Ghosts of Culloden Moor 22 - Murdoch (Diane Darcy)

by L. L. Muir

  She nodded.

  “Do you know anything about this?”

  She glanced at Murdoch, who gave a slight shake of his head.

  “No.” It was probably best to keep quiet about the situation until they knew more. “Of course not.”

  “Was anything taken?”

  She looked around, hugging the book to her chest. “Not that I can see.” The paperback had to be what the thugs were after. Her stomach sank. Could they have found her apartment and done the same thing? Was her place destroyed?

  “Who’s this?” She turned to see that the principal was looking at Murdoch, or rather, glaring at him. Her mind suddenly went blank. How was she supposed to explain a guy in a kilt?

  “Uh …” She straightened her shoulders. “He’s a friend of mine, visiting from Scotland.”

  The principal’s eyes narrowed. “Why is he dressed like that?”

  “Because he’s from Scotland, dude,” Eric’s tone was impatient.

  The principal turned to glare at the kid. “Do not call me dude.” He glanced at all the damage. “Did anybody see anything?”

  Jared shook his head. “It was like this when we got here.”

  The principal studied the kid with suspicion. “And you don’t know anything about it?”

  The kid’s chin went up. “We found it like this, and we called the cops!”

  Principal Winslow maneuvered around a couple of overturned desks, stepped carefully over the items from her desktop that littered the floor, and slid an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “You’re sure you’re okay? Something like this could be very traumatic for a person. I’m here if you need me.”

  As Sarah stiffened, she happened to glance at Murdoch. His eyes blazed. Uh, oh. She hurriedly dropped down and escaped Principal Winslow’s embracing arm and picked her way toward the door. “You’re right, this is really hard for me. I need to get out of here for a while.”

  The principal was right behind her. “Of course. Let me take you home. We could stop and get a coffee somewhere. It’ll help calm you down.”

  Principal Winslow suddenly made a squawking noise. Sarah turned to see him lose his balance and land hard on the floor. He glared at Murdoch, now striding toward her. “You grabbed me! You pulled me down!”

  “So I did.” Murdoch took Sarah by the elbow and ushered her out of the school.

  She could hear the man yelling until the doors shut behind them.

  Murdoch helped her get in the car. “Do ye have the book, lass?”

  She arched a brow. “Of course. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

  “Nae. Too beautiful for yer own good, perhaps, but not lacking in wit.”

  After he slid inside she handed him the paperback.

  He flipped through the pages much as she’d done when she’d originally opened the package. He pulled out the piece of paper with the warning about the police and her family, a question in his gaze.

  She shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know why he sent it.”

  “Tell me again what yer grandfather does for work.”

  “Grandpa? Um … well, he works with computers. He’s in a big building in the commercial district. But do you know what? I’m not exactly sure what he does.”

  “He doesnae speak of his work?”

  “I get the impression it’s top-secret or something. Plus, I mean, it’s computers, right? Nobody wants to discuss that stuff, except for other computer geeks.”

  “Does he travel a lot? Disappear for periods of time?”

  She nodded.

  “Does he meet up with unfamiliar people? Talk where no one hears?”

  She shrugged. “He has a lot of friends.”

  “He does sound like a spy.”

  She glanced at the book. “I’m getting pretty worried about him. Regardless of what he does for a living, I can tell you right now he’s one of the good guys. A bit of a nutty professor, but super smart, you know? Loyal, kind, loves his family.”

  “Let’s travel to his house and look about.”

  A couple of police cars pulled into the parking lot. Prudently, Sarah started the car and sedately drove out another exit.

  ~~~

  Forty minutes later, they drove past the colonial home her grandfather designed with her grandmother while raising their family years before. As they eased by, they looked for cars that shouldn’t be there or any suspicious activity.

  Nothing.

  Regardless, she was certainly glad Murdoch was with her. “Drive by once more lass, and then park around the corner.

  She swung around, drove by the house, then slowly moved around the corner until she found a spot to his liking. She turned off the ignition. “What should we do now?”

  “Let’s go at it from the back.”

  “All the houses have fenced yards and some probably have dogs.”

  “Let’s find the house directly behind his and we’ll study the layout.”

  They walked around the block until they found the house bordering her grandfather’s. Trees hid their passage up the driveway and when Murdoch stuck his head over the wooden gate, a dog started to bark. “I see a gate between the houses.”

  Sarah took a step back. “We’d better ask permission to cross. If someone’s home they’ll call the police. After what happened at the station we don’t want to risk it.”

  He didn’t look happy about it, but followed her to the front of the Tudor-style home. “I’ve never seen so many fences. Why is everyone fenced in? How do ye live among yer clan with everyone so shut off?” He genuinely seemed confused.

  Sarah shrugged and rang the doorbell. “I guess things are different in Scotland.”

  “Verra different,” he said darkly.

  A young brunette mom answered the door, a toddler on her hip. Her eyes widened when she spotted Murdoch.

  “My grandfather, Clyde Davis, lives in the house directly behind yours. Is there any way we can cross through your backyard so we can surprise him?”

  The woman finally tore her gaze from Murdoch to glance at Sarah. “What’s your name?”

  “Sarah Davis.”

  “Can you show me some identification?”

  Sarah dug around in her purse for a moment then handed over her driver’s license. The young woman studied it, then smiled. “Any chance you’re the schoolteacher?”

  Sarah returned the smile. “I am.”

  “Your grandfather has talked about you, so alright, come this way.”

  They followed through the house and she let them out a sliding glass door. The golden retriever hurried inside to sniff them. “Your grandfather’s a sweetie. He’s always giving us vegetables grown from his garden.”

  Sarah smiled. “Yeah, I like him.”

  As they went through the gate and into her grandfather’s back yard, Murdoch took her hand. “Does everything look as it should?”

  Sarah studied the back of the house and tried the door to the detached garage. Locked. She looked inside the window. “His car is here.” A sudden shot of fear had her turning to the house and running up the deck stairs to try the back door. Locked. She looked in the window and nothing appeared out of place in the kitchen. “What if he’s here? What if he’s hurt?”

  “He isnae here, lass. How do we get in?”

  Sarah dug her keys out and opened the door. Sudden fear spiked and she blocked his path.

  “What is it?”

  “Why are you helping me? How well do you know my grandfather? Why are you so sure he isn’t home? Do you know something?”

  His jaw tightened and his eyes blazed. “I know ye can trust me. Can the same be said of anyone else at the moment?”

  Doubt overwhelmed her. “It’s just that you showed up at the same time my grandfather went missing.”

  His lips tightened and his jaw jutted forward.

  She swallowed. “It’s a fair question. You could have been after me same as those other men. You could have wanted the book he sent me.”

  She didn’t
resist as he pushed her inside, shut the door, and leaned against it.

  Sarah crossed her arms, feeling suddenly threatened.

  “I am to protect ye.”

  She gulped in air. “My grandfather hired you?”

  He shrugged.

  Fear shot through her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Know this. If I wished to do ye harm, I could have done so a thousand times over by now. If I wished to take yer grandfather’s book, I easily could have. So this distrust is both insulting and pointless. I’d never harm a lady, let alone one that’s mine.” He shoved off the door and turned to walk through the house.

  She put a hand to her chest, realized her heart was pounding, and dropped it again. He was right. If he had evil intentions, she was helpless against him. She wished she could take back her words of distrust. If he wasn’t on her side, she’d have been turned over to whoever was after her by now.

  She shivered and followed him, taking in the neat and tidy home. “Everything looks normal.”

  “Mmmphm.” He made a noise in his throat that sounded both Scottish and dismissive. His back was stiff and her own chest felt heavy.

  “Murdoch, wait. I’m sorry, okay? I really am.”

  He kept going and, after a loud sigh, she followed.

  The house was dark even at mid-morning because the blinds were closed. They headed through the living room, looking into her grandfather’s den and the bathroom before climbing the stairs.

  The upper floor looked undisturbed. They glanced into the two guest rooms and then into her grandfather’s bedroom. The bed was made and nothing seemed out of place.

  Sarah released a relieved breath. A part of her had wondered if he’d actually been hurt or had died in his house with no one the wiser. She’d wondered if this entire thing was one big misunderstanding or mistake.

  Maybe he was at work?

  Maybe his cell phone was broken?

  Or maybe someone really did have him.

  As they stood on the upstairs landing, somebody keyed and opened the front door.

  Sarah’s breath caught and she met Murdoch’s narrow gaze. He quietly backed her into her grandfather’s bedroom even as she hoped it was her grandfather at the door.

  “The old man has to be lying.” The accented words drifted up the stairs.

  Fear froze her to the spot. Russians.

  “Of course he’s lying, That is a given. He’s a tough old bird.”

  “Will he be so tough when we get our hands on his granddaughter?”

  Both men laughed.

  A chill ran up Sarah’s spine and she reached out to touch Murdoch’s arm.

  “How are we supposed to find a microchip in this big house?”

  “We tear everything apart?”

  “We could tear this entire house to shreds and still not find it. This is not a case of brute force. You have got to think smart. Da?”

  She heard grumbling downstairs, as they apparently started to search. She led Murdoch to the French doors in her grandfather’s bedroom. They quietly slid out onto the deck and shut the door behind them. Murdoch swung over the rail, used the iron bars and floor to hang from, and easily dropped to the ground. She copied him, hanging until he gripped her legs and eased her down, all without a word.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as he gripped her hand. They both darted behind trees and took off running toward the car.

  She glanced back but didn’t see anyone following. When they rounded the corner, they slowed to a walk.

  “What is a microchip?” He wasn’t even breathing hard.

  She tried to catch her own breath. “It’s a tiny little flat thing with information on it. Smaller than a thumb drive. My grandfather showed me one once. They use them at his work.”

  “So they would wish to gain access to the information on it?”

  “I’d say that’s a given.”

  He snorted. “’Twas far easier to intercept a man on horseback with a sealed missive.”

  “Uh…” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m sure it was.”

  They arrived at the car, he opened the door and she quickly slid inside. A moment later he was beside her.

  She expelled a breath. “Someone really does have my grandfather, don’t they? Are you sure you want to help me find him?”

  “Of course.”

  She place her hand on his thigh. “Murdoch, I’m really sorry about earlier. After everything you’ve done for me, I shouldn’t have questioned your intentions.”

  His lips tightened again. He nodded once. “Dinnae do it again. It hurt.”

  Surprised he’d admit it, but also touched, she quickly agreed. “I won’t. I promise.”

  He placed a hand over hers.

  “We obviously can’t go to the police, but maybe we could go to the FBI?”

  “Nae. I was sent here to help find yer grandfather, lass. I’ll not fail in my task.”

  Relief poured through her. She nodded. “Okay. Alright. What should we do?”

  “We need to park this vehicle in a location close enough to yer grandfather’s house that we can see the men leave, but they cannae see us. We will follow. Mayhap they will lead us directly to him.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s brilliant!”

  His brows rose as he finally smiled at her again. “Think you?”

  She grinned. “Sure. I’ve never been on a stakeout before.”

  ~~~

  Hours later, Sarah woke, stretched, and remembered where she was.

  The stakeout. She’d fallen asleep in Murdoch’s arms. It was amazing that such a muscle-hardened body could be so warm and comfortable.

  She disentangled herself, sat up, and though Murdoch glanced at her, his eyes immediately went back to the prize. He watched her grandfather’s house with intensity, and the black SUV was still in the driveway.

  She ran a hand over her hair. “Hey, big guy.”

  “Why do ye call me such?”

  “Oh. I don’t know. If you don’t like it, I can stop.”

  “Nae, I do like it. No one has ever given me a pet name before; at least not a complimentary one.”

  She noted that the glove compartment was still open, and that the gun he’d stolen from the policeman was within easy reach.

  “I told you to put that away.”

  He shot her a grin. “I did until ye fell asleep.” He picked up the gun and studied it with interest, his gaze quickly sliding back to the SUV. He hadn’t known what the safety was earlier, which was strange, and she’d shown him how to use the feature with a pointed finger, unwilling to touch the gun. European guns must be different. Other than that, he seemed to know what he was doing, though his ongoing fascination made her nervous.

  Sarah looked at the gun and shuddered. She might not like guns, but Murdoch was like a kid in a toy shop. Pretty! Shiny! Dangerous! She chuckled.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.” She twisted the key in the ignition to check the time. Three hours had passed. She had to hand it to the baddies; they were being thorough. Not for the first time, she worried about her grandfather’s home. She hoped it wasn’t destroyed the way her classroom had been.

  “Dinnae fidget, lass. It will simply make the waiting all the worse.”

  “I can’t help it. This is taking so long.” Oh dear, was she really going to whine? “I just wish we’d gone to get some lunch.”

  “If they leave this place, we could lose them. Food isnae worth taking that chance.”

  “So says the guy who eats at every opportunity.”

  “And why d’ye think that’s so? Eat when ye can, I always say. Ye never know when ye’ll go without.”

  She sank back with a sigh, and crossed her arms. “Stakeouts are supposed to be fun. They’re supposed to include junk food.”

  “Junk food?”

  “Chips, chocolate, donuts. Sandwiches, sodas, shakes, pizza.” She named everything that sounded good to her at the moment. “I thought you’d done t
his before?”

  “I have. If I had a few oat cakes and a bladder of water, I counted myself fortunate.”

  “Eww.”

  He smiled, but Murdoch’s gaze seldom left the vehicle. He seemed made to play this waiting game. She’d thought maybe he’d flirt with her a bit, try to kiss her again, but no, his sharp gaze rarely wavered.

  “You’re good at this stuff, aren’t you? Spying and such.”

  “Actually, nae. I wasnae so good a spy as it turns out.”

  “Ha. I bet you were the best.”

  “Ye’d lose that bet, and mayhap yer life as well.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Well, I can tell you this: I certainly wasn’t made for spying. It’s a lot more boring than it looks on TV.”

  Murdoch chuckled.

  “At least it’ll give me something to tell my class. When they ask what I did for my summer vacation, I can say that I went to the lake, I was kidnapped, and I met a spy. I had a stakeout or two; you know, the usual.”

  Murdoch chuckled again.

  “You’re probably wishing I was asleep again, aren’t you? Sorry, I tend to talk things to death.”

  “Dinnae stop. Ye’re exquisite, and every side ye reveal only makes me want ye all the more.”

  Pleased, but also embarrassed, she glanced at him, only to see him tense. She followed his gaze to see the two thugs come out of her grandfather’s house and climb into the black SUV that they’d been staring at forever. “Finally!” She straightened in her seat.

  “Start the vehicle.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to drive?”

  “I told ye, I dinnae.”

  She managed not to roll her eyes. He was such a controlling type of guy that having her drive surprised her. He didn’t want to take charge? Yeah, sure he didn’t.

  She started the car. He probably wanted his hands free in case something happened. Heaven forbid he should lose an opportunity to shoot someone.

  The black SUV pulled out, and they were soon following at a distance. Murdoch alternately instructed her to get closer, and then to back away.

  They eventually headed to the outskirts of the city, to a more rural area with rolling hills and old farms, with new homes interspersed between.

  Because they were so far back, they almost missed the SUV when they rounded a corner. It was pulled to the side of the road and one of the men was outside, opening a locked gate.