Chapter 53
As the distance between herself and Gus Gowan grew, Jo took a deep breath and murmured the mantra she’d used so often in the past and thought she would never have need of again. ‘He has no power over me any more.’
Once in the vehicle, she allowed herself a silent scream, then put her hands on the wheel to stop them shaking.
She’d feared that moment for so long and it had finally happened.
She’d faced her abuser, sat down while aware of his body right behind her. Yet she had managed to do her job.
That was a small victory at least.
But what if DI Flett had not been there? What if she had found herself alone with him?
It was a question she couldn’t answer.
Starting the engine, she drew out of the station car park, determined to acknowledge that she had faced her demon and survived.
Thoughts of Auld Mackie now moved in to replace those of the last half-hour.
Ethan had told her to come to the hospital, but he hadn’t made clear in his text as to why.
Had Mackie come round and could now speak to her about what had happened?
Or was he failing? Maybe Ethan’s message was only a reminder that she’d said she would come as soon as she could?
Entering reception, she showed her badge and was directed to Mackie’s room, where she found Ethan seated next to the bed.
‘How is he?’ she said as he rose to greet her.
‘Sorry if I dragged you away from something important, but I thought you should be here in case he surfaces again. He came to briefly, muttered something, then stopped when he saw me. He obviously didn’t know me and I thought if you’d been here . . .’ He tailed off.
‘You were right to contact me. I’ll sit with him a while if you have to get back to work?’
‘I’ll stay a bit longer,’ he said. ‘Can I get you a coffee from the machine?’
She told him yes, then added, ‘If there’s a chocolate biscuit or a packet of crisps . . .’
He smiled. ‘I’ll raid the vending machine for you.’
Jo moved to take the seat by the bed, noting that the wound on Mackie’s head had been dressed and his breathing appeared steady.
‘Mackie.’ She spoke softly. ‘It’s me, DS Jo Green. We’re working together on Ivor’s notebook.’ She waited a moment. ‘You called me, said there was something you needed to tell me about the three pages we’d still to translate.’
Even though there was no change in his face or breathing, she continued.
‘I was coming to see you at home, but something happened before I got there. Who was in the house, Mackie? Who hit you and took your phone?’
Was he stirring? She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the thump of his heart through the hospital gown, sensing it beat a little faster.
‘Can you hear me, Mackie? I’ve been reading the first of those pages in Ivor’s notebook. He was worried about Kris coming to Orkney. What the family might do to him. Did Ivor tell Kris to hide from them? Is that what’s in the notebook?’
Her hand still on his heart, she felt its beat more strongly now. And something else. His breathing seemed a little faster and his mouth was moving. Was he trying to tell her something?
Jo leaned forward, setting her ear close to his face. She could feel his soft breath brush her cheek, but there were no words in it, until—
A sudden movement of his mouth seemed to make a sound, which he repeated three times.
‘Kalfey?’ Jo said. ‘Is that someone’s name, Mackie? Is that the name of the person who was in your house?’
But he was slipping away again, the effort seemingly too much.
Jo turned to find Ethan in the doorway carrying two coffees, his pockets stuffed with what she took to be his raid on the vending machine.
‘Did he come to?’ he said, noting her expression.
‘I thought so. I felt he was trying to say something,’ she told him.
‘About who attacked him?’
‘Maybe.’ She accepted a coffee with one hand, a Tunnock’s caramel wafer and a bag of crisps with the other. ‘How did you know I liked caramel wafers?’ she said with a half-smile.
‘Who doesn’t?’ Ethan pulled over another chair and sat beside her. ‘So what did he say, exactly?’
‘I asked him who’d been in the house. Then I asked him about Kris and whether Ivor had told him to hide somewhere. That’s when he seemed to be trying to say something. So I leaned closer and that’s when he said the word, three times.’
‘What word?’ Ethan said.
‘It sounded something like kalfey,’ she said.
‘Kalfey?’ he repeated and for a brief moment she thought he might have recognized the word, but then his expression went blank.
‘Is there a Mowat with a name like that?’ she said.
‘Not that I know of,’ Ethan told her.
‘Then maybe it’s a place name?’ Jo suggested.
‘Kalfey,’ Ethan said again. ‘If it’s a place round here, I don’t recognize it.’ He pulled out his phone to do a search. Then, ‘Kalfey, if that’s what Mackie said, means calf in Old Norse.’ He looked bemused. ‘Maybe you heard wrong or he was delirious?’
‘He seemed pretty determined,’ Jo said. ‘He repeated it three times. If he wasn’t referring to the person in the house, he might have been trying to tell us where Kris is.’
‘Kalfey means calf,’ Ethan repeated. ‘And in Orkney that’s the name given to a small neighbouring island. Like a cow and her calf.’ He stopped there, a surprised look on his face. ‘In fact, the name Cava means calf island.’
Jo, perplexed, said, ‘You think Ivor may have told Kris to hide out on Cava?’
‘Mackie was suffering from a knock on the head and he’s in his nineties. Maybe his mind was just wandering when he said that.’
‘Mackie was anything but wandering when I worked with him,’ Jo said sharply. ‘And he was definitely trying to tell me something important. The fact that he didn’t tell you suggests that. You could have been a Mowat, after all.’
‘Okay,’ Ethan conceded. ‘Kalfey is Old Norse for calf island, i.e. Cava. Maybe Ivor and Mackie used to go there as boys. It’s right next to Lyrawa, where Ivor lived, and the family would have fished that stretch of water.’
Jo considered this. It sounded plausible, but they’d already been on Cava, when looking for the drug boat.
Ethan was reading her expression. ‘It’s unlikely Ivor would have known about what was going on in the dive area,’ he said.
‘An escape to Cava might have seemed better to him than Kris hiding out somewhere on Mainland. It’s uninhabited.
Has been for a while, although two ladies from down south used to live there.
There’s fresh water, some shelter, just a bit dilapidated.
And, assuming Kris has got hold of a boat, he could stock up on provisions when needed. ’
‘The food wrappers we found,’ Jo said, remembering when they’d hidden in the derelict house watching the drug boat. ‘Maybe that was Kris.’
‘I could take the Angel back there?’ Ethan said. ‘Have a proper look around?’
‘No. I need to report to DI Flett first. Get his take on this,’ Jo said, possibly more firmly than she’d intended. After all, Ethan had been there when she’d found Mackie and accompanied him to hospital.
Ethan looked briefly disappointed, before saying, ‘Of course.’ And, with a glance at his watch, indicated he should get going.
Once he’d left, Jo gave DI Flett a call and explained what had happened.
‘Ethan could be right,’ Erling said, ‘about the Old Norse name for Cava. If Mackie was trying to tell you where Kris is, we should take a look there. Do you plan to stay on at the hospital or shall I send a PC to take your place?’
‘You think Mackie could be in danger?’ Jo said worriedly.
‘His attacker might still wish him ill. Especially if they believe he could identify them.’ Erling halted briefly. ‘I’d also like you back working on the two pages we’ve yet to decipher. DS Gowan is required elsewhere,’ he finished firmly.