The Party House by Lin Anderson

Author:Lin Anderson [Anderson, Lin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2022-05-31T17:00:00+00:00

Greg

The body was hers. DI Snyder had confirmed this.

He’d known that all along, of course, but still his head buzzed with the words as though a wasp had found its way inside his brain.

That fact established, they were now back on the subject of the Party House.

It was strange, Greg thought, that the more often you tell a story, the more it changes, despite all your efforts. He’d tried to keep it simple, but Snyder had a way of pinning down details, exact details. Some of which he didn’t know or had chosen to forget.

He’d already had a cup of tea, courtesy of Maggie Carmichael, who’d come in to man the hall kitchen. It appeared the officers weren’t used to life without access to a drinks machine and had asked Malcolm if tea and coffee facilities might be made available.

The tea had been good and strong, exactly what Greg had needed, although at more than one point in the proceedings he would have preferred a dram. The first, when Snyder had told him that the body was Ailsa. The second was now, as he was questioned on his whereabouts when both the house and subsequent hot tub were being constructed.

‘Lord Main began building the tree house about seven years or so ago, before Ailsa . . .’ he began, before realizing that he couldn’t bring himself to say either the word ‘disappeared’ or ‘died’.

‘I wasn’t here during some of the time.’ He hesitated. ‘I went away to work on an estate in northern England. Came back when my father died. The house was almost finished by then. I took over my father’s position as head keeper on Blackrig. Not long after that, Lord Main died and his family sold the estate. Locals stopped calling it Ard Choille after Global Investment Holdings rented it out as a party house.’

‘What about the slabs down at the lochside? Were they there when Ailsa disappeared?’

And there was the question he’d been dreading.

He pretended to think for a bit. ‘Lord Main planned a patio area down by the loch where village folk liked to swim, but I’m not sure exactly when the slabs were laid.’

This time he was lying, hoping it didn’t show. He’d gone over this again and again in his head. The area had been prepared, a mix of soil and sand, which was why it had made such an easy grave. Much easier than digging one in the woods.

Snyder exchanged a quick glance with DS Reid.

‘Were contractors still working on the house when Ailsa disappeared?’

‘There were some changes made inside after Global Investment Holdings bought it.’ Which was true enough. ‘So it’s possible workmen were about. Although there were holidaymakers here by then. In the hotel and B&Bs round about . . . and a few folk at the campsite.’

‘Campsite?’ DS Reid said, as though that was the first she’d heard of it.

‘A spot set aside by Lord Main for wild camping along the shore from the swim area. I remember some of the campers were at the ceilidh.

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