‘We just need some fresh air,’ her sister said.
‘Can you tell me which one of you is Julie and which one is Janey?’ Ally asked, pleased to see some return to normality.
‘I’m Julie,’ said the slightly taller one. ‘I’m seventeen.’
‘And I’m Janey,’ said her sister, ‘and I’m fifteen, and we’re trying not to think about yesterday.’
‘We’re missing our daddy so much,’ said Julie, her eyes brimming with tears.
‘But he wouldn’t let us have a dog,’ said Janey, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, ‘and we love dogs.’
‘Well, you can love Flora as much as you like,’ Ally told them, smiling. ‘She’s a good dog, and she’ll come back when you call her. You won’t need a lead so long as you keep away from the main road.’
‘We thought we’d walk across the moor,’ Janey said. ‘Mom said it’s beautiful up there, but we don’t know which way we should go.’
Ally accompanied them to the door and pointed out the well-trodden path through the heather and across the moor to Loch Soular. ‘That will take you to a wee loch, one of my favourite walks,’ she said, hoping they’d find it as therapeutic as she herself did.
As she closed the outside door behind them, Greg emerged from the dining room.
‘May I have a word?’ he asked.
‘Of course. Come into the kitchen.’
Ally led him in, and, like most first-time visitors, Greg looked around and whistled. ‘Wow, this is real nice,’ he said.
This was always music to Ally’s ears because she loved her kitchen and, against all odds, had been successful in making a large room feel cosy and welcoming.
The kitchen was very much Ally’s domain. Off it was a little ‘snug’, also featuring a wood-burning stove, a large TV and a large sofa, where she and Ross spent many a cosy winter evening. The door at the back led to the rear porch, a toilet, and the stairs to Ally’s own bedroom and bathroom.
‘Coffee?’ Ally asked.
‘Thank you. Just a small cup,’ he replied.
‘Is your wife feeling a little better?’
He sighed. ‘It’s difficult. He was her only brother.’
‘It must be awful for youall.’
‘It’s going to take time, particularly as that bullet must have been fired real close to where I was. It’s unbelievable.’
‘Where were you exactly?’ Ally asked.
‘In the hospitality tent,’ he replied.
Ally poured some coffee. ‘Milk and sugar?’
‘Just a dash of milk, please,’ he said, accepting the cup. ‘Do you haveanyidea who might have done such an awful thing?’
Ally shook her head. ‘I’ve no idea whatsoever. I know that some of the villagers were upset because Archie was the Canadian champion and they didn’t think it fair that he was allowed to compete. But I very much doubt that any of them would go so far as to try to kill him.’
Greg took a sip of his drink and nodded. ‘Great coffee. I’m a little concerned about Patti’s uncle,’ he continued. ‘That’s the old guy in charge of the guns, you know. We met him a couple of days ago; strange fellow.’
‘Oh, Angus is all right,’ Ally said defensively. ‘He’s been with the earl for fifty years and he’s a little eccentric, but there’s no harm in him.’
Greg didn’t look particularly convinced. ‘Angus didn’t like Archie, you know.’
‘Didn’t he?’
