Such disciplined silence could only have been deliberate. What was there to hide?

Cal knew he would never sleep if he continued to turn things over in his mind. He lay on the bed and hopped through the television channels, settling on the news. By the time the newsreader repeated the headlines at the close of the programme, he realised that he couldn’t remember anything about the stories he’d been watching. The images had flickered in front of him, but they hadn’t penetrated beyond his eyes. He had continued turning over the puzzle of Mary like a jewel, examining its every facet. And he would do so all night.

Sleep wouldn’t come. Maybe he could find something at the house that might clear things up. He hadn’t looked for anything more after finding the box. He pulled on his clothes again and left the room.

A small group of local teenagers were sitting on the drystane wall that formed the perimeter of the hotel. Too young to get a drink in the bar, they hovered in the hope that a friendly drinker might be willing to get them some tins of beer if they gave him the money.

They watched Cal go to his car. In the city he might have been a little intimidated, but there was no air of malevolence about the group.

‘That’s some motor, cove,’ a boy called.

‘Yeah,’ Cal smiled in acknowledgement.

‘Don’t see many of them here.’

‘Couldn’t carry many peats in that,’ joked another.

‘It’s not really suited to these parts,’ said Cal.

‘Oh, I dunno,’ the first youth said as he approached, admiring the car. ‘You could get some speed on that out the Barvas Road.’

‘Have a look if you want,’ invited Cal, bleeping the alarm off and opening the door.

The boy walked over quickly and leaned in, his eyes darting over the console, the steering wheel and the gear stick.

‘I’ve seen you driving about. You’re from the village. Mary’s house.’

‘That’s right. She’s my aunt. Was my aunt.’

‘It’s a shame what happened,’ continued the boy, still inspecting the car.

‘You knew her?’

‘Yeah. We all did. Everyone knows everyone here. She was great. When we were kids we’d go to her house and she’d give us sweets.’

‘How did you know I knew her?’

‘I saw you. Anyway, like I said, everyone knows everything here. And my ma, she knows you.’

The boy was confident enough to sit in the driver’s seat, placing both arms firmly on the steering wheel. His friends drew closer, looking in the windows.

‘Your ma?’

‘Aye, she’s been at the house with you.’

‘Mairi’s your mother?’

‘Aye.’ He replied as if Cal should have known.

‘And what’s your name?’

The other boys immediately responded with a deluge of insulting nicknames.

‘Colin,’ he finally managed to say.

‘I’m going back in the road if you want a lift?’

Colin looked at Cal in delight and confirmation.

‘Shift over.’

Cal lowered himself behind the wheel as Colin pulled himself into the passenger seat.

‘Anyone else going our way?’

Cal didn’t give anyone time to answer, gunning the engine and thrusting the car into reverse in a fluid movement. He heard Colin laugh excitedly, but he also heard more stones thudding against the wheel arches. The boy would have seen him wince if he hadn’t been looking out at his pals. Too late for the show to stop now, thought Cal, as he whipped the steering wheel round and roared out of the car park onto the main road.

Colin whooped as they accelerated along the straight, the speedometer needle jumping ten miles per hour every second. They swept up the steep brae and almost leapt over the brow, Cal twisting the steering wheel as the road became a series of twists between hill and rock. His foot jumped from brake to accelerator as if tapping in time to music.

At one sharp turn the rear of the car slewed round, but almost immediately held the road again. Cal knew it was the car and not the driver that had saved the situation.