11

‘Well, well, a pretty parcel of rogues here,’ said Watson, a look of triumph on his face.

‘You there!’ shouted Marshall. ‘Put that bottle down – it’s evidence from now on.’

‘You what, mate?’ slurred Ralph, taking the lemonade bottle from his lips. ‘I paid for this fair and square. If you want some, go and buy your own.’

Marshall reached into the pocket of his coat and removed an ID card. ‘Alistair Marshall, Senior Collector, Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise. That spirit you’re drinking is stolen – from both the distillery and the Revenue. You, all of you, are breaking the law, and I’ll make sure you’ll pay for your crimes.’

‘For goodness sake, son, whoot’s this all aboot?’ remonstrated Hoynes.

‘I’m sorry, Sandy. We had information that you were shifting cases of the clear stuff. I had my doubts, but here we are.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, man,’ said Hamish. ‘We’re jeest having a wee dram. That stuff doesn’t even belong to us. Does it, boys?’ He addressed his question to the airmen, who now looked thoroughly perplexed by the whole situation.

‘And then there’s the matter of an octopus,’ said Watson. ‘Not declared in the catch, but I have proof positive that you profited from it, Sandy Hoynes.’

Hoynes looked sidelong at Hamish. ‘Noo, come on, men. Let’s sit doon and talk aboot this like civilised folk. I’ve no’ seen a bottle o’ the clear stuff since Adam was a wean, and that octopus was a squid. We jeest slung it back intae the sea, didn’t we, Hamish?’

‘Aye, we did that, Sandy. And in any event, Iain Watson, I’d like to know how you got to hear aboot such a small event. Aye, and manage tae blow it oot o’ all proportion, tae.’

Watson held his ground. ‘It was an octopus! I have a witness!’

‘Sergeant, I want you to arrest these men on suspicion of smuggling,’ said Marshall. ‘I’ll take the evidence we need.’ He made a lunge for Ralph’s bottle, just as the door swung open and Maggie rushed to the side of her fiancé.

‘The first one to try to get my Duncan onto a plane will have to get past me first!’

‘Maggie?’ said Hamish.

‘Marjory?’ shouted Hoynes.

‘Beth?’ said Geordie.

‘What on earth is going on here?’ enquired Grant.

‘Haven’t the foggiest, mate,’ said Bertie, looking on as his friend Ralph wrestled determinedly with the Customs Officer over the bottle of illicit spirits. ‘One thing’s for sure, you Scotch know how to throw a party.’

Before anyone else could speak, a low rumble interrupted the pounding rain. In a few heartbeats, the ground began to shake.

‘Whoot that?’ yelled Hoynes, as everyone froze.

‘It’s the Piper’s Pass,’ cried Geordie. ‘It’s a bloody landslide!’

Hoynes raced outside. Sure enough, he could see a great sheet of earth sliding down the mountainside like warm icing off a cake. Hamish and Duncan Grant were right behind him.

‘Well, that’s us stuck here for a while,’ said Hamish. ‘Did it no’ take them the best part o’ a week to clear this the last time?’

‘It did that,’ confirmed Hoynes.

‘Father! Duncan!’ shouted Maggie, poking her head out of the front door. ‘You better come quick. The Customs man is out cold.’

Marshall was lying on his back on the stone floor, his eyes closed. A small pool of blood was congealing under his head.

‘For any’s sake,’ screamed Marjorie. ‘I think he’s deid.’

Grant leaned over the injured man and checked the pulse in his neck. ‘His heart’s beating, but he’s out cold. We’ll have to try and stem the flow of blood. What on earth happened?’

‘I was just trying to stop him whipping my bottle,’ replied Ralph sheepishly. ‘I stood up, and he went flying onto the floor. Must’ve cracked his head when he landed. Will he be all right?’

Beth turned on her heel, yanked the sheet from the camp bed and ripped a narrow strip. ‘I’ll use this as a bandage. At least it should stop the blood.’ As Grant held up the unconscious man’s head, she wound the impromptu bandage around his skull and tied it gently with a knot at the back.

‘Dae you mind Erchie Boyd, Sandy?’ asked Hamish. ‘He fell o’er in Main Street one Hogmanay. Never recovered. He was deid afore the second o’ January dawned.’

‘Oh, you’re a ray of sunshine, Hamish,’ snapped Maggie, her hand on her fiancé’s shoulder as he cradled Marshall’s head in his lap. ‘I’m sure he’s just knocked out – he’ll likely be fine in a minute or two.’

‘I’m not so sure, Maggie,’ said Grant. ‘We have to get him help.’

Watson the Fishery Officer looked at Ralph in disgust. ‘I don’t know what schemes you’ve been cooking up with Hoynes here but you’ll spend the rest of your days behind bars if this man dies. And him a representative of Her Majesty, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought back the gallows for this. Do your duty, Duncan.’

‘Wait a bloody minute,’ said Ralph indignantly. ‘He attacked me, remember.’

‘He was doing his job protecting the Revenue. Crooks like you have no place in a quiet, law-abiding community like ours. Sandy, you’re for the high-jump as well, bringing such desperados to Kinloch. You’ll likely swing too.’

‘Iain, will you be quiet,’ demanded Grant. ‘We need to get this man some medical help. We’ll take a look at the pass and see if there’s any way through.’

‘I wouldna be holdin’ oot too much faith in that,’ said Geordie. ‘You’ve seen yoursel’ how narrow the roadway is – a few boulders are enough tae make it impassable.’

‘Nonetheless,’ said Grant. ‘Two of you can take one of the cars and have a look.’

‘I’ll go,’ volunteered Hoynes. ‘I canna bear seeing this poor wretch lying there. If there’s any chance o’ a way through, I’ll get back here pronto, and we’ll carry the gentleman aboard.’

‘I’ll come wae you, skipper,’ said Hamish.

‘No, no, no. You’re not making a break for it as easy as that,’ said Watson. ‘If there’s anyone going with Professor Moriarty here, it’s me. You’ll not escape my clutches, Sandy Hoynes.’

‘Whoever’s going, go now!’ Grant urged. ‘If there’s no way through the pass, we’ll have to think of something else.’

Reluctantly, Hoynes made his way out of the bothy with Watson in tow. ‘And no fancy business, either,’ said the Fishery Officer. ‘I’ll not be more than an arm’s length from you at any time.’

Hoynes pulled his cap down over his forehead in an attempt to shelter from the rain. ‘Do you know something, Iain Watson? I think you’re as mad as a March hare.’ He ducked into the driver’s side of Geordie’s vehicle. Soon the pair were making their way steadily back up towards the Piper’s Pass.

Hamish, looking down at Marshall, shook his head. ‘I knew I should’ve paid attention tae that nightmare I had the other night.’

‘What nightmare?’ asked Marjorie, biting her lip at the sight of her husband leaving with Watson.

‘The Walls o’ Jericho were tumbling doon. Folk were fair scattering everywhere – a dreadful sight, a’ the gither.’

‘Right,’ said Maggie. ‘I daresay it wasn’t a trumpeter that brought the stones down. Would it be a piper, by any chance?’

‘See you, Maggie,’ replied Hamish. ‘I’ve always thought you had the sight. Now I’m sure. You’ve got it bang on.’

‘Jeest a pity you hadna the sight tae see how this wee caper wid end in such tragedy, Hamish,’ said Geordie. ‘I’d be at hame having a right good snooze noo, if I’d no’ been foolish enough to join in wae your little plot.’

‘I think it’s time I knew just what’s going on, Hamish.’ Grant looked up at the fisherman.

‘Scheme? What’s all this?’ said Bertie. ‘What scheme?’

Hamish lit his pipe. ‘Well, now, you see, when there’s nae fish, there’s nae joy in the world, and that’s a fact.’

Geordie shrugged. ‘If they two canna find a route out the pass – and they’ll no’ – we’ll have tae take the Customs man on my lobster boat.’

‘Roon’ the Mull in this weather? You’ll never make it,’ wailed Beth.

‘We canna jeest let him bleed tae death. No, nor turn intae a vegetable, because of his injuries.’

‘And what about my wedding? Just tell me that,’ said Maggie. ‘I could strangle you, Hamish.’

The fisherman took a puff of his pipe and stared enigmatically at the ceiling. ‘Do you know, I think we’re aboot tae dae something quite exceptional.’ A blue cloud of smoke wafted above his head as the rain continued to batter off the roof.