The Stone of Secrets
Page 28
Emmett leaned forward and explained. “It turns out the base commander at the nearby field was Dax’s old army buddy. They were already doing training exercises in the area. Dax just convinced them to do the jump a few miles to the north.”
“And load up with live ammo,” Hooper added.
“And how did you two get roped in?” Skye asked Hooper and Smithers.
“Let’s just say we were in the area too,” Smitty replied. “Once a SEAL, always a SEAL, right Burkie?”
Emmett nodded. “I still have a hard time imagining Dax and the base commander trying to explain all this.”
“Yeah,” Hooper agreed. “I’ll bet Dax has a stack of paperwork this high!”
“Don’t laugh,” Emmett said. “He’s probably going to shuffle most of it right down to my desk come Monday morning. I’ll be filing reports for two weeks.”
“Probably just as well,” Smithers said. “You’re getting too soft for field work. Maybe it’s time to retire to a desk job.”
“Oh really?” Emmett replied. “I’ll bet I’m not too soft to take you down.”
“I’m right here, old man.”
Skye saw Emmett was about to do it. She inserted herself into the exchange. “Perhaps we should pay our bill and take this elsewhere.”
The waitress felt better about the long night when she received her tip. Skye stuffed a hundred pound note in her hand and was gone by the time she knew what it was.
As the group made their way down the Aberdeen streets in the night, Skye noticed the old dance hall was alive and jumping. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked Emmett.
Emmett froze. “…that we should get back to Tintbay Garden and put in for the night?”
“No silly….” Skye replied. She suddenly realized he was hiding something. He looked at Smithers and Hooper. His military buddies had no idea he was a dancer. Her face lit up, and Emmett grew a look of terror. “Hey Smitty! Did you guys know Emmett can burn the floor?”
Hooper and Smithers looked at each other perplexed. “Burn the floor?”
“I’m sure they don’t want to hear about my arsonist tendencies,” Emmett deflected.
“Oh my,” Skye replied, full of joy. “You guys are in for a ride!”
“Emmett, what is she talking about?” Smithers asked.
“Nothing, nothing at all, buddy. I think someone must have slipped something into her drink. Why don’t we all just head home and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow…”
“Not a chance, twinkle toes! We’re going dancing!” Skye exclaimed.
“Dancing?” Hooper asked with interest. “Burke, you never told us you were a dancer!” The thought seemed to give him great joy.
“Oh, this is priceless!” Smithers exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see it!”
The students were equally amazed. Emmett had no chance. The entire group was swept up in the moment, and they entered the hall with excitement. Skye approached the D.J. and requested a Paso Doble. Emmett soon found himself facing Skye on the dance floor as the music began. He lost all composure when he realized what Skye had requested. There was no holding back with the Paso. You were either all in, or you didn’t do it.
“You’re going to pay for this,” he mouthed to Skye from across the floor.
But once he felt the rhythm, it was all over. If Smitty and Hooper wanted a show, he would give them one. He rolled up his sleeves and opened his shirt. It was time to Paso!
In Paso Doble, the lead represents the matador, the woman his flowing cape. Skye and Emmett pulled it off with style. Never had so much energy been put into the floor. His lines were strong and precise, hers were graceful and beautiful. It was as if they were made for this dance.
Smithers, Hooper and the students stood agape. They were speechless. They were so overcome in fact, that after the Paso they joined the dancers on the floor for the rest of the night. Emmett, Skye and Lindsay (who turned out to be a dancing bombshell herself) spent the evening teaching steps to the others. They all enjoyed learning something new. It was a night they would never forget.
The unlikely group of Navy SEALs and archaeologists had decided on a celebratory mini vacation. The SEALs had some leave which coincided with the students’ semester break, and Tintbay Garden was available. Skye was looking forward to finally seeing the Highlands without having anything to do except be a tourist.
In the morning, after scarcely an hour of sleep, Skye met Emmett in the driveway. While the others slept, the pair drove away to explore this amazing corner of the world.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Emmett commented. “After last night we should be passed out until lunchtime at least.”
“We can sleep later,” Skye replied. “I just feel great not having anything to do. I’ve wanted to look around this place for a long time.”
“Well, what would you like to see, Professor – castles, scenery, the islands?
“Let’s just see where the road takes us.”
The road did not disappoint. The narrow strip of pavement wound through the greenest rocky hills they’d ever seen. Time seemed to have stopped in this land. Sheep were grazing on the same foliage their ancestors had for centuries, next to the same cottages. The same stone walls lined the fields, with the same moss growing on them.
They came to a fork in the road, and they took it. Their choice sent them on an even smaller path that entered a canyon with dense foliage. At one point they realized they were totally lost. But neither of them could bear the thought of spending the rest of their lives not knowing what lay at the end of this road.
They twisted up a deep canyon and over a pass in the rocks. The small valley over the hill was totally unpopulated. When they stopped at a small loch, they felt like they were the only two people on Earth. The sun was just coming over the hill, and the water was completely still. Purple heather dotted the green hills all around them. Emmett and Skye got out of the car and stared at the water.
“I never thought there would be a place like this on Earth,” Skye said.
“How could the water be so still?” Emmett pondered. “You know how people say it’s like glass? This water puts glass to shame.”
“It was definitely worth getting up early.”
The pair just sat taking it all in for a few moments.
Emmett knew it wasn’t going to get any better. “Skye, I have a question for you,” he said. He got down on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket.
Skye put her hands over her mouth as tears welled up. “Oh, Emmett!” she cried.
“I have never met anyone like you,” Emmett said looking up into her eyes. “I love you. You are the one I want to grow old with.” He opened the box to reveal a diamond unlike anything Skye had ever seen. It sparkled like heaven itself in the morning light. “Skye McAlister, will you marry me?”
Skye’s eyes opened wide as she looked at the diamond. Then she buried her face in her hands and started to cry. It seemed to Emmett like an odd reaction. But then nothing about Skye had ever been typical. He held his ground and waited for her response.
In a moment the professor took a breath and looked up at the sky. “You are going to kill me,” she said.
Emmett couldn’t believe this wasn’t going well. Had he misread her? He closed the ring box and looked at her.
Skye sat down next to her kneeling friend and searched for the words. “The truth is, I love you too Emmett. But I am in a different world today than I was in a month ago. Do you remember when we talked about balance versus priority?”
“Yeah, the part about Thomas Edison and Jesus,” Emmett replied.
“Correct. Someone once told me the most important thing in life is to be there for the people who need you most. I have been looking for a key for many years now. Something inside me has been urging me on. I can’t explain it because I don’t fully understand it myself. But last week a lot of things fell into place. Emmett, I would marry you in a heartbeat. But right now there are
people who need me a lot more than you do, and I can’t let them down.”
“Wait a minute. You really are the queen, aren’t you?”
“It’s complicated, Emmett. But yes, I am. My official title is Empress Matriarch.”
“You are kidding me. What are you going to do?”
“With the director gone, there’s a terrible vacuum of power. There will be war if I don’t show up. The people who committed crimes will have to pay for them. But most of them are just people, Emmett. They have lives. They need to feed their families. And I need to be there for them.”
“Will you live in Lubeck?”
“There are a lot of details to iron out. I am asking the university for a sabbatical so I can get things in order back there. Emmett, they have technology that can change the world. The electrolyte generator you destroyed could have powered half the continent.”
“Or destroyed every satellite in the sky,” Emmett observed.
“Exactly,” the professor replied. “Now do you see why I need to play queen for a while?”
“I do. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
The professor sighed. She took Emmett by the hand. “Please forgive me. I wish things were different…”
“I know,” Emmett replied hesitantly. He stood up and helped Skye to her feet. “You’re doing the right thing. You always do.”
Skye looked up into his eyes. Tears began streaming down her face. “Someday Emmett, I hope I can do the right thing for you too.”
End of Book One
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