by RHYS GILES
Colin stood and shook Lucas’ hand. “Always am, lad.” He walked out the door.
Castle Culzean was the most beautiful place Jenny had ever been. The interior of the castle included an immense circular staircase in the center.
Each level of the castle had a rounded balcony that felt like a hallway as it connected all of the rooms.
Robert Campbell gave Jenny a private tour of the armory with swords and other weapons from past generations and centuries. She also visited the ballroom, the music room and the parlor.
The third level of the castle is where the guest rooms were, including hers. She was to stay in the Eisenhower Room. Apparently, President Eisenhower used to vacation there and stayed in that room.
At six o’clock in the evening, tea was served in a round room located in one of the towers that connected the different wings of the castle.
Jenny was pleased to meet the other guests for the weekend. There was an Arab gentleman by the name of Asadel who was accompanied by his very well built bodyguard, Wahid. Asadel desired peace and abundance for people abiding in the desert lands.
Maurice was a benefactor from France, Scott was an American architect specializing in home designs for owners and amateurs to build, and Colin MacDonald was a local from the nearby Isle of Arran. Colin was an expert in Aquaponics, a system of producing food that Jenny was most interested in learning. Jenny was introduced as an influential American writer and benefactor of the Homestead Grant.
After introductions, Robert entertained the guests with grand stories of life-transformation that had already taken place by people who embraced his vision for simple, independent living.
Jenny was mesmerized by Robert tales and his charisma. When she was with him, she felt like all the worries of the world were soon to be gone. Could Robert Campbell be her Denver Gage? He wasn’t rugged or rash, but he did know how to turn a phrase, and that was just as appealing to Jenny.
Chapter Four
Colin spent the evening visiting with all of the guests at the Castle, looking for clues as to who was intimately working with Campbell and his plan to ruin the world in order to save it.
He suspected the Arab and the Frenchman were in on it. The American architect seemed like he viewed his contribution as a more of business opportunity than an act of solidarity.
The American writer was still a puzzle to him. She was either a gullible, rich idealist, or she was Campbell’s American plant. Either way, there was no doubt in Colin’s mind that Robert Campbell was interested in Jenny James – both her pocket book and possibly her heart.
At the end of the evening, the guests began to retire to their rooms. Colin watched as Campbell put his arm on Jenny James’ back and lead her down the stairs. This was his opportunity.
Colin waited until all of the other guests were settled in. Then he approached Campbell’s room. He quickly picked the lock and entered. He locked the door behind him.
He searched around the room for Campbell’s laptop. It was not on the desk or in his briefcase. He looked in the closet. Nothing there. He looked under the bed, in the bathroom.
Where was it? He carefully surveyed the room. He noticed the mirror above the fireplace was slightly pushed out at the bottom rim. Colin looked behind the mirror. There it was.
Colin gently lifted the mirror and slid the computer toward him. He opened it and turned it on. He started losing patience as the Windows starting theme played.
He took a deep breath and waited for the computer to be completely on. He placed the business card/chip on the screen and saw the upload bar begin.
Before the upload was complete, Colin heard voices outside the room and the door handle shake. He grabbed the card, closed the computer and placed it back behind the mirror just as Campbell and Jenny entered.
Colin quietly slipped out the window. He stepped onto the very small ledge and stood still and straight with his back against the castle wall, three floors above ground, with concrete beneath him.
Jenny found Robert’s charms irresistible. She usually felt shy and reserved around men. Perhaps the spirits at the end of the evening calmed her inhibitions.
Robert took her to the music room and played the piano and sang to her. His rich baritone voice was alluring. He sang Scottish folk tunes of love and loss. She sat next to him on the piano bench and began to sing along.
Robert finished the song and removed his hands from the piano. He looked into her eyes and gently stroked her hair. She closed her eyes and he kissed her. She put her arms over his shoulders and he pulled her closer to him, increasing the passion in his kiss.
“Come to my room, Jenny,” Robert whispered.
Jenny nodded. Robert held her hand and helped her stand from the piano bench. He put his arm around her and guided her up the stairs.
When they reached his room, he pulled the key from his pants pocket and unlocked the door.
Robert walked in to the room backwards as Jenny followed him in, focusing on his face, wanting to kiss his lips again. Robert pulled her toward him and pushed the door closed. He kissed her and rubbed his hands on her back.
Jenny felt the heat in her body rise. Her heart was pounding. There was a small voice inside her head questioning her behavior, but the rest of her body was screaming for her to continue.
Jenny began to unbutton Robert’s dress shirt. She kissed his chest as his bare skin called out to her. She pressed her breasts against him and kissed his neck.
Robert’s cell phone rang.
“Ignore it,” Jenny said as she moved forward.
Robert stopped her. “I can’t.”
He turned away from her and answered his phone. “Hello?”
He looked at Jenny and held up his finger. “One second,” Robert said in the phone. He lowered his phone and looked at Jenny. “Please, make yourself comfortable. Call for some champagne if you’d like. I’ll only be a minute.”
Robert left the room and closed the door behind him.
Jenny sighed in frustration. It was the closest she’d been to love making in over a year. For a man who claims to want to let go of technology and get back to basics, he certainly seemed attached to his phone.
As the heat of the moment left, Jenny felt a chill from the open window. She walked towards it and started to close it when she saw a man’s shoe on the window sill.
“What in the world?” Jenny looked outside and saw Colin MacDonald standing stiffly against the castle wall.
Colin put his finger to his mouth. “Sh. Is Robert in there?”
Jenny whispered back. “No, not right now, but he is coming back.”
Colin carefully stepped back into the room.
“Jenny, I can explain this. You need to know that Robert Campbell is not who you think he is. He is not the philanthropist he claims to be. I’ll explain later, but right now I need you to help me get out of here before Campbell sees me.”
“Who are you and why…”
Colin put his finger over Jenny’s mouth, causing her to stop talking. “Not now.”
The door rattled as Robert turned the door handle. Colin raced to the wall behind the door.
Jenny quickly flipped her hair back with a head toss and showed a smile as Robert walked in the room. The open door covered Colin temporarily.
He started to close the door, but Jenny rushed to him and grabbed his hands and forced him to keep his eyes on her with her best seductive expression.
She held his hands and walked backwards, getting Robert away from the door. “I just hate being put off by a phone,” Jenny said.
She watched Colin slip out.
“Perhaps when you’re ready to focus on me, we’ll give this another try.” Jenny gently released his hands started to walk to the door. Robert grabbed her hand.
“Oh, I’m ready to focus right now.” Robert pulled her toward him.
Jenny pulled away. “Too late, Robert. See you tomorrow.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked out the door, closed it behind her and
walked down the hall to Colin’s room.
She knocked on the door. Colin answered it. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Mr. MacDonald.”
Chapter Five
Jenny sat in the wingback chair and listened as Colin explained that he worked with the CIA and was sent to spy on Robert Campbell for suspicions of malice toward the USA for personal gain.
“I had no idea. I thought he was the real thing. I thought he wanted to help people help themselves. Oh, Colin, I gave him so much money! Are you saying he is not using that money for homestead grants?”
“I don’t know details yet, so I can’t tell you exactly how he is using your money,” Colin said. “I need to get back into his room tomorrow to retrieve the rest of the intel off of his computer. Can you distract him while I do that?”
“How would I do that?” Jenny asked.
Colin thought for a moment. “Ask him to give you a tour of the grounds. He loves to talk about himself. Just let him babble away for a while and I’ll find out everything you want to know.”
Jenny agreed. She was stunned at the news. She hadn’t realized how much faith she had put in a stranger. She felt used and stupidly gullible. She would never put Americans in harm’s way. She only wanted to help people.
She agreed with Robert’s claims that getting people to spread out to form small towns instead of huge cities would be better for people and for the environment.
She loved her little town and her five acres of land in Wisconsin. She just wanted others to have the option to have it too. She would never want to force people to do it if they didn’t want it.
Jenny sighed. She had enough of wallowing in her poor decisions. Tomorrow, she would make it right. She would help Colin get the information and trust that the US government would follow through if he indeed needed to be stopped.
The next morning, the five guests and Robert Campbell assembled in the beautiful dining room for a formal, English breakfast.
There was far more food than Jenny could possibly eat, but it was all delicious. She had to learn how to make scones. They were incredible!
After breakfast, Jenny flirtatiously asked Robert for a tour of the grounds. He was stand-offish at first, clearly unhappy with her decision to leave him the night before, but he quickly softened when she snuggled up to him and flattered him for his knowledge and wisdom.
As they walked out the door, Jenny caught Colin’s eye. She saw him nod at her. She was confident he would be able to finish his job today.
Jenny slipped her arm under Robert’s as they walked through the castle gardens. “It’s so beautiful here, Robert. I hope someday that everyone will have the option to live on their own land and enjoy what God has given us on this incredible earth.”
Robert laughed. “You are an optimist, my dear Jenny. Most people aren’t as appreciative as you.”
“I do have a lot to be thankful for. Can you tell me how the Homestead Grant has been used so far?” Jenny asked.
“I’m still gathering resources at this point. I am in contact with the United States Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management and discussing the purchase of public land with the intent to offer homesteads to American citizens through our grant.”
Jenny smiled. “That’s what I was hoping for. A new western expansion. If you ever drive across the western states you’ll see how much land is not used or developed. I see this venture as a real boost for Americans.”
“That’s the plan,” Robert said.
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Robert. I was getting a little worried that your vision had changed.”
Robert stopped walking. “Why would you say that?”
Jenny heard a strange tension in Robert’s voice. She needed to be careful. “Oh, I don’t know. Just silly I guess.”
“Have you heard something that would make you question my integrity?”
Jenny began to feel nervous. Robert was staring at her with squinted eyes as if he could see right through her.
“No… I … uh… I’m not sure… I just… um… felt like some of your guests here this weekend weren’t really… you know… as philanthropic as you and me.” Jenny stammered.
“I see, Miss James. You think because you gave me a lot of money that you can call all the shots?”
Miss James? Wow, something flipped his switch. Jenny stood still and put her hands on her hips. “Well, I believe I have a right to see where my funds are actually being used, Mr. Campbell.”
Robert grabbed her arm, hard. He pulled her ‘til she stumbled. “I’ll show you who is in charge. You ask too many questions.”
Robert dragged Jenny to Wahid who was standing by a car ready to go somewhere. “Take her to the lighthouse on the Isle of Arran.
Treat her as a hostile. I think she knows something she is not telling me. Make sure she doesn’t contact anyone.”
Wahid nodded. He grabbed Jenny’s arm and took her to the trunk of the car. He opened the trunk.
Jenny tried to get away, but the strength in Wahid’s arm kept her from moving at all.
She pleaded with him. “Wahid, don’t do this. Don’t you work for Asadel? I thought you wanted peace and comfort for your people.”
Wahid picked up Jenny as easily as a child picking up a doll, and placed her in the trunk.
He blocked her from moving with his monstrous body while he put liquid on a handkerchief kept in the trunk. “Campbell promise many things to Asadel. Asadel tell me to follow Campbell’s instructions.”
“Wait, Wahid, what is that? Is that chloroform? What…”
Wahid put the handkerchief over her mouth. Jenny struggled for a few seconds and then passed out.
Chapter Six
Colin called Lucas to confirm that he received the intel from Campbell’s computer.
“Yes, we got it, Colin,” Lucas said. “Now get out of there before Campbell suspects anything. Make an excuse and leave.”
“Copy that,” Colin said. He ended the call, collected his things and walked to Campbell’s room.
He figured Robert and Jenny would be back by now. He would say he had an emergency at home.
Just as he was going to knock on the door, he heard loud talking. Campbell was yelling about something. Colin leaned in closer to hear him through the door.
“Asadel, I told you, the American woman is hiding something. Wahid took her to the lighthouse on the Isle of Pladda. We’ll find out what she knows, get her to sign over her future earnings to us, and then eliminate her.”
“You said there would be no killing. I will not be part of this,” Asadel said.
“I don’t want to kill people, Asadel, but if they get in my way, I will.”
“I will call…” Asadel said, but was interrupted.
“No, you won’t call anyone,” Campbell said.
Colin heard a soft shot. It sounded like a gun with a silencer. Then he heard a loud thud as if Asadel’s body just hit the floor.
“Maurice, you have a problem with my plan?” Campbell asked.
“No sir,” Maurice answered. “Get the money and eliminate her. I agree.”
“Jenny!” Colin whispered under his breath. He ran down the hall, down the stairs and to his car.
He called his brother. “Ian, I need you to take the boat, cross the Firth and meet me in Dunure. It is an emergency – life and death. Please hurry!”
Colin knew Wahid would have to take the ferry to the Island of Arran and then a small boat to the lighthouse on Isle of Pladda. It was not open to tourists, and no one lived on the island.
He also knew Campbell had a large boat of his own at Culzean, so he would have to hurry to beat Campbell and rescue Jenny.
An hour later, Ian pulled up to the Dunure Marina dock in their family fishing boat and Colin jumped on. “Go to Pladda.”
“The lighthouse? Why? What is going on, Colin?” Ian asked.
“There is a woman in trouble. I need to help her. She’s only in trouble because she helped me.”
&
nbsp; “What have you gotten yourself into, bro?” Ian asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Colin answered.
Colin felt nervous. He was angry with himself for putting Jenny in danger. She was an innocent. She was a good, honest person and she didn’t deserve any of this.
As they neared the lighthouse, Ian slowed the boat down. “This is as close as I can get, Colin. It’s too rocky.”
Colin agreed. He put on the wet suit they kept on board.
