find a route out the pass â and theyâll noâ â weâll have tae take the Customs man on my lobster boat.â
âRoonâ the Mull in this weather? Youâll never make it,â wailed Beth.
âWe canna jeest let him bleed tae death. No, nor turn intae a vegetable, because of his injuries.â
âAnd what about my wedding? Just tell me that,â said Maggie. âI could strangle you, Hamish.â
The fisherman took a puff of his pipe and stared enigmatically at the ceiling. âDo you know, I think weâre aboot tae dae something quite exceptional.â A blue cloud of smoke wafted above his head as the rain continued to batter off the roof.
12
The rain began to ease as Hoynes pulled up the Land Rover near a pile of slick mud and boulders that now blocked the roadway onto the Piperâs Pass. He shook his head and sighed. âNaebodyâs gettinâ through this in a hurry.â
âItâs still passable on foot,â said Watson sharply.
âOnly a fool would attempt that, Iain. And whoot good wid it do? This Marshall fella wid still be lying spark oot on Geordieâs floor, stuck behind this accumulation.â
âBut it would raise the alarm. They could arrange for one of the helicopters to airlift him out. I know fine it would suit you to string this out as long as you can so that you can devise some way out of the mess youâre in. Well, Iâm here to tell you, itâll not work. Iâll make sure you answer for your crimes, Sandy Hoynes.â
Hoynes looked at the Fishery Officer and scratched his head. âYou know, Iain, Iâve known for a very long time that youâve had it in for me. Aye, anâ I think I know fine why.â
âItâs not hard to work it out. You stole that boat from under his nose. Fair cheated him. By rights, I should be a skipper, not . . .â He left the rest unsaid.
âI bought the Girl Maggie fair and square fae your faither. I liked the man. Itâs noâ my fault he snuggled up tae John Barleycorn that much he couldna be bothered gettinâ oot oâ his bed tae take up arms against the fish.â
âBut you took advantage of it, and forced him to sell at a knockdown price. You were his first mate, and you fleeced the man who taught you everything!â
âMan, oh man, but youâre so wrong. I can see this has been eatinâ away at you for near thirty-five years. Nae wonder you scrutinise my catch so closely. But you donât have the right oâ it, Iain. Not only was your faither tight tae go oot on a wave, he didna lift a finger tae help wae the upkeep oâ the vessel. Och, we tried oor best tae keep her in fettle, but it was jury-rigged at best. I gave your faither too much money, and thatâs the truth of it. It cost me a small fortune tae make her seaworthy again, and you know it.â
âJust enough money to make sure he lasted long enough to die of a broken heart.â
âYour arse, a broken heart. Though it pains me tae speak ill oâ the deid, aye, anâ my auld skipper, he died starinâ oot the bottom oâ a whisky bottle. You know it fine yourselâ.â
Watson stared belligerently at the fisherman. âAnd you changed her name. Called her after your wee girl, Maggie. Do you know that ended up making you the laughing stock of the fleet?â
âHow so?â asked Hoynes, temporarily thrown.
âSheâs a neat wee craft, but sheâs always been broad in the beam â just how your Maggie turned out.â Watson laughed harshly.
âIâve said it once and Iâll say it again: itâs a family thing. All the women on her motherâs side oâ the family have big arses . . . Eh, where are you going?â
The Fishery Officer slammed the passenger door of the Land Rover and began picking his way through the debris left by the landslide.
Winding his window
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