‘I keep telling them that none of us wanted that Armstrong to be there, but we’re not sodding killers for goodness’ sake!’ Forby shook his head. ‘It’s only a sport, isn’t it?’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Ally said, wondering where he’d been standing when the shot was fired. ‘I guess you were probably standing with the McConnachies?’
Forby shook his head. ‘No, I was trying to edge my way out of the crowd. The caber was the last event I was involved in, and I knew damn well that Armstrong was going to win. I kept watching him, so I stopped at what the police now call the north-western edge of the field, where I’d left my motorbike. I could see the action from there, but I’d have had to be a bloody contortionist – excuse my language – to shoot the man from that position!’
‘Surely the police realise that?’ Ally asked.
‘I hope they do. But no one was looking atme, and so I’ve no proof of where I was.’ He sighed loudly. ‘Surely somebody somewhere must have taken some photos, mustn’t they?’
‘Of course they must have done,’ Ally agreed. ‘Most people have phones these days and would be snapping away.’
‘Yeah, but they’d all be concentrating on filmingArmstrong.’
Several customers had now come into the hut, and Forby said, ‘Excuse me,’ and went to serve them.
In the meantime, Fin had re-emerged with the gutted and cleaned trout. ‘You’re going to enjoy this,’ he prophesised as he wrapped it up in some newspaper and popped it into a bag.
As she got back into her car, Ally knew that she and Ross would indeed enjoy a trout supper, probably tomorrow evening.
She also reckoned, for no good reason, that Forby McKinnon was telling the truth.
After she put the trout in the fridge and unloaded the washing machine, Ally went outside to hang the washing out, and that was when she heard the raised voices – one male and one female, in the front garden. She couldn’t quite make out, from here at the back, exactly who it was and what they were saying. Ally laid down a pillowcase she was about to hang up and made her way stealthily round the outside of the house to the wall which divided the utility area from the garden.
‘Archie was right!’ Patti was shouting. ‘You shouldn’t have come with us on this trip!’
‘Bloody right!’ Greg shouted back. ‘And if it wasn’t that Wendy wanted to see where her parents were born, I would not be here! I’d be back home trying to save the business that your husband was in the process of wrecking!’
‘You’ve always been jealous of him – that’s your trouble,’ Patti continued, then lowered her voice. ‘Anyway, shut up because I can hear the girls coming.’
‘Hi!’ one of them called out. ‘Why were you shouting, Mom? Just wondered if the dog was here?’
Ally looked to where Flora was rolling on the grass as she tiptoed back to the washing line.These poor girls need some sort of diversion, she thought.
‘Come on, Flora! Time to play ball!’
Back in the kitchen, she could hear Greg stomping up the stairs, going into his bedroom and slamming the door, followed shortly afterwards by Patti, heading to the sitting room and closing the door firmly. Where did that leave poor Wendy? Ally wondered as she let Flora out into the front garden, much to the delight of the girls.
‘Can we take Flora for a walk, please?’ Janey asked.
‘You are more than welcome to take Flora for a walk,’ Ally said, dreaming of sitting down with a restorative cup of tea on her own in the kitchen.
No sooner had she got the kettle on when there was a timid knock on the door, and there stood Wendy looking somewhat worried.
‘I’m so sorry to bother you,’ she said apologetically, ‘but I wondered if it would be OK if I read my book in the dining room?’
‘Well, of course you can,’ Ally said, feeling sorry for the woman.
‘I’d sit in the garden, but it’s clouded over, and it’s not too warm,’ Wendy said, ‘and Greg and Patti have had a bit of a row, so I’d like to keep out of their way for a bit.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind?’
‘I don’t mind at all,’ Ally confirmed, thinking that this might be a very good opportunity to get more information. ‘In fact, I was just going to make myself a cup of tea, so why don’t you join me?’
Wendy hesitated for a moment. ‘Well, if I’m not keeping you back…’
‘You are not keeping me back,’ Ally said firmly. ‘I’d enjoy some company.’ Which wasn’t strictly true, but the opportunity to have a chat with this woman was too good to pass up.
She led Wendy into the kitchen and insisted she sat down in one of the armchairs positioned by the wood burner, which she’d lit earlier when she’d come back withthe fish.
‘We’ve got a stove similar to this back home,’ Wendy said.
