None but the Dead (43 page)

McNab lifted the glass, admired the amber nectar for a moment, then swallowed it down.

The Wi-Fi connection at Kirkwall had been abysmal. It was only on reaching Glasgow that Rhona became aware of how out of touch she had truly been. Glancing at the list of
messages and emails missed, one name other than Chrissy’s stood out in its frequency.

She scrolled straight to the final message from Sean and opened it.

It was brief, saying only, ‘See you soon.’

Did that mean he knew she was on her way home?

Rhona had no idea. She thought of McNab returning to an empty flat and felt a little sorry.

He won’t miss the cat though
, she thought with a smile.

Reaching the front door, she searched in her bag for the key.

Climbing the stairs, she heard the low soft notes of a saxophone, and found her heart lift a little.

Sanday is a magical island in the Orkney archipelago. I chose to set
None but the Dead
on Sanday after I appeared there to promote
Paths of the Dead
. Paul
Harrison, a true crime writer himself, showed me a magic flower he had found in his loft. He even offered me the chance to take it home with me. I didn’t, because in truth the muslin flower
in the evidence bag both frightened and fascinated me in equal measure. Hence the spark of an idea linking the distant past with the more recent past and the present on Sanday.

All the characters in the story are fictitious, as is the schoolhouse which plays a central role. Rhona’s cottage is modelled on a delightful cottage I rented in the north of the island
while doing my research. I, like Rhona, swam there, although I did so in June, not November.

I give thanks to everyone who answered my questions, including the fishermen who advised me on where a boat might be hidden. To Dr Jennifer Miller who, being an expert in buried and hidden
bodies, answered my questions on grave excavation, especially in the wilds of Orkney, and to soil expert Professor Lorna Dawson who very kindly sent me a soil map of Sanday with her advice.

But the biggest thanks must go to the people of Sanday for their help and cooperation in the writing of this book.

By Lin Anderson

Driftnet

Torch

Deadly Code

Dark Flight

Easy Kill

Final Cut

The Reborn

Picture Her Dead

Paths of the Dead

The Special Dead

None but the Dead

NOVELLA

Blood Red Roses

Lin Anderson
has published eleven novels and one novella featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod, which have been widely translated. Her short
story
Dead Close
was chosen for the Best of British Crime 2011 and is currently in development as a feature film. Also a screenwriter, her film
River Child
won a student BAFTA and the Celtic Media
Festival award for Best Short Drama. Formerly Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, she is also co-founder of Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s International Crime Writing
Festival.

First published 2016 by Macmillan

This electronic edition published 2016 by Macmillan
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-5098-0699-7

Copyright © Lin Anderson, 2016

Lighthouse © Ian Cowe / Alamy Stock Photo
Birds © Shutterstock
Cliffs © Jim Richardson

The right of Lin Anderson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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