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Together with the police officers, Finn carefully maneuvered the body, pulling it out from its watery grave and laying it gently onto the dock. The air grew heavy with the weight of death and unspoken fears. More than once, Finn looked up to the imposing cliffs and wondered if more than Mr McReady was watching them.
"Thank you," one of the officers murmured to Finn, gratitude evident in his eyes.
Finn simply nodded, his gaze fixed on the body. The cruel chains that bound the man seemed to gleam menacingly in the muted light. Finn took the large bolt cutters and cut the chains.
Amelia approached cautiously, her investigative instincts kicking in.
Finn was looking at the body. “Looks like his neck is broken, but we can't be sure that's what killed him until an autopsy is carried out.”
“He could have died of fright,” one of the officers said, nervously.
"He wasn't just dumped," she noted, studying the chains. "This was deliberate. They wanted him found. They could have wrapped him in those chains and he would have sank to the bottom of the sea, but instead the killer attached him here so someone could find him."
"Very true," Finn pondered, looking lost in thought. "It's as if the killer is sending a message. But to whom?"
The two investigators shared a look, the same troubling question going around Finn's mind since they had stepped foot onto Huldra Island: What were they dealing with?
The haunting cry of a distant gull snapped them back to the present.
Finn could see a mist rolling in, slowly obscuring the mainland in the distance. “I think the weather is turning again.”
Amelia's gaze was unwavering. "We have work to do. We can't stop now, not with daylight still on our side."
Finn nodded in agreement. He turned to the other officers. “Take the body to the mainland. Inspector Winters and I need to head to Huldra Town, see what the locals can tell us about all of this."
The men nodded.
Amelia looked up to the clouds swirling above, their outlines blurred by high winds mixing them together into one thick blanket. "Let's hope the townsfolk can give us a lead," she said.
Finn nodded. "They'll have to, we don't have much to go on yet."
As they prepared to leave, the horizon darkened further, and the wind picked up. But Finn and Amelia moved up the incline, their determination as bottomless as a maelstrom.
Once up on the ridge, they could see Huldra House up towards the cliffs, looking down on the glen. Finn knew they needed to head to town, but he couldn't help but feel the house was hiding more than one secret of its own.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Finn's knees almost uncomfortably touched the dashboard of Kirsty's car as he watched the grayish hues of the sky melding seamlessly with the rugged terrain of Huldra Island. Muted greens and browns were painted across the rolling landscape, a desolate beauty that spoke of solitude and timelessness. The winding road stretched ahead, snaking its way through hills and glens that seemed untouched by the modern world.
“A lost world...” Finn whispered out loud.
If either Amelia or Kirsty heard him, they did not reply.
Inside the car, the hum of the engine was the only sound that punctuated the silence of the wilderness outside. Amelia sat in the back, gazing out of the windows, lost in the melancholic beauty of the island. Finn turned and looked at her, seeing the same keen thoughtfulness that often brought preceded her own unique brand of detective work.
"The first victim," Amelia began, breaking the silence, "Lord Garrett Carmichael. He used to rule these parts, right?"
Kirsty, keeping her eyes on the road, nodded. "Aye, Lord Carmichael once called this island home. But he left years ago, for reasons nobody really knows. Two months back, he returned, said he wanted to live out his days in Raven's Cottage, the old family place."
"Do you know what brought him back after all these years?" Finn inquired.
"No one really knows," Kirsty replied. "Some say he wanted to make peace with his past, others think he had some unfinished business here. The islanders... we've always been good at coming up with stories."
Finn leaned forward, curiosity piqued. "Speaking of stories, when was the last murder on Huldra before all this happened?"
Kirsty gripped the wheel in thought. "I can't recall one in my lifetime. Accidents, mishaps, and bad luck, of course. But murder?" She shook her head. "This island, on the edge of the world, has its fair share of tragedies. But they're usually accidents or the works of nature. Not... this."
Amelia let out a small sigh, as if sensing a depth to her words. "It sounds like you have a deep respect for the island and its forces."
