Sacrifice

I shook my head.

'You can read the report yourself

'Dana did not commit suicide.' I wasn't sure any more about Gifford's involvement, I could no longer swear that Duncan had tried to kill me, but if I had just one thing, one truth to hold on to, it was that Dana did not kill herself. If I'd been wrong about Dana, I could have been wrong about everything. And I wasn't. I bloody well wasn't.

And then Gifford took my breath away.

'Probably not. But – listen now – you may never be able to prove otherwise.'

His pupils were enormous and the irises of his eyes had no colour. I had to blink hard and shake myself to look away. I turned to Duncan. He'd resumed his seat and he reached out across the table towards me. I looked at his tanned, calloused hand and shook my head, putting my own hands firmly together in front of me. Gifford glanced at Duncan, who nodded his head forward just once. Then Gifford spoke.

'Caroline Salter identified Andrew Dunn as the man who accompanied Gair when he visited Cathy. Dunn was involved in the adoption scam, has made thousands from it over the years. He almost certainly conspired with Gair to kill Melissa and he may well have killed Dana Tulloch too. But Tora, in all likelihood, you'll never be able to prove it.'

I leaned back in my chair, hands pressed to my mouth, because I knew that any second now I was going to start sobbing. I didn't doubt what he was saying for a second. I picked up Gifford's glass and drained it. The Scotch hit the back of my throat like a blow but it helped. I wasn't going to cry just yet.

'How… how did he…?'

Gifford poured another drink. Same glass. 'DI Dunn leaves a lot to be desired as a police officer but he does have – how shall I put it? – a few unusual skills.'

And something clicked into place. 'He hypnotized her. He made her slash her own wrists.'

Gifford nodded. 'Probably,' he said.

I looked at Duncan. He gave me a sympathetic twitch of the lips. I turned back to Gifford. 'You can do it too.'

He waited for a second before inclining his head forward in acknowledgement.

'Oh Jesus!' I stood up, panic building. I looked round for my knife but it was by Duncan's elbow. When the hell had he done that? I looked at the door.

'Tora, it's a party trick.' Gifford was out of his seat. 'How do you think Duncan got you to marry him?'

I looked, horrified, at Duncan, praying he was going to look outraged and deny it. He just stared back at me.

'You think UpHellyah lasts all winter?' continued Gifford, resuming his seat. 'We make our own fun up here.'

'Take it easy, 'Kenn, it's not funny,' said Duncan.

'No, you're right. I'm sorry.' Gifford reached out and took hold of my hand. It didn't occur to me to stop him but Duncan loudly cleared his throat and Kenn let go. I sat down again.

'So what are you telling me? You can all do it up here? It's on the high-school curriculum?'

'Course not,' said Duncan. 'Just a couple of the older families. It's a sort of passed-down-through-the-generations thing. Bit of a game, really. Although it can give us an edge in business meetings, you know, get people on side more quickly. All harmless.'

'Andy was always better at it than most. I think he enjoyed the sense of power it gave him,' said Gifford.

'You'll tell them. You'll tell the police about this.'

Duncan and Gifford looked at each other again and I really wished they'd stop doing it. I could not get used to these two as co-conspirators.

'If you want us to,' said Gifford. 'But against considerable evidence of suicide, how seriously do you think people are going to take us?'

At that moment, we all jumped as a sudden noise rang out through the quiet of the house. Someone was banging on the front door, and at the same time the telephone started ringing. We looked at each other, not really sure what to do, what to respond to first. Then I got up and left the room. Behind me I could hear Duncan answering the phone. I walked quickly to the front door and opened it. The WPC was on the doorstep, her colleague immediately behind her.

'Are you all right?' She was trying to see over my shoulder. 'We've been told to check on you, not leave you alone.'

I nodded. 'I'm fine. Come on in.'

I led the officers to our living room. 'Can you wait here for a bit? There's something I need to finish.'

As I returned to the kitchen, Duncan was holding out the phone. I took it.

'Tora, I've only just been told.' Helen was speaking fast. 'About your husband being released. Are you OK?'

'I'm fine, really, don't worry'

Are the constables with you?'

'In the next room.'

'Well, for God's sake keep them there. I'm really not happy about this, but I can't get away right now. Gair has admitted that Andy Dunn was working with him and helped him kill Melissa.'

Duncan and Kenn were both watching me. 'Andy Dunn killed Dana,' I said.

The line was silent for a few seconds. 'I can't deal with that right now. I'll get back to you.' She hung up and I replaced the receiver. I closed the kitchen door so the two officers in the living room couldn't hear us and sat down again.

'Dunn hasn't been seen since about eleven p.m. last night,' said Gifford. 'The Salter woman had to identify his photograph. They think he's left the islands. Until he's found, you need to be careful.'

Duncan made an exasperated noise. He picked up the bottle, emptied it into his glass and sat glowering at the amber-coloured liquid.

'Take it easy, Duncan,' said Kenn, with something like a warning in his voice. There were emotions in the room that were threatening to sizzle out of control. It was no longer just me, venting my righteous anger on these two. There was more at stake and I couldn't figure it out. Then I remembered something.

'You two are receiving money from Tronal,' I said, turning to Duncan. 'The place even paid for this goddamned house. If neither of you are involved with the maternity clinic, why are you on its payroll?'

'Looks like we've no secrets left, buddy,' said Kenn, looking round the room. 'Will you tell her or shall I? By the way, I'm starving. Is anyone planning on eating tonight?'

As Kenn got up and crossed the room, I waited for Duncan to tell me the last big secret.

'Eight people get a monthly income from Tronal,' he said eventually. 'In addition to the staff, of course. Kenn and I, Dad, Gair and Dunn. And three others you probably don't know.'

'Why?' I demanded, leaning back in my chair. Kenn had moved out of my line of sight and I didn't like it.

'We own it. We bought shares around ten years ago. It was in financial trouble, about to go under, and we bailed it out. It was long before I met you and I never thought to mention it. My trust fund was part of the loan. It was paid back in December, in time to buy the house.'

They owned the clinic? And knew nothing about what had been going on up there? Was I seriously expected to believe this?

'The Tronal clinic has been around for a long time,' continued Duncan. 'This business with Gair, it's just like… the rotten branch of a tree. Tronal has helped a lot of women in its time, a lot of local families.'

Gifford had opened our fridge door. Finding nothing in there, he turned back. 'Most babies born there are adopted normally and legally,' he said. 'Most people who work at the clinic probably knew nothing about what Gair and Dunn were up to. I'm pretty certain Richard didn't.' He opened a cupboard, closed it again.

'I still don't understand why you bailed it out. Why did you care?'

Kenn opened another cupboard. 'Christ, have you two even heard of supermarkets?' He gave up and came back to the table.

'Because we were born there,' said Duncan. He waited a while, giving me time to take it in. 'We were both Tronal babies. Adopted by island families. So was Dunn. I'm not sure about the others.'

I stared at Duncan. 'Elspeth and Richard aren't your parents?'