Chapter 57
Jo watched as Houton retreated and Lyness crept ever closer. Dusk had come to claim the sky, reminding her what a long day it had been. Long and too full of darkness and, in some instances, fear.
She was already replaying her meeting with Gus. How she’d reacted. How she might have done things differently. But that just reminded her of her past actions. Always trying and hoping she might manage to make things better between them.
When it wasn’t she who had made it worse.
The truth was Gus had started down that long, dark road before she discovered she was pregnant. Imagining him as a father and what that might mean for both her and the child haunted the few weeks before her decision.
Hearing the sound of Rachael retching in the bathroom at the Stromness Hotel had acted like a knife in her heart. At that point Rachael had told her that Kris wouldn’t want a child.
She, on the other hand, had known Gus would want a child. Not to nurture and to love, but to further control her, and then when the child was older, bully them too.
She’d imagined disappearing somewhere far from Caithness, joining the police in England, having the baby . . . but that would never have worked. Gus would have found her and the child and tortured them for ever.
When she’d told DI Flett that DS Gowan was meticulous and thorough and never gave up, she’d spoken the truth. Command and control were his watchwords.
The question haunting her now was whether, having found her again, he would ever let her go.
The sight of PC Ivan Tulloch waiting for her beside the patrol car lifted her spirits. Despite her fears regarding Gus, she knew she was in safe hands with her fellow officers here in Orkney. As safe as she could ever be, anywhere.
‘How did it go with Eilidh’s dad?’ she asked as soon as they were both in the car.
‘When I was called back into the house, he switched his anger from Liz, for allowing his daughter to go to Kirkwall, to blaming the police for failing to control drugs coming into Orkney,’ he told her.
‘He does have a point,’ Jo said. ‘It is our job as police officers to protect the public.’
‘It’s his family bringing the stuff in,’ Ivan said. ‘And I don’t think he was ignorant of that fact. Anyway, he’s not staying at the house, but on Flotta at the helicopter base. So Liz is safe from his wrath for the moment.’
En route back to the guest house, Jo told him about Mackie and the contents of Ivor’s notebook regarding Cava. Plus the boss’s decision to do a sweep of the island first thing.
‘You’ve called Ethan about this?’ Ivan said.
‘Not yet. I’ll do it once we’re back at the house.’ Jo knew she sounded reticent, despite trying not to.
As he pulled to a halt outside Maggie’s bungalow, Ivan turned to face her. ‘What is it wi’ you and Ethan Howie, then?’ he said, a bemused look on his face.
‘Nothing,’ she said firmly.
‘Aye, that’ll be right,’ he retorted. ‘Away in and phone him in private. There’s food waiting for us, so best be quick about it, Sergeant.’
In her room now, Jo set about composing herself prior to making the call. But before she was ready, her phone rang, Ethan’s name on the screen.
‘Ethan,’ she answered in surprise.
‘I heard you were back.’
‘How? I’ve only just arrived!’ Then the penny dropped. ‘One of your Lyness ferry mates told you?’
When he didn’t respond, she added, ‘That could be regarded as stalking, you know.’
‘By him or by me?’ Ethan said with a laugh. Before she could form her retort to this, he asked about Mackie.
‘He’s comfortable,’ she told him, ‘and well guarded.’
‘Why are you here, then?’ he said.
‘I translated the remainder of the journal and Ivor did warn Kris that he might need to lie low. We think he suggested Cava. DI Flett wanted me to ask if you would be part of the search party heading there tomorrow.’
A brief silence followed, then, ‘I’ll have the Angel ready at first light. See you and Tulloch at the jetty.’
‘I take it Ethan’s on board for tomorrow,’ Ivan said as she joined him at the dinner table.
‘He says the Angel will be ready at first light,’ Jo told him.
Ivan was studying her.
‘What?’ she said.
‘Ethan Howie. What do you know about him?’ Ivan asked quietly.
‘That he can manage a boat and he’s pretty good in an emergency,’ she offered. ‘Plus the boss thinks he’s trustworthy.’
Ivan gave a nod. ‘Both of you are right.’ He hesitated briefly, before adding, ‘Ethan lost his partner a few years back. She was swimming, got caught in a current. Took him a long time to come to terms with that.’
Jo, momentarily stunned by this sudden announcement, found herself unable to respond, so remained silent.
‘Right. I’m off to bed,’ Ivan declared. ‘See you at first light, Sergeant.’
In fact, the call to rise came much earlier than that.
Jo had found it difficult to fall asleep, thinking of what Ivan had said about Ethan’s partner drowning. When she’d eventually slept, she’d been tortured once again by dreams of Ethan disappearing below the waves as he struggled to hold on to the Angel.
The insistent ringing of her mobile finally rose above the imagined breaking waves and she reached out to answer it.
‘DS Green? It’s Tom Maine here. The man with the telescope,’ he added for clarification. ‘I spoke to PC Tulloch about the boat off Cava?’
Pulling herself into a sitting position, Jo said, ‘Of course, Mr Maine. Is there something wrong?’
‘There’s a beacon been lit to the very south of Cava. I thought you should know.’
‘Thank you, Mr Maine. We’ll check on that.’
Scrambling out of bed, Jo went to the window, but could see no obvious light apart from the moonlight on the water.
Still, Mr Maine’s telescope had a far bigger range than her eyesight, however good it was. Instinct told her to act on his sighting, so she called Ivan, who told her to call Ethan, which she did.
‘Mr Maine thought it might be a signal fire,’ she said.
‘He’s got the range to spot that,’ Ethan told her. ‘I’ll meet you and Ivan at the Angel. Soon as you can get there.’
The wind had risen since the earlier crossing, Jo thought, as they drove down to the jetty. The swell too, Scapa now resembling a prizefight between tide and wind, its surface foaming white and choppy.
Glancing at Ivan, she noted his obvious concern.
‘We’ll be lucky to get out there,’ he said. ‘Not sure even the police launch would tackle that.’
‘But if it is a distress call?’ Jo said.
‘The lifeboat is already on a call-out,’ Ethan told them on approach. ‘Down by St Margaret’s Hope.’ Reading their expressions, he added, ‘The Angel will make it to Cava okay. But if you don’t feel safe, I can go alone.’
‘We’re coming with you,’ Jo said, after a quick glance at Ivan’s determined expression.
‘Right,’ Ethan said, handing them life jackets. ‘Let’s go check this out.’
Erling woke to semi-darkness and the drilling of his mobile. Seeing Jo’s name on the screen, he swiftly answered. Her voice was faint, the signal obviously weak wherever she was.
‘What’s happening, Sergeant?’ he said, trepidation in his tone.
‘We’ve just left Lyness, sir, on the Angel. Tom Maine spotted what appears to be a beacon fire lit at the south end of Cava. We’re going to check it out in case it’s a distress signal.’
‘What about the lifeboat?’
‘It’s on another call-out, sir. Ethan’s confident the Angel will get us to Cava. It may of course be a false alarm. But since we were planning on heading there at dawn . . .’ Her voice, which had been tailing off, now went silent.
‘Jo,’ he tried. ‘Jo, are you still there?’
Nothing.
Already risen, Erling pulled on his clothes and went to check outside. The sun would be coming up soon and possibly by the time they arrived at Cava. Assuming they could reach the island safely, he thought, taking note of the white horses on Scapa and the brisk wind swirling about him.
But Ethan Howie was a true boatman, and the Angel a sturdy craft, he told himself firmly.
Deciding he should alert the police launch to an earlier start than scheduled, he made the call, explaining what had happened and requesting that he be picked up at Houton Bay.
Then he headed for his car.