“Harpers’ tent?” Ian’s eyebrows raised.
Annie waved off the mayor’s question. “We’ll tell you about that later. Finish telling us about Hep first.”
Wally picked up the story. “When Ian and I first got to the field, the Heavy Weight for Distance contest was just about to begin. As we looked around, we saw the entire perimeter completely covered with people.” He looked around at the ladies. “Remember how the whole corner was free when we went to watch the Hammer Throw event?”
“How could we forget?” Alice snorted. “Our choice to watch from that area sure made for an eventful morning.”
“While we were wedging ourselves into the only space we could find,” Wally continued. “It was about the size of a toolbox, and Ian made a comment about the wide open space we’d found at the Hammer Throw. A couple of guys standing to the left of us heard us and started laughing.”
A small scowl creased Peggy’s forehead. “Laughing before they knew what had happened? It wasn’t funny thinking my friend might have been mowed down by that hammer.”
Wally drew his arm around his wife’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Peg, they weren’t at the Hammer Throw round. They were doing one of the other events, so they didn’t know what had happened. But they did know Hep real well.”
Ian continued the story. “One of the men trains at the same club that Hep does. Apparently, Hep has a beautiful hammer throw almost year-round … until he steps on the field for the Highland Games. For the last five years, Hep has choked and released the hammer too soon.” He paused to clear his throat. “Seems Hep always launches at that particular corner, so the folks who are regulars don’t stand near there.”
“Why don’t they put a sign up or something, so newcomers aren’t put at risk?” Alice demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “I can’t imagine it being good for business if someone got hurt.”
Wally rushed to explain. “Bart—that’s the training buddy of Hep’s—told us the regulars like Hep so much they don’t want to risk making him even more nervous by blocking off the area. They fear it might make Hep up and quit completely, and they want to see him finally succeed some year.”
“When we told them about what happened to Annie, they were appalled,” Ian inserted. “Both of them promised to work with the organizers and come up with a solution before next year so it doesn’t happen again.”
As the story gained momentum, the two men alternated information. “Hep worked his way through the crowd to stand next to his training buddy and recognized us,” added Wally.
“He apologized to us again,” said Ian. “He asked if you were still feeling all right after your fall.”
“You mean after her being flattened by her bodyguard,” Peggy corrected him, grinning.
Annie blushed softly and wagged a finger at her friend. “And what would have happened to me if Ian hadn’t flattened me?” She shuddered. “I have too many vegetables that need tending to waste time with a concussion or broken bone.”
Giving his wife a swift look to see if she was about to reply, Wally took over. “The weird thing is that Hep started talking to us about his hammer trouble at the Games, and he has it all analyzed down to the exact degree angle he was off on his release this morning. It’s like he’s a trigonometry major or engineer.”
“After talking to Hep, I’m looking forward to coming next summer and cheering him on,” said Ian. “Just from a different vantage point.”
Alice stood, quietly turning over the facts in her mind. “Did you happen to find out if Hep is from the Gunn or Rose clan?”
Both men looked her way with puzzled faces. “Rose?” they asked in unison. Ian added a question. “Because of the rose on the ferrule?”
“No,” Annie answered. “Because we discovered the singer’s name when we stopped at the harpers’ building after the kilt demonstration. You know, Ian. The flirty singer from earlier today.”
Emily had been watching two birds in the tree above them, but the mention of the singer reclaimed her attention, and she jumped into the conversation. “Her name is McKenna Rose! I think her name is as pretty as her dress!”
“Her name also tells us she might be connected to whoever had those ferrules engraved,” Ian said, putting the pieces of information together, “which makes her behavior earlier a little more understandable—perhaps.”
Emily wasn’t done yet. “Mr. Mayor, we also saw Eli and Linley!” The sparkle in her eyes broadcasted her joy at the fact.