‘I’m afraid so,’ Amir replied rather wearily.
‘Would you like some breakfast?’ Ally asked.
Amir shook his head. ‘That’s very kind of you, but I have to get this show on the road. I shall shortly set off for Inverness. Have you said anything at all to the daughters?’
‘No, I didn’t want to give them false hope,’ Ally replied.
‘Good. Let’s keep it that way. And thanks for the tea!’
Patti Armstrong was released from the detention centre at noon, then transported in a police car to The Auld Malthouse, and was given strict instructions as to where she could go and where she couldn’t go. Any breaking of the rules and she’d be straight back in that cell, the accompanying policewoman told her sternly.
Wendy appeared to have accepted the situation, once more telling Ally that she was aware that her brother could be violent and adding that she herself had been afraid of him at times.
Julie and Janey were beside themselves with delight. After hugs and kisses all round, all Patti wanted to do was to have a very hot shower, lie down on her comfortable bed and catch up on sleep.
With that, she headed up to her room and shut the door firmly behind her. The girls had looked a little dejected but cheered up when Wendy suggested that later, after Patti had had her nap, they could all go down to Concetti’s for some Italian food.
Ross had come back and spent most of the afternoon washing and valeting both his and Ally’s cars – a job which was not one of Ally’s favourites.
Two sparkling cars later, Ross came into the kitchen, wiping his brow exaggeratedly. ‘Your friend Wendy,’ he said to Ally, ‘keeps coming outside and chatting to me.’
‘Perhaps she fancies you?’ Ally suggested. ‘After all, she’s a widow now too!’
‘But not a merry widow,’ Ross emphasised. ‘She was full of complaints – she wants to go home; she’s bored; the two girls are bored; they haven’t brought winter clothes and it’s getting cold now; the police don’t seem to be any further on with their enquiries, the press are getting on her nerves, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.’
‘I suppose,’ Ally said, ‘that if you look at it from her point of view, having lost her brother and her husband, not to mention the affair she’s only just learned of, she has quite a lot to moan about!’
‘Funnily enough,’ said Ross, ‘neither the husband nor the brother were referred to at all. It was mainly all about what it was costing.’
Ally sighed. ‘I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever see the back of Patti. After all, she did conspire with Greg to commit murder, even if she didn’t actually do the deed. It’s a serious offence whichever way you look at it.’
‘Well, if she ends up back in jail, at least you’ll get your room back,’ Ross joked.
Nevertheless, Ally was having doubts about ever getting rid of this family. Wendy was right – the days were dragging on and the killer – or killers – had still not been found.
It later transpired that Patti did not want to go out to eat Italian or anything else. She did, however, ask Wendy to bring her back a ciabatta sandwich filled with sundried tomatoes, Parmesan and basil. This information was imparted to Ally by Janey, who’d been chasing the dogs around in the garden. ‘I guess Mom’s really tired,’ she said in a resigned voice.
Later, when she and Ross were watching a Netflix thriller, Ally heard them all coming back and tramping upstairs. She imagined Patti sitting up in bed eating her ciabatta sandwich and hoped she wouldn’t drop too many crumbs. She had enough on her plate without having to deal with a furious Morag too.
TWENTY-SIX
Wendy and the two girls came down for breakfast at nine o’clock again the next morning, but there was no sign of Patti.
‘She’s not feeling too good,’ Julie explained. ‘She’s been having tummy pains, so she’s staying in her room.’
‘I’ve got some tummy-settlers and painkillers, if that would help?’ Ally offered.
‘I gave her a painkiller earlier,’ Wendy said. ‘My guess is that she’s just exhausted with being in prison. I’ve got a bowl of muesli for her – she thinks she could manage that.’
‘Shall I take it up to her?’ Ally asked, keen to see how Patti was.
‘Yes, please,’ Wendy replied.
‘I think she’s just worn out with losing our daddy and everything that’s gone on since,’ Julie remarked.
Ally could well understand that. Not only had Patti lost her husband, but there was so much that had gone on since – not least losing her lover and ending up in jail.
She climbed the stairs and knocked gently on the door. ‘I’ve brought some muesli up for you,’ she called out.
