A Double Death on the Black Isle (45 page)

“Don't you like it?” Hector asked.

“I haven't looked at it,” Rob told them. “I thought Joanne might not appreciate having a framed photo of the scene of a crime hanging on her wall.”

“For the last time, Rob, it is
not
the scene of a crime. Sandy's death was an accident.” Joanne said this with more conviction than she felt. “But thank you both for the idea, I'd love one of your pictures, Hector.”

“The bull with his dangly bits?”

“Rob!” she laughed.

“Come over to ma studio,” Hec said, “choose a photo for yourself.”

“I will.” She added her finished copy to the tray in the center of the table then rolled her shoulders asking, “Anyone fancy going out for a coffee?”

“Me.” Rob stood.

“I'll see you there,” Hec said.

“I want to finish filing this lot.”

With a pencil, he was marking the file number on the back of the prints, filling in the corresponding numbers and a brief description in the photo ledger. He worked quickly; in this and only this, he was neat, tidy, accurate.

He picked up the envelope Rob had given back and took
out the print from his May Day jaunt to the Falls of Foyers. He looked at it carefully, trying to decide whether to file it or not.

No,
he thought,
I'll keep it—if it were printed in a newspaper, those two wee figures standing next to each other on the edge of the falls would look like dirty smudges. Pity,
he thought,
they give perspective to the photo, show the height and the depth and the magnificence of the falls.

You really can't make out the figures clearly,
he thought.
I never even saw them when I took the shot. That person is standing far too close to the edge, makes it look really scary. But no,
Hector decided
the focus isn't good enough. A pity.

He put the photograph back into the envelope, and hesitated.
Was it a three? Maybe a two? No—a three for third rate,
he decided and wrote the date on the envelope.

He put the envelope into his satchel, to file later in his private collection of over five thousand prints, and like most of the photographs in the file marked “three,” it would be forgotten about.

Even after Hector was famous, and his work sought after, it would not be archived along with his more famous portraits—like the one of the Aberdeen Angus bull in all his glory.

Highland Gazette

October 27, 1957

Mrs. Janet Ord Mackenzie of Achnafern Grange, the Black Isle, Ross & Cromary plead guilty to the manslaughter of Fraser Munro of Achnafern Estate on April of this year.

Mrs. Ord Mackenzie was sentenced to six years imprisonment.

Highland Gazette

November 16, 1957

Births

Mr. Iain Ord Mackenzie of Achnafern Grange is pleased to announce the birth of his first grandchild. A daughter, Morag Agnes, was born to Patricia Skinner née Ord Mackenzie at Raigmore Hospital on the 3rd November. Mother and baby are well.

Highland Gazette

December 18, 1957

Engagements

Mr. Iain Ord Mackenzie of Achnafern Estate is pleased to announce the engagement of his only daughter, Patricia, to Mr. Calum Sinclair of Thurso, Caithness. The marriage will take place in March of next year.

To my friends in Cat Cat View Hotel, Sa Pa, Vietnam, for looking after me as I write. To Pete Wilkes for his love, his wise words, and for always dropping everything to go on a bike ride. To Dilh Khac Tiep, a true artist and inspiration. To Glenn McVeigh, dear friend and “handbag,” thanks for the encouragement, the wine and cups of tea, and for listening. To Tran Duc, chef extraordinaire at Mango Mango, Hoi An, and to Le and little Mai for the love and friendship and excellent food. To Ian Munro, best barman ever. To my friends in Cat Cat View Hotel, Sa Pa, Vietnam, for looking after me as I write. To Tom Greenwood, thanks for the always interesting insights into the manuscript in progress.

A special thanks to Indica Nolan for being such a wonderful companion.

Thank you as ever to Sheila Drummond, of the Drummond Agency, agent and good friend, thank you for all the hard work you put into caring for your authors. Peter McGuigan of Foundry Media was his usual self—patient, funny, encouraging, and, most of all, he believes in his authors.

To all the team at Atria, especially Sarah Cantin, whom all work away quietly in the background, your efforts and hard work are much appreciated.

Most of all, I owe a huge debt of thanks (which seems such an inadequate word) to Sarah Durand, my editor. Sarah, throughout the most difficult year of my life, you showed me love, patience, encouragement, and never stopped believing this book would be completed. I could not have done it without you.

Finally to Hugh, light of my life, who never got to read the ending.

A D
OUBLE
D
EATH
ON
THE
B
LACK
I
SLE

A. D. S
COTT

A R
EADERS
C
LUB
G
UIDE

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Joanne and Patricia's friendship is based on their shared history, but no longer translates as clearly to their present. Look closely at their interactions. How does their relationship evolve over the course of the novel? What moments in the text serve as particular turning points?

2. Were you familiar with the Tinkers (or Travelers) before reading this novel? Are there other minority groups that you find them similar to?

3. Rob is offered a job at the bigger, fancier newspaper in Aberdeen, but he decides to stay at the
Highland Gazette.
Did you agree with his decision?

4. As Rob thinks through Joanne's excuses for her bruises, he hits upon the truth: “
Joanne, it's simple. Take him to court, have him locked away
. And to his almost twenty-year-old thinking, it
was
that simple.” To the narrator and Joanne herself, however, it clearly isn't. What do you think?

5. Family loyalty is critically important in this novel. Discuss the instances in which the actions or decisions
of various characters are directly tied to a desire to protect their relatives or family name. Did you think that the lengths these individuals went to were always justified?

6. On
p. 194
, Joanne is suffering through another sleepless night when it occurs to her:
“I can't go on like this. I am allowing Bill to win. I will no longer let him win.”
In what ways does Joanne change her behavior after this moment in the text?

7. Compare Mrs. Munro and Joanne, and the relationship that each woman shares with Patricia. In what ways are they similar, and in what ways are they different?

8. Place is a very significant concept within the novel and is tied very closely to character. On
page 27
Scott writes: “The Black Isle . . . was an island of the mind rather than geography.” What is she saying here about both the physical characteristics of the Scottish Highlands and about the people who inhabit it?

9. Joanne recognizes in herself “that trait that seemed to be one of mothers and women in general, that catch-all phrase used when help was offered—I can manage. Yes she could manage, but only by being first in, last out.” Though much has changed for working women since the 1950s, do you think this has?

10. There are multiple mother-daughter relationships depicted in the novel, and while some are quite loving,
others are more fraught. What is the role of the mother in this book and in the society that Scott portrays? Consider both birth mothers and those women who serve as mother figures for those who are not their biological children.

11. Hector's photographs are an important aspect of the revamped
Highland Gazette.
Consider the role that the written word plays in the novel in comparison to the photographic image. How does each help tell the stories behind the novel's unsolved mysteries?

12. In one of their candid conversations, McAllister says to Joanne, “It's the nature of the job . . . we are part of the town but apart.” What does he mean by this? Do you think this statement applies to all journalists?

13. Scott depicts domestic interiors with great detail. Find the moments in the text when we are taken inside a character's home. What do we learn about their personalities from the descriptions of their space?

14. In their last exchange, Patricia says to Joanne, “Whatever happened to Sandy Skinner was an accident and I really don't care if you believe me or not.” What do you think happened? Do you believe Patricia?

 

ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB

• If you haven't read
A Small Death in the Great Glen
, consider reading it on your own or as a group. You might also consider how your reading experience is affected by thinking of a book as a sequel or prequel.

• Reread the May Day scene on
page 72
–74. Consider researching May Day rituals from other cultures or sharing with the group another memorable holiday ritual that you recall from your childhood.

• Imagine that you are casting the film version of
A Double Death on the Black Isle.
Who do you imagine playing the novel's main characters?

 

A CONVERSATION WITH A. D. SCOTT

This is your second novel. How did your writing process for this book compare to that of
A Small Death in the Great Glen
? Was one more of a challenge than the other?

Writing this novel was difficult for a number of reasons but mostly because with a second book, there are expectations—expectation (mostly self-imposed) that the book will be to the standard and hopefully better than the first. Musicians call it “the second album syndrome”—I now know what they mean!

How did your experience working at a newspaper inform your descriptions of life at the
Highland Gazette?

I worked on a local newspaper for a year but as an advertising manager, so Mrs. Smart, the business manager of the
Gazette,
has all my sympathies. Also the paper where I worked was using an old printing press and so I was able to see the physical process of typesetting. “Putting the paper to bed” once a week was a real adrenaline high. That and the sense that the whole community feels they own their local paper is what I gleaned most from working on a small town weekly newspaper.

Were you already thinking about the plot of
A Double Death on the Black Isle
as you were writing
A Small Death in the Great Glen?

The plots of the first three books in the
Highland Gazette
series were worked out from the beginning. I knew right from the start how the central characters and the fate of the
Highland Gazette
would progress, but in very broad terms. Alongside the development of the paper I also wanted to show the progression of the decade (the 1950s) as it moved on from wartime towards a new society. What I didn't know were the many characters outside of the
Gazette
that I would meet along the way.