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Bruce rolled his eyes. "Aye."
Finn, sensing an opportunity to lighten the mood, added, "Amelia was up sleepwalking last night. When she doesn't get much sleep, she can get pretty...tenacious about the rules."
Amelia gave Finn a sharp glance, but Bruce's stern demeanor cracked into a smile. "Fine," he said, lowering his voice. "But make it quick."
As Amelia jotted down notes, she asked, "Your name again?"
"Bruce McCulloch," he replied. "Fisherman here, but I go back and forth from the mainland in Storn."
Finn's interest was piqued. "Did you know Ivar on the mainland?"
Bruce took a deep breath. "Knew him a bit to talk tae. A lot of people don't know this, but he spent a summer here when he was a bit younger, working. But after that, he didn't want to be on the island again, so it's strange he'd be here at all. The funny thing is, a few nights ago, I saw him in Storn outside a pub. He was in a pretty heated argument with someone. It stuck in my mind."
Amelia's eyes narrowed. "Who was it?"
"Couldn't get a great look," Bruce admitted, "but I'd swear it was.... McGregor. Works with the Ferguson Estate, he does."
Finn's eyes widened in recognition. "We met him. He drove us from the airstrip to Huldra House."
"Why were they fighting?" Amelia asked.
Bruce shook his head. "Don't know. But Ivar, he's usually pretty calm. The sees him like that...it was awfully strange."
Finn leaned forward. "McGregor is on the mainland now, isn't he?"
Bruce looked thoughtful. "Told ye that, did he? Last I heard, he was staying at an old fisherman's cottage on the West side of the island sometimes, when he wasn't back on Storn. Old Miller's Cottage, it's called. Ye might have missed him though."
After thanking Bruce, Finn and Amelia left the inn. As they stepped outside, the sun cast long shadows on the town's cobblestone streets. Kirsty's car awaited them, and she looked up inquisitively as they approached.
"Know where Old Miller's Cottage is?" Finn asked.
Kirsty nodded, "Yes, why?"
“We need to question McGregor if he's there,” Amelia said.
"Oh, right," Kirsty said. "I better phone my husband if we're going to be out longer than I thought, I'll let him know."
Kirsty left the car and stood on the cobbled street, talking into her phone.
“Why did she leave the car?” Finn asked. “It's hardly top secret government information.”
“Not everyone likes their business out and about,” Amelia said. “Can you imagine living in an island community? Everyone would know everyone's business. It would be galling. They probably get used to taking their calls outside to minimize gossiping as much as possible.”
Kirsty returned with a smile and got back into the car. “Right, where to, again?”
“Old Miller's Cottage,” Amelia replied.
Kirsty buckled herself in as Finn took a breath, the exciting possibility of a real shift in the case afoot.
"Let's get moving," he declared, "and pay McGregor a visit. I hope he doesn't see us coming."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Finn was deep in thought as the car rumbled along the single track roads of Huldra Island. The car ride was filled with a tense silence as the moors stretched out around them. Kirsty's car hummed, providing a gentle comfort amid the looming uncertainty. The western side of the island held an untouched beauty, the vast stretches of moorland, the hills rolling into the distance, and the sea's whispers hinting at untold mysteries.
Out beyond that was the deep blue. Finn stared towards it, knowing that thousands of miles away in the vastness of it all, his homeland sat. For a moment, he felt a real pang of homesickness. He thought of his job with the FBI at Quantico, he thought about his friends, most of all, he thought about his life in America, and how with his relationship with Demi and the investigation into his handling of a hostage situation looming, it was all built on shifting sands.
"There it is," Kirsty's voice broke the silence, pointing towards a distant structure nestled in a secluded nook.
