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The sharp scent of saltwater was in the air as Finn and Amelia approached the two uniformed police officers busily coordinating the retrieval of the boat fragments. The officers looked up as they approached, their faces a blend of exhaustion and concern.
"Morning," Finn greeted, flashing his badge. "I'm Finn Wright, a consulting detective with the Home Office, and this is Inspector Amelia Winters. We're here to assist with the investigation."
One of the officers, a stout man with a grizzled beard, nodded. "Inspector Reynolds, and this is Constable Peters. We're from the mainland, but this is a bit out of our usual jurisdiction."
Finn noted the reluctance in the sergeant's voice. "Have you spoken with the islanders about the incidents?"
Reynolds sighed. "We've tried, but most of them are tight-lipped. They don't want anything to do with this mess. Few words here and there, but nothing substantial."
Constable Peters chimed in, his young face filled with unease. "To be honest, Mr. Wright, I get the sense they're just waiting for us to leave. There's a discomfort here, and I get the feeling they just want all of this, including us, to disappear."
Amelia, brows furrowed, jumped in. "Where have the bodies of the victims been kept?"
Reynolds exchanged a glance with Peters, who cleared his throat. "Lord Carmichael, his body has already been taken to Storn mortuary for an autopsy, but the body of Mr. Ward... We've run into a bit of a complication."
Amelia's expression grew sharp. "What do you mean 'complication'?"
"It's... stuck," Peters said hesitantly. "Under the cliffs. Next to an old dock not far from Huldra House. It's in a tight spot. We're having trouble retrieving it. It wasn't safe to get at it until this morning because of the waves."
Finn's eyes widened. "Stuck? How does a body get stuck?"
Reynolds shrugged, discomfort evident. "We're not sure. But it's wedged under an old iron dock, almost like it's been purposefully jammed in there. One of the guys over there said he thinks he saw a chain attached to body. We've got a team trying to get to it, but the terrain's treacherous, especially with the recent storm damage. And I think there's issues because they don't have the right equipment."
Amelia's gaze darted to the cliffs looming above. "If you know Huldra a little, considering the body is underneath the cliffs behind Huldra House, could the death be related to the house?"
The two officers looked at each other.
“There's a lot of superstition around here, guys,” Finn said.
Peters rubbed the back of his neck and looked directly at Amelia. "Could be anything at this point, Inspector Winters. The stories of this place have been around for as long as anyone can remember."
"We need to see the body," Finn declared, urgency evident in his voice.
Kirsty, who had been observing quietly, nodded. "I can take you there. It's not a place many venture, even the locals, but I know the way."
Without waiting for a response, Finn started in the direction of the cliffs. Amelia shot a grateful look at Kirsty and followed suit.
As they made their way along the rugged coastline, the sound of crashing waves intensified, echoing out, a malevolent reminded of nature's fury. The sense of foreboding grew with each step in the pit of Finn's stomach. He enjoyed tall tales as much as the next person, but real lives had been lost, and he needed to put that at the forefront of his mind.
Finally, they reached a trail that ran along the shoreline beneath tall black cliffs that looked sharp as broke glass. The old dock came into view, two officers standing at the end of it, looking perplexed. Tools were scattered on the dock surface.
Its strange black iron construction was unlike any dock Finn had seen before, and he wondered if the metal was a peculiar alloy designed to stop any rusting. It creaked and groaned ominously underfoot, overshadowed by the towering cliffs above, threatening as they presumably always had, to topple down on the world and sink all within their collective shadow.
Looking down, they could see the trapped body, its outline barely visible through the churning waters.
"What in the world..." Finn whispered, both fascinated and horrified.
Kirsty's face was grim. "I can't bear to look.” She turned her back.
Amelia patted her on the arm before stepping past her towards the body. “Go back up to Huldra House, get yourself a tea. We'll come and get you once we're finished here.”
Kirsty nodded and took a few steps away from the dock. “This place has a way of hiding things,” she shouted over the waves around them, her voice fraught.
Amelia took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving the scene below. "Then let's make sure they're not hidden any longer."
CHAPTER SIX
The decaying dock groaned under Finn's weight as he stepped tentatively across the creaking black metal of the dock. It gave slightly beneath his feet, the metal wet and moss-covered. From here, the sight of the trapped body was even more visceral. The man's cold eyes stared blankly upward, his features twisted in a final grimace.
