Legacy of the Highlands

by Harriet Schultz

  “Ah, so the similarity is in their jeans, is it?” Francie taunted and began to laugh hysterically.

  “Stop it! You’ve always had such a dirty mind,” she scolded. “As I was saying—whatever chemical thing they share in their g-e-n-e-s must be why I’m attracted to Diego. He reminds me of Will. Will loved him and I loved Will, so Diego sort of has Will’s approval. That makes so much sense.” Alex leaned back to ponder this twisted logic and, as she did so, a smile slowly spread across her face. Maybe in some strange way this meant she hadn’t cheated on Will at all, since it was the part of him that existed in Diego that appealed to her.

  “You realize that Diego isn’t Will, don’t you Alex?” Francie asked as she poured more tea.

  “Of course. I haven’t gone all mental, but maybe I feel a little less guilty.”

  “Are you going to sleep with him again?”

  Alex frowned then took a deep breath and slowly blew it out as she considered the question. The fear that she’d do precisely that was a big part of why she hadn’t gone to Buenos Aires with him. Sex with Diego was great. She’d always had a healthy libido and wasn’t going to act like some virgin for the rest of her life. But sex muddied things up and it was way too soon to deal with whatever complications might result from a physical relationship. She couldn’t tolerate any more emotional turmoil.

  “No, it won’t happen again. Now that we’ve both gotten that curiosity or whatever it was out of the way, we can go back to being great friends.”

  “You’re deluding yourself, dear girl. It’s obvious that you’re in lust with him and he looks at you like you’re a big, juicy steak,” Francie said smugly, as she patted Alex’s hand. “But you’ll have to decide what to do about it on your own. If it were me…”

  Chapter 24

  An hour after after he’d stormed out of David’s office, Diego cleared security at Logan and sprinted to catch the shuttle from Boston to JFK. As he restlessly waited to board, he used his iPhone to snag the last first class seat on an overnight flight from New York to Buenos Aires. He would have been happier if, instead, he were on his way to Scotland with Alex.

  His determination to find the killer had escalated the instant he read the letter Will had left for him. “Am I paranoid?” Will had written. “Maybe, but I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s been following me for at least a month and that my life might end violently. I pray that I’m overreacting. But if anything happens to me, I trust you, my brother, to find the bastard who did it and take care of him.” Diego’s gut twisted in anger as he read the words again and he knew that payback would be the only way to deal with it. The man who had bled to death, alone, in a dark alley hadn’t been some casual acquaintance. That man was his brother, and the blood they shared boiled with outrage.

  It was ironic to be happy that Will had gone ahead with the damn DNA test. He wanted the sons of bitches to come after him next. Let them, he thought grimly. When he found whoever had killed his brother, that person would wish that he’d never been born.

  Diego envied those passengers in the plane’s darkened, first class cabin who were dozing in seats that reclined into something resembling a bed. A sleeping pill would help, but he never took drugs that would affect his mind or reflexes. He irritably readjusted his pillow and curled onto his side, but he couldn’t quiet his chaotic thoughts. He slowed his breathing and shifted his focus to Alex and the surprising night they’d spent together. Instead of relieving an itch, the erotic heat between them had left him hungry for more. She’d never convince him that she’d used him for sex and it meant nothing to her. He’d slept with enough women to know — as he’d told her — the difference between making love and fucking. What had occurred between them was lovemaking and he was certain that they’d do it again. Ah, Alessandra, this will be interesting, he thought as he hugged the pillow tighter. Could it finally be happening to him? Could what he felt for this woman be the first stirrings of love? He knew he should be scared shitless, but instead of fear, the thought soothed him and he drifted into a dreamless sleep until he was gently nudged awake by a flight attendant.

  “Buenos días, Señor Navarro. I’m sorry to wake you, but we’ll be arriving in Buenos Aires in an hour. Would you like coffee? Some breakfast?”

  He stretched his long limbs, yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

  “Coffee would be fine, thanks, but not for about five minutes. I’d like to wash first,” he said groggily, his manners evident even when he wasn’t quite awake.

  “Of course,” she purred. He slitted one eye to watch her hips sway as she walked toward the forward galley on impossibly high heels.

  His eyes felt like they had sand in them, his mouth was pasty and his neck was sore. He took the pouch of toiletries provided by the airline and headed for the lavatory to try to make himself human again. He must have succeeded because another flight attendant — this one a shapely blonde — perched one hip on the arm of his seat as he sipped his second cup of coffee.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” she said in a voice filled with the promise of sensual pleasure. Normally Diego would have welcomed the implied invitation and perhaps arranged to spend time with the extremely attractive woman during her layover in Buenos Aires, but he had no interest in her. When the other, equally beautiful stewardess had awakened him earlier, he’d been dreaming about Alex and woke with a throbbing erection. For the first time in his life, the thought of being faithful to one woman held more appeal than terror.

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat when the phone rang as she got ready for bed. Late night calls had always scared her, even when Will was alive. None of her friends would call near midnight. And there had been a lot of wrong numbers lately with only “private number” displayed on her caller ID. Maybe she’d get rid of this land line and only use her cell.

  “Hello?” she said tentatively, convinced that it had to be a wrong number.

  “Alessandra...”

  Diego’s voice was low and husky and she could almost feel his breath on her ear. She sighed and her tension eased.

  “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “No. I was about to get into bed, but I’m still up. Where are you?”

  “In Buenos Aires, at my parents’ house.”

  “Are you okay? You ran out of David’s office so fast and I wanted to explain…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I was wrong to expect you to drop everything when I could see how Will’s letter had affected you. It was selfish, but all I could think about was what I wanted.“ And I wanted you, he thought.

  “So, did you straighten everything out there? You said your father was worried about a contract.”

  “Yeah. It was a minor problem that I could have taken care of from Boston, but my parents used it to manipulate me into visiting them. I should be angry, but it’s good to be with them. My mother always complains that she never sees me. By the way, she sends love to her ‘dear Alessandra’. She was disappointed that you didn’t come too.”

  “Another time; I promise. Give her a kiss from me. Your Dad, too.”

  “What, none for me?

  “That’s beneath you, but if it will make you feel better, I’ll blow a kiss your way too.”

  “Mmm, got it.” He shifted to a more comfortable position as he remembered how Alex’s lips had felt against his. “What are you wearing?”

  “Diego!”

  “Shall I assume we won’t be having phone sex? And you’ll probably say no to letting me see you naked on Skype too.”

  “You’re depraved! No phone sex, no naked pictures, nada. Comprende?” She’d never let him know that she was enjoying the playful exchange.

  “Just as well. I’d be more frustrated than I am already,” he said and sighed. “I want my hands on you.”

  As Alex visualized how his hands had looked on her body and how they’d made her feel she began to doubt her decision to keep their relationship platonic. Before she could respond, Diego changed the subject
.

  “I had a lot of time to think on the flight down and I realized something.”

  “Oh? And what’s that?” She hoped he wasn’t going to say something stupid like he was falling in love with her. She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to hear those words from another man.

  “I’m happy to have proof that Will was my brother.”

  “Good...that’s a really good thing.”

  “Yeah. And now we better find whoever took him from us. It’s a matter of family, of honor. I don’t want to put off going to Scotland. Can you be ready in a couple of days?”

  “I think so. The only thing on my calendar is a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. We can leave any time after that.”

  “The doctor? Is something wrong? Are you sick?” There was panic in his voice.

  “Of course not. It’s a routine female thing...Pap test, you know, the annual works. I made this appointment a long time ago and would have forgotten, but they sent a reminder. No need to worry.”

  “Good. I couldn’t deal with you being sick now.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s like you can take it and take it but if one more thing is added to the pile, bam! It topples, right?”

  “True. This is nice...I’ve missed you.” The words were out of his mouth before he knew he was even thinking them. He wondered if she missed him too, but he wasn’t going to ask.

  “Do you have any idea when you’ll get into Boston?”

  “My mother will try to guilt me into staying for a while, but I should be able to leave tomorrow. I’ll let you know my plans as soon as they’re made.”

  “Great...and Diego?” Alex chewed on her bottom lip, hesitant to admit what she’d just recognized.

  “Yes?” Diego waited patiently for her to be ready to speak. It was a long pause.

  “I’m glad you’re coming back.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Me too. Sleep well, Preciosa.”

  “And you.”

  As she left home for the doctor’s office, Alex walked passed the grimy vagrant Diego had warned her about. He seemed harmless enough, and she was in a good mood, so she greeted him with a cheery, “good morning.” He acknowledged it with an unintelligible grunt and shuffled away.

  The bright sun felt so good on her face that she decided to walk downtown instead of going underground to the T. Every once in a while she felt uneasy, as if someone were watching her, but when she’d turn to look over her shoulder all she could see were the usual businesspeople, tourists and shoppers crowding the sidewalk. She told herself she was being foolish and, just like Will, she dismissed the warning as nothing more than paranoia.

  The OB/GYN’s office was in a busy medical building crowded with stressed people on their way to their doctors. She smiled at the well-dressed man who politely stepped aside to allow her to exit the packed elevator at the seventh floor before following her off himself. He waited until she’d turned right, then he went left.

  Once Alex disappeared into her doctor’s office, the man checked the name on the door then took the stairs back to the lobby, pulled a phone from his pocket and made a call.

  “This may be what we’ve been waiting for. She walked into an obstetrician’s office a minute ago. You know, a baby doctor!” he snapped angrily. “Our Alexandra’s as slim as ever, but it could be that she carries the Cameron lad’s child. If her belly starts to swell, what would you have me do?”

  An unemotional voice an ocean away responded as if the conversation were about the weather. “Well now, she and the bairn must have a wee accident I suppose, don’t you think?”

  Alex’s annual check-up was uneventful. She’d known Dr. Higgins for years and the physician greeted her with a hug. “How are you doing? Do you feel all right?”

  “How am I supposed to answer that? Yes and no, I guess. I’m better than I was a few months ago, but it’s still hard to accept that I’ll never see Will again.”

  “If I can do anything to help, you’ll ask, right?”

  As the physician examined Alex she asked if she was still taking birth control pills.

  “I’d stopped them for a while, but then I started again last month.” Alex decided that was all she’d say on the subject. She was glad to be flat on her back, eyes glued to the ceiling, so the doctor wouldn’t see the flush that rose from her chest to her face at revealing that she was having sex so soon after Will’s death.

  “I’ll phone in a new prescription. And don’t forget to have him wear a condom,” was the doctor’s only comment.

  Alex had no plans for the rest of the day, so she wandered in and out of the designer shops lining Boylston and Newbury Streets. Then, without thinking, she turned off Newbury and headed into the narrow passageway where Will had been killed. She’d managed to put this place out of her mind, but at that moment something that she didn’t want to question compelled her to go there.

  She stood at the mouth of the alley where Will had taken his last breath and studied it. In daylight, it didn’t look at all ominous. A slanted ray of sun made its way past the buildings that lined the space, which smelled faintly of the overflowing garbage cans waiting for pickup. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to slowly walk into the narrow space. She wasn’t sure of the precise spot where it had happened, but about halfway through she sensed a change in the air and stopped abruptly to lean against a dirty brick wall.

  “Are you here Will? Can you hear me?” she whispered as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. Maybe if she focused hard enough, he would come to her. She squeezed her eyes shut and slowed her breathing. Ridiculous, her logical self argued, but there were moments when she was absolutely sure he was hovering nearby. Fuck logic — she needed to believe in possibilities.

  Alex didn’t expect to feel more connected to Will in this smelly alley than at home among all his things, yet she did. Maybe his spirit is still hanging around here, maybe his soul can’t rest yet, she thought, flashing on movies featuring violent death and spirits lingering between this world and the next...so she started talking to him, between sobs, as if he were there.

  “I miss you, oh God, how I miss you. I don’t know how to live without you...I’m not any good at being alone.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, but the real or imagined connection to him was so strong that she forced the words out. She might not have another chance to tell him. “Diego — and yes, he told me he’s your brother — is helping me figure out how to live again.”

  A gentle breeze that carried Will’s scent wrapped her in its embrace. Was he trying to tell her that he was all right with whatever this thing was between her and Diego? Or maybe it was simply a ghostly slap in the face.

  “You okay, lady? You was talkin’ to yourself. You okay?”

  Alex was repulsed by the overpowering stench of body odor and blast of whiskey fumes emanating from the rag-clad figure asking about her well-being. Had she fallen asleep and conjured Will’s spirit or had he really been there? She wanted to drift back to wherever she’d been.

  “Go away! Leave me alone! I’m fine,” she shouted, but he didn’t move. She thought that it would be bizarre to be attacked in the same place where Will had died, yet somehow she was more annoyed than afraid. “What do you want?” she asked irritably.

  The only sign that he’d heard her was a grunt as he retreated a few inches, allowing her to draw clean air into her lungs. When she looked up, she realized that the man resembled the vagrant she’d seen near her house that morning.

  “Jeez, lady, I seen ya around an’ ya looked sick. Dat’s all. I don’t want nothin’ from ya.” He continued to mumble as he staggered away.

  “Wait!” she shouted and scrambled to her feet to catch up with him.

  “I’ve seen you near my house. Do you sleep in this alley? Do you know anyone who does? Have you ever seen someone attacked here?” She dug in her purse and extended a twenty toward him, hoping against hope that Will had sent this creature to her for a reason. The police had questioned thei
r own sources among the city’s street people, but maybe not this particular one.

  “Tanks,” he said, pocketing the twenty as he walked away.

  “Stop, goddamn it! That money is to buy information. Stand still and talk to me. Please.” He paused, but kept his face lowered and gazed blankly at the filthy toes that peeked out from his torn sneakers.

  “I don’t know nothin’ lady. I ain’t seen nothin’. I don’t know no one. Dat’s all your money bought ya. I gotta go.”

  She grabbed his arm, which was surprisingly solid under the layers of clothing that camouflaged his body. “You’re not going anywhere! My husband was murdered! You have to tell me if you know anything about a man being killed here.” She could hear the growing hysteria in her voice.

  He didn’t answer, but instead laid a dirty hand on her belly and raised his eyes to hers. She was stunned and it took a moment for her to back away.

  “Did your man plant something in there before dying, I wonder?” His slurred, ungrammatical speech was suddenly clear and precise, with an unmistakable Scottish burr.

  “Get your filthy hands off me! Who the hell are you?” Alex balled her fists, consumed by rage. At that moment she was convinced that she could take this man down or die trying. He knew something, was connected somehow. Why else would he have said what he did? He had to be one of them and for some reason he thought she was pregnant with Will’s baby. Would they try to kill her now too?

  “Wait! Please!” Her shaking hands were no match for the man’s strength and he easily twisted out of her grasp and ran. The masquerade was over and she could only watch the obviously sober man, who’d been unable to walk a straight line a minute earlier, sprint out of the alley.