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nice. Got to rush.”
    Dick held open the café door for her. He felt as if his whole body were smiling.
    Then he remembered he was supposed to see Hetty.
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    Atlantic View was a box of a bungalow set on a rise above the shore road. There was no garden, just a fenced-off area of shaggy grass. The tide was up, and great waves were dashing themselves against the seawall. The air was full of the sound of the sea and the screeching of gulls. Dick had read that the gull population was falling fast. He detested the birds. With the depleted fishing stocks, the marauding birds were known to steal food out of the hands of people, trying to eat fish-and-chips or ice cream. Hadn’t a small child over at the Kyle of Lochalsh only the other day had an ice cream cone snatched from its fingers?
    He rang the bell and waited. Hetty answered the door. She looked at Dick’s uniform and put a hand to her thin chest. Her prominent eyes welled up with tears. “Is it about poor Cyril?”
    â€œIf I could just be having a word,” said Dick, removing his cap.
    â€œI’ve seen you on the telly, haven’t I?” said Hetty, ushering him into the house. “You’ve been on quiz shows.”
    â€œYes, that’s me.”
    The living room into which she led him seemed to be a sort of shrine to Hetty. Framed photographs of her hung on the walls and stood on nests of little tables. A one-bar electric heater stood in front of the empty fireplace. There was a three-piece suite of white imitation leather standing on a white shag carpet. A low coffee table held a series of celebrity magazines.
    Dick was urged to sit down. Hetty perched on the edge of an armchair opposite him.
    â€œI am here to find out why you said that Hamish Macbeth had threatened to shoot Cyril Sessions,” said Dick. “You became suspicious of Cyril when he asked so many questions about Macbeth and told Hamish. He was irritated and made that remark off the top of his head. Why on earth did you tell Strathbane?”
    â€œI thought Hamish had become jealous,” said Hetty.
    â€œMiss Dunstable, I have asked questions about your connection to Hamish. It appears that you got drunk at a party, came on to him, and he rebuffed you. Hamish has now been suspended from duty so I need to gather evidence to clear his name. By the time all my witnesses have made their statements, you will look very bad indeed. How, the authorities will ask you, can Hamish Macbeth have been jealous when he had no romantic feelings towards you at all?”
    â€œBut he did threaten to shoot Cyril!”
    â€œOf course, if you were to telephone headquarters and say Hamish was only joking or something like that, I would not need to investigate further.”
    She stared at him with a sulky expression. “Hamish led me on.”
    â€œI think your imagination led you on,” said Dick severely. “My God, lassie, if Hamish loses his job and his police station for the likes of you, I’ll damn well crucify you and so will every other copper in the Highlands.”
    Hetty began to cry until she saw her tears were having no effect on Dick whatsoever.
    â€œCyril did love me,” she said at last.
    â€œOh, aye? Then what made you suspicious?”
    â€œAt first he swept me off my feet. Then he began to ask question after question about Hamish. I finally said I was sick of the subject and wouldn’t talk about Hamish any more. That was when he stopped seeing me or answering my calls.”
    â€œHave you a computer here?” asked Dick.
    â€œYes, I’ve got a laptop.”
    â€œGet it in here and write out a statement. You are going to confess that you reported Hamish out of spite.”
    â€œI can’t do that!”
    â€œIt’s either that or I’ll make your life a misery. I have friends in the press. Want to see your name in the papers?”
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    Statement secured, Dick headed straight for police