Allegra Fairweather_ Paranormal Investigator - Janni Nell [48]
“You’re not going to lose Stuart,” I said.
“The other two are gone—Malcolm and Angus. Stuart will be next.”
I remembered what Stuart had said to me last night after hearing the banshee: one of The Three M’s will be next. McEwen was dead, and now Malcolm too. Anne MacDuff might be right when she said her husband would be next.
“Anne, I need your help.”
“I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Is there anything you can tell me—something you might’ve seen or heard that would give some clue as to who was responsible for killing McEwen and Malcolm?”
Slowly she shook her head. “I wish there was.”
“You spent some time with The Three M’s, didn’t you?” When she nodded I went on, “Did any of them mention seeing a naked woman? In the wood, perhaps?”
“McEwen saw Lady Justina in the wood.”
“I know. I mean a different woman. She might have been someone from around here or she might have been a stranger.”
“They never mentioned anyone.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Well it had been a long shot. If The Three M’s had seen a naked woman they probably wouldn’t have told Anne MacDuff.
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks for your help, Anne.”
“Will Stuart be all right?” she asked.
I couldn’t give her the assurance she needed but I could give her advice. “Right now it would be best if Stuart doesn’t go out alone.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t.” She glanced down the grassy slope to the loch. I followed her gaze. Waves lapped the shore like hungry tongues. As I suppressed a shudder, she said, “I think there’s something in there. Like Loch Ness. Only this one’s evil.”
The thought had crossed my mind too. But how did that tie in with a naked woman? Unless—unless a coven of witches was controlling something in the loch. But why would they do that? And why target The Three M’s? Had they seen something? A secret ritual that was forbidden to outsiders? Witches could get pretty strange about their secret rituals.
I jumped when Anne put a hand on my arm. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. Just lost in thought.”
“I think I should get back home to Stuart,” she said.
“Good idea.”
She was hurrying up the street when I went inside. Douglas was in the bar checking the levels in the bottles of spirits. He saw me come in and stopped working.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said.
“Go on.” I expected a question about the case but he surprised me.
“Tonight, there’s a dance in the community hall. We thought of calling it off out of respect for McEwen and Malcolm but we decided they wouldn’t want that. The dance will be held in their honor, as a kind of memorial.” He paused before saying in a rush, “Would you go with me?”
An invitation to go dancing with Douglas was the last thing I had expected. Oh sure I’d seen the flyer pinned to the notice board in Mac’s, but I hadn’t paid it much attention. Dancing isn’t really my thing. I said as much to Douglas.
He accepted my refusal with more grace than some men I could mention. Then he asked me what I had been going to say to him.
“I was going to ask whether you planned to report Malcolm’s death to the police,” I said.
Douglas shrugged. “No body. No crime. We’ll have to wait a day or two then report him missing.” He leaned on the bar. “Allegra, are you any closer to solving this mystery?”
“I’ve got a theory,” I said, trying to appear more confident than I felt. “Nothing I can prove yet, but I hope to have proof very soon.”
“Does this theory have anything to do with your plan to take a boat out on the loch?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact it does.” If Douglas bought the fact that I actually had a theory rather than just a lot of half-baked ideas, it was all good.
“Is that why you won’t come to the dance with me?” he asked. “Because you’re planning to go out on the loch to test your theory?”
It wasn’t. But rather than explaining I didn’t want to go on a date with him, I took the easy option. “That’s right.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
That’s all I needed