‘Foot passengers?’
Alec shook his head.
‘They took one of their cars.’
‘Anyone we know? The professor? The one they call Dmitri?’
Again, Alec shook his head.
‘No, just two of the so-called archaeologists. One of them speaks good English. I checked with a pal of mine on the ferry.’
‘When did they go?’
‘Yesterday afternoon.’
Jake thought over the implication of this.
‘It sounds like they’ve been sent to get something.’
‘If it was just supplies, they’d have been back by now,’ said Alec.
‘So it’s something out of the ordinary.’ Jake nodded. ‘I think it’s something to do with the book. Has Rona told you what the book is?’
‘Something to do with spontaneous human combustion,’ said Jeannie. She frowned. ‘Why is that important enough for people to be killed over?’
‘Because it’s about how to make it happen,’ said Jake.
‘You mean, like a formula or a recipe?’ asked Rona.
‘Yes,’ said Jake.
‘So you think those two have gone to get the ingredients they need?’ asked Jeannie. ‘Somewhere they’re more likely to get special stuff, like Glasgow, or Edinburgh?’
Jake sighed.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I’m just guessing. My feeling is that the professor wants to check that what’s in the book works. If it doesn’t, then it could mean that what they’ve found is only part of it, so there could be more of the book hidden here at the site. That’s the only reason I can think of why they haven’t started to leave.’
‘If what you say is right, we ought to intercept those two Russians when they come back,’ suggested Alec. ‘Maybe we could get the police to search them and their car as soon as they arrive at Oban.’
‘But we don’t know what they’ll be bringing back,’ pointed out Jake. ‘It could be some innocent-looking herbs.’ He sighed, then asked, ‘Where’s Robbie?’
‘He’s working on Dougie’s boats,’ said Rona.
‘He feels he needs to do it for Dougie’s memory,’ said Alec.
‘And he wants to keep an eye on the Russians,’ added Rona.
Jake nodded.
‘Will it be all right with you if I go and have a word with him?’ he asked Alec and Jeannie.
‘Are you going to have a row with him about what he said?’ asked Alec warily. ‘About you killing John Gordon?’
Jake shook his head.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I just want to try and make my peace with him. The only way to find out what’s happened to Helen is if we work together.’
‘I don’t want him getting in any deeper than he is,’ warned Alec.
‘I know,’ said Jake. ‘And I’ll do my best to try and talk him out of doing anything silly.’
Jeannie sighed.
‘We’ve tried to do that, but he’s stubborn,’ she said. ‘Just like Dougie.’
‘We thought about sending him away until this is over,’ said Alec. ‘He can stay with relatives on the mainland.’
‘But he refuses to go,’ said Jeannie unhappily. ‘Said if we sent him away, he’d get a boat and sneak back.’
‘He feels he’s responsible,’ said Rona. ‘For the book being found.’
Jake nodded.
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he told them.
‘He won’t listen to you,’ said Jeannie.
‘No, I don’t think he will,’ said Jake. ‘But at least I can try.’
Chapter 18
Robbie was sitting on a crate beside the two upturned boats. He turned as he heard Jake approach, and scowled.
‘So they let you go,’ he said sullenly.
‘Because I’m innocent,’ said Jake. ‘I was framed.’
Robbie let out a snort of disbelief.
‘Mrs Gordon herself came to bring me back,’ said Jake. ‘She wouldn’t have done that if she thought I’d killed her husband.’
‘There’s something suspicious about her,’ growled Robbie. ‘I don’t think she’s who she says she is either. Like you!’ he added accusingly.
Jake hesitated, then asked, ‘Can we talk?’
‘About what?’ demanded Robbie.
He was angry. His beloved uncle had been killed and the book they’d both sworn to protect had been dug up.
‘About the book,’ said Jake. ‘About finding Helen.’
‘The Russians have got her,’ said Robbie.
Jake’s heart gave a leap.
‘Do you know that for sure?’ he asked. ‘Have you seen her?’