Too Soon a Death: A Scottish mystery where cosy crime meets tartan noir: Borders Mysteries Book 2 by Janet O'Kane

feared she’d overstepped the mark, given her own lack of parenting experience, but Kate’s anger dissolved in an instant and she started to walk towards the house.
    Mather remained with Zoe. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
    ‘Do you want to get a drink?’ she asked him. Patrick was hanging around as if waiting for her to join him again now all the fuss was over. It might be no bad thing that their tête-a-tête had been curtailed.
    Crossing the lawn with Mather towards the drinks table, she noticed how many people acknowledged his arrival with a nod or the raising of a hand, yet no one came over to greet him. She wondered if this was a response to his being a policeman or married. Or maybe no one else had her advantage of knowing him well enough to realise his uncompromising demeanour masked considerable kindness and patience. After all, she’d only discovered this herself by spending more time with him than she would have chosen to.
    As if to prove there was still a lot she didn’t know about him, Mather chose to drink Pimms. Zoe suppressed a smile as he led her to a table, carrying a glass with a straw and a sprig of mint poking out of it. They sat down, Mather considerately rejecting the upright chair in favour of a lower one she would have struggled to escape from when the time came to leave it.
    ‘Sorry about the mix-up yesterday,’ he said. ‘Dave Trent’s mortified you got caught up unnecessarily in the investigation.’
    ‘As I told him, it really wasn’t a problem. I’m a doctor, so I should be prepared for the occasional dead body.’
    ‘Even so.’ Mather took a sip from his glass. ‘You know what I’m trying to say, Zoe.’
    It still felt weird when he addressed her by her first name, though less so than when she tried to use his. ‘Have you identified the dead boy yet?’
    ‘No. Early days of course, but it’s going to be a challenge, I think.’
    ‘But you’ll know now what killed him?’
    The policeman gave her a look which could only have been sterner if he’d been peering over the rims of a pair of spectacles.
    She spread her hands. ‘You can’t blame me for being interested.’
    ‘Leave it alone, Zoe. You’re not involved this time. I doubt anyone round here is.’
    ‘At least satisfy my professional curiosity.’
    He continued to stare at her, saying nothing. She hoped his silence meant he was inwardly debating what to do, so there was a chance he would give in.
    ‘Because that’s all it is. Professional curiosity.’
    He sighed and leaned towards her. And Kate chose this moment to reappear, her face still flushed but a lot calmer than she had been earlier. She positioned a chair to face both Zoe and Mather, and sat down.
    ‘Mum’s told me I should apologise to everyone for creating a scene. Erskine, you weren’t here to see it but, Zoe, I’m sorry I dragged you away from Patrick. You seemed to be getting on like a house on fire.’
    ‘Were you watching us?’
    ‘I couldn’t read your lips, if that’s what’s worrying you. But his body language did all the talking.’
    ‘You’re imagining things.’ Zoe patted her stomach. ‘Look at me.’
    Kate shook her head. ‘Trust me, Patrick Dunin is looking past your bump. And it won’t be there much longer, will it?’
    ‘No, it’ll soon be a baby and then I’ll have all time in the world for a man in my life.’ Zoe smiled to reassure her friend she was joking, while also trying to think of a way to change the subject. In the end, Mather did this for her, by tapping Kate’s arm and rising from his seat.
    ‘We’d better get a move on if you’re going to say sorry to all your parents’ guests before they go home,’ he said.
    ‘We can’t leave Zoe sitting on her own.’
    Despite a suspicion that his suggestion was more to do with avoiding further questioning from her than anything else, Zoe said, ‘I’ll be fine, really,’ and waved the couple away. She watched as Kate linked her arm through Mather’s and leaned into