Murder Takes the High Road(46)

I was sorry to see him go, but I had bigger problems. I said to Trevor, “I had my doubts, but I don’t see how this can be written off as coincidence. Something’s not right here.”

“First Rose. Then Sally,” Trevor agreed. “It defies the law of averages.”

“But on the other hand, it doesn’t make sense that someone is knocking off members of the tour. I mean...why? Because Rose learned something about the woman who died on the previous tour? How? How would sh—”

“Wait. What? Who died on the last tour?”

“A woman drowned. Daya knows all about it. Which just goes to show it makes no sense to get rid of Sally. Sally didn’t know anything. Why not get rid of Daya?”

Trevor shook his head. I looked at John. John shook his head. In his case it was discouragingly.

“But we can’t just ignore this, because if I’m right, you’re next,” Trevor whispered.

“I’m...huh?” I stared at him in alarm.

“Now wait a minute.” John returned from across the aisle, looking the most serious I’d seen. His knee poked familiarly into mine. His shoulder brushed my shoulder with reassuring solidity. I remembered that just a few hours earlier we’d been comfortably snuggled in bed, and was momentarily distracted from my worries.

Trevor scowled. “You wait a minute,” he said.

“You’re letting your imaginations—or maybe it’s your love of mysteries—run away with you.”

Trevor answered before I could. “Wrong. Again. Think about it. Rose went around blabbing about the murder on the last tour and then she was gone. Sally went around blabbing about what happened to Rose. Now she’s gone. Carter went around blabbing to Sally...”

“But I didn’t go around blabbing,” I said.

“Of course you did.”

“I went around listening with polite skepticism. We were all listening with polite skepticism.”

“What are you guys whispering about?” Edie asked, leaning over the back of the seat.

I began, “Do you find it strange that—”

Trevor loudly cut across, “We were trying to figure out where we’re stopping for lunch.”

Edie rolled her eyes. “Lunch is at John o’Groats. Didn’t you look at your itinerary?” She sank back in her seat.

John said firmly, “Stop. Both of you.” He met my eyes. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Carter.”

“I’m glad you’re so sure.” Trevor sounded peeved.

John ignored him. “We’re going to call Sally’s family and make sure they did summon her home. If they didn’t, we’re going straight to the police. Okay?”

I nodded, relieved. John was right. Before we—I—got any more worked up, we needed to know if there were even grounds for concern.

Meanwhile Alison was still sawing away. “The castle grounds are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes of Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens...”

I glanced to her right and read Vance’s expression as he gazed back at the trio of me, John and Trevor.

Uh-oh.

“Vance is paging you,” I told Trevor.

Trevor threw Vance a slightly harassed look.

“Later,” he told me, and returned down the aisle to Vance, who proceeded to whisper at him.

“So. All is forgiven,” John said sourly.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

His lip curled.

My eyes widened. “That wasn’t—that was just—he recognizes the pattern. We’re crime buffs. We’re all crime buffs on this tour.”

“Sure, but Trevor’s the only one back here ready to play Scooby-Doo with you.”

I was startled, and yes, to be honest, a little flattered by John’s reaction. It also made me realize something.

“He doesn’t want me dead, that’s all. Any more than I want him dead.”

That was the truth. As angry and hurt as I was—or at least had been—by Trevor’s behavior, I didn’t even particularly wish him ill.

It was a relief to acknowledge it, a relief to know that I had finally moved past the bitterness and rancor. Not so far that I actually forgave him, but I had moved past it. Getting back at Trevor was no longer important to me.

John looked unimpressed. “Just like I said. If you want him back, you can have him.”

“No.”

His brown-gold eyes gazed into mine. “No, you don’t want him?”

“No, I don’t believe that. And of course I don’t want him back.”

He said mockingly, “Of course not.”

“How many ways do I have to say it?”

“I see. You came on this tour because you didn’t want him back.”

“That’s right.”

He grinned.

“You can think what you like, but no. That chapter is closed. In fact, the title was lost on an interlibrary loan.” I can’t deny I was pleased though. Not because John thought I could get Trevor back. Because the idea of me getting Trevor back definitely seemed to bother him, grin or no grin.

“Okay. If you say so,” he said in the breezy tone of one who does not for one second believe you.

“Let me ask you something. Are you in a steady, committed relationship?”