Dressed to Kilt (19 page)

“We didn't get away with our scheme fer long. The inspector was worried ye might catch on.”

“He doesn't need to know that I did.”

What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. I was tired of everyone thinking they knew what was best for me and
making arrangements that affected me without my input. I might not have the credentials any longer, but that wouldn't stop me from poking around. But I'd have to be careful.

“Once you gas up your car,” I told Sean, pointing out a full can of gas, “drive it up and put it in the barn. Vicki needs you. I think she's coming down with something. You're off security duty for the night. Nobody in his right mind would be out during a storm like this anyway.”

I watched Sean walk down the lane, then went back to my cottage, where Snookie was waiting for me.

Early Wednesday morning started out much like the last several days had, with dying cinders in the fireplace bringing chilly air into the cottage, a warm cat dozing beside my pillow, and a winter wonderland scene outside the festively decorated windows. I rose to my regular routine, noting that the paths hadn't been shoveled yet. Nor had the driveway leading to the lane. This storm had outperformed even John's ability to keep up with it.

I'd be housebound, or rather farmbound, for at least part of the day.

Leith Cameron called to ask how I was faring.

“Middlin',” he said about his own situation once I assured him that I was in fine shape. “I dislike bein' shut in.”

Not surprising coming from this outdoorsy man. Whether fishing or raising fields of barley for the distillery, Leith usually could be found somewhere in the great outdoors. “I'm going tae have tae get a snowmobile if this keeps up. I don't remember ever havin' so much snow this early in December.”

“Vicki said the same thing.” Everything in the Highlands had seemed to be an anomaly since my arrival.

“How are ye coping with civilian life?” he asked next.

“I'm frustrated.”

“I fer one am relieved,” Leith said. “It was a dangerous way o' life. A perfect example is what happened tae ye while on guard duty at hospital.”

“So you heard about that incident.”

“Incident! Ha. Ye can't downplay it with me. Somebody wanted tae stop ye and was willing tae go tae extreme measures tae do so. Now that ye're out o' that job, we'll all breathe easier.”

After a few more minutes of conversation, we hung up and I paused to consider why the attacker wanted to stop me. From doing what? That was the million-dollar question. I wasn't sure whether to be encouraged that I must be on the right track or afraid. One thing I was absolutely certain of was that I'd be much more careful in the future.

I bundled up, went outside, and made my way through the dark to the main house. Lights were on and Sean was in the kitchen.

“Vicki's still in bed,” he told me. “She's down fer the count.”

Coco and Pepper bounded from the back of the house and warmly greeted me. “I'll let the dogs out, then.”

The Westies were overwhelmed by the depth of the snow and had to stay inside my footprints. We went to the barn. I turned on lights, and fed and played with Jasper. Again I entreated him. “Please come and stay with me,” I said to the stubborn feline. “At least for a day or two. Take a mini-vacation.”

Jasper had grown an incredibly thick undercoat and looked more like a miniature bear than a tomcat. As though he understood the request and wanted me to know that he rejected my overtures, he bounded up the barn steps and settled comfortably overhead.

“Suit yourself,” I told him. “Come on, you two.”

When I let Coco and Pepper back inside the house, Sean wasn't in the kitchen any longer. I knew he'd take care of all Vicki's needs. She was in good hands.

Back inside the cottage, I puttered in the kitchen, then decided to see if I had an Internet connection. Maybe Ami had sent an e-mail since last I'd checked, something casual, since she might not be aware that I was angry with her for interfering in my personal life. Behind my back, at that! Talking about me with Vicki. Plotting, scheming, manipulating. There was that word again. “Manipulating.” It was one of my least favorite traits in others, yet everyone around me seemed to be indulging in it.

I wasn't able to establish a connection. Not surprising with all the snow and cloud cover.

Outside, John had arrived and was plowing the lane. Soon the path to the cottage would also be clear. But what of the roads? They had to be passable or John wouldn't have made it out here. But how passable was debatable. With my level of expertise on the winding narrow Highland roads, plus driving on the opposite side, I probably shouldn't risk driving until later when the gritters had another go. Where did I need to go anyway?

Settling into my favorite chair near the fire, with Snookie spread across my lap as usual, I spent a long time staring into the fire, thinking about what I'd learned from
Sean. If we assumed that the attack on me at the hospital had to be connected to Henrietta's murder and the investigation, we were almost back to square one. Janet Dougal had a lot of potential, but the alibi she'd established for the attack was problematic for those trying to build a solid case against her.

Katie Taylor had been attacked right after the murder. What did she have to do with anything? Maybe nothing. Maybe the attack on her at her friend's house was an amazing coincidence. Or not.

What did Henrietta have in common with Katie? A hometown. Tainwick. Not much there. What did Henrietta have in common with me? Or more precisely—what did her murder have to do with me? I was part of the investigation team. But so were the inspector and Sean.

Any possible threads broke down when I reviewed the three of us together—Katie, Henrietta, me. I couldn't see a link, other than the tasting that Henrietta had organized but hadn't attended.

I called Bridie at the first sign of daylight. “Did you survive the snowstorm without any outages?” I asked when she answered.

“It's lovely, isn't it? Easy fer me tae say, I can watch all day from inside. We're Scots. This is only a bit o' an inconvenience. Most o' the workers are at the distillery already, includin' Gordon and Archie.”

“I'm snowed in for the time being,” I told her.

“Then it's a time tae do some o' that writing, eh.”

While we chatted, I idly withdrew the Elliott clan sketch from between the pages of Snookie's health records
and glanced again at the inscription on the folded sheet. “Princess Hen.”

“It's a fine day for getting some writing done,” I agreed, meaning it. If I had to be snowed in, that was exactly what I should be doing. “Bridie, about that sketch of the Elliott crest and motto . . .”

“I still want tae see it, and I've been rackin' my brain about it since we talked. I don't remember anythin' like that being in my possession. But seein' it might jog this old goat's memory.”

I laughed. “I'll try to get out later today. Would that be all right?”

“Aye, fer tea then. Three-ish.”

“I'll be there.”

“But ye also have more tae do than comin' round here tae entertain the likes o' me. Ye need tae go tae Applefary and soon.”

Vicki and Bridie have one-track minds.

“Would ye like me tae come along?” she offered, and I heard hope in her voice. “We could make a day o' it, go round tae some o' yer cousins; no matter how distant, they'll welcome ye, they will.”

“I don't know,” I said, stalling. “The murder case is top priority.”

“But ye aren't part o' the investigation any longer, and the inspector has a suspect in custody. Are ye sayin' Janet Dougal didn't kill Henrietta and the case is reopened?”

Bridie wasn't an old goat. She was a wise bird! All the more reason to be careful in my word choices when dealing with her.

“The case isn't closed until a verdict of guilty is reached,” I said.

“It isn't yer problem. Unless ye've been reinstated . . .”

“Uh, not exactly.”

“Then once the roads are clear and dry, we'll take a little road trip. Why, we might even go a little past Applefary intae Tainwick.”

Tainwick? That name again. “Why Tainwick?” I asked, hesitant, not sure I wanted to find out.

“Because, my dear girl, that's where yer grandfather is buried. At the graveyard there. Applefary doesn't haff its own.”

I'd just been searching for connections between Henrietta, Katie, and myself. If I was prone to wild speculation, this was the link I'd been searching for only moments before phoning Bridie. It wasn't much, but it was all I had.

After careful consideration, I ended the call and summarily dismissed it.

Or tried to.

Until I remembered Vicki's reaction when I'd mentioned that Henrietta and Katie both came from Tainwick. We'd been sitting at my kitchen table. She'd been disconcerted and dropped her fork, sputtering around, trying to cover up.

She'd been rattled and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. At the time.

Now I had a hunch, so I picked up the phone and called the inspector.

“It's Eden,” I said.

After a slight pause, he said, “I'm guessin' ye aren't
very happy with me or with recent decisions that I've needed tae make.”

“That's beside the point,” I said, knowing that he had my best interests in mind. Still, it hurt. “Henrietta McCloud and Katie Taylor are from Tainwick,” I continued, “and now I've learned that my grandfather is buried in the cemetery there. I'm wondering if there is a connection of some sort. Is there?”

The inspector let the moment drag out before saying, “Ye're supposed tae be enjoying yer last days in Glenkillen. Why aren't ye plannin' tae do some holiday shoppin' fer yer friends back home? And until the roads clear, make a snowman or bake cookies. Enjoy.”

“That's what I keep hearing.”

“And so ye should listen tae us.”

Bake cookies! Really? “I'd like a rundown of your investigation into Henrietta's past. All I know is where she's from and that she had a lot of bad luck.”

The inspector sighed heavily into the phone. “I can't discuss the case with ye.”

“And why not?” I wasn't going away easily. “You have in the past.”

“Ye were in an official capacity . . .”

I interrupted. “You shared information with me long before that. I distinctly remember certain comments you made to justify it, something about my ability to see things that you couldn't. I'm paraphrasing, of course.”

“Look who's the crabit today. And ye thought I was bad!”

“And look who's evading. You refuse to tell me what you've learned about Henrietta's past and whether anything
there could have contributed to her death. Maybe you have a theory to explain to me why my grandfather is buried in the same town she hails from?”

“Applefary is a wee place. It's one o' those villages ye miss goin' through it if ye so much as blink an eye. Tainwick is the closest village with a cemetery. Those who live and die in Applefary are almost always buried in Tainwick. There's nothing unusual or mysterious aboot it. Is that a reasonable enough explanation fer ye?”

“It might have been, except how did you know my family is from Applefary?” I demanded.

I'd never told him.

Vicki. They had had words about my connection to Tainwick. What was going on? And why was I being excluded from the conversations?

Another heavy sigh on the other end. “Eden, please, ye're makin' this more difficult than it needs tae be. Let me do my job. It'll all work out in the end. I promise ye that.”

I must have made some guttural communication that disturbed him, because his voice grew harder. “And I'm gonna have tae warn ye tae stay away from the case and everybody involved.”

“Fine!” I said, disconnecting without a proper good-bye. And “fine” didn't necessarily mean I was agreeing to his outrageous demand. He couldn't stop me from seeing anyone I felt like seeing. And I didn't need the inspector for up-to-date information.

I had Sean. For what that was worth.

I stomped over to Vicki's house unannounced and found Sean dozing on the sofa. Vicki was nowhere to be seen. In
her room, no doubt, sleeping. “Where is Katie Taylor right now?” I demanded.

Sean blinked and sat up.

“Katie Taylor? Uh, away with her family,” he said.

“Where?”

“I can't say . . .”

“Then I will call the inspector and inform him of the lousy job you've been doing protecting me and will also mention that you've already blabbed when you shouldn't have.”

“Ye wouldn't.” The thunder on my face must have told him otherwise, even though I wouldn't have made that call. “Okay,” he said, “but ye can't go saying how ye found out, if he ever asks.”

“I assure you that I won't.”

“It's like this,” he began.

Katie, according to Sean, had been injured more seriously than initially believed. Even though I'd had several brief conversations with her, and on the surface she appeared perfectly normal, she had several residual effects. After the trauma to her head, she had experienced dizziness, difficulty sleeping without sleep aids, and memory loss, mostly short term.

“She should have remained in hospital in Glenkillen,” Sean said, “but her family was worried about her safety. So they moved her tae a rehab facility in Invershnecky.”

“Invershnecky? Do you mean Inverness?”

“That's wha' I said.”

After a few more threats from me, Sean divulged the name of the rehabilitation center. “Her mum is staying
there with her. Her da had tae go back to Tainwick tae work.”