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“Why didn’t you tell him to get lost? Or call the cops on him?” Jack was outraged again.
Isobel wasn’t about to explain that Eddie Granger had threatened her family if she did just that. The loan shark had friends who were willing to hurt Isobel’s sisters and kids if she didn’t comply. And not for one second did Isobel doubt that he would carry out his threat.
“That’s what we said.” Mairi held out her phone, pouted and took a selfie. “Rajesh has upped his demand for selfies. I need more clothes. The guys don’t like it when I post the same photo for each of them.”
Jack frowned. “Let them whine. Bunch of losers have to pay for a pretend girlfriend, they have no right to complain.”
“Thanks,” Mairi said drolly. “That’s helpful. I’ll tell them that next time I email. I’m sure that will increase my income.”
“Welcome.” Jack nodded. “Now, you want to tell me why there’s a dead body in the garage and why this Callum guy thinks you’re up the duff?”
“No. I don’t.” Isobel stood. “Forget about the body. We’re dealing with it. You just concentrate on school.” She pointed at her sister. “You watch the kids. And by watch them, I mean make sure Jack stays in the house with you. I need to go down to the beach and show Callum where we found the body, and I can’t deal with your version of the inquisition while I’m doing it.”
“You can’t ignore me,” Jack said. “I have the right to know if I have another brother or sister coming.”
Isobel groaned and strode past them.
“Why aren’t you more freaked out about the body?” she heard Mairi say behind her.
“Grand Theft Auto,” Jack said.
“Oh man, you better hope your mum doesn’t find out you play that game,” Mairi said.
And Isobel made a mental note to confiscate her son’s Xbox.
Callum didn’t need Isobel to show him where she’d found the body—a trail of vomit led right to the spot. The tide had started to come in, and waves were lapping at the rocks and sand, which meant the spot where the body had lain had already been washed away. All Callum could make out were the footprints leading up to the water’s edge.
Most were small and had obviously been made by the Sinclair sisters, but he could still make out at least one set of prints that came from larger boots. A few feet from the edge of the water, where the body would have lain, was another large indentation. Something had been placed on the ground. Which meant there had to have been at least two men on the beach the night before, and one of them had been carrying something other than the body. Something large and heavy.
It didn’t make sense. Why dump a man out in the open like that? Especially one that had obviously been murdered. The killers couldn’t have known who would find it, or what they would do when they did.
“Have you found anything?” Isobel ask
ed as she came up beside him.
Callum had heard her coming down the path, long before he could see her. Silent she wasn’t. He glanced at her flushed face, noting that her hair tie was long gone and her hair was flying about her face. It was long, past her shoulders, and tousled from the breeze. She looked as though she’d been thoroughly tumbled. Callum cleared his throat and wrestled his thoughts back under control. He pointed at the large oval indention in the sand. Something about the mark, with the boot prints beside it, was familiar to him.
“What is it?” Isobel said.
“Tell me what you see.” His voice was still husky, carrying a sexual note that he couldn’t hide.
She bit her bottom lip, and her lashes lowered. Beautiful. She was beautiful. And a complication he really didn’t need.
“I see the spot where someone stood and put their bag down,” she said.
Callum stilled as recognition became crystal clear. He was looking at the familiar soles of military-issue boots, and the mark left behind by a heavy duffel bag. A long, heavy bag. A body-shaped bag.
“Are you sure it was a body you saw them carry from the boat?”
She bit at her bottom lip as she thought about it. “No. I saw a long, body-like shape over someone’s shoulder. And then I found a body. Two and two make four, right?”
“How many men got off the boat?”
“Two, if you don’t count the body.”
Callum followed the footsteps up to the path leading out of the cove. Most were obscured by the women’s prints, but there was definitely only one set.
“I don’t think you saw two men with a body,” Callum said. “I think you saw two men with a duffel bag. I think there was an altercation on the beach. One killed the other and then took off with the bag. Did you see any blood when you were here?” There would have been a lot of blood, seeing as the man’s throat had been slit.
