Chapter summaries The Killing Stones Ann Cleeves

The Killing Stones Chapter Thirty-Three Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Back at the police station in the early afternoon, Perez watches the Johnson television series with Phil, confirming that all three crime scenes—Westray, Maeshowe, and Stenness—are featured. Willow phones to say she has found Barbara at St Margaret’s Hope, about to board a ferry, after she heard on the news that Tony was dead. Perez brings Barbara into a comfortable interview room. Barbara admits she and Tony stole Magnus’s notebooks from the heritage centre using a key given by Evelyn Angel. She describes how Tony arranged to meet Archie at Noltland to persuade him to drop the plagiarism accusations, but Archie walked away alive. She insists Tony did not kill Archie. Later, Tony planned to win over Vaila and George’s partner, but failed. Barbara and Tony split up to avoid detection; she was alone when she learned of Tony’s death. Perez is skeptical but notes her genuine grief.

Key Events

  • Perez watches the Johnson TV series and confirms all three crime-scene sites appear.
  • Willow calls to say she has found Barbara alive at St Margaret’s Hope.
  • Perez interviews Barbara in a soft room; she is distraught and grieving.
  • Barbara explains the theft of Magnus’s notebooks and the meeting with Archie at Noltland.
  • She insists Archie was alive when she and Tony left him at the dig.
  • She reveals Tony’s plan to win over Vaila and George’s partner to salvage his reputation.
  • Barbara admits she and Tony panicked and split up after leaving Westray.
  • She last spoke to Tony by phone before he was killed; she was alone when she heard the news.

Character Development

  • Jimmy Perez: Demonstrates empathy by interviewing Barbara in a victim-friendly room, but also pushes hard for the truth. His suspicion is tempered by his observation of her apparent grief.
  • Willow Reeves: Acts calmly and professionally, supporting Perez’s approach and contributing key questions. She trusts her own judgement in bringing Barbara in alone.
  • Barbara Johnson: Transforms from a confident, loud extrovert into a devastated, tearful widow. She remains defensive about Tony’s actions, insisting on her own narrative of innocence, but her desperation is evident.
  • Tony Johnson (deceased): Though absent, his character is fleshed out through Barbara’s account: a man who believed his own lies, used theatrical staging, and was desperate to protect his reputation.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Deception and reputation: The Johnsons’ theft and lies stem from Tony’s fear of being exposed as a plagiarist. The TV series becomes a symbol of his constructed public image.
  • Grief and vulnerability: Barbara’s visible breakdown contrasts with her earlier arrogance, highlighting how murder devastates even those who are partly complicit.
  • The ferry as escape: The ferry at St Margaret’s Hope represents both the couple’s attempt to flee and the point of no return when Barbara learns of Tony’s death.
  • Story stones as weapons and evidence: The stones are used as props in Johnson’s theatrical meeting at Noltland and become the murder weapons, linking all three deaths.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter provides the first comprehensive account of the night Archie Stout was killed, clarifying the timeline and motive. Barbara’s confession reveals the Johnsons’ theft of the notebooks, their planned meeting at Noltland, and Tony’s subsequent desperation. It also raises new questions: could Barbara be an accomplice in the earlier murders? The chapter shifts the investigation’s focus from finding the killer to verifying Barbara’s story and identifying the real perpetrator.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Perez watch the Johnson television series in this chapter? Perez watches the series to confirm that all three crime scenes—Westray, Maeshowe, and Stenness—actually appeared in the show. He wants to verify Rutherford’s claim that no other ancient sites were featured, which would strengthen the link between the killings and the programme.

2. What reason does Barbara give for insisting that Archie was alive when she and Tony left Noltland? Barbara claims she saw Archie run across the car park in a flash of lightning and that he was still sitting in his car when they drove away. She argues that Tony had no blood on his hands or clothes and that only one story stone was found at the scene, not both.

3. How does Perez challenge Barbara’s account of the meeting at Noltland? Perez points out that Archie’s car was found outside the Pierowall Hotel the next morning. If Archie was killed at Noltland after Tony left him, the car could not have moved there. Barbara cannot explain this inconsistency, which undermines her claim that Archie left the meeting alive.

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