Skinner’s round

She looked at him, hesitant. 'Well I've worked out that James Carr framed Agnes and the other two women because they were an embarrassment to him, and he wanted them out of the way.'

`Good. I've got a document back in Gullane which will take you the rest of the way. I'll show it to you after this lot's over. In the office tomorrow, maybe.'

I can't wait.' They walked in silence for a few paces, until Rose looked up at him again. 'Sir, I know I'm being presumptuous, but I've got to say this. I'm glad that things seem to be all right again between you and Mr Martin.'

Ski

`That's good,' she gulped. 'In that case, as well as coming to the wedding, I wonder if you'd give me away. My dad's dead, as you know, and I've got no brothers or uncles, and there's no one I'd rather.. Or is that really too presumptuous?'

He stopped in his stride and looked at her, straight-faced. `Maggie, giving you away would be an honour…' he broke into a grin.. provided I get you back after the honeymoon.'

The grin became more quizzical. 'You never know, it might be a dress rehearsal.'

Before she could ask him what he meant, she was interrupted by a cry from down the walkway, beyond the bookmaker's tent. 'Miss Rose! Maggie!'

Both she and Ski

She was beaming and her eyes were shining with delight. She wore a brightly coloured top and jeans with a look of newness about them. Beside her in a buggy was a small girl, her hair in bright ribbons.

Maggie's eyes widened. 'My God. Lisa! Is that you?'

The woman rushed towards them, pushing the buggy as fast as she could. The drab, wan creature Maggie had met in Germany had vanished. In her place, the new Lisa Soutar was confident and effervescent.

`What the devil are you doing here?' Maggie asked as she reached them. 'What's happened?'

Lisa smiled. 'I've been looking for you. I rang your office and they said that you'd be here. I just wanted to find you and thank you.'

`Thank me? For what?'

`For waking me up, that's what. When you came to see me the other day, I was suddenly ashamed of the way I must have looked to you. And just talking to you about the curse and everything, I realised all at once just what my nana had done to my life. I decided there and then that I'd never do that to wee Cherry.

`Then when you phoned to tell me about the Bible, and what it was worth, the rest just fell away too. I thought to myself, "Bugger it, wumman, this is your chance to change your life!"

And so there and then I packed up; I bought a plane ticket; I took my Bible from that bank vault, and I brought my daughter, and it, back home. Cherry and me, we're here for good. The Bible's here only until I can sell the bloody thing. As for Nana's warning, ah'll take my chance wi' the Devil! And as for the Witch's Curse, it's a good story, so maybe someone will help me write a book about it.'

Maggie threw back her head and laughed with delight. 'Yes, and Lisa, I know the very man!'

She paused. 'But what about your husband?'

`That miserable bugger!' she snorted. 'I have to thank you for that too. When you looked at the way we were living, when you looked at his fancy hi-fi stuff in the house and then at me in my shabbiness, you looked so bloody angry. I realised that I was angry too, only I'd been too feart to let it out.

`So as far as Corporal Davies is concerned, he can… well, saving the presence of wee Cherry and the gentleman here, do you know the phrase, "Piss up a rope"? All I have to do now is arrange things so that when I sell the Bible, he doesn't get a single pe

`Lisa,' said Maggie, 'it's a hell of a word to use about this, but you're magic!'

She stopped. 'But listen, I'm sorry. You've been thanking me. This is the man you should thank. This is my boss, ACC Ski

Lisa looked up at him, and her mouth dropped open. She looked suddenly sad. 'Oh, you poor man. You know, I still remember your wife like yesterday. She was so nice. I remember you too. What must finding that tape have done to you?'

Ski

Sixty-nine

Ski

`Team, could you do me a favour?' Ski

`Name it, my friend,' said Darren Atkinson, with a smile, although his eyes were begi

`Could you sign something for me? I can't let this week go by without having a memento of it.' He produced an event programme. 'Hah,' said Darren, 'a punter at heart!' He took the programme, signed it with a flourish, then passed it to Hideo Murano.

As the Japanese automobile heir and the millionaire singer added their signatures, Ski

McGuire looked relieved by her lack of confidence.

Atkinson gathered the team together. 'Look, boys. This is crunch time. The team event's sewn up. We couldn't lose that if we tried. But in the individual event, I've got a million quid to secure, and I don't want to win it just by a shot or two. Bob, here, he's got something pretty big to go for too. He's in sight of the scratch amateur prize, and he could even shoot lower than one or two of the pros.'

Norton Wales cut in. 'So what you're saying, Darren, boyo, is that you'd like Hideo and me to keep out of the road of you two.'

Atkinson looked flustered by his directness. 'I don't want to be rude, but yes. That's about it.'

`Rude, man! Considering what's at stake, you've been magic all week. Don't worry about us.

There's nothing in the rules to say we have to play, and we won't add anything to the effort, so for today I'll just be a spectator like that lot there. How do you feel, Hideo?'

Beside him, the Japanese nodded emphatically. He and Wales withdrew to the back of the tee, to explain the change of plan to their caddies, and to pay them for their shortest day's work ever.

For the fourth time, the a

Ski

`Why's that?' asked Atkinson, pointing to the hill.

Oh we just want to keep any curious spectators off the hill after play, that's all. It's quite a historic site, after all. Or aren't you into history?'