Page 89 of A Scottish Island Summer

Ava nodded so much she looked like she was in danger of cricking her neck. ‘Oh, I’m sure alright.’

She reached for her front door handle. ‘This Leyton McPhail chappie’s hung around the library a couple of times this week, whilst I was there.’

Campbell looked like he was about to explode. ‘He’s got thinning blonde hair, tall, gaunt…?’

‘Peery blue eyes,’ jumped in Ava. ‘Aye.’

I snapped my head this way and that, feeling like I was late to some sort of party. ‘Excuse me for interrupting, but who’s Leyton McPhail?’

‘A so-called eminent archaeologist,’ replied Logan with disdain. ‘But he’s more like a glorified trophy hunter. He’s been linked to so many dodgy treasure hunt successes over the years, you wouldn’t believe it.’

‘The man’s a snake,’ added Campbell, his mouth drawn back with disapproval. ‘He has a knack of locating lost treasures by underhanded means and then slithering away before he can be implicated with anything.’

‘Like what?’ I asked.

‘He claims to have found Roman artefacts in the Scottish Borders, Knights Templar rings in Edinburgh, caveman inscriptions in Inverness; you name it, Leyton McPhail has reportedly found it.’

‘And they aren’t genuine?’ I asked, curious.

‘He claims they are, but eminent archaeologists are yet to be convinced by a lot of his so-called discoveries because he has a tendency to spirit away the objects before any of his professional contemporaries can get a chance to look at them.’

Campbell’s dismissive expression grew tighter and he rubbed at the clean planes of his face, the afternoon light shimmering through the glass of Ava’s front door highlighting his pensive features. ‘He treats archaeology and what he claims he finds like some sort of bloody funfair, rather than priceless links back to our history.’

I considered what I’d just heard. ‘Do you think Gabriel Jamieson and this Leyton McPhail are trying to track down the Skye Lovers’ Cross? Is there a chance that if it is real, they might’ve found it already?’

Campbell patted the anonymous letter, secreted in his coat pocket. ‘I’m certain that they won’t have found it yet. If they had, McPhail would be crowing about it from here to Scandinavia. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.’

Logan agreed. ‘I don’t think Jamieson or McPhail have it either. At least not yet.’

‘It sounds like you might just be starting to believe that the Skye Lovers’ Cross exists, Logan,’ I remarked.

‘I’m trying to keep an open mind.’

Campbell tried to smooth his shaggy hair. ‘I think we need to go and speak to Chrissie, Gabriel’s ex-wife.’ His melted chocolate eyes were determined. ‘She might be able to fill in a bit more of this puzzle for us.’ He offered Ava a warm smile. ‘You’ve been very helpful. We very much appreciate it.’

She blushed baby pink at Campbell. ‘You’re welcome.’