Red Bones (Shetland Quartet 3)

evening together?’
    ‘I had dinner ready for Ronald when he got back,’ she said. ‘Neither of us got much sleep the night before. The baby was restless, colicky. I knew Ronald would be tired. And James slept for most of the afternoon.’
    Again Perez would have liked to ask where the couple had met. Even on this short acquaintance they seemed an ill-matched partnership. Perhaps Sandy’s description of Ronald had coloured his opinion, but Perez thought the man came across as vague, passive, even allowing for the shock of Mima’s death. Although she looked younger than her husband, Anna was forceful and ambitious. But she cared enough for him to have prepared a meal, to understand that like her he’d had a long, tiring week.
    ‘Any visitors?’
    ‘Sorry?’ Ronald frowned.
    ‘Did you have any visitors yesterday?’
    ‘Sandy came for lunch to see the baby.’
    ‘And in the evening?’
    ‘Aunt Evelyn called in just as we’d finished eating.’
    Perez wondered what sort of a cook Anna was. If she was interested in the old Shetland crafts, was she a traditional cook? He wished there was a lingering smell of the food, some dirty pots by the sink, to give him a clue. Why did it matter? Why was he so fascinated by the minute details of other people’s lives? He wanted to recreate in his mind the scene in the kitchen before Ronald had gone out after the rabbits.
    ‘Who’s she?’ he asked, trying to focus again on the conversation.
    ‘Evelyn Wilson. Sandy’s mother.’ Ronald shot a quick look at his cousin, almost asleep on his feet, slumped against the workbench.
    ‘Where was your shotgun during this time?’
    ‘Locked in the cupboard in Anna’s office. Where it always stays unless I’m using it.’
    ‘And the key?’
    ‘In the drawer in Anna’s desk. What is all this about? Nobody else took the gun away. It was there when I decided to go out later.’ Ronald wiped his hand across his face. Although it wasn’t particularly hot in the room there was sweat on his forehead.
    ‘How long did Mrs Wilson stay?’
    ‘I made her a cup of tea,’ Anna said. ‘She wanted to talk about the dig. They found the piece of a human skull and it’s been sent away for dating. She’s a great one for community projects. She chairs the island Community Forum and thought it would be a good idea to put a page about my workshop project on the Whalsay website.’
    ‘She sees you as a natural ally?’
    ‘Yes,’ Anna said, considering. ‘I suppose she does. Not everyone on the island takes much interest. Ronald’s always been passionate about history – it was his subject at university – and I find the Setter dig fascinating too.’
    She looked across at her husband. Perez supposed this was something they had in common, but Ronald showed little enthusiasm for the archaeology now. His face was still blank and grey.
    ‘Evelyn was here for about half an hour?’ Perez asked.
    ‘Something like that.’ Anna stood up, stretched. ‘Would you like some coffee? I should have offered before. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The shock, I suppose.’
    ‘You were fond of Mima?’
    There was a pause. ‘I’m not sure she liked me. But of course I’m sorry she’s dead.’
    Perez thought this was a strangely careful and honest description of the relationship. After a sudden death many people pretended to a closeness that didn’t exist.
    ‘Coffee would be brilliant,’ Perez said. ‘Black for me. You’ll know how Sandy takes his. So much sugar it’s like treacle.’
    They waited in silence while Anna filled the kettle and switched it on. She reached into a high cupboard for mugs. Watching, Perez thought she’d already lost some of the weight around her belly. He imagined she’d be a great one for keeping healthy, a regular visitor to the Whalsay swimming pool, built with the oil money that had come into the islands in the eighties. He could imagine her jogging. He wondered if Ronald had ever taught her to shoot.
    ‘So what time was it that Mrs Wilson left?’
    ‘Nine o’clock perhaps.’ Anna spooned sugar into Sandy’s mug and handed it to him, then set the second in front of Perez. Sandy had been right: she was the organized one in the relationship, taking the lead and answering his questions. ‘The baby woke and needed feeding. She saw herself out.’
    ‘What did you two do then?’
    ‘We had a row,’ Anna said, ‘about my husband’s drinking.’ She was still on her feet and the anger suddenly