“Wedding nerves,” said Hamish bleakly.
Urged by Jimmy, he dressed quickly in his best suit. Jimmy was to drive him to Inverness.
“The super’s going to be there,” said Jimmy. “He’s organised a guard of coppers, crossed truncheons when you leave as a married man.”
Hamish grunted by way of reply. He thought a large noose hanging outside the registry office would be more appropriate. How could he have been such a fool? He admitted to himself that had he done it not only to keep his beloved police station and his cat and dog, but out of his malicious highland streak which wanted to imagine what Priscilla and Elspeth would both think when they heard the news.
His mother and father were delighted. He could hardly let them know of the mistake he had made. They were travelling to Inverness from Rogart for the ceremony and had forgiven him for not having introduced them to his fiancee.
When Hamish arrived at the registry office, he was only dimly aware of a sea of faces. Then he saw his mother looking at him with anxious eyes and went and hugged her.
The horrible Mrs. Gentle had promised to be Ayesha’s bridesmaid. Hamish went into the entrance hall of the registry and waited for his bride-to-be with hatred in his heart.
And waited.
Superintendent Daviot approached. “Time’s getting on, Hamish, and the registrar has another wedding to perform this morning.”
“I’ll phone her and see what’s keeping her.” Hamish dialled Ayesha’s mobile. It rang and rang and then switched over to the answering service.
“No good,” he said.
“Phone Mrs. Gentle,” said Jimmy. “She’s supposed to be bringing her.”
“I don’t have her number.”
“I’ll get it from directory enquiries,” said Jimmy. He moved off.
After five minutes, he came back. “I’m right sorry, Hamish. Mrs. Gentle says she can’t find her. She said she went out for a walk very early and never came back.”
Blair’s face loomed up, a fat grin on it. “She’s stood you up,” he said.
Somewhere inside Hamish was the beginning of a little warm glow of relief.
¦
Mrs. Gentle’s home was crammed with villagers. She had tried to turn them away, but they had retaliated by saying it was a shame to let good food and drink go to waste and simply walked in. Not only that, but they had found the wedding presents laid out for display in the morning room and begun to take them back.
A band had turned up and had begun to play, and the house echoed to the sound of accordion, fiddle, and drums.
¦
Hamish returned to the police station after having assured his family that he would be all right. There was a hysterical message on the answering machine from Mrs. Gentle, demanding that he come to her house immediately and tell everyone to go home. He had told Jimmy to go to the reception, adding that he would be along as soon as he could.
When Jimmy had left, he went into the bedroom and flung the first of Ayesha’s suitcases onto the bed. It was not locked. He opened it and rummaged around. Then he opened the other one. In the flap at the back of the suitcase, he found a wallet. It contained ten thousand pounds in crisp notes and Ayesha’s passport. He put the money back in the wallet and took the passport with him into the kitchen. He took the lid off his unlit wood-burning stove and dropped it in. It could stay there, he thought grimly, until he found out where she had gone. Then he set out for the castle.
He was not surprised to find that Jimmy had joined the revellers and was standing, grinning, and holding a large glass of whisky. There was a silence as Hamish walked in.
“Please leave,” he said. “This is a sad day for me, and you should not be celebrating.”
They slowly left, clutching wedding presents.
When the last one had gone, including Jimmy, Hamish said to Mrs. Gentle, “We need to have a talk before I contact police headquarters.”
“What about?” Mrs. Gentle’s usually dulcet tones were now harsh. “She’s run away rather than marry you. Accept it.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” said Hamish heavily. “I had a quick look through the suitcases she left with me. I found a wallet with ten thousand pounds in it.”
“Oh, goody. That’s mine and I want it back. I gave it to her as a wedding present.”
“Very generous.”
“I have been too damn generous. Look at my home! Food trodden into the carpets.”
“I do not think she would have run away and left all her things, along with the money,” said Hamish. “I am afraid I will need to keep your money until the enquiry is over.”
“What enquiry?” she screeched. “You stupid man. She ran away from you, that’s all.”
“When did you last see her?”
“This morning, early. She said she wanted to go for a walk before changing her clothes and leaving for Inverness. She never returned.”
“Did your daughter see her?”
“Sarah has gone off to London. I am here alone.”
There was a ring at the doorbell. “I’d better get rid of whoever that is,” said Mrs. Gentle. “Probably one of those villagers come to take their wedding present back. I’ve never seen such a load of rubbish. Six crystal butter dishes!”
She went out into the hall to answer the door. When she returned, she was followed by Superintendent Daviot and Detective Chief Inspector Blair.
“Hamish,” said Daviot, “this is a sorry business. It’s hardly a police matter, but if you like, we’ll check the ports and airports for you.”
“I’m afraid it is a police matter,” said Hamish. “She’s left all her belongings at the police station along with ten thousand pounds, given to her by Mrs. Gentle.”
“And her passport?”
“I’ll have another look. But I couldn’t find it,” lied Hamish. He was worried that if that visa was subjected to police scrutiny, the forgery might be discovered and Peter might be questioned.
“Where is she from?” asked Daviot.
“She said she was from Izmir in Turkey, and that her father wanted her to marry a local businessman so she ran away. The family name is Tahir.”
“Do you have a photograph of her?”
“I do.” Hamish took out his wallet and extracted a photograph. He had taken it outside the police station before he had tried to tell Ayesha that the wedding was off. It showed a laughing Ayesha, tall and beautiful.
“We’ll get this wired over to the police in Izmir. I’m very sorry for you, Hamish,” said Daviot. “Come along now. We’d best leave Mrs. Gentle in peace.”
¦
Back at the police station, Hamish found Angela Brodie, local author as well as doctor’s wife, waiting for him with his pets. She had promised to look after them while he was in Inverness and then to shut them up in the police station while she went to the reception. But word of the cancelled wedding had spread like fire in the heather, and so she had decided to keep the animals with her until he might return.
“Gamekeeper Jamie phoned me and said he had seen your car heading towards Lochdubh, so here I am to see if I can say or do anything to help you.”
“Nothing at all, Angela. Come ben and have a drink with me.”
After he poured whisky for himself and Angela, he said, “It’s odd. For some reason, Mrs. Gentle gave her a present of ten thousand pounds, and yet not so long ago Mrs. Gentle had told the girl she was fired. She’s left the money in one of her suitcases along with her clothes.”
“May I have a look? Maybe in your distress you missed something.”
“Go ahead. Her cases are in the bedroom.”
