Page 80 of A Dangerous Highland Affair

“Where did ye find this?” Teasag asked her, alarmed.

“They’re everywhere,” she replied miserably. “I didnae want Neacal to see, but they’re all over like they seem to ken where he is….”

A pallor descended over Gaie’s face, and Teasag felt her own color drain away.

“Aye, they’re getting closer,” agreed Robbie, taking a dram from his cup. “So, what are we going to do…?”

The question hung in the air as Teasag looked to Gaie.

“Here,” she said, pulling another sheet from somewhere on the table. “We make a list, o’ all the victims an’ everything we ken…An’ then maybe, we can get to the bottom o’ this!”

Several hours passed. Teasag felt her eyes closing as the light in the room drained away. They had been up all night, piecing together exactly what had happened, naming each of the victims, and trying to work out what connection Neacal had with any of them.

There wasn’t any.

“It doesnae make any sense,” said Gaie, for the ten-thousandth time. She scratched her head, ruffling her wavy brown hair. Beside her, Teasag sat, equally confused.

“Let me look at that list again,” she took the tatty sheet from Gaie and, squinting through the fading light, struggled to deduce her spidery handwriting.

“So, first off, there’s McTaggart, the auld bodach. He was a wee bit fond o’ brawling an’ boozing, an’ he was definitely worth a packet, perhaps they might be able to say he somehow upset Neacal, but I dinnae ken hoo,” Teasag surmised. She looked at Gaie.

“He barely kent who the old soak was,” she said, point-blank, before returning to the list in Teasag’s hand. “McTaggart didnae like the laird much, though, that’s all I ken, an’ I remember him having some sort o’ collieshangie wi’ Marcas an’ his men at some time…”

“But then, he had some sort o’ argie bargy wi’ just about everyone,” cut in Lorcal, from behind them.

Everyone turned to look as Teasag’s brother joined them. He glanced slightly warily around the table.

“Lorcal!” exclaimed Teasag. She was pleased to see him, but on the other hand, immediately a nagging fear started in her. What would Lorcal’s reaction be to finding this bunch of ne’er do wells in the cottage?

Taking a deep breath inwards, Teasag steeled herself for the worst.

“I’m just saying that when it comes to motive to kill him, just about half the toon probably had one, so we cannae rule out Neacal from that list,” said Lorcal, calmly. Then he darted back to Teasag, seeing her fervent stare, and added. “I dinnae mean he did it, just how it could look,” he said.

Teasag nodded but then worked her way further down the list to the next name. “Aye, but then we have McAllister. He was second in command at the keep,” began Teasag, as Lorcal nodded sadly.

“Aye,” he said. “An’ I kent him well… he was a good second in command, ambitious and wasnae afraid to let anyone ken either…”

Lorcal mused to himself for a minute. “An’ if I really thought that Neacal had done it, I wouldnae be sitting here, I can tell ye,” he added.

“Was he rich?” asked Gaie, her light brown eyes alighting on Lorcal. Teasag had noticed the enquiring little glances she had thrown his way in the course of the last few days, and they had aroused her curiosity.

“Och, aye,” said Lorcal, sitting up. Like the rest of them, he had slumped over the table, as the group wracked their brains, trying to think what possible motive Neacal could have for killing this disparate bunch of people.

“It just makes nae sense, I cannae see what he would gain from having him dead…,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

Gaie listened thoughtfully, her fingers curling around the wooden quaich in her hand. “Hm,” she said, softly and Teasag wondered what it was on her mind. “Go on, an’ the next?”

“Duncan,” said Teasag, glancing down at the list. “An’ he’s the one we’ve got the least on…,” she cast her eyes around the room, watching as a death wish moth launched itself into the valediction of the flame burning in the candlestick.

“Aye, that one’s a mystery too…,” said Lorcal.

“He worked at the castle too, didnae he?” asked Robbie, looking up from what Teasag had been certain was sleep.

“Aye, he did a wee bit more than work,” corrected Lorcal, his pale eyes scrutinizing Robbie. Teasag got the very strong whiff of disapproval coming from her brother towards Robbie. “He was also a commander in the cavalry. In fact, he was widely tipped to replace McAllister at one point, I seem to remember Marcas being slightly put out, but nothing came o’ it…. then he was found, poisoned, just last week…”

Lorcal’s voice trailed off as they absorbed these facts.

Then a light went on in Teasag’s head. “Hang on, last week?” she said, puzzled.