‘Fibre workshops?’ It seemed an odd sort of title. Besides, he was hoping it would calm her to talk about it.
‘Any of the crafts based around wool.’
Perez saw now that she must be wearing one of her own creations, a hand-knitted jersey in natural fleece colours, mostly greys and moorit, a rich dark brown. ‘You spent most of the evening together?’
‘I had dinner ready for Ronald when he got back,’ she said. ‘Neither of us got much sleep the night before. The baby was restless, colicky. I knew Ronald would be tired. And James slept for most of the afternoon.’
Again Perez would have liked to ask where the couple had met. Even on this short acquaintance they seemed an ill-matched partnership. Perhaps Sandy’s description of Ronald had coloured his opinion, but Perez thought the man came across as vague, passive, even allowing for the shock of Mima’s death. Although she looked younger than her husband, Anna was forceful and ambitious. But she cared enough for him to have prepared a meal, to understand that like her he’d had a long, tiring week.
‘Any visitors?’
‘Sorry?’ Ronald frowned.
‘Did you have any visitors yesterday?’
‘Sandy came for lunch to see the baby.’
‘And in the evening?’
‘Aunt Evelyn called in just as we’d finished eating.’
Perez wondered what sort of a cook Anna was. If she was interested in the old Shetland crafts, was she a traditional cook? He wished there was a lingering smell of the food, some dirty pots by the sink, to give him a clue. Why did it matter? Why was he so fascinated by the minute details of other people’s lives? He wanted to recreate in his mind the scene in the kitchen before Ronald had gone out after the rabbits.
‘Who’s she?’ he asked, trying to focus again on the conversation.
‘Evelyn Wilson. Sandy’s mother.’ Ronald shot a quick look at his cousin, almost asleep on his feet, slumped against the workbench.
‘Where was your shotgun during this time?’
‘Locked in the cupboard in Anna’s office. Where it always stays unless I’m using it.’
‘And the key?’
‘In the drawer in Anna’s desk. What is all this about? Nobody else took the gun away. It was there when I decided to go out later.’ Ronald wiped his hand across his face. Although it wasn’t particularly hot in the room there was sweat on his forehead.
‘How long did Mrs Wilson stay?’
‘I made her a cup of tea,’ Anna said. ‘She wanted to talk about the dig. They found the piece of a human skull and it’s been sent away for dating. She’s a great one for community projects. She chairs the island Community Forum and thought it would be a good idea to put a page about my workshop project on the Whalsay website.’
‘She sees you as a natural ally?’
‘Yes,’ Anna said, considering. ‘I suppose she does. Not everyone on the island takes much interest. Ronald’s always been passionate about history – it was his subject at university – and I find the Setter dig fascinating too.’
She looked across at her husband. Perez supposed this was something they had in common, but Ronald showed little enthusiasm for the archaeology now. His face was still blank and grey.
‘Evelyn was here for about half an hour?’ Perez asked.
‘Something like that.’ Anna stood up, stretched. ‘Would you like some coffee? I should have offered before. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The shock, I suppose.’
‘You were fond of Mima?’
There was a pause. ‘I’m not sure she liked me. But of course I’m sorry she’s dead.’
Perez thought this was a strangely careful and honest description of the relationship. After a sudden death many people pretended to a closeness that didn’t exist.
‘Coffee would be brilliant,’ Perez said. ‘Black for me. You’ll know how Sandy takes his. So much sugar it’s like treacle.’
They waited in silence while Anna filled the kettle and switched it on. She reached into a high cupboard for mugs. Watching, Perez thought she’d already lost some of the weight around her belly. He imagined she’d be a great one for keeping healthy, a regular visitor to the Whalsay swimming pool, built with the oil money that had come into the islands in the eighties. He could imagine her jogging. He wondered if Ronald had ever taught her to shoot.
‘So what time was it that Mrs Wilson left?’
‘Nine o’clock perhaps.’ Anna spooned sugar into Sandy’s mug and handed it to him, then set the second in front of Perez. Sandy had been right: she was the organized one in the relationship, taking the lead and answering his questions. ‘The baby woke and needed feeding. She saw herself out.’
‘What did you two do then?’
‘We had a row,’ Anna said, ‘about my husband’s drinking.’ She was still on her feet and the anger suddenly returned. Perez thought she looked rather magnificent standing there, straight-backed, eyes flashing. Perhaps it was the new baby, the hormones. He was glad the fury was directed at Ronald and not at him.
‘He seems incapable,’ she went on, ‘of going a single night without a drink.’ From the corner of the room, Sandy caught Perez’s eye and looked suddenly sheepish. There would be lots of Shetland men who would find it hard to keep off the booze for a night. ‘I suggested that just for once he should try. We eat healthily, take plenty of exercise. Now we’ve got the baby to think about.’
‘A couple of cans,’ Ronald said. A repeated mantra. He looked at both men in the room for support.
‘But then to take out your gun,’ she said. Perez could tell she was almost losing control. ‘Just to spite me because I asked you to stay in. I’d been in all day and I wanted some company. Was that too much to ask? Can’t you see what you’ve done? You’ll go to court, maybe to prison. If you weren’t working with your family you’d almost certainly lose your job. And you know what it’s like here. Wherever we go there’ll be people whispering behind our backs. There’s that fool that shot Mima Wilson. I don’t think I can bear it.’ She caught her breath at the start of a sob.
Ronald looked wretched. He got up and put his arms around her, tentatively at first. For a brief moment she allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder.
From another room came the wail of a baby. It was piercing and relentless and Perez had to stop himself covering his ears to shut it out. How could you live with a noise like that? Anna pushed herself away from her husband and left.
There was an awkward silence. Perez could hear a ringed plover calling from the shore. He thought Anna had married Ronald believing she could change him. She treated him more like a son than a lover. And he behaved like a naughty little boy. Obviously embarrassed by his wife’s outburst, Ronald returned to his seat.
Perez took a sip of the coffee. Instant but strong and hot. ‘What time did you go out last night?’
‘Ten o’clock. A bit later maybe. It was eleven-thirty when I got in. Anna had already gone to bed. Look, I don’t know what had got into me. The strain of the baby maybe. I should have realized how much difference a child would make, the sudden responsibility. James seems to have taken over our lives. I should have been more thoughtful, but I wanted to get out and clear my head, to forget about the family, just for a while. I had stuff to think about. Perhaps it was to spite her, to show her I didn’t have to put up with her nagging. I don’t see how I could have hit Mima. I wasn’t shooting near to her house. And how could I have known that she’d be wandering around outside? It’s a nightmare. I keep thinking I’ll wake up and it’ll be over.’