Too Soon a Death: A Scottish mystery where cosy crime meets tartan noir: Borders Mysteries Book 2 by Janet O'Kane Page A
Authors: Janet O'Kane
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him as he led her towards a group of elderly ladies in floral dresses. Despite the difference in their heights, they looked like they belonged together.
The baby kicked. ‘I hear you,’ Zoe said. ‘Let’s go and get some food.’
The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough, but just before ten o’clock, tired from driving to Moffat and back, and weary of endless baby talk from most of the people she chatted with, Zoe sought out Etta and Ranald Mackenzie to thank them for their hospitality. She found them in their enormous kitchen where, as usual, Kate’s mother was surrounded by food she had lovingly prepared for others. Ranald sat at the dining table with a small child asleep on his knee. He looked frailer than she had ever seen him.
Etta gave Zoe a hug. ‘I’m so glad you could make it. Kate said you were out all day so you must be tired.’
‘I am, a little. I don’t sleep well at the moment, what with this heat and being the size of a bus.’
‘I remember that feeling all too well. You mustn’t overdo things.’ Etta lifted a cool-bag from the kitchen unit behind her. ‘I made far too much food, so I’ve put a few bits and pieces in here for you. And half a dozen eggs.’
Zoe knew better than to protest. Losing her mother and being brought up by elderly, somewhat distant grandparents had made her self-reliant and unused to being fussed over. However, in the past few months her relationship with the older woman had developed in a way she would once have resisted: Etta treated her if not quite like a daughter, then a beloved niece. And Zoe took pleasure in this.
Clutching the cool-bag, she went back outside. The guests had thinned out now, the old and very young having departed for their beds, so she easily spotted Mac on the lawn curled up next to Peggy at Patrick’s feet. Patrick introduced her to the couple he was with and offered her his seat.
‘No thanks, I’m going home now.’ As if on cue, Mac rose and came to her side. She slipped the lead over his head, glad her dog wasn’t as low-slung as a dachshund.
‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ Patrick said, picking up the cool-bag.
They were passing the row of lavender bushes when Zoe heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Robbie hurrying towards them.
‘Can I visit you tomorrow morning before we go back to Edinburgh?’ he asked. ‘I’d be interested in seeing what’s been done to the cottage, if that’s alright with you.’
Zoe thought this a little strange but said, ‘Of course it is.’
They agreed on eleven o’clock, the exact time Kate would be meeting with her ex-husband.
SEVEN
Zoe gave up trying to get back to sleep at four in the morning. It was Sunday after all, so she made herself a pot of tea and returned to bed, accompanied this time by Mac. No longer permitted to spend the night with her, the dog flopped down with a contented sigh. He was more than a year old now and she hoped he would accept the presence of a small human in their home when the time came. She should maybe ask Patrick what, if anything, could be done to minimise the dog’s inevitable jealousy. This thought led to other, less welcome ones, like whether Kate was right about the vet’s interest in her and if so, how to handle him. Should she tackle the issue head-on and give him the just-good-friends option, or simply ignore it and wait to see what happened? Instead of reaching a decision, she leaned over for the book on her bedside cabinet.
The previous night’s weather forecast had promised a day even hotter than had been experienced thus far in the record-busting Scottish summer, so she got ready to take Mac out not long after six. Although never a fan of team sports, she had been active all her life and saw no reason to stop just because she was pregnant. She could still walk as far as ever, albeit more slowly; it was the getting ready that took time and effort. In addition to her mobile and Mac’s biscuits, she must now carry
The baby kicked. ‘I hear you,’ Zoe said. ‘Let’s go and get some food.’
The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough, but just before ten o’clock, tired from driving to Moffat and back, and weary of endless baby talk from most of the people she chatted with, Zoe sought out Etta and Ranald Mackenzie to thank them for their hospitality. She found them in their enormous kitchen where, as usual, Kate’s mother was surrounded by food she had lovingly prepared for others. Ranald sat at the dining table with a small child asleep on his knee. He looked frailer than she had ever seen him.
Etta gave Zoe a hug. ‘I’m so glad you could make it. Kate said you were out all day so you must be tired.’
‘I am, a little. I don’t sleep well at the moment, what with this heat and being the size of a bus.’
‘I remember that feeling all too well. You mustn’t overdo things.’ Etta lifted a cool-bag from the kitchen unit behind her. ‘I made far too much food, so I’ve put a few bits and pieces in here for you. And half a dozen eggs.’
Zoe knew better than to protest. Losing her mother and being brought up by elderly, somewhat distant grandparents had made her self-reliant and unused to being fussed over. However, in the past few months her relationship with the older woman had developed in a way she would once have resisted: Etta treated her if not quite like a daughter, then a beloved niece. And Zoe took pleasure in this.
Clutching the cool-bag, she went back outside. The guests had thinned out now, the old and very young having departed for their beds, so she easily spotted Mac on the lawn curled up next to Peggy at Patrick’s feet. Patrick introduced her to the couple he was with and offered her his seat.
‘No thanks, I’m going home now.’ As if on cue, Mac rose and came to her side. She slipped the lead over his head, glad her dog wasn’t as low-slung as a dachshund.
‘I’ll walk you to your car,’ Patrick said, picking up the cool-bag.
They were passing the row of lavender bushes when Zoe heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Robbie hurrying towards them.
‘Can I visit you tomorrow morning before we go back to Edinburgh?’ he asked. ‘I’d be interested in seeing what’s been done to the cottage, if that’s alright with you.’
Zoe thought this a little strange but said, ‘Of course it is.’
They agreed on eleven o’clock, the exact time Kate would be meeting with her ex-husband.
SEVEN
Zoe gave up trying to get back to sleep at four in the morning. It was Sunday after all, so she made herself a pot of tea and returned to bed, accompanied this time by Mac. No longer permitted to spend the night with her, the dog flopped down with a contented sigh. He was more than a year old now and she hoped he would accept the presence of a small human in their home when the time came. She should maybe ask Patrick what, if anything, could be done to minimise the dog’s inevitable jealousy. This thought led to other, less welcome ones, like whether Kate was right about the vet’s interest in her and if so, how to handle him. Should she tackle the issue head-on and give him the just-good-friends option, or simply ignore it and wait to see what happened? Instead of reaching a decision, she leaned over for the book on her bedside cabinet.
The previous night’s weather forecast had promised a day even hotter than had been experienced thus far in the record-busting Scottish summer, so she got ready to take Mac out not long after six. Although never a fan of team sports, she had been active all her life and saw no reason to stop just because she was pregnant. She could still walk as far as ever, albeit more slowly; it was the getting ready that took time and effort. In addition to her mobile and Mac’s biscuits, she must now carry
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