Death of a Gentle Lady

Hamish’s head. But he stood there, frozen, as they both walked off.

    He walked along to the Italian restaurant to be told that his animals had been fed and then had gone away.
    By asking people on the waterfront, he learned that they had been spotted heading for Angela Brodie’s cottage.
    Angela opened the door to him. ‘I’ve sent them home,’ she said. ‘The poor things seemed so hungry that I fed them first.’
    ‘Angela, they’ll be as fat as butter. They’ve already been stuffing themselves at the Italian restaurant.’
    ‘Oh, well, they say that pets take after their owner, and you always were a moocher, Hamish. I suppose you want a coffee.’
    ‘No, I do not. I haff the verra good coffee-maker. Elspeth gave it to me.’
    ‘Did she, now. You ought to marry that lassie, Hamish.’
    Hamish stared down at her, his mouth slightly open and a vacant expression on his face.
    ‘What’s up?’ asked Angela. ‘You look as if you’ve been struck by lightning.’
    ‘I’ve been struck with a flash o’ the blindingly obvious,’ said Hamish.
    He turned and ran to the police station, got into the Land Rover, and sped off to the Tommel Castle Hotel.
    He erupted into the manager’s office. ‘Where’s Elspeth?’ he asked. ‘Which room?’
    ‘Oh, she’s gone. Left about ten minutes ago. Coffee?’
    Hamish slumped down in a chair in the office.
    ‘Why not?’ he said.

    When he left the manager’s office, he stood in the reception wondering whether to chase after Elspeth. But that sudden desire to ask her to marry him had faded. He sighed. Perhaps when this case was solved – if it ever was solved – he might take a trip down to Glasgow.
    ‘Got over your bad temper?’ asked Priscilla, interrupting his thoughts.
    ‘Sorry about that,’ said Hamish. ‘This case is getting to me. Murderers are usually stupid and have nearly got away with it before because they were lucky amateurs and the last people you would suspect. But this one isn’t an amateur. The only amateur attempt was that wire on the stairs.’
    ‘I’ve heard weird and wonderful stories about what happened up at Grianach.’
    ‘Still no odd strange woman booked in here?’
    ‘No, only Polish maids. Do you know the Northern Times has brought out a free Polish newspaper?’
    ‘Maybe the Highland Times will do the same.’
    ‘Not enough up here as yet. Have dinner with me and tell me about it.’
    Hamish hesitated. Priscilla smiled. ‘Sonsie and Lugs will be fine. Gosh, it’s like dealing with a man with a possessive wife waiting at home.’
    ‘All right, then. That would be grand.’

    Over dinner, Hamish told her all about the happenings in Grianach. When he had finished, Priscilla said, ‘You must still be in shock. Have you considered that?’
    Hamish stared at her for a long moment. Was he? Was that what had prompted his sudden desire to propose to Elspeth? And it was hard to think of Elspeth with the cool beauty of Priscilla facing him across the table.
    ‘I might be,’ he said.
    ‘I called on your mother the other day,’ said Priscilla. ‘I was over in Rogart and thought I would look her up. You should go home a bit more often, Hamish.’
    ‘I’ll try. I bought presents for her in Grianach. Oh, I’ve one for you. Ma was so upset about the wedding. She made me feel ashamed, particularly when it got out that Irena was a prostitute.’
    ‘So what happens now?’
    ‘I think I’ll spend the next few days writing down everything I know. They might give me time off. I’m tempted to go down to London and talk to Kylie Gentle. I can’t ignore the fact that it must, somehow, have something to do with that family.’

Chapter Eleven

    I think for my part that one half of
the nation is mad – and the other
half not very sound.
– Tobias Smollett

    Hamish was granted leave. Daviot seemed relieved that he would be out of the way. Jimmy said that the van had been stolen from outside a croft near Grianach. He supplied Hamish with Kylie Gentle’s address in London but warned him that he was on his own. He would need to cover his own expenses.
    Jimmy had a further bit of astonishing news. Blair was back on the job and sober. ‘He’s found God,’ said Jimmy. ‘He keeps a Bible on his desk and lectures us all on our sins. He was a nasty bully when he was drunk and now he’s even nastier. The man’s a right religious maniac.’
    ‘Won’t last long,’ said Hamish cynically. ‘One setback and he’ll be screaming that