Page 68 of Death at a Highland Wedding

A pause. Then McCreadie lifts his cup and pushes back his chair. “I do hate to be rude, but Duncan, Mallory, and I must take our leave. We have business to discuss.”

We take our tea and plates outside to a small wrought-iron patio table. It’s breezy, but private, and we tell McCreadie what we found with the shillelaghs. He’s relieved that we seem to have a murder weapon, but also points out the complications of it.

“How does this affect the possibility that the killer is not a guest or staff?” he asks.

I nibble at a petit four. “It depends. How easy would it be for someone else to get inside the house? Are the doors locked at night?”

“I do not—” McCreadie stops short. “No, that is a lie. I know the answer, from our interviews.”

“Ah, yes.” Gray looks at me. “Violet wants us to speak to Constable Ross and tell him to think it through. There is no logical reason for Archie to ever think someone walked in and stole his jacket.”

“Because the door is locked?” I venture.

McCreadie shakes his head. “Because the house is too remote for such a thing. No one is coming all the way from the village—risking being shot by Mr. Müller—to steal a coat. However, that did make Duncan ask about the doors. She says they are not locked, for the same reason.”

“Because the house is too remote, even if Archie is concerned about the villagers.”

“But he isnotconcerned about them,” McCreadie says. “Not truly. He is frustrated, and so he bellows and blusters.”

“He could try talking to them. The issues seem to have started with the previous owner, so Archie has the chance to resolve them.”

McCreadie shakes his head with a faint smile. “But bellowing and blustering is so much more fun.”

“Fun?” I say. “Or more befitting his persona? A man of action. A man of privilege. A man who does not negotiate with mere peasants.”

“Mmm.” McCreadie leans back, his face scrunching. “That is his persona, yes, but it is not truly him.”

Gray makes a small noise in his throat.

“Yes, Duncan, you and I disagree on that, but I know Archie better, and he has let me see that better side of him. You and Archie are like two alpha dogs, unwilling to cede territory, circling one another, growling and unable to see past those snarls and flashing fangs.”

“I do not snarl or flash my fangs at Archie, whatever the provocation.”

“Whateverthe provocation?” McCreadie says. “I remember you taking a swing at him.”

Gray sniffs. “Ancient history.”

“Only because you have barely exchanged a dozen words since we left school.”

I say, “I overheard Ezra saying something to Archie about learning a lesson about provoking you. What happened?”

“I threw a punch,” Gray says. “Not to strike him down but to challenge him to a fight.”

“And?”

“He walked away. As I said, he does not fight. Even if it meant suffering the shame of refusing.”

I have to choke back a laugh. That would be mean, laughing at the obvious frustration in Gray’s voice. But I’m beginning to get a deeper view of the dynamic between the two. Cranston insulting and needling while Gray takes the high road, because that’s not Gray’s style. Then Gray invoking his style with a challenge… and Cranston taking the high road and refusing.

Two alpha dogs indeed. Or more like a cat and a dog sharing the same turf, the cat endlessly provoking and toying with the dog, only to run away when the dog retaliated.

McCreadie looks at me. “Duncan will disagree, but I believe Archie will negotiate with the villagers. He will not want conflict once Fiona is mistress here, and he has realized that bringing in Müller made things significantly worse. Now he needs to find a way to step back without losing face.”

“Fire Müller. Rehire Mr. Hall. Come to some agreement for villagers using the land. I understand why he’d be stalling—he’s the new owner and can’t look weak. He also hired Müller on a six-month contract. But he’s also amassing enemies on both sides. The villagers don’t realize he’ll eventually back down, and Müller almost certainly realizes he’s on the way out. Which makes them all suspects.”

McCreadie tilts his head. “I agree that anyonecouldobtain the shillelagh. However, I consider it unlikely that a random villager would know where to find it. Also why choose that when so many weapons are at hand? No, if it was someone from the outside, it would be Müller. He would know about the shillelaghs and, if the police realized that was the weapon,he would seem an unlikely suspect. He is the gamekeeper. Would he not use a gun? A trap? Even a shovel?”

“I’d add Mr. Hall and his kids to that group. Same reason. They know the house and they have more obvious weapons. Also, we know the kids come and go. Seeing them here wouldn’t seem odd.”