The Loch Ness Legacy

by Boyd Morrison

  Authorities are racing to identify the true perpetrators of the Eiffel Tower attack that set these events in motion, but even if Israel is proven not to be culpable, the deaths of the Muslim nations’ ailing leaders may tip the crisis past the point of no return.

  THIRTY-NINE

  Dunham yawned and opened her eyes when she felt the Range Rover slow and turn onto a dirt road with a rutted track that looked like it saw no more than two vehicles a week. The clock on the dashboard read 2:34 p.m.

  ‘Where are we?’ she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  ‘The east shore of Loch Ness,’ Zim said.

  Dunham made careful note of the location since it was going to be their way out when the mission was over. Zim parked in a turnout, and they all climbed out of the Range Rover, stretching their legs and removing their disguises before making the short hike to the point where the Zodiac outboard from the Aegir picked them up.

  In contrast to the sheep pastures and scrub brush they had passed for much of their way up, the loch was surrounded by thick forests. Dunham peered over the side of the boat and could see nothing beneath the rippling black surface of the water. Three white boats were visible in the distance, all of them cruising around the ruins of Urquhart Castle clinging to a rocky promontory. Its jagged stone walls and crumbling tower were only shells of the redoubt it used to be, damaged in an explosion long ago to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

  As they approached the whaling vessel, Dunham could see two seamen cutting a net away from an object floating on the water. Most of it was hidden from view, a concealing tarp hastily thrown over it. All she could spot was the black fin of a sleek craft knifing out of the water. Zim called it a gift from Gordian Engineering.

  The Aegir’s cobalt blue hull was topped by a white superstructure, and the ship looked indistinguishable from any other fishing vessel to Dunham’s untrained eye. Fresh paint and a new registry number had been applied so that it wouldn’t be recognized as a whaler. The yellow foremast was equipped with a boom crane and topped by a crow’s nest for spotting whales. The harpoon launcher at the bow was covered by another tarp.

  Once they were on board, they got the rundown from the captain, who finally realized he was in over his head but could do nothing about it now that he had armed men on the ship. The remainder of Zim’s men had boarded the Aegir in Inverness, and the equipment he had told them to bring with them was stowed in a locker in the crew quarters. The odd-looking ship they’d been spying on – a vessel called the Sedna and confirmed as property of Gordian – was anchored near the south end of the loch by the town of Fort Augustus. As instructed, Zim’s men forced the Aegir’s captain to capture one of the search craft the Sedna had sent out, and its two operators were currently being held under guard below decks.

  Zim made a move to head down there, but Dunham said, ‘We need to talk.’

  ‘Why?’ Zim asked. ‘We need to question Locke’s men.’

  ‘Not until we settle our strategy.’

  ‘I told you what it was on the way up.’

  ‘I have some problems with it.’

  ‘You have problems…’ Zim clenched his fists and tilted his head at Pryor. He and the other two men from Edinburgh left them in the galley alone.

  While she munched on a sandwich, Zim poured two cups of coffee and handed her one of them. She took a sip of the bitter brew and made a face, but the warmth of the liquid made it go down well.

  ‘What about our strategy do you not like?’ Zim asked.

  ‘You’re betting everything on Locke finding the monster.’

  ‘Believe me, I know the man. He won’t give up. He’s a pro.’

  ‘But then we have to make sure that not only do we kill the monster and dispose of it, but we also have to make sure Locke doesn’t get away with a tissue sample.’

  ‘That’s why we need to question his men. That GhostManta under the tarp may be our ticket to making this all work.’

  ‘See? You’re thinking too narrowly. All we need to do is prevent him from finding the monster in the first place.’

  ‘You’re insistent you torched the journal,’ he said sarcastically, ‘so that’s taken care of, isn’t it?’

  ‘I’m open to the possibility that they may have been able to reconstruct it even if it was partially burned. That’s why we need to be thinking offensively as well as defensively.’

  Zim slammed his fist on the table. ‘I am not thinking defensively! I’m beating Locke at his own game. I’m letting him do the work for me.’

  Dunham rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, yes, you’re a brilliant mastermind. But it didn’t occur to you that we can stop him before he even gets onto the loch.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Can your phone be traced?’

  ‘Not if I route it through an internet anonymizer that Pryor set up.’

  ‘Then give it to me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘So you can learn a lesson in alternative thinking.’

  Zim bellyached, but he handed over the phone and told her how to dial so that the call couldn’t be traced.

  She dialed the Inverness operator and asked to be connected to the police.

  Zim stared at her, incredulous. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  ‘You’ll see.’

  The line picked up. ‘North Constabulary,’ a woman said. ‘How may I help you?’

  Dunham put on her best freaked out voice. ‘Oh, my God! I just saw the man who escaped after being arrested at Edinburgh Castle this morning.’

  That got the call center operator’s attention. The events in Edinburgh had blanketed the national news all day.

  ‘Which man, ma’am?’

  ‘Tall, brown hair, good-looking. He’s with three other people: a red-headed woman, a dark-haired woman, and a huge, bald black man.’

  Zim sat back and fumed at her.

  ‘Where did you see them, ma’am?’

  ‘I was passing through Fort Augustus and saw them get into a small boat that went out to a ship. I think it’s called the Sedna.’

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘Just a few minutes ago. And they had guns with them.’

  ‘Guns? Are you sure?’

  ‘Oh, yes. Big ones, like the military carry. You know, machine guns.’

  ‘How many people are on the ship?’

  ‘I don’t know. A lot. And they looked dangerous.’

  ‘And what’s your name?’

  ‘Oh, I’m just a tourist. I don’t want to get involved. But please hurry. I’m very worried about our safety here with people like that roaming around.’

  She hung up.

  ‘What the hell was that about?’ Zim asked. ‘What if Locke isn’t even on the ship yet?’

  ‘Then he won’t be able to get on it. The police will realize that it’s a Gordian-owned vessel and make the connection. It’ll take hours for them to search it and question the crew. They’ll probably even leave police behind in case he shows up here.’

  ‘I don’t like it.’

  ‘Why? Because now you aren’t able to carry out your little revenge angle? Do that on your own time.’

  Zim glowered at her, then held out his hand. ‘My phone.’ She gave it back.

  He stood and drained the rest of his coffee.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she asked.

  ‘I was under the impression that we were done. I’m going to do some of my own questioning.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I have to work on the assumption that your clever little idea won’t work. The men we captured are going to show me and Pryor how to use Locke’s own technology against him.’

  FORTY

  Tyler drove through the tiny village of Fort Augustus at a steady pace to give the impression that they were a group of travelers passing through on their way to a destination in western Scotland. The flashing lights of parked police vehicles in town had been visible from a mile down the road.

  Alexa stared at the array of pa
trol cars and vans lined up at the dock. ‘What’s going on here?’

  ‘Someone ratted us out,’ Grant said.

  ‘I think we can all guess who,’ Tyler said.

  ‘Looks like we’re not getting on the Sedna tonight.’

  ‘But we have to!’ Alexa protested. ‘We don’t have time to wait around.’ Tyler saw her eyes focus on Grant.

  ‘The longer we stay on the run,’ Brielle said, ‘the likelier it is that you or Tyler will be recognized.’

  ‘We’ll figure out something,’ Tyler said, already forming the outline of a plan.

  They could only dare one pass through the town, so he noted as many details as he could during the short trip along its main thoroughfare. The quaint village consisted of a few dozen small buildings holding businesses that catered to tourists coming by car or boat. The canal split Fort Augustus in half, and Tyler crossed it by the only route, a swing bridge that could be opened to let boat traffic from Loch Ness access the water staircase of five locks leading south. Tyler counted three boats in the middle lock slowly rising to the level of the lock above it.

  To the north, Tyler could see the Sedna approaching a dock along the canal, a phalanx of policemen in body armor ready to board. The white ship looked unbalanced with the command deckhouse located at the very bow of the ship. The aft portion of the ship consisted of a stowed crane and a retractable covering that angled down toward the stern, giving the boat an aerodynamic appearance. The covered area was useful for protection against the elements when launching its craft.

  This had to be the most excitement the town had experienced in years. Tourists gathered to watch the proceedings, and others wandered amongst the shops or stood in line for one of the loch tours ready to set sail. A policeman directed traffic around the parked police vehicles. Within a minute, they were out of Fort Augustus and on the road leading along the western edge of Loch Ness.

  ‘Now what?’ Brielle asked.

  ‘Alexa,’ Tyler said, ‘when did you say Darwin and Edmonstone had their encounter with Nessie?’

  ‘At twilight.’

  ‘And you saw the creature at sundown?’

  She nodded. ‘Right. Our best chance to find it is to go out at dusk.’

  At this northerly latitude, sundown in June was around 10:20 p.m.

  ‘That gives us seven hours,’ Tyler said. ‘If the police are gone by then, we can continue with the original plan.’

  ‘We should be so lucky,’ Grant said. ‘You know they’ll leave some forces behind in case we show up. We destroyed two landmarks and participated in a gun battle in broad daylight. It won’t matter that we were on the side of the good guys.’

  ‘Which means we need to go to plan B.’

  Brielle leaned forward. ‘Which is?

  ‘It’s an hour’s drive to Inverness airport,’ Tyler said. ‘We head there and pick up the bait from the courier. We also arrange for a sunset boat tour.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You’re going to have to chum the water for me using the saltfish.’

  ‘You mean, for us,’ Grant objected. ‘There’s no way I’m not coming with you.’

  ‘Grant, you’re…’ Tyler stopped himself from saying the unintended pun ‘dead tired’ and chose something less cringe-inducing. ‘You’re exhausted as it is. Are you up for it?’

  Grant straightened in his seat, unsuccessfully hiding a wince. ‘You may be the pilot, but I know more about the GhostManta than you. If we’re going to use it, you need me there.’

  Tyler couldn’t argue with that, and normally he wouldn’t even question Grant coming along for the ride. But Grant’s face was sagging and drying out, the wrinkles more obvious. He was decaying right before their eyes. However, he was also a fighter. Sitting on the sidelines wasn’t his nature, and he’d have to be unconscious for Tyler to leave him behind.

  ‘All right,’ Tyler said. ‘But if you aren’t feeling up to it, let me know. We’ll only get one shot at this tonight.’

  ‘If I keel over, just dump my ass overboard.’

  Tyler smiled. ‘Well, of course. That goes without saying.’

  ‘What about us?’ Alexa asked. ‘We’re doling out the bait?’

  ‘Yes,’ Tyler replied. ‘There’s a town called Drumnadrochit about two-thirds of the way up the loch. It’s right across from Urquhart Castle, which is where both you and Edmonstone spotted the creature. That location seems like our best shot for finding it again. The town has a few boats that give tours.’ He had researched the options on Brielle’s phone.

  ‘We’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse?’

  ‘Right, but we’ll use cash instead of a horse’s head.’

  ‘That doesn’t explain how you’ll get onto your ship,’ Brielle said.

  ‘That’s where you come in. We’ll have to stop and get you some warm wool clothing.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you’re going to be a bit chilly.’

  Brielle met his gaze in the mirror with a confused and suspicious stare. Tyler had an hour’s drive each way to and from the airport to convince her to give an encore performance of her experience at Lake Shannon.

  By eight thirty in the evening, they were approaching Fort Augustus again, this time from the north, and Brielle was not pleased with the plan. However, she strained to think of anything better and failed, so she agreed to go along with it. A towel and a change of clothes were waiting for her in the boot. The car now sported a license plate pinched from a similar model in an Inverness car park.

  It was less than two hours to sundown, so they had to act quickly. She was driving since she was the least conspicuous of the group. Tyler and Alexa had identified themselves to the police at Edinburgh Castle. A search of the internet showed that their photos were being broadcast as persons of interest in the Edinburgh events that left three unidentified men and six policemen dead that morning, one of the worst mass killings in Scotland’s history. And Grant stood out because of his size and skin color. As Brielle drove into Fort Augustus, they ducked low, all of their heads covered in woolen ski hats. The police presence was diminished, but she spotted the tactical team’s van on a side street. She cruised past the dock where the Sedna was tied up and saw an unmarked car watching the vessel.

  She turned around and headed back to the car park next to the closed information center. They left the rental car there and split up into two groups. Tyler and Grant headed south along the river that paralleled the canal, while she and Alexa wandered into town as if they were looking for a place to eat. Alexa wore her hair tucked under her hat with a pair of oversized tortoiseshell glasses to mask her face.

  When they got to the swing bridge, Brielle pointed at the boats along the dock and they ambled down the road past the stakeout police car as if they were a couple of tourists. Alexa made sure to keep her back toward them.

  Brielle handed Alexa her phone and mimed taking a picture. She made a big deal of pointing out what she wanted in the background, keeping an eye on the trees that abutted the path next to the dock. Only because she was looking right where she had to, she saw Tyler and Grant creep up to the edge of the woods, ready to make a dash for the Sedna.

  When they were in position, she nodded at them and began posing in outrageous positions, putting on quite a show, sticking her bum out and cocking her hips in such a way that the two officers couldn’t resist watching her.

  As she posed, she inched her way backward until she felt the edge of the dock under her heel. She winked at Alexa, and they both laughed as if she’d said some something hilarious.

  Brielle took another step back, her toe on the edge. She pinwheeled her arms as if she were trying to catch her balance and then launched herself backward.

  She hit the water. Brielle had prepared herself for its icy embrace, but the cold knocked the wind from her just the same. The replay of her escape into Lake Shannon was improved by the layers of wool wrapped around her, though the sudden immersion was more shocking.

&nbs
p; She surfaced and screamed as if she were drowning, the cold doing all the work of getting her into character. On the dock Alexa acted like a panicked schoolgirl and shrieked for help.

  The doors of the police car flew open and the officers came running toward the dock, their original duties momentarily forgotten. Brielle was glad she could count on good old-fashioned British gallantry, but she felt a tad guilty for taking advantage of it.

  As she thrashed in simulated terror, she glanced farther down the dock and saw Tyler and Grant hustle across the open space and climb onto the Sedna. When they were safely aboard, Brielle acted like she had gotten her wits about her and paddled toward the outstretched hands above her.

  She reached out and was pulled from the water, coughing and trembling as they sat her down. Alexa crouched next to her and whispered in her ear. ‘Did it work?’

  Brielle nodded and coughed again.

  ‘She’s okay,’ Alexa said to the gathered crowd. With the glasses, her red hair covered by the hat, and the cops’ focus on the near-drowned woman, no one gave her a second glance.

  ‘Oh, my God,’ Brielle croaked, latching onto the attending policemen. ‘Thank you so much!’

  The two men beamed at her, and one said, ‘We’re just glad you’re all right, ma’am.’

  After an attempt to convince Brielle to seek medical attention, they accepted her decision to decline and went back to their stakeout, unaware that they’d helped the two women they were looking for. She and Alexa hurried back to the car.

  Under a blanket, Brielle changed out of her wet clothes and into a dry set, depositing the dirty and smelly togs in the car park’s dust bin. She was still shivering as Alexa drove them away, headed back to Drumnadrochit for their sunset cruise.

  FORTY-ONE

  Jerry Yount, the captain of the Sedna, listened to Tyler and Grant tell their story, the creases in his ruddy face deepening with every new revelation. He’d been a ship’s master for more than twenty years and sailing on boats for twice that long, so Tyler was sure the old sea dog had thought he’d heard it all. Yount was being disabused of that notion quickly.