Page 71 of A Bridge Through Time
Cailin looked puzzled as he turned to Ashley, worry in his gray eyes. “Why did he look at me that way? Does he think I did this to ye?”
Before Ashley could respond, she heard the doctor out in the hallway. “Ah, Senior Constable Douglas, Miss Moore is right in here.”
“Thank you, doctor.” A police constable entered the room and gave all three of them an appraising look before introducing himself and taking their names. “I’d like to speak with Miss Moore alone, please,” he announced briskly.
“Of course, Senior Constable. Come along Cailin.” Edna took Cailin’s arm and headed out into the hall to wait, offering Ashley an anxious smile as she dragged Cailin along behind her.
When the door closed, Senior Constable Douglas stood at the end of the bed and glanced down at his notebook. “So, Miss Moore, tell me how you came to arrive at the Emergency Room in this condition.” His gaze lingered over the cuts and bruises on Ashley’s face. “Did your boyfriend have anything to do with this?” he asked, watching her closely when she answered.
“Of course not,” Ashley replied, irritated that anyone could think Cailin was capable of hurting her.
“Are you sure? You needn’t be afraid to talk to me. I understand you may be wary of the repercussions of admitting if it was him, but rest assured, we will protect you.”
“I just told you, Cailin didn’t do this! I’m not lying and I’m not afraid of him.”
“Well, then perhaps you can tell me exactly how this occurred.” He waved his hand in the direction of her bruised and battered face and throat.
“Cailin and I were camping. We had hiked out from The Thistle and Hive hotel, where we’ve been staying with Edna Campbell. Apparently, we were followed by two men and when Cailin went to gather firewood for our campsite, they grabbedme and dragged me off with them. I tried to fight back as best I could, but there were two of them against one. That’s where I got all these cuts and bruises.”
“What about the marks on your throat?” Douglas eyed her suspiciously, as if he didn’t believe a word she’d spoken.
“As I said, I was trying to fight them and one of them got really angry. He tried to choke me.” Tears filled her eyes at the very real memory of Roger’s attempt at choking her. “I thought I was going to die,” she whispered.
Douglas wrote some notes. “What happened next?”
“That’s when Cailin found us. The big guy let me go and Cailin fought them both off. I tried to help him, and in the process, my arm was sliced open and I got thrown to the ground and hit my head. I must have broken my arm in the fall. I think I passed out then, because the next thing I recall, I was back at The Thistle and Hive.”
“Can you describe your assailants?”
Ashley described Thomas and Roger to him in great detail. Both men were dead back in the sixteenth century, but Douglas no doubt was determined to solve this crime and she’d rather send him on a wild goose chase, than have the police focus on Cailin as a suspect.
***
Outside Ashley’s room, Cailin and Edna were answering the very same questions for another police constable, when Senior Constable Douglas joined them.
He focused his attention on Cailin. “Suppose you tell us what really happened, lad,” he said.
Cailin bristled at the implication. “What do ye mean? I just told this man exactly what happened.”
“I think you understand my meaning. Why would you want to hurt such a lovely lass as that?”
“I wouldnae.” Cailin’s anger grew at their assumption that he had been the one to cause Ashley’s injuries. “I love Ashley and I wouldnae do anythin’ to harm her,” he growled.
“It seems you have quite a temper there, young man,” Douglas provoked.
Edna put a cautious hand on Cailin’s arm, silently warning him to remain calm. “Senior Constable, I can vouch for Cailin MacBayne. He is a kind and caring young man, who loves that girl verra much. It is certainly not in his character to harm any woman, least of all Ashley. I am appalled that you would suggest he is to blame.”
Douglas turned to Edna, lifting an eyebrow. “Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. I’m sure you know that in most of these cases, we have to eliminate family and friends from our list of suspects first. We can’t be too careful.” He gave Cailin another ugly look. “Naturally, we’ll be doing our best to find these two fellows you say attacked Miss Moore, but we’ll no doubt have more questions for you. Don’t leave the area. We’ll be in touch.”
“I dinnae like that man,” Cailin whispered to Edna as they watched the two police constables stride down the hallway.
“I think the feeling is mutual, dear.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s go get our Ashley and be on our way, shall we?”
THIRTY-SIX
The drive back to the inn was filled with Cailin’s questions, as he tried to figure out exactly how the car worked and what Edna was doing to make it go. Ashley sat in the back with a huge grin plastered on her face. Cailin had wanted to sit beside her, but she encouraged him to sit up front with Edna, knowing he would be fascinated by the process of driving. Edna patiently explained the accelerator, the brakes, the turn signal, the horn, and the windshield wipers. The car seemed much too small for Cailin’s large frame, but he appeared to be quite comfortable. Ashley giggled hysterically each time he threw his hands onto the dashboard as they came up behind another car, or when headlights came towards them.
“I dinnae think Cadeyrn can go this fast, even if I give him his head,” he said in amazement.
