‘Surely the crystal ball can predict whether you are going to find the love of your life,’ mused Allie.
‘I’m sure it can, but I’m all about the mystery. Now who’s next?’
Allie disappeared into the snug after Martha, and seconds later Drew appeared in the doorway.
‘Are you hoping for a turn? Allie’s just gone in but we don’t mind if you’re up next,’ said Isla.
‘I think I’ll give that a miss . . . though Mystic Martha’s powers may be needed. It seems a body has been found.’
Drew had everyone’s full attention.
‘Where? Who?’ questioned Isla as the room fell silent.
‘The news just came in and it’s splashed all across the TV. The body has been discovered up the mountain pass. Just a few hundred yards from the hut we used to knock about in when we were kids. The only information they’ve released is that they don’t think it’s suspicious, and it’s possibly weather-related. However, Sam is helping the police with their enquiries.’
‘Sam from the shelter?’ asked Dixie, looking at Molly.
‘Yes,’ replied Drew. ‘They had to reopen the bridge to let the police and ambulance vehicles through. They’ve cordoned off the top of Love Heart Lane, right by the teashop.’ Drew looked at Rona.
‘Do they think it’s a homeless person then, if Sam is helping them with their enquiries?’ asked Molly. Her heart was pounding. All she could think about was Bree alone in the cold.
‘One can only assume. Ladies, I know you’ve been looking forward to tonight and I don’t want to be a party pooper but this weather is beginning to worry me. There’s power down in Glensheil, Andrew and Grace have already lost a couple of roofs on some of the old out buildings up at the castle and the temperature is going to be at an all-time low. I’d like to get you all home safely and then get back here to my own family.’
Isla switched on the TV. Aidy Redfern, the local reporter, was standing outside Bonnie’s teashop, fighting against the blizzard and gripping his microphone with both hands. They all watched in silence as the news report played out. Along the bottom of the screen flashed a red caption with the words ‘BODY FOUND’.
‘It could be someone we know,’ said Felicity, to find she was hushed by the others as they listened to the report.
‘Over a week ago, the first flurries of snow transformed the Scottish Highlands into a winter wonderland. But now, as the snow continues to fall, we are being told to stay indoors and not to travel unless absolutely necessary as we are in for several more days of blizzards and sub-zero temperatures. With many homes and businesses already buried under several feet of snow, we are urging you to check up on friends and family. Gritters are struggling to clear roads, which has led to an increase in accidents, and as schools continue to stay closed authorities are urging residents to please stay indoors.’ Aidy was joined then by a police officer who confirmed that a body had been discovered and that there were no suspicious circumstances, just a strong possibility that the victim had been caught out by extreme weather conditions.
‘Drew is right, we should never have come tonight,’ continued Felicity. ‘We should know by now that winter in the Scottish Highlands can be brutal at times.’
Molly was oblivious to the conversations happening all around her. Why the hell hadn’t she gone after Bree the moment she left?
A feeling of nausea swept through her entire body. Was that Bree lying on the side of the mountain? Was she heading to the hut because she had nowhere else to go, and had she found herself caught out by the strength of the blizzard?
Taking deep breaths, Molly stood up and excused herself as she hurried to the downstairs toilet. Quickly closing the door behind her, she leant against it, feeling dizzy and replaying in her mind the moment this morning when Bree had walked out of The Old Bakehouse. She was never going to forgive herself or Cam if that was her body found on the mountain track. Unable to stop herself, she vomited. Taking shaky breaths, she rinsed her face and then stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She blinked back the tears and briefly shut her eyes as she continued to pray it wasn’t Bree.
Hearing a knock on the door, Molly quickly patted her face with a towel and opened the door to find Isla standing on the other side. ‘You okay? I’m not prying, I’m just getting everyone’s coats and you sounded like…’
‘I’ve just been sick. Morning sickness still gets me from time to time, even when it’s not morning. I just need a good night’s sleep.’
‘You aren’t worried about anything that Martha has said to you, are you?’ asked Isla tentatively.
‘Of course not,’ replied Molly, telling a little white lie. ‘After all, my destiny is in my own hands.’ She smiled.
‘Unlike that poor bugger they’ve just found on the mountain. We probably should have postponed tonight. Let’s get you home safe. Drew and Dixie are already in the car.’ Isla handed Molly her coat and gave her friend a hug. ‘I’ll message you in the morning.’
Fifteen minutes later, Dixie was safely back inside Bumblebee Cottage after grabbing Darling from The Old Bakehouse. Molly didn’t shout out to Cam but instead slowly took off her coat and kicked off her boots before opening the living-room door. Cam was lying across the settee laughing at a comedy sketch on the TV. On the table beside him was a half-drunk beer.
He looked up and smiled. ‘You’re back early.’ He stretched and swung his legs to the floor. ‘Why are you back early? You look kind of green.’
‘A body has been found,’ Molly blurted out, sitting down on the chair opposite him.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Exactly that. Up on the mountain pass. It looks like a person was taking the track to the hillside hut to shield from this weather. Sam is helping the police with their enquiries as they think it was a homeless person looking for shelter. It’s been all over the news.’
Cam paled. Molly had his full attention as he turned down the volume on the TV. ‘Man or woman?’
