’
‘They’ve recovered enough to be eating pizza in the dining room,’ Ally replied, ‘if you want to go in there.’
Hamish shook his head. ‘I don’t particularly want to see them. Just wondered how you were coping with a bereaved family, and to tell you that the rifle we had stolen has been found and believed to have been the weapon that fired the shot. Would you believe the bullet was found in the caber?’
‘Murdo told us this morning,’ Ally said. ‘I think he saw Angus on his travels.’
‘Poor Angus! He’s beside himself!’ Hamish sighed. ‘He just can’t understand how anyone could have broken into that cabinet without him being aware of it.’
‘And is that definitely the gun that fired the bullet that indirectly killed Archie Armstrong?’ Ally said.
‘Yes, the police are now certain it was actually that rifle, and they found it in the woods that adjoin the field. Whoever fired that gun was a very good shot indeed, even if they didn’t quite hit their target, but no one appears to have seen anything.
No fingerprints yet, of course.’ He stroked his beard. ‘Ghastly business.’
‘I understand that Angus is related to the Armstrongs,’ Ally remarked.
‘Yes, he’s Pat’s uncle – although I’m told we must call her “Patti” now apparently.’
‘Did you ever meet her?’
Hamish nodded. ‘I remember her well because she used to come up and stay with her uncle Angus for a week every summer. She was always a bit of a girl, man-crazy in her youth. She was just plain “Pat” back then, when Archie met her at the Glenfinnan Gathering eighteen years ago, according to Angus. Archie was competing, and Pat was serving drinks at the bar. They haven’t been over much since, but Angus was pleased that she and the family had visited him at the castle a couple of times earlier this week after they arrived. ’
‘You don’t think…?’
‘No idea. Just saying.’ Hamish gave a hint of a smile.
‘Fancy some tea or coffee?’
‘I’d rather have a wee whisky,’ he said.
As Ally poured the whisky, she asked, ‘How’s Magda?’
‘She’s very well, thank you.’
Ally was glad that Hamish had abandoned his old, somewhat lecherous ways.
When she’d first arrived in Locharran, Ally had been warned about the earl and his penchant for the ladies.
As predicted, he had made advances in her direction, and she’d had to tell him firmly that there was to be no hanky-panky but that she’d like him as a friend.
Much to her surprise, he’d agreed, and they had indeed become firm friends.
When Magda arrived on the scene, it had been during a really difficult time for her, during which she’d not bothered much with her appearance, and it was Ally who had driven her to Inverness for a great haircut and some smart clothes and make-up.
This had proved so successful in bringing Magda out of her shell that it hadn’t been long before she and Hamish had struck up a relationship and the twins were on the way.
Since only legitimate heirs were allowed to inherit, a delighted Hamish had wasted no time in putting a ring on Magda’s finger and seemed to be embracing first-time fatherhood in his mid-seventies, despite having little idea of what it might entail.
‘I’m longing to see the babies again,’ Ally said.
‘Well, you know you can come up to see them any time you fancy,’ Hamish said, knocking back his drink. ‘We’re always delighted to see you – and Ross. Now I must go!’
Concetti’s pizzas appeared to have revived the Armstrongs a little, even the girls. One of them knocked on the kitchen door that afternoon. ‘Could my sister and I take your dog for a walk, please? Or play with her in the garden?’
Ally was taken aback for a moment. ‘Yes, yes, of course,’ she said. ‘I know Flora would be delighted.’
Flora was. She came bounding out into the hallway at the mention of the magic word ‘walk’.
‘We just need some fresh air,’ her sister said.
‘Can you tell me which one of you is Julie and which one is Janey?’ Ally asked, pleased to see some return to normality.
‘I’m Julie,’ said the slightly taller one. ‘I’m seventeen.’
‘And I’m Janey,’ said her sister, ‘and I’m fifteen, and we’re trying not to think about yesterday.’
‘We’re missing our daddy so much,’ said Julie, her eyes brimming with tears.
‘But he wouldn’t let us have a dog,’ said Janey, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, ‘and we love dogs.’
‘Well, you can love Flora as much as you like,’ Ally told them, smiling. ‘She’s a good dog, and she’ll come back when you call her. You won’t need a lead so long as you keep away from the main road.’
‘We thought we’d walk across the moor,’ Janey said. ‘Mom said it’s beautiful up there, but we don’t know which way we should go.’
Ally accompanied them to the door and pointed out the well-trodden path through the heather and across the moor to Loch Soular. ‘That will take you to a wee loch, one of my favourite walks,’ she said, hoping they’d find it as therapeutic as she herself did.
As she closed the outside door behind them, Greg emerged from the dining room.
‘May I have a word?’ he asked.
‘Of course. Come into the kitchen.’
Ally led him in, and, like most first-time visitors, Greg looked around and whistled. ‘Wow, this is real nice,’ he said.
This was always music to Ally’s ears because she loved her kitchen and, against all odds, had been successful in making a large room feel cosy and welcoming.
The kitchen was very much Ally’s domain. Off it was a little ‘snug’, also featuring a wood-burning stove, a large TV and a large sofa, where she and Ross spent many a cosy winter evening. The door at the back led to the rear porch, a toilet, and the stairs to Ally’s own bedroom and bathroom.
‘Coffee?’ Ally asked.
‘Thank you. Just a small cup,’ he replied.
‘Is your wife feeling a little better?’
He sighed. ‘It’s difficult. He was her only brother.’
‘It must be awful for you all.’
‘It’s going to take time, particularly as that bullet must have been fired real close to where I was. It’s unbelievable.’
‘Where were you exactly?’ Ally asked.
‘In the hospitality tent,’ he replied.
Ally poured some coffee. ‘Milk and sugar?’
‘Just a dash of milk, please,’ he said, accepting the cup. ‘Do you have any idea who might have done such an awful thing?’
Ally shook her head. ‘I’ve no idea whatsoever. I know that some of the villagers were upset because Archie was the Canadian champion and they didn’t think it fair that he was allowed to compete. But I very much doubt that any of them would go so far as to try to kill him.’
Greg took a sip of his drink and nodded. ‘Great coffee. I’m a little concerned about Patti’s uncle,’ he continued. ‘That’s the old guy in charge of the guns, you know. We met him a couple of days ago; strange fellow.’
‘Oh, Angus is all right,’ Ally said defensively. ‘He’s been with the earl for fifty years and he’s a little eccentric, but there’s no harm in him.’
Greg didn’t look particularly convinced. ‘Angus didn’t like Archie, you know.’
‘Didn’t he?’
‘No, apparently he never approved of Patti marrying him. He thought she should have stayed home and married a Scotsman. But Archie was a Scotsman! Both of his parents were born and bred in Scotland. So I guess he just didn’t like Archie for some reason.
’ Greg shook his head. ‘What about the earl? Could he have had any reason to want Archie dead?’
Ally frowned. ‘The earl’s a good man. And what possible reason could there be for him to kill the star competitor? And apart from that, he would have been in the hospitality tent at the time. Didn’t you see him?’
‘No.’ Greg shook his head.
‘The earl’s a great advocate for anything to do with tourism around here, you know, and this killing isn’t exactly likely to pull in the crowds.
’ Ally poured herself a coffee and sat down.
Did this man really think that she might know who’d fired that damned bullet?
‘Were you close to your brother-in-law?’
‘Not so much on a personal level,’ he replied, ‘but we were in business together. We make log cabins which sell all over North America, and it’s very much a thriving business.’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘His personal life wasn’t so great though. His marriage wasn’t too happy.’
‘What? Weren’t they well suited?’ Ally asked.
‘He shouldn’t have married her because he was known to play around.’
Ally didn’t really think she should be hearing this because it was none of her business, but she couldn’t help but be fascinated.
She remembered that it was only a short time ago that the earl had been sitting in that very chair saying that Patti had been man-mad in her youth, but she’d heard nothing about Archie…
‘Well, Greg, I’m sure the police will find the killer before too long. Detective Inspector Kandahar is very efficient.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right. I’m not sure we’re gonna be able to leave here until they do,’ Greg said. He looked out of the window. ‘It’s beautiful here, but we need to get home; I got a business to run single-handed now. Anyway, I must go to see if Wendy’s OK, but it’s been good talking to you.’
Has it? Ally wondered. Why on earth had he thought that she might have known who killed Archie?
He’d definitely been pointing a finger at poor old Angus and even the earl himself.
But where had he himself been when the shot was fired?
Had he been in the hospitality tent? Ally was beginning to wonder if he could just be deflecting suspicion away from himself.
For that matter, where had Patti been as well?
She’d told Amir that she’d just gone to get a coffee – he’d mentioned this to Ally just before he’d left.
And Wendy. Had Wendy gone for a coffee too?
Was the rifle definitely fired from the woods? Who knew?
Ally sat mulling this over for a good twenty minutes and got nowhere, so she remembered she needed a few groceries and her time would be better spent if she paid a visit to the shop.
She was reluctant to face Queenie and Bessie because she had no idea how fast the rumour mill might have been spinning. But needs must.