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Scarlett was dressed in a tracksuit but the houseguest was naked. They were locked in a tight embrace, which concealed some of the houseguest’s—um—charms but still allowed me to see more of him than I probably should have.

From my vantage point I could see that his sleek black hair hung down to his shoulders. His face was partly obscured—mainly because he was kissing Scarlett—but what I could see of it hinted that he was handsome. I didn’t have to guess about the rest of him. He had broad shoulders, a muscular back, and one of the finest butts I had ever seen.

When he released Scarlett, I finally got a good look at his face. He was beautiful, in a pale, unearthly kind of way. He cradled Scarlett’s face between his hands and said something I couldn’t hear. Then he reached down to pick something up. It looked like a wetsuit.

What kind of idiot would swim in the loch at this hour?

I watched him step into the suit. He had pulled it all the way to his hips before I realized it wasn’t a wetsuit at all. He was putting on his skin.

This was the moment to announce my presence—before he dived back into the loch and I lost the chance to question him.

As I sprinted down the terrace, I called out, “Wait right there!”

If I’d had to tackle him, I would have. But that wasn’t necessary. He pulled down his skin and stepped out of it.

Scarlett stepped in front of him protectively. Or maybe she didn’t want me getting a free peek at his charms. Too late, Scarlett. But there was no chance I was going to become a rival for his affections. I was quite sure Casper’s charms were equal to and probably surpassed the houseguest’s. Not that I was ever likely to partake of Casper’s charms, but it pleased me to speculate on their superior qualities.

Stop it, Allegra. You’ve got a case to solve.

“What are you doing here?” Scarlett asked.

“I need to talk to your houseguest.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a— I don’t want to shout it out. Why don’t we go inside.”

Scarlett insisted on going in first to close the curtains. The houseguest and I followed. He seemed perfectly comfortable with his nudity even in the harsh electric light. It was Scarlett who got a towel and told him to wrap it around his waist. Then we all sat down.

I looked at the houseguest. My toe was itching like crazy. “So you’re a selkie.” Although I’d never seen one in the flesh—and what fine flesh it was—I knew selkies were seal-like creatures who could shed their skins and assume human appearance. I also knew that if someone stole their skin they were forced to remain in human form.

“You mustn’t tell anyone,” said Scarlett.

I couldn’t promise that. Not that I didn’t sympathize with Scarlett, but I had a job to do.

“You sank my rowboat,” I said.

He nodded again.

“Why did you kill McEwen and Malcolm?”

I hadn’t been sure that he was responsible until I saw the look on his face. Scarlett’s reaction was even more damning.

She leapt to her feet. “You can’t prove that.”

She was right. Even if the selkie admitted it, imagine going to the cops and saying, Two murders have been committed but there are no bodies. Oh, and by the way, a selkie did it. They’d lock me in a padded room.

Scarlett grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of the chair. “Get out of my house!” she screamed.

It was the selkie who said calmly, “Sit down, Scarlett. It is time the truth was told.”

“They’ll drive you out of the loch,” she said miserably.

“We will not go,” he said.

We? “How many of you are there?” I asked.

“About two hundred, but we are not all from the same pod.”

Gently I repeated my earlier question. “Why did you kill McEwen and Malcolm? Did they harm one of your women—I mean females?”

He nodded. “Before I tell you what happened, I want you to know who I am.” He had difficulty with some of the words. His voice sounded croaky and hoarse. “My name is Harq. I am the leader of my pod. If you are to understand what happened, you must know our history.

“We—the selkies—came to the loch centuries ago. At first we hid from the humans