Chapter 36
The ferryman, she realized, was probably around the same age as herself. Free now of the orange oilskin and dark knitted hat pulled low on his brow, he looked quite different, and definitely friendlier.
‘Ethan Howie,’ he said, offering his hand. ‘We talked briefly earlier—’
‘At Moaness,’ she finished for him.
He adopted an embarrassed air, before saying, ‘I’m sorry for my behaviour back there. And my responses to your quite valid questions.’
Jo nodded her acceptance of his apology. ‘So,’ she said. ‘You have some information you’d like to give us regarding the fire, the body on the beach or perhaps the disappearance of Kris Mowat and his partner, Rachael Everett?’
His dark eyes were studying her intently, so much so that Jo found herself shifting a little in her seat.
‘Well?’ she urged, keen to lose his gaze, which felt more like being scrutinized as a possible pick-up than a police officer.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘But I have this feeling we’ve met before. Though not here in Orkney,’ he added.
‘We haven’t,’ she said. ‘So what have you come to report?’
Seemingly in acceptance of this, he explained.
‘There’s a boat sometimes anchoring off Cava.
And before you ask, it isn’t a dive boat.
I know all the dive boats that frequent that spot.
’ He paused there briefly, before adding, ‘And it was there the night before the body was discovered on Lyrawa beach.’
‘How do you know about this boat?’ Jo said.
‘I go night fishing sometimes.’
‘And you were out that night?’ she checked.
He nodded.
‘Alone?’ she asked.
He gave her a wry smile. ‘Definitely alone. I don’t take my dates out fishing with me.’
‘So no one to corroborate this sighting?’ she said sharply, conscious that she might well be blushing. Something that hadn’t happened in a very long time.
Seemingly unfazed by her response, he shook his head. ‘Sorry. Although Tom Maine, up on the hill behind, has an impressive telescope and might well have spotted it too.’
His mention of Mr Maine having placated her somewhat, she said, ‘Might it have been a fishing boat?’
‘It wasn’t any boat that I recognized,’ he stated firmly. ‘I think you should take a look at Cava, especially in the area I saw the vessel anchored. I can take you there if you want?’ he added.
She was momentarily at a loss for words at his offer. She recalled her earlier thoughts on possibly asking Magnus to take her to the deserted island, a place she was intrigued by. Now this ferryman was offering to do just that, and for a wholly different reason.
‘We have a police launch for such tasks,’ she said stiffly.
He shook his head at that. ‘Bad move. Better if whoever it is doesn’t know the police are interested. Any visit to that spot by me wouldn’t raise suspicions.’
He was right about that. ‘What do you think’s happening out there exactly?’ she tried.
‘Something that resulted in a dead man on the beach,’ he told her.
When she didn’t immediately respond to this, he pulled her notebook towards him and she watched as he wrote out his name and number.
‘My boat, the Angel Heart, is at Lyness. I plan to head out tonight around eight. That would give us a good hour before the sun sets to take a look at that spot on Cava. After which, we could hang about for a bit. See if the mystery boat puts in an appearance.’
‘I think you should go,’ Ivan told her firmly when they met up later to compare notes.
‘You could go,’ Jo suggested. ‘Or we could go together?’
‘I’ve received a message from a Flotta relative. He has things to tell me, he says. And he’d rather we met incognito. I’m hoping it’s a lead on Kris. I’m using Maggie’s car, so you can have our vehicle to go to Lyness.’
‘There’s a message from the boss,’ she told him. ‘Asking me to give him a call.’
‘Good, you can run it past him, then. Let him make the decision for you.’
‘There’s something else,’ she said, determined now to reveal what she’d been told in the earlier session regarding Kris’s parentage.
Ivan looked keenly at her. ‘What?’ he said in an encouraging voice.
‘The elderly lady, last in my queue this morning . . .’ She hesitated.
‘I thought it was just malicious gossip, but after everything we’ve heard about the Mowats .
. . maybe it could be true.’ Opening her notebook at the appropriate page, she passed it over.
Then watched as Ivan’s intrigued look transformed into something much darker.
‘If this is true,’ he said, ‘it’s no wonder the lass left Hoy.’ He muttered an expletive under his breath. ‘If Ivor found this out, that might begin to explain his fury at his family.’
‘D’you think that could have been what Ivor and Hugh were arguing about the night he died?’ Jo suggested.
‘Maybe,’ Ivan said. ‘The boss needs to know about this. It might well be a vicious rumour, but if it is true then the whole business of the Mowat clan, Ivor and Kris is about to unravel.’
She dropped Ivan back at Maggie’s, then made the call to Erling, her heart rate speeding up, because surely by now Gus would have spoken about her to the boss?
Erling answered promptly. ‘Jo, good to hear from you. How are things on Hoy?’
‘There have been some developments,’ she said, deciding to lead with Ethan Howie and his boat story first.
‘And what he says about this boat matches Tom Maine’s sighting?’ Erling immediately said.
‘It does,’ she confirmed, going on to explain about Ethan’s offer to take her to Cava tonight. ‘I told him we could use the police launch to investigate and he suggested that would be a mistake.’
‘He’s right about that,’ Erling said, before listening to her explanation of how Ivan had a clandestine meeting with a Flotta relative who he hoped would have some information regarding Kris.
Silence followed before Erling asked if she was willing to go alone. ‘I know Ethan the ferryman. Not well, but enough to be certain he means you no harm. If you’re okay about going, then I’d take up his offer.’
‘Right, sir.’ She hesitated.
‘There’s something else, Sergeant?’
‘There is, sir.’ Jo took a deep breath before continuing. ‘During the interviews this morning, an elderly woman told me that Betty was raped by one of her uncles. Which, if true, means Kris Mowat’s father is one of Ivor’s sons.’
After a stunned silence that seemed to last for ever, the boss came back with, ‘The woman’s name?’
‘She wouldn’t give her name,’ Jo said. ‘She appeared frightened and she didn’t want anyone else in the place to hear what she had to say. In the end, she wrote it on my notepad.’
Silence followed again, before Erling said, ‘I’ll have a word with Willie Halcro.
He’ll likely know who she is. If this is true, it might account for the argument Cathy overheard between Ivor and Hugh the night he died.
Well done, Detective Sergeant. I knew you and Ivan Tulloch would make a good team. ’
Pleased and relieved at how the call had gone, Jo was about to say her goodbyes when Erling asked her to wait. There was something else that they needed to discuss.
A sliver of fear now arrived. Would this be the moment he would mention DS Gowan and ask her why she had lied about knowing him?
‘I want you back here tomorrow, Sergeant. First thing.’
Gathering her wits, she said, ‘Right, sir, may I ask why?’
Trying to control her dread at this sudden command, she listened to the story of the opening of the deed box. Of its contents, more especially the notebook, the writing inside and his wish that she be the one to work with Auld Mackie to decipher it.
Realizing that he was waiting for her to acknowledge the order, she found her voice at last.
‘Of course, sir. I’d be happy to help with that.’
‘Good. No need for you to come into the station,’ he added firmly. ‘I’ll pick you up at Houton and take you to Mackie’s place myself.’
Relief now swept over her, because despite being back on Mainland, she wouldn’t have to face Gus Gowan just yet. Then a thought occurred. Was that what DI Flett had intended?
‘And, Sergeant, call me after your trip to Cava. Let me know what you find, if anything.’
Confirming this, Jo rang off, then headed for Lyness and the Angel Heart.