answer.
“Mr. Gibbs—his grandfather—had Harry give us a ride into the village,” Judith explained. “He dropped us off and told us he was going on beyond St. Fergna. Later, when we came back to the castle, he was on the beach, swimming in the nude.”
Again MacRae nodded. “That was a habit of his. No harm in it, really, but rather foolish this time of year. Did you see him after that?”
“No,” Judith said, “not after he came out of the water and went back to his car. At least I assume that’s what he did, probably to dress.”
“You didn’t see him drive from the beach?”
“No.” Judith shook her head. “We returned to Grimloch with Philip and Beth Fordyce, who’d just arrived.”
“Harry mooned us,” Renie said. “Is that a motive for murder around here?”
MacRae regarded her curiously. “You think Harry Gibbs was murdered?”
Renie grimaced and shot Judith a quick glance. “Well…it usually is when my—” She broke into a coughing fit.
But Judith knew that Renie had already said too much.
7
Alpin MacRae didn’t miss a beat. “It’s early days to render an opinion,” he said smoothly, covering Renie’s gaffe. “When an explosion is involved, it’s natural to conclude there was foul play. We prefer to err on the side of caution.”
“Very wise,” Judith said. “How are Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs doing?”
“They’re shocked,” MacRae replied, “and grieving. Mrs. Gibbs asked us to tell you that she won’t be serving dinner tonight, but breakfast will be ready by nine tomorrow morning.”
“Please tell her that’s not necessary,” Judith asserted. “We can manage our own. We won’t burden them at such an awful time.”
“The Gibbses appear to be practical folk,” MacRae said. “Harry’s parents will be informed, though that may take time. They’re surviving.”
“Surviving what?” Renie asked.
MacRae was impassive. “Apparently they enjoy going to exotic locales and living off the land. Mr. Gibbs thought they might be somewhere on the Amazon River.”
Renie shuddered. “How horrible. My husband refuses to go anywhere that doesn’t have digital cable. Except for fishing, that is.”
“It seems Harry’s parents are adventurers,” MacRae said.
Judith couldn’t help but raise a hand, as if she were a student and MacRae the teacher. “Have the Fordyces been notified?”
“Yes,” the DCI answered. “They were contacted on their cell phone. They’d gone into Inverness for the evening. We expect them back soon.”
“What about Chuckie?” Renie inquired.
MacRae looked puzzled. “Chuckie? Who is that?”
“We understand,” Judith said cautiously, “that he’s Mr. Fordyce’s son. He lives here—at least part of the time —at the castle.”
“You’ve met the laddie?” MacRae asked.
“Y-y-yes,” Judith said. “He’s a bit…odd.”
The detective seemed faintly amused. “And how might that be?”
Judith frowned. “He seems small for his age. That is, his face looks older than his size would indicate. I doubt that he’s much over five feet tall. His behavior is…unusual.”
MacRae gazed at Renie. “Has your husband met him?”
“Briefly,” Renie replied. “Chuckie tends to pop up unexpectedly.”
MacRae nodded. “Has Dr. Jones made any sort of evaluation?”
“Yes,” Renie said. “Bill says he’s nuts.”
Ogilvie had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, but MacRae merely nodded again. “Not a clinical diagnosis,” he remarked, “but evocative. Unstable, in other words.”
Renie shrugged. “Probably.”
“We’ll have to speak with this Chuckie,” MacRae said, more to Ogilvie than to the cousins. “That will be all for now, ladies. Thank you for your cooperation.” The DCI led the way out but paused to turn back to Judith and Renie. “We understand you’ll be staying here for at least a fortnight. If you see or hear anything of interest, please keep us informed.” His expression was somber. “And do be careful.”
Well,” Judith said after the detective and his sergeant had left, “MacRae certainly knows more about us than we do about him. I wonder if MacGowan filled him in before we ever got here.”
“You mean MacGowan expected somebody to get killed just because you arrived at Grimloch?”
Judith was annoyed. “Of course not! I mean, conversation. You know—MacGowan is taking two Americans fishing, and their wives will be staying at the castle—and so on.”
