Quaranteam - Hebridean Hame Ch. 18

This is an ongoing story set in CorruptingPower's Quaranteam Universe, written with his permission.

As usual, my thanks go to the other QT authors who contributed to editing, made valuable suggestions, and whose work I recommend you check out.

Based in Scotland during the DuoHalo/COVID pandemic, this story is slower-burning than most other QT stories.

Constructive comments are always welcome!

****

Character list:

Callum: Former civil servant now working as a consultant for a company linked to the rollout of the UK vaccine, while also running/maintaining a highland island holiday retreat. Scottish, 35 years old.

Sarah: Callum's childhood best friend, daughter of the islands now deceased owners and escapee from a abusive relationship. Scottish, 35 years old. Imprinted on Callum.

Mira: Trained, though unregistered nurse, who was one of the three staff members working on the island prior to lockdown. Scottish, 28 year old of Indian descent. Not yet imprinted.

Emma: Semi-famous qualified chef, previously employed to provide for the islands guests. Scottish, 26 year old and of mixed European (Spanish/French/Scottish) descent. Not yet imprinted.

Alison: Previously the islands housekeeper. Speed freak and artist. Scottish, 24 year old of Polish descent with a significant hearing impairment. Not yet imprinted.

Nicole: Trainee vet and besides Sarah, the only other arrival on the island since lockdown. 21 years old from Newcastle, mixed white/Hong Kong descent. Imprinted on Callum.

Catherine: A guest on the island during lockdown, a Solicitor Advocate, and normally a resident of Edinburgh. 46 years old, Scottish. Imprinted on Callum.

Lauren: Callum's first prospective local match with a stranger via the Delphi system.

Sarah's ex/Steven: ex-husband and sergeant in Police Scotland.

Joanne/Jo: Emma's long term flatmate-with-benefits, Scottish, residing in Edinburgh. Not imprinted, unaware of the vaccine.

---XVIII---

Quaranteam: Hebridean Hame, Chapter 18

Early Morning, Tuesday, 6th October 2020

Eilean Arthriagh, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

"Try it again!" Callum said, leaning around the side of the mini digger and tapping Alison on the shoulder, careful not to get the grime now covering his hands on her clothing.

She glanced back at him before hurriedly turning the key.

Nothing happened.

"Fucking... Pile... of..." Callum swore under his breath, resting his oily hands on the hinged engine bay bonnet.

This morning's plan had been simple. With Emma and Alison having arrived from the lodge, he and Alison were going to recover the Land Rover from where it had been stuck near the house since the heavy rain a few days before. He'd intended to use the power of the machine in front of him to make the task easy. Only it wouldn't start. His go-to had been to replace the battery and top up various fluid levels, but to no avail.

Alison looked back at him, her hopeful look quickly falling away as she saw his expression.

He waved a hand idly, "Not your fault, sorry." he said, aware of how sensitive a subject the whole ditching - and recovery - of the vehicle was for her.

She gave a pained smile in response, before looking behind him and offering the approaching figure a small wave.

Returning his attention to the task at hand, the oily contents of the engine bay stared back at him. As inscrutable now as they had been thirty minutes before. Engines really were not his thing.

"It's what my dad called a typical island task. Though he also used more swear words." Sarah said as she arrived beside him, holding a thick binder of instruction manuals.

"I remember him calling things island jobs, but I was never sure what he meant," Alison replied, swinging her legs out of the cab and turning fully in her seat to better see what he was saying.

"It's when you go to do one job..." Callum began to explain.

Only for Sarah to seamlessly take over from behind him. "But you need to fix the thing you need to use for that job. Then fix the thing you needed to fix the other thing. And at the end of the day, you've replaced a bulb and a fuse, found a screwdriver you'd lost last time you fixed something, disassembled the lawnmower and are nowhere near finishing the job you started out to do."

"That example feels pretty specific," Alison responded with a laugh.

"It very much is," Sarah replied, her own smile turning wistful as she began flicking through the documents in the binder she'd retrieved from the house. A binder her father had filled, with careful notes added to the covers of various manuals in his scratchy handwriting.

Finding the relevant page, she scanned the notes Rory had left on the front page of the mini excavator's manual. "Right. Dad had trouble getting this thing started before. This is what he did..."

****

Callum stood back, well out of the excavator arm's reach, watching as Alison jerkily scraped away with the bucket, her tongue peeking from between her lips in concentration.

He'd seen her concentrate like this before, when she was painting, and he grinned at how cute she looked. It hadn't taken him long to show her how to control the mechanical arm - though in truth, he'd had limited experience of using it himself.

But it felt important for Alison to be involved in recovering the Land Rover. If not for the benefit of her confidence, then to show the trust he had in her.

The noise of the diesel engine, as well as the sound of metal scratching at rocky earth, drowned out the late autumn birdsong. While still windy - the tail end of Storm Alex - the weather was far calmer, reducing the movement of the trees around them.

After all of the weather, the ground remained soft underfoot, but the surface water had gone. Callum would have preferred to wait until the ground fully firmed up, but at this time of year, that might not happen until the first properly cold period. Which then meant dealing with ice and frozen mud, rather than just mud.

With more jerky movements of the bucket, Alison paused at the controls, looking over at him questioningly. He moved forward, examining her efforts.

While there were still a few places he'd have liked to see smoothed out, they would be minor work with a spade. He gave Alison a thumbs up and then mouthed 'well done'.

Alison positively beamed in response, going so far as to do a little seated dance, which ended with her laughing.

Callum laughed in response, before mouthing 'okay, curl the bucket and bring the machine closer.'

She nodded, her tongue emerging again as she tentatively prodded at the arm controls, grimacing as her first attempt sent the arm toward him, before she hurriedly corrected her error.

'Sorry', she signed as he took a few steps back.

With exaggerated care, Alison followed his directions, lifting and curling the excavator arm and moving closer to the ditched vehicle. He signalled her to stop and turn off once he judged she'd reached the correct distance, and began rigging up the tow line from the Land Rover, looping it around the excavator arm.

While he busied himself, Alison simply watched. For Callum, the absence of mechanical noise was particularly noticeable. The local wildlife appeared to increase in volume to fill the silence.

"Right," he said from beside her cab, having quickly smoothed out the various lumps and bumps with his shovel. "One of us can go in the Landy, and the other drives this thing. The aim is to move at the same time, just to give the Landy some extra traction."

Alison nodded. "I'll stay here. If that's okay?"

"That's great. I'll wave when it's time to go. Just take it easy and start backing up. I don't think you'll have to mess with the bucket controls. Okay?" he asked, flashing her a confident smile.

"Yep." She replied nervously.

As he walked the short distance to the Land Rover, Callum paused to check his handiwork, satisfied that his ad-hoc rope and knot work would be sufficient.

Still, sighing heavily as he sank into the driver's seat, "I hope this works," he muttered to himself.

****

The other ladies gathered outside the house as the mini-excavator, followed by the retrieved Land Rover, slowly made their way into the yard.

They cheered and applauded as Alison passed them. Callum couldn't see her face, but could see her wave and imagined she would be blushing from the attention. There was no sign of any shyness in her poise, though - she sat upright in the seat, obviously taking pride in the outcome of the morning's efforts.

From her grin when they'd freed the ditched vehicle, Callum was happy that his plan to involve Alison in the recovery had borne fruit.

The greeting Callum received from the ladies as he passed was more appreciative than celebratory, with Catherine giving him a deliberate nod, Nicole and Sarah offering smiles and both thumbs up, Mira winking while smiling, and Emma giving him a somewhat nervous smile and a single thumb up before tapping her watch with a raised eyebrow.

He grimaced, realising it must be close to her vaccination time.

Alison met him as he climbed out of the Land Rover, colliding firmly as she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Cal," she said, looking up at him with a massive grin.

"No need for that," he replied. "I'm just glad you were there to help."

Her smile flickered, uncertainty returning. "Well, still, it was me that..."

"And I've told you," Callum interrupted gently. "It wouldn't have mattered who was driving; the outcome would have been the same. And I couldn't have recovered the Land Rover without your help."

Alison's smile returned, though still unsure. "Sarah could have helped. And I know Mira would have tried."

"Sarah would have been thinking about her dad, like she was this morning. And Mira can't drive, as far as I know. The others had a chance to volunteer, and none of them did," he explained. "Anyway, thank you. And I need to get sorted for Emma's vaccination."

"Oh, crap." Alison replied, pulling her phone out to check the time. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Just this," he said, dipping down to kiss her.

She grinned again, hugging him closer as she returned the kiss.

"You go get sorted," she told him when the kiss stopped.

****

Early Afternoon, Tuesday, 6th October 2020

Eilean Arthriagh, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

Having bid farewell to the others, Callum swung his leg over the quad bike. Despite there being another she could use, Emma decided to ride pillion.

The normally confident woman was, somewhat surprisingly, missing some of her bluster. She'd been quiet all morning, with her usually over-the-top flirting and double entendres being much reduced.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she pulled her helmet on. His own still hung from the quad's handlebars.

She made sure to clip the strap under her chin before replying. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nervous though. It feels oddly like I'd imagined I would feel before getting married. If I get married..."

Emma's comparison was interrupted by the house door opening, and Mira coming hurriedly out. "You forgot these," Mira said, handing Emma Callum's battered old backpack. "The trail cameras and the lock for the gate." Mira explained, answering the puzzled look Callum gave her over his shoulder.

Emma quickly donned the pack, as Callum nodded his understanding and flashed Mira an appreciative smile. "Thanks, they'd completely gone out of my mind."

Mira mouthed 'I know' before leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed, reaching forward to nudge the other woman's shoulder.

Mira stepped back with a slight scowl, her attention turning to Emma.

"It's my day today. I should get one of those." Emma insisted, tapping the side of her helmet.

Mira shared a look with Callum, laughed, shook her head, then leaned in and planted a small 'mwah', before telling Emma, "Don't have too much fun. Remember, you need to wait till you're back. Else Callum has my permission to float your unconscious bum back over to the island!"

Callum, donning his own helmet, nodded enthusiastically.

"If I'd known that was an option, I'd have worn my wetsuit!" Emma replied, tapping Callum on the shoulder.

Mira's confused response was lost in the noise of the Quad engine starting.

****

"I forgot about that fucking hill..." Emma panted as she rounded the final bend of the track, a few meters behind Callum. The ground ahead brightened as the trees thinned and the views opened up, thanks to the road and the elevation.

They'd left the house later than planned and were delayed in crossing to the mainland. The current, caused by an incoming tide, had required more effort to overcome than would normally be the case.

Then, after reaching the mainland and having left all the motorised transport back on the island, the pair had to hike up to the main road via the access track.

"Yeah, I've not done it on foot in a while, either. It always seems shorter and less steep in the car." Callum replied, not quite as out of breath, though his shoulders ached from the effort of rowing and the weight of the pack. A weight that had felt insubstantial at the bottom of the hill, but grew heavier as he tried to move swiftly upwards.

"Ah, they're here," he called back to Emma, having caught sight of a nondescript white people carrier type van parked up in the entryway to the track. A few steps more revealed that another vehicle was also parked a little further up the road.

"There's a police car as well," Callum said, mostly to himself.

"Probably just an escort." Emma offered, still trying to catch her breath. "You and Cathy saw that looted van last week. They wouldn't want the same thing happening to one carrying the vaccine." She stopped briefly, placing her hands on her hips as she stretched her back and tried to slow her breathing. Callum slowed, trying to avoid getting too far ahead. "I need to do more swimming," she said as she started walking after him. "I thought I was fit, but that hill really took it out of me."

"Different muscles," Callum called back to her, by way of a possible explanation.

"Still," she said, a sly smile appearing. "Today's the day my cardio regime improves..."

"Very funny." Callum replied, glad to see at least a spark of Emma's usual confidence. "Oh, and remember your facemask," he added, pulling his own from his pocket.

****

Early Afternoon, Tuesday, 6th October 2020

Mainland, near Eilean Arthriagh, Scotland

"So how many appointments are you guys doing a day?" Emma asked the shorter of the two female nurses. The one she addressed stood nearby, recording information on a tablet. Both nurses wore masks, leaving only their upper face visible.

The short one had brown, wavy hair, and extremely well-done eye makeup. It appeared to Callum as if she were making up for the effect of the facemask with carefully curled eyelashes and elaborate, almost Egyptian-style eyeliner.

The other nurse, who was tall and thin, with close-cropped bleached blonde hair and barely any makeup, had just finished giving Emma a quick physical examination. She'd carefully recorded blood pressure, height and weight - and was now fetching the vaccination from a small fridge in the van.

"Oh, it's varied so far each day," the short nurse answered, her accent showing she was a local lass. "We only started on Monday, so we're still getting to grips with things. It's been a nice change, though."

"Aye, good to get out of the hospital," the other nurse added flatly. As if even thinking about that option weighed her down. She gave a small sigh before continuing. "We've been all over. Mainly picking up, vaccinating and dropping off though, ye ken. We've nae had many stops like this. A few, but mainly existing wives and girlfriends, eh." Her accent differed from her colleague's, with Callum detecting an Aberdonian twang.

"Do you always have the police with you?" Callum asked, nodding towards the police car.

The tall nurse replied from inside the van as she drew the vaccine into a syringe, though his view of the medicine was blocked. "Aye. There's been a few issues on the roads lately, ye ken. A couple o' vehicles were robbed. There's folks out there who are getting desperate, eh. Running out of money and food. Lots of talk of looting as well."

Callum grimaced under his mask. "Yeah, I think we've seen some of that. Or the after effects, anyway."

The smaller nurse moved closer to the van while swiping through screens and opening a QR code reader. "Some of the isolated communities are taking matters into their own hands. We were out yesterday doing a collection and delivery, and there was a roadblock. Local lads parked over the road, blocking it. Anna here thought she saw shotguns, though I didn't. And the cops didn't either. Or at least, pretended they didn't."

"Nae like they could dae much." The other nurse said as she emerged, passing her colleague some small labels. The short nurse scanned those QR codes, her tablet acknowledging them with a 'beep'. The whole process was oddly similar to obtaining a prescription from a chemist, rather than the life-altering moment it would be for both him and Emma.

"No, I suppose not," Callum replied, watching carefully as the shorter nurse handed the tablet into the van and received a syringe in return.

She glanced at Callum, her eyes crinkling as she gave what might have been a reassuring smile, before she turned to Emma. "Right, Miss Roselyn, stretch your arm out this way for me."

****

They asked Emma to stay with them for a while after she received the injection, to make sure she had no unexpected reactions, and apologetically explained that they considered this especially important given the lack of any immediate source of medical treatment.

As a result, Emma and the two nurses were chatting, mainly about food. The taller nurse was something of a foodie and had eaten at a restaurant where Emma had worked years earlier. The conversation had quickly devolved into a comparison of various restaurants and dishes, with Emma name-dropping the occasional top chef.

Aware that it was unlikely Emma would want to hang around for long once she was done, Callum decided to make use of the waiting time. With a quick wave to Emma and a quiet "I'll be right back", he excused himself and began to scan the area around the access road, carefully considering the angles available from various positions. There were limited options, leaving not much room for internal debate. Quickly making his choices, he strapped three trail cams in places that appeared to offer the best vantage points.

Each camera was angled to cover either the access track and gate, or the gate and main road, including the small driveway-type layby off the main road where their bins and post locker stood. He tried to place the cameras where they would be unobtrusive - a task made much harder given the time of year and the dying back of all the bracken and foliage. But as he stepped back towards the road, he looked back and found that their plastic camouflage-painted cases had helped. He was reasonably sure someone would have to be looking for them in order to spot them.

In the end, he'd settled for attaching one to a telephone pole, one on a fence post, and one on a scraggly-looking low tree that had spent its existence trying to survive the weather beside this somewhat exposed stretch of road.

With this small job done, he next moved to the gate, establishing if there were any better - or worse - places to fasten the lock he'd brought from the house. While he did so, he also took a moment to examine the police car, the occupants of which had remained inside during Emma's vaccination.

Getting a good look for the first time Callum immediately recognised - despite the face mask she had hanging from one ear - the driver as the particularly young-looking special constable who had attended the car accident he had been witness to days before.

Days that now felt like a lifetime ago, following Sarah's arrival, then the revelations about the virus, the mortality rate and the vaccine's side effects.

He counted his lucky stars that he had some protection when so many were still without it. He was one of the lucky, safe ones. Assuming Emma's need for a 'cardio workout' didn't kill him. But there was some guilt there.

Giving himself a shake, Callum returned to his task, before he glanced again at the police car, this time focusing on the other occupant. Another policewoman - older looking than her companion, but looking younger than him, sat in the passenger seat. Likely under thirty. She'd turned in her seat to watch him, causing him to focus back on his bag.

"You know you're getting old when the police start looking young," he muttered to himself, dropping his attention to what he was doing as he crouched and opened his pack, retrieving the bicycle-style lock from within.

The distant sound of a car engine caused him to pause.

The sound struck him as being unusually alien. He'd not heard the police car and van arrive, but had been expecting to see at least one car. Since they arrived, no other traffic had passed, and the only sound had been that of the wind through the bare trees and the surrounding wildlife.

Of course, he was used to the sound of the electric-engined ATV or noisy quads on the island - and recently the sound of the excavator and Land Rover. But again, those were expected. Known.

This new noise was external and unknown. He had no idea who was driving, or what their intentions were.

Suddenly, he felt extremely exposed.

He slowly rose from his haunches as the noise grew louder, glancing across to Emma, who was also turning towards the unexpected sound. The two nurses had also taken notice, pausing their conversation to listen. Then the shorter one looked to the police car, as if for reassurance.

After a few moments, the car came into view. It was a silver Skoda Octavia with two occupants: a male and a female, visible as they descended the slope of the main road towards them. Callum could see that the female occupant was wearing a facemask, while the male's mask was usefully covering only his chin.

The Octavia slowed as it drew closer, before finally stopping beside the Police car. All eyes were on it as the male driver lowered his window, with the young police woman doing the same while hurriedly re-hooking her mask.

The male did not attempt to cover his own face.

The two chatted briefly, quietly, the words lost over the sound of the Octavia's idling engine.

Then the second police woman turned in her seat and pointed at Callum.

****

The silver car pulled forward slightly, still on the road but now with the driver's window between the two parked vehicles.

"Callum Scott." The man said his name as if it were a statement of fact, rather than a question.

"Who's asking?" Callum responded cautiously.

"The Police. CID." A sly smile flickered as the man answered. As if stating he was from the Criminal Investigation Division was answer enough.

Those plain-clothed detectives, made famous by hit TV shows such as Taggart and Rebus, formed a specialised part of Police Scotland. Detectives who investigated serious crimes rather than responding to immediate emergencies.

Callum also noted that the man's accent was decidedly Glaswegian.

So in response, Callum just shrugged.

The man's look hardened. "We're looking for information about Sarah Campbell."

Callum shrugged again. "I don't know anyone by that name. Who did you say you were?"

The hard look continued, and the delay in responding to Callum's answer lasted long enough to become uncomfortable.

When he finally spoke, the detective's voice was low, barely audible over the idling engine. "Don't try to play fucking games with me. This was her parents' land. Is she here?"

Callum clenched his jaw. 'Was' her parents' land. Alarm bells regarding this officer's motives were well and truly ringing.

So Callum did what any person confronted with an official misusing their authority should do. He pulled out his mobile phone and, very obviously, began filming. "I'm sorry," he replied in his very best 'helpfully unhelpful' civil servant voice. "What did you say your name was?"

****

"I take it that had something to do with Sarah's ex? That wasn't him, was it?" Emma asked as she walked up beside Callum, the pair of them watching the silver Octavia disappear down the road.

Callum shook his head while tucking his mobile back into his pocket. "That wasn't her ex. Maybe it was someone doing him a favour, though. Did you see him shut down his partner when she tried to say something? She didn't seem to know what was going on."

Emma rubbed the spot on her arm where she'd not long since received the vaccination as she continued to stare off down the road. "And the way he just drove off when you demanded his badge number... doesn't really make it look like an actual investigation. So you think it was just some dickhead throwing his weight around?"

"I think so. I hope so." Callum answered distantly. He shook his head, grimacing slightly in anger. "We need to find out who that arsehole was, and get Catherine to make a complaint."

She rubbed his elbow, gently squeezing it to make him look at her. "I could tell he was an arsehole by the way his mask only covered his chin." She said before chuckling. "I've got to say, it was pretty hot seeing you stand up to them like that," she added with a smirk.

He tutted in response. "That'll be the vaccine talking."

A question cut off Emma's reply from one of the nurses.

"What was that all about?" The shorter nurse asked the pair from her position near the van, her confused expression conveyed clearly despite the facemask she wore.

Callum glanced at Emma, flicking his eyes at the nurse. "Can you deal with them? I want to speak to the local cops."

"Sure," Emma responded, patting his bum before turning away. "We've no idea... something to do with a stolen car." She began loudly, re-engaging the two nurses in conversation.

Calmly, Callum walked up to the marked police car, which was still parked nearby. He made sure to approach from the driver's side, where the special constable he recognised sat.

He knocked lightly on the rear passenger window as he drew closer. "Afternoon, officers," he said politely, stepping to the side and keeping his body language non-confrontational.

The driver hurriedly hooked her mask back into place before she lowered her window. Both she and the other policewoman looked at him curiously, her colleague leaning forward in her seat for a better view. "Yes?" the driver answered.

"I'm Callum - I think we've met before. Last week, at a car accident just outside Kinlocheal?" Callum offered, making the effort to smile, even though his mask would cover the expression.

"Ah, yes. I thought I recognised you, I just couldn't place where from. The masks make it tricky," the young-looking special constable replied cautiously.

This close, Callum could see just how exhausted the young woman looked.

"No problems, I can imagine just how busy you all are right now. I take it since you two are on escort duty," Callum jerked his thumb back towards the van, "that you both know what it's about?"

Neither woman responded immediately, before the passenger replied, "We're not supposed to talk about it."

Callum nodded, making sure to smile again. "Well, yes. But given that you're here while one of my partners is getting her vaccination, it's safe to say I already know, isn't it?"

The driver turned to glance at her partner, who gave a little shrug. "I suppose so." She eventually answered.

"Great," Callum answered, nodding gently. "So the thing is, one of my partners got fucked over by a guy who filled in a questionnaire for her and tried to get her vaccinated without her knowing what it was for or what it would do to her. She found out and got away."

He paused, watching both pairs of eyes in the car widen in what he took to be a mixture of horror and shock.

"And I'm not sure how much you heard, but those two were asking questions about her. So I need to know who they were..."

****

Mid Afternoon, Tuesday, 6th October 2020

Eilean Arthriagh, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

"... then they just drove off," Emma narrated as Catherine, Alison, Sarah, Nicole and Mira crowded around the phone screen to watch the footage Callum had recorded.

Sarah's face was pale, and she stood with her hands gripping the back of a wooden chair. Mira looked worried, but was focused on Sarah. She'd rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder as soon as Callum had broken the news of his and Emma's encounter.

Alison frowned, eyes glued to the screen as the footage ended. She reached out and tapped the screen, rewinding it by ten seconds before watching intently again.

Nicole wore an expression of worry and confusion, looking between the others before her gaze settled on Callum. He could feel the need for reassurance in her look.

Catherine's jaw was clenched, her lips pressed so tightly together that barely any colour showed. As the video ended, she looked at Callum, her expression tightly controlled anger. "Will you send this to me?" She asked him, pulling out her own phone.

Callum nodded, tilting his head slightly to catch Alison's eye and check she'd finished watching.

"The other cop doesn't know what's going on," Alison directed at Callum, her voice overly loud, a regular occurrence during stressful situations.

Callum and the other women focused their attention on her.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

Alison tapped the screen again. She hit play, showing the last few moments of the encounter. "As they are pulling away, the passenger looks at the driver and says, 'What the fuck'. I can't make out more than that, but the way she is looking at him makes me think she was confused and annoyed."

Catherine huffed lightly. "I am not disputing what you can see, Alison," the solicitor said, "But there are any number of other reasons the passenger might have used that phrase. Perhaps the driver had not stuck to their plan in questioning Callum, or she was surprised at them driving off suddenly. As such, I do not believe we can draw any firm conclusions."

Alison gave a small shrug in reply, her shoulders slumping as her gaze fell to the table.

"I actually agree with Alison," Callum said, and Alison's attention immediately shifted up to him. He continued, "My impression during the whole conversation was that the passenger had no idea what was being discussed. Her attention was more on what her partner was saying than on my responses. I don't think she knew why I was being spoken to."

"Hmmm." Catherine replied, obviously unconvinced. "Do we know their names?"

"We're waiting," Emma answered. "Callum spoke to the two cops who were escorting the vaccine van. They didn't know them, but are going to find out quietly. One of them is going to text him later today."

Callum nodded, agreeing with Emma's explanation. "They said that those two," he gestured towards the phone, "were recently transferred in from Glasgow. Apparently, the local CID contingent was badly hit by the virus, so help has been temporarily drafted in from other areas to try and get on top of the looting issues," he added.

"But they did not know the names?" Catherine queried, her doubt evident in her tone.

"No. Everyone's busy, everyone's short-staffed. They said extra staff had arrived, but they couldn't put names to faces. Asking over the radio seemed like a bad idea." Callum shrugged.

Catherine nodded, a little of the tension leaving her shoulders. "I will start writing an update and further complaint. I can add the names once we have them. Do you have the name of the police liaison you spoke to last week?"

Callum rubbed his forehead and glanced at Sarah, who had remained still and quiet. "The Welsh woman? Errr..."

"Lily," Sarah said quietly. "Her name was Lily."

He nodded, gesturing towards Sarah. "That's it. Lily. I sent her a message on Teams, so I'll have her contact details."

"If you could obtain them, that would be useful," Catherine said.

"Eh," Emma interrupted with a slightly nervous grin. "I don't want to distract or anything, but Cal does have something else to do. Me."

Everyone looked at her. Even Sarah raised her focus from the table to Emma.

Emma held her hands up placatingly, looking at each person present in turn. "Sorry, I'm just saying - this all happened while I was getting my vaccination, and, well..."

****

"You should go. Don't keep Emma waiting." Sarah murmured.

Callum's hug kept her pulled close, her face pressed between his shoulder and neck.

He sighed, gave her another squeeze, then reluctantly pulled away. "Emma knows I needed to check in with you," he said, dipping his head to meet Sarah's eyes. "And I doubt that whether I go up now, or keep her waiting a while, she'll be any less gentle with me," he joked.

Despite herself, Sarah snorted a short laugh. "You really are scared of her, aren't you?"

He nodded enthusiastically in response. "Hell yes. I've been on the receiving end of her attention before, remember. I know how overwhelming she can be. And with the vaccine, that'll be dialled up to 100."

She snorted again, before sniffing and buffing her cheeks with the back of her hand. "He's not going to leave me alone, is he?" she sighed, the emotion in her voice coming close to choking off her words.

Callum clenched his jaw, feeling the familiar anger boiling up inside himself. He held back his emotions, knowing that showing them would only make Sarah more worried. "He will," he managed to reply, mentally forcing his jaw to unclench. "We'll make him."

****

Callum paused as he reached the top of the stairs, taking a breath as he tried to shake off his earlier anger. As well as to settle his nerves.

It occurred to him that each time he'd gone through this process, he had been nervous, but his feelings had been different. With Sarah, the predominant feelings had been of confusion and concern. He'd not had a full grasp of the implications at the time, and had little time to consider things.

With Catherine, his nerves had mainly been around their previously formal relationship, and worry about performing sexually with someone on what had seemed a fairly perfunctory and business-like basis. Then, there had been concern about her reaction to the first orgasm and the surprise of finding how engaged with him she'd actually been. And the cute way it became obvious her desires did not yet match her experience.

Nicole's imprinting had been exciting, but also nerve-racking, given how little they knew each other, as well as the age difference.

Mira's time had been sweet and almost clumsy in the best way. His nerves had then been those of any man on his first time with a partner he was extremely physically and emotionally attracted to. There had already been meaning and importance to the connection - one both of them felt.

Even thinking ahead to Alison's vaccination, there was anxiety. He worried about whether he could meet her emotional needs and how well they would connect physically. Her 'crush' on him heightened those concerns, rather than lessening them.

Of all the women on the island, his pairing with her was the most problematic. He had always found her attractive - both physically and emotionally. However, since learning about the virus, she was the one he'd consciously had to try to view differently. His sense of guilt that he was somehow taking advantage of her - the same emotion that had caused him to act so stupidly in his initial rejection of all the women - lingered. It was taking conscious effort for him to acknowledge that she had made the same choice in picking him as the other women had, and that any guilt he felt was due to his own hangups.

But with Emma, while the emotional connection was present, he knew that his attraction to her was largely physical and had always involved a strong sexual element. She'd spent months flirting and teasing him. Well, not just him, but as the only individual present who was actually attracted to women, he'd borne the brunt of her efforts. Not to mention their brief physical encounter at the Lodge before their world had turned upside down. Her confidence, the way she moved and danced around, and just her raw sexuality were all massive turn-ons for him. Even if that same sexual confidence was causing his current nerves.

Taking another deliberately deep breath, he composed himself before knocking on the bedroom door.

The response was a muffled "I'm in here," from Emma.

Opening the door and slipping inside, he could immediately see that the bathroom door was open, with light and steam spilling into the dimly lit bedroom. Her clothing was neatly folded on the end of the bed, and the sound of the shower running and water splashing told him exactly what state of dress she was in.

Thinking back to Sarah's previous advice regarding dealing with Emma - that he should try to push back against her advances and surprise her where he could - Callum closed the room door gently behind him before quickly stripping off his own clothes.

As he entered the bathroom, he could see through the steamy glass shower panels that Emma was facing away from him. Soap suds ran down over her back and legs, slipping down her lightly tanned looking skin as she slowly moved her hands over her body, leaning her head back with her eyes closed as she did so. In the bright white bathroom light and with the water flowing over her, Emma's Mediterranean heritage was far more apparent.

With her face raised, the arch of her spine pushed out her chest, making the soft swell of her large breasts visible on the sides of her torso. Soap suds ran down over those soft curves, contrasted by the definition and firmness of her shoulder muscles as she moved her hands up over her chest and throat. Her hair, still shorter on one side and longer on the other, was tied up in a messy bun, revealing her neck and shoulders.

The smell of her tropical bodywash filled the room, while the steam and fogged glass added an extra softness to her curves. Her pose, which appeared both vulnerable and relaxed, helped lend him some of the confidence he needed.

Callum had the distinct impression that this scene was deliberate. She'd expected him to watch - hence the open bathroom door. He doubted, however, that she expected him to join her. At least, not unprompted.

He moved quietly towards the shower door, and any sound his bare feet made on the tiles was drowned out by the noise of the water pattering on the floor. Only the click of the shower door opening revealed his presence.

Emma looked back at him over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised in surprise as she scanned down his body.

He stepped fully into the shower, his hands gliding over her hips as he held her there, his bodyweight causing her to step forward, her hands moving to brace herself against the tiles in front of her.

The shower door clicked closed behind him as Callum kissed the back of her shoulder, one hand sliding up the front of her body, gliding over her stomach and onto her breast as his other hand pulled her hips back against his.

Emma gasped, arching her head back onto his shoulder, her look of surprise giving way to a slight smirk-like smile.

"I wasn't expecting you to join me," she murmured as his kisses moved onto the side of her neck. His hand on her breast cupped and squeezed her flesh gently, his thumb brushing over her nipple.

Callum chuckled, moving his mouth up to Emma's ear even as he pushed forward with his hips, pressing his erection against her shapely rear. "You looked too good to ignore," he responded gently.

Emma hummed in appreciation, wriggling her hips back against him as her hands moved onto his. She squeezed them against her before carefully pulling them away and gracefully turning to face him.

They kissed, slowly and sensually, as she draped her arms over his shoulders, their similarity in height making their standing connection effortless. Callum reciprocated by holding her hips.

"Was Sarah okay?" Emma asked after they broke the kiss, her eyes on his, even as one of her hands moved from his shoulder, first to his hip and then between them and onto his erection.

He nodded, his breath catching as her hand made contact, circling the head of his cock before beginning to massage it. He kissed her again before answering. "She is worried. Though she was more worried about you being left alone too long under the influence of the vaccine..."

Emma snorted, rolling her eyes. "You all talk about me like I'm some sort of sexual predator."

"Noooo..." Callum replied with theatrical haste. "As I told the ladies through the door they were barricading..."

He stopped with the joke, suddenly aware of fingernails being carefully dragged along his member, and Emma giving him a particularly dangerous look.

"Sorry," he offered with a shrug and a nervous grin.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes before laughing and shifting her hold on him again, grasping his erection gently against her palm. "Good boy," she added. "I knew you'd want time to talk with Sarah after we got back. As I said before, you're a good man, Callum. A little bit daft at times, but you're learning." Emma emphasised the word 'learning' with a firmer squeeze.

"Thanks," he replied, only a little awkwardly.

Emma shook her head, tutting lightly. Her movement caused her breasts to sway enticingly. "Still not good at accepting praise?"

He answered with a small shrug. "No. Though I appreciate that you offered it."

She smiled, shuffling closer to him until her chest pressed against his, one arm still around his shoulder and neck, while the other continued to stroke his cock slowly.

They kissed again, the initial gentleness falling away even quicker, their mouths moving against each other with increasing urgency.

Emma broke away first, moaning quietly before she pressed her forehead against his. "I tried to reward you before, but you wouldn't let me," she said, in between giving - and dodging - small, quick kisses.

At the same time, she shifted her hips, guiding the tip of his cock against her, using her hand to slide it up and down her slit, and against her clit, even as she continued to slowly stroke him.

It was Callum's turn to moan, the intimate contact causing his cock to twitch in her hand, his hips pushing forward in a subconscious attempt to increase contact.

"Will you let me reward you now, Callum?" Emma murmured.

His response was gasped, given almost without any conscious thought. "Fuck, yes," he said, before capturing her mouth with his own.

She met his kiss with equal intensity, moaning as she did, her hand expertly stroking him and rubbing him against her at the same time. Breaking away from the kiss with a gasp, Emma pushed him back a step while fumbling to turn off the shower. She almost growled in frustration as she was forced to pay attention to the controls, before finally cutting off the water and sinking to her knees at the same time.

"Remember the..." Callum managed to say, before her tongue made contact with the tip of his cock.

Emma reacted to his precum as if she'd been electrically shocked. She briefly went rigid, uttering a gasping 'ohhh' sound, before her nails pressed firmly into his hips and she pushed him forcefully back against the tiles.

Her back arched, her head tilted back so he could see her eyes, tightly closed, and her jaw agape. Her shapely rear rose from where it had been resting on her heels.

Despite the sudden pain caused by Emma's nails first prickling and then scratching his hips, Callum's cock twitched in response to seeing her almost twerk her rear in response to the priming orgasm.

"Merde..." She murmured, in an unusual return to one of her other languages.

"I did try to remind you," Callum answered lightly with half a smile. "Are you okay?" he continued with genuine concern.

"Hay que joderse... Fuck. Now I understand why you were worried about Catherine..." Emma replied slowly, her breathing still irregular. The way she struggled to find the words reinforced the impression that she was thoroughly discombobulated.

"Let me help you up," he offered, beginning to crouch down.

"Give me a minute, I don't think my legs work." She dipped her head, moving her hands from his legs and onto her thighs as she knelt on her heels, shuddering again involuntarily. "Fuck, but I need more of that."

"That's the plan," Callum responded with a chuckle, before starting to open the shower door. "Let me get your towel, and we'll get you next door."

Emma's arm shot out, blocking his exit. She looked up at him intensely. "No way. You're going to fuck me right here, right now. I've waited too long."

Callum raised an eyebrow, hand still on the door. "Okay. But afterwards, which of the others do you want me to fetch in order to help me get your wet, unconscious body out of the shower and into the bed?"

Emma's brows knitted together before she sighed in frustration. "Point made. Pass me my towel."

****

Barely dry, mouths locked together in an urgent, passion-filled kiss, they stumbled from the bathroom. Hands roving over each other's naked bodies, they thumped into the closet door opposite, Emma pushing him against it as she wrapped her leg around his upper thigh, desperately seeking to press herself against his cock.

Callum, doubting that he could lift her, pushed Emma's leg down, attempting to steer her backwards towards the bed, their lips and tongues still jousting - each of them gasping for breath whenever there was a momentary pause.

His manoeuvring, distracted as it was, ended up pushing Emma up against the dresser, rather than the bed.

"Shit. Sorry," he murmured.

"S'okay." She replied, while catching her breath. "Oh. Crap, there was something I wanted to do..." As she spoke, she looked urgently over at the bed.

Callum frowned. "What?" he asked, confused by her sudden change in energy.

She gave him a sultry grin, chewing her bottom lip slightly before she continued. "Would you mind if I... well... I'd like to film this. If that's okay?"

Callum's puzzled expression deepened at the request. "Really?" he asked.

She traced her fingers down over his chest as she answered earnestly. "Well, the others have said how good it is, and... I'd quite like to have a keepsake. And be able to show Jo. When she can know about the vaccine, of course."

"I... well, I don't have anything against the idea..." Callum said, shrugging slightly. His frown had faded, replaced by a sense of embarrassed unease.

"Great!" Emma responded, clapping her hands suddenly. "Wait right there."

****

Emma grinned knowingly, slipping into the space between Callum and the dresser, resting her hips on the surface and opening her legs as she pulled him closer. "Now, where were we?" she asked, her hand finding his erection and stroking it softly.

Thankfully, watching her hurriedly move around the room stark naked, while she found the best place to set her phone up, as well as the anticipation of what would come next, had kept him erect.

"I can't believe you had a tripod," he said, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

She laughed while winking at him lasciviously. "Well, you never know when something like that will come in handy."

"You'd planned to film porn?" he replied in surprise.

Emma chuckled, holding eye contact with him for a moment before rolling her eyes. "No. I use it for taking pictures and video when I'm foraging, or working on stuff for a book."

Callum nodded slowly, peppering her with light kisses as he did so. "Ahhh. That makes more sense."

Their kissing grew in passion again, with Emma using her ankles on his thighs to pull him closer, carefully steering his manhood into place as she shuffled to the edge of the dresser.

They both moaned loudly as his length, finally, sank partially into her. But the angle was wrong, forcing Callum to try to reposition himself and change his angle of entry, while still maintaining their deep kiss.

His next thrust was deeper, but as good as it felt, the angle was still awkward.

The fact that Emma felt the same was evident from her frustrated growl.

She tried to help by placing her hands over his shoulders and clasping them behind his neck to gain additional leverage.

Callum grimaced, teeth clenched as he searched for a solution. His urgent need for her, and his body's physiological reaction to the level of arousal he felt, made it difficult to understand what he needed to change in order for their current position to work.

Meeting Emma's hip movement, he thrust again. This time, the combination of Emma's legs wrapped around his, and her pulling herself up towards him, made the connection easier. He sank into her all the way, her heat enveloping him as her tightness gave way, causing a mutual groan of pleasure.

But the angle still wasn't right. Callum had no purchase, and the pleasure he felt, coupled with his sudden inability to problem-solve, caused his frustration to rise.

"Fuck this," he almost snarled, turning and taking a step with Emma still holding on to him.

"No, fuck me," she giggled, holding onto him tightly as he leaned forward, unceremoniously and rather roughly dropping her hips onto the edge of the bed.

The change in position caused them to separate, at least momentarily.

"I said, fuck me." Emma reiterated, her eyes going from his down to his glistening cock, licking her lips suggestively as she did so.

"Turn around," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Emma raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk appearing as she leisurely leaned back on her elbows. The position caused her large breasts to shift only slightly. They remained proudly displayed, her relative youth holding them firmly in position, her nipples erect, demanding to be sucked.

But instead of turning around as he had instructed, she opened her legs, looking up at him with an eyebrow raised in challenge.

Callum watched her for just a breath before bending forward, as if following her unspoken suggestion. His eyes settled on her lips, and she raised her chin towards him, expecting another kiss.

Instead, he stopped short, hands on either side of her waist, his member close enough to feel her heat.

Emma's smirk turned to a look of confusion as he failed to close the final distance, either with his lips or his cock.

"I said. Turn. Around," he repeated, his voice low, every ounce of authority he could muster placed into his words as his eyes met hers.

****

She let out a loud moan, her face pressed down onto the mattress as she looked back over her shoulder at Callum with a half-lidded eye.

Callum kept up his pace, trying to focus on his rhythm instead of the view before him. Not helped by the unblinking lens of Emma's phone camera watching from the other side of the bed.

Emma's knees were on the very edge of the bed, her rear raised high enough that Callum could comfortably pull her back against himself as he thrust forward, without having to stoop.

Despite his focus on pounding into Emma, and the sight of her before him, Callum was also very aware that on the out strokes, he could look down and briefly see his dick shiny with her wetness. At least before the gap between them closed with the slap of his thighs on her buttocks.

She moaned again, a few strokes later, the sound becoming more and more frustrated as the orgasm she chased remained frustratingly beyond her reach.

At this point, after experiencing her earlier 'priming' orgasm in the shower, only Callum's full ejaculation inside her would force her over that edge.

An orgasm he could feel building with every sultry moan and every thrust.

But right now, he was keeping his promise, and fucking Emma as hard and as deep as he could.

This was completely unlike any of the 'imprinting' sex he'd had with any of the other ladies - except perhaps the initial urgent and uncontrolled encounter with Sarah. This time, the sex flowed from the release of sexual tension that had been growing all summer. An urgent need that both of them felt. An urge to rut, to fuck and be fucked. To claim and be claimed.

His hips slapped onto her rear again. And again. And again.

He could feel the throb of his approaching orgasm intensify, as the noises Emma was making transitioned from something that had sounded like a challenge to the sound of someone begging for release, but unsure how to attain it.

The look she gave him had also shifted to pleading, her mouth open and her forehead scrunched at her desperation for release. "Please," she murmured, barely audible over the sound of their bodies clashing. "Fuck me. Please."

A slow grin spread over his lips at the sight and the sound of her begging, spoilt somewhat by sweat stinging his eyes. He buffed it away with his forearm, the movement causing his rhythm to falter and Emma to wriggle and moan in further frustration.

Callum leaned forward, pulling her hips back against himself again as he reached for her hair, wrapping his fingers in her dark locks. Not enough to pull her hair, but enough that she knew she was being held.

She whimpered as he pushed into the last few thrusts, his orgasm now bearing down on him.

Both called out as it hit. Callum at the release, and Emma as his cum filled her, triggering her imprinting orgasm.

She bucked under him as her spine arched, all coordination in her movements gone. Callum held her hips against him, keeping himself buried in her as the last wracking spasms of his own pleasure pulsed and throbbed into her. At the same time, he kept her head pressed down onto the mattress.

After a moment, Emma stilled, held in position purely by Callum's hands and cock.

"Imprinting," she began, eerily, her voice muffled by the mattress.

****

Late Afternoon, Tuesday, 6th October 2020

Eilean Arthriagh, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

"Is everything okay?" Mira asked as he descended into the kitchen. Concern, mixed with amusement, on her face.

Mira, Sarah, Catherine, Alison and Nicole all sat around the kitchen table, in what now appeared to be a ritual undertaken whenever he had imprinted someone.

Asking him if everything was okay had apparently also become part of that same tradition.

"Yes, all good," he responded, noting Mira, Sarah and Nicole's smirks. Alison sat straight in her chair, watching him with wide eyes, while Catherine gave him a look which he took to be apologetic.

"We heard some banging." Sarah continued, trying hard to keep the amusement from her voice.

He narrowed his eyes and forced himself to keep a straight face, but was glad to see Sarah's mood had improved. "Just some furniture getting in the way," he replied, adding an overly casual shrug.

"And some moaning," she added with a sly grin.

Callum gave her a look which strongly suggested she abandon her line of enquiry. "It was creaky furniture," he responded dryly.

Sarah smirked, but made a 'zipping' motion over her lips, giving him a wink which suggested she would want a fuller accounting at some point. But the way her eye contact lingered, and her slightly forced and exaggerated delivery, caused him to pause for a moment.

His heart sank slightly as it struck him that despite her words and actions, she was hiding her vulnerability. He'd seen her hide behind her brashness before, back when they were kids.

"Creaky..." Nicole repeated with a giggle, causing Mira and Sarah to laugh.

Casting what he hoped was a reassuring look at Sarah, Callum then shook his head at their antics and made his way to the sink, filling a glass with water. The three ladies continued with their fit of giggles, which only increased as he turned away. He watched them in the window's reflection. As daft as they could be, it did settle something deep in his chest when he saw them getting on so well together. Even if Sarah was forcing herself to laugh.

Turning back to the room, his attention shifted to the others, where he noticed that Alison wasn't laughing along with them but was watching him closely, her throat, cheeks, and ears unusually pink. Her gaze shifted to the table when he made eye contact, avoiding his look of concern.

The amusement around the table continued for a few moments before Catherine cleared her throat, casting her own gaze to Callum as she spoke. "Callum, I have drafted an email to your Police Liaison contact. But I still require the names of the officers you met today."

He nodded, digging his phone from his pocket and checking his text message. One had been received from an unknown number, with only two names in the text. Approaching the table, he passed the phone to Catherine.

"Thank you." She responded primly, making a note of the information in her legal pad. "I have news about the email we sent to Clachan Oysters."

"News?" Callum replied. He accepted his phone back from Catherine before moving around the table to an empty seat.

On the way past Alison, he touched her shoulder lightly. She jumped in her seat at his unexpected contact, before turning towards him as he pulled out his chair. Her blush remained, but she gave him a small nod in response to his non-verbal check-in, before breaking eye contact again.

Catherine continued once he was seated. "A response from Lauren's father. He writes that meeting you first would put his mind at rest and would be beneficial for Lauren. He suggested that you visit tomorrow. He also warned that she is particularly shy."

"That was quick," Callum said, the others nodding in agreement. "We had figured she might be anxious from her profile pics. We could go tomorrow, but I'll need to be here for Emma waking." He glanced at the clock. "Though she should be okay by early tomorrow morning. We could do it tomorrow."

"I think we should wait until after Alison's vaccination," Mira said, reaching out to touch her hand to Alison's as she spoke.

"I think so, too, for what it's worth," Nicole said. "We need to make sure you've got the maximum protection possible, Callum. Before we mix with anyone we don't know, at least," she added.

Callum nodded slowly. "You're right. Sorry, it's been a long day."

"It sounded like Emma enjoyed her 'long day'," Sarah muttered, adding air quotes and causing Mira and Nicole to return to their giggles.

He sighed. "Catherine, could you mail him back and let him know that it would have to be... Saturday?" Callum checked around the table, seeing nods in response. "It'd need to be Saturday, if that suits them. And could you pass on my apologies for not acting on the matching request yet?"

****