‘Where's today's Scotsman, Maggie?' Skinner peered over the pile of correspondence on his desk.
It's in Ruth's office, sir.' Without being asked she rose from her seat and left the room to fetch the newspaper.
`That's an odd story about the murder on the front page, sir,' she said, returning to hand the broadsheet across the desk. 'It's unusual for the Scotsman to give credence to an anonymous letter.'
He glanced at the front page. 'Yes, but look how they're reporting it.
" Police were studying a mysterious unsigned letter handed in to the Scotsman office yesterday, to establish whether it might be linked to Sunday's murder of Edinburgh millionaire Michael White, at the luxury Witches' Hill Golf Club, where the world's richest golf event begins on Thursday."
It goes on to say that the phrase may have connotations in witchcraft, but that no one yesterday could pin it down. Based on that they leap to the conclusion that there may be a coven active in the area today.'
Rose looked at him, puzzled. 'All a bit tenuous, isn't it, sir?'
He grinned. 'So you might say, but it lets the editor put an "exclusive" tag on her story, and it's colourful enough to tempt every other newspaper in the land into following it up. And with the Scotsman holding the only copy of the letter in circulation, apart from the original, it's a real feather in their cap.'
The grin widened still further. 'Anyway, it isn't as tenuous as you think!'
The Inspector was intrigued. 'What d'you mean?'
Skinner reached behind him, into the pocket of his jacket, which was hung over the back of his chair, and took out a tape cassette, in its clear plastic box. 'Wait till you hear this,' he said.
It's a copy of something that's been lying in my attic for nearly twenty years.' He explained the origins of the cassette, then reached into his briefcase, and took out the original of the Scotsman letter.
I'd like to know more about this story. The child on this tape says that the story was told to her by her great-grandmother. But where did she get it from? Is it commonplace? Is it documented at all? Is it just a local legend, or does it have any historical basis?
`You see, Mags, while it's probable that this letter is just the work of a crank,' he waved the single sheet in the air as he spoke, 'there is just an outside chance that it's a confession of murder.
`So here's your chance to do some real detective work. The Scotsman experts couldn't come up with anything, but they didn't have this tape. Let's see if you can do better. I want you to make an appointment at Edinburgh University to see Henry Wills, the Registrar. He's a good friend of ours, and a historian into the bargain. When he was teaching, his speciality was Scottish History. You play that tape to Henry, and see if it excites him.
And once you've done that, perhaps you'd better check on the present whereabouts of the grown-up Lisa Soutar.'