by Diane Darcy
After a moment, the principal came back on the line. “Okay, I’ve got a number here for you. Are you ready?”
She had pen poised over paper. “Ready.”
After giving her the name and number, Principal Winslow was quick to try again. “How about that coffee?”
She cringed. “Can I take a rain check?” She hated to encourage the guy, but wanted to get off the phone quickly.
“Great! Maybe we can go to lunch tomorrow?”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
After they disconnected, she called the number and a man answered the phone. “Todd Anderson?”
“Yes?”
“Hi, my name is Sarah Davis. I’m a fourth grade teacher over at Woodland Elementary School. I’m wondering if you have any students who could help me with a project I’m doing. It would need to be somebody especially good with microchip technology.”
Todd chuckled. “So basically, you’re looking for a nerd.”
“I thought they were called geeks these days?”
“Ha! As a nerd myself, I don’t keep up with those things. But, as a matter fact, I do have a student who is uniquely qualified to help you. His name is Noah Larsen. Hold on, and I’ll get you his phone number.”
Sarah gave Murdoch a thumbs-up.
A few minutes later, Todd got back on the line and rattled off numbers. “May I ask what this is all about?”
“My grandfather is a computer genius, and he just needs a little bit of help, preferably from someone who knows what they’re doing. Apparently I’m not qualified.”
Todd laughed again. “Well, good luck.”
After she disconnected, Sarah immediately dialed the new number. A young, male voice answered on the other end of the line. “Yo?”
After she explained who she was, how she’d gotten his phone number, and asked if he could help, the kid showed a little bit of excitement. “My teacher recommended me? That should be good for my grade, right?”
Sarah chuckled. “I don’t know, maybe. I could certainly put in a good word for you.”
“What about a college recommendation? Can you help me with that?”
“Well, I’m an elementary school teacher, but if you think it would help, I’d be glad to write you a letter. Provided, of course, this project works out.”
He laughed. “I can pretty much do anything, so it’ll work out.”
“Then you can expect a glowing letter of recommendation.”
“Alright. I’m in. But next time just text me. This talking on the phone is weird.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
They agreed to meet in twenty minutes at his house. Sarah hung up the phone and smiled at Murdoch.
“What is a geek?”
Sarah laughed. “Someone who knows everything about microchips.”
Murdoch smiled. “Clever girl. I think yer plan just might work, lass.”
At his praise, a warm glow enveloped her. “I think so too.” Feeling optimistic, she put the car in gear, and headed to the address Noah had given her.
~~~
They drove to the lad’s house.
As the evening wore on, Murdoch was becoming increasingly aware that his time with Sarah was limited. Two days, the witch had said. Mayhap a bit longer. Would Sarah remember him fondly when he was gone? He didn’t wish to waste even a second of time with her, and searched his brain for ways to know her better. “Ye went to university? To become a school teacher? Most impressive. I know a lot of women go these days, but ’tis a grand accomplishment.”
She flushed and tried to hide a pleased smile. “Thank you. Did you go?”
“For a time. Until my father pulled me away. I was needed for other things.”
“Spying?” She teased him.
He smiled. “What know ye of such things?”
“Only what I’m learning from you.”
Murdoch chuckled. “Glad to be of service.”
They arrived at the lad’s house and when Murdoch knocked, the boy immediately swung the door wide. “Hi, I’m Noah.” He was short, thin, and dark-skinned. Straight black hair stuck out from his head and Murdoch would think he rarely bothered to comb it, but it was too perfectly spiked to be anything but intentional. “Whoa, dude. You’re huge!”
Murdoch nodded. “That I am.”
“Awesome accent!” The lad gestured them forward. “Come on in.”
Murdoch stepped back so Sarah could go in first. Would she remember his gallantry after he’d gone? Think on him fondly?
Sarah glanced toward the noises coming from the living area. “I’m Sarah and this is Murdoch. Are your parents here?”
“They’re in the family room. I told them you were coming.” He led the way upstairs to his bedroom, and it looked like he’d made a haphazard attempt at cleaning it up. Murdoch glimpsed clothing sticking out from under a bed, and closed inside a closet. A desk took up space along one wall of the room and was covered with computers and monitors. Some were mounted to the wall. An animated show blared on one screen.
“Scooby Doo,” Sarah whispered as the lad turned a cartoon off.
“What?”
She grinned and shook her head.
“Okay, so what is it, and who did you get it from?”
Murdoch handed over the microchip and Noah stuck it in his computer.
Sarah took a breath. “It’s my grandfather’s.”
The lad cocked his head. “And you can’t ask him to open it, why?”
“He’s out of communication at the moment. We’re hoping to find him by using this.”
Noah shrugged. He pushed a few buttons on the board in front of him and all sorts of information appeared on the screen. “It’s password protected,” Noah grinned. “But that’s not really a problem, is it?”
His fingers flew on the board with an impressive speed that left Murdoch blinking. Within sixty seconds he lifted his head to grin. “I’m in!”
“Wow!” Sarah clapped.
Murdoch smiled at the lad. “Now what?”
Noah stuck something small into his computer. “Now, I make a copy. Never mess with the original unless you have a backup, right?”
“Clever,” Murdoch praised. He’d copied a few missives in his day for similar reasons.
Noah grinned. A moment later he handed the copy, a small bit of black plastic, to Murdoch. Then he stretched his fingers, and gazed at the information on the screen. “Okay, let’s see what we have.” He tapped for a while, called one of his friends for some information, hung up, and started typing again.
“Holy Mackerel!”
“What?” Sarah glanced from Noah to Murdoch and back. “What is it?”
The lad turned eyes toward them, and fear flashed across his face. “Look guys. I think you’re really nice and everything, but I don’t want anything to do with this. Your grandpa must be one scary dude.”
Murdoch pulled Sarah close, under the protection of his arm. “What d’ye mean?”
She clung to him. “Why is he scary?”
The computer beeped. “Holy Mackerel! Were being tracked!” The boy tapped furiously, talking to himself as he did so. “Come on, come on, you are so not getting in there. This is not happening. I’ve got you. You are in the bin. You’re mine.”
Sarah tensed and Murdoch held her close.
Noah pushed a button with a flourish and sat back, his face glowing. “Ha! Good luck tracking me now, loser. This is actually pretty cool. Like espionage.”
Murdoch looked at the numbers on the screen. “But what is it, laddie?”
The lad wasn’t paying attention. “Ha! Look at this. Grandpa is a government contractor. That’s not so bad. If I had to guess, his agency doesn’t report funding. The man probably gets paid in toilet seats.”
Murdoch looked confused. “Toilet seats?”
Noah grinned again. “Well, you know, when the government charges outrageous amounts of money for strange items. No one knows what the money is actually for though, right? Look
s to me like grandpa might be using that money.”
“For what?”
He pointed at the screen. “To build this program, for one. This information doesn’t come cheap. It looks like this is designed to keep track of the sale of illegal firearms. Gunrunning. Like, worldwide. This is amazing. The skill you’d have to have to hack some of this stuff is mind-blowing. Can you imagine what some people would pay for this information?”
Sarah snorted. “Right before they killed you?”
“Ha! There is that.”
“Seriously. Your grandpa could teach me a thing or two, that’s for sure. In the meantime, let’s see if I can impress the man. I have to call my friend.” He explained about being tracked, and talked about some kind of code. The lad’s fingers tapped on the keyboard the entire time.
Murdoch glanced down at Sarah. She looked slightly pale, but determined.
Noah started talking to his friend about how they could change the code, as he continued to type. Finally, he stopped and turned to grin at them. “I’ve got it. We figured it out.”
He pushed a button and handed the microchip to them. “It’s now a modified version. All the numbers are messed up, but only slightly. The first time you open it, it’ll work and look legit, even though the numbers are bad. The second time?” He smiled. “Let’s just say I hope they like pure entertainment.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said as Murdoch took the microchip. “What do we owe you?”
“An introduction to your grandfather? A chance to show him what I can do?”
Sarah nodded. “Certainly. It’ll be my pleasure.”
“Seriously, call me, anytime. Anytime you need more help with stuff like this, I’m your guy.”
“One more thing,” Murdoch eyed the lad. “I’ll have ye remove yer own copy before I leave.”
The boy froze, then exhaled. He grinned and tapped at the board again. “Done.”
Sarah stiffened with indignation. “Trash can too.”
The boy groaned and tapped a few more seconds. “You guys are no fun at all!”
Sarah looked at the lad sternly and Murdoch could see the school teacher in her for the first time. “I’ll have to think about that letter of recommendation.”
~~~
“I’ll drive this time.” Murdoch held out a hand for the keys.
Sarah shrugged and passed them over. “I was starting to think you didn’t drive.”
“I’ve not done it before, but that doesnae mean I cannae now, does it? I’ve been watching you.”
Sarah’s mouth parted. “Are you serious? Or are you pulling my leg?”
Murdoch looked at her legs.
“Do you have a license or not?”
“Nae. But I’ll be good at it.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Alright, if you’re so determined, get in the driver’s seat.”
First, he helped her in the car, as always. Next, he rounded the vehicle and slid into the driver seat. They both slid their seatbelts into place.
He fumbled for a while and was finally able to get the key into the ignition. He turned it for too long, and it made an awful screeching noise until he let off.
She winced. “You really don’t know how to drive, do you?”
His jaw set with stubborn determination. “As I said, I’ve been watching ye. I’m sure I will be proficient in no time.”
His look of resolve was so adorable that she hesitated. This was probably the last thing they should be doing, but he was so determined and excited, so why not? If he was horrible, she’d shut him down. Luckily, the subdivision they were in lacked traffic at the moment.
He grasped the shift lever and tried to move it.
“You need to push the brake first.”
“I know that much.” He looked down at his feet, nodded once, pushed the brake, grasped the shift lever once more and put it in drive.
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from showing any amusement. “You don’t need to get snappy with me, I had a few months’ worth of lessons before I was allowed to drive. You can take my advice, or you can let me do the driving.”
“Alright. What do I do now?”
“Slowly let your foot off the brake.”
The car jumped forward before smoothing out, and he shot her a big smile of excitement.
She grinned back. Guys with guns, guys in cars. Men were easy to please. “My mistake. I should’ve known you’d be good at this.”
He growled. Going slowly at first, he finally dared to put pressure on the accelerator. They shot forward, then back, then forward several times before he eased into it. He tested the brakes. The accelerator again.
Sarah tightened her seatbelt. “You’re doing fine.”
They headed out, and the traffic increased.
“Do you want me to drive now?”
He studied the cars, both coming and going, and that adorable look of determination filled his face once more. “I can do this, lass.”
“Stop sign coming up. Slow down.”
He stopped a bit too close to the car in front of them.
“We’re planning to rescue my grandfather tonight. If we end up in a car accident, we won’t be able to do that.”
“Doonae fash. I find this quite simple.” He shot her a superior look as he moved forward and stopped again.
There was no way she was getting him out of the driver’s seat now, so she just sat back and accepted it.
He drove out into heavier traffic, but he did listen to her instructions, and after a few minutes seemed to do pretty well. She glanced at the gas gauge. “Maybe we better fill up on gas. We don’t want to run out tonight of all nights, do we?”
They stopped, and he was such a guy, insisting he do everything himself. She showed him how to fill the tank and he acted like it was rocket science.
When they eased back onto the road, she had to admit she was surprised by how well he was driving. “So where do you come from, in Scotland, exactly?”
“Inveraray, near Loch Leaman.”
“Is it pretty there?”
“Aye, lass. Sparkling water, glens, snowcapped mountains in the distance. I’ve walked the woods many a time. To the south there are wide open landscapes. The loch is full of islands and I explored most of them in my time.” He glanced at her. “Ye’d love it. Scotland would become ye.”
She smiled. “Do you miss it?”
He eased to a stop at a traffic light. “I haven’t been there for many a year, but if I ever had the opportunity, I’d love to go back.”
“If you’re not living there now, where have you been?”
“Culloden Moor.”
“Oh, that’s right. You died there and are now a ghost.” She reached out and grasped his arm. “You certainly feel like flesh and blood to me.”
She expected him to laugh, but he pursed his lips, looking more pensive than anything. “Actually, there are 79 ghosts there, or there were. Some have moved on now, as have I.”
She bit her bottom lip, suddenly nervous, unsure what to say. “And this is where you moved on to? Boston, Massachusetts? To spend time with me? I’m flattered.”
“I’d not thought to ever be this grateful for anything in life again, but I owe the witch much for sending me to ye. I could think of no better prize or consolation for the long years of loneliness and despair. When Soni gifted ye to me,” he swallowed, “I’d not the foresight to see the prize she offered.”
Sarah’s heart leapt, and she didn’t know why. Because she was uncomfortable with his gibberish? No. It was just the way he said everything; the heartfelt way he talked about loneliness and despair was so sincere, she was touched, regardless of her disbelief.
She reached over and put her hand on his arm again. “I’m glad you’re here too. Honestly, there’s not another person on this earth, in the past or the future, that I would rather be with than you. This whole entire situation is so messed up. I don’t think I could’ve handled it if you hadn’t been beside me.”
He glanced at her, then back at the road, the grim line of his lips softening. “What about you? Have ye always wished to be a teacher?”
She was okay with the change of subject. “No, when I went to college I kept changing my major. Veterinarian, PE teacher, business management. When I was little I wanted to be a ballerina, or a truck driver.”
“Why did ye think teaching would suit ye?”
“I thought about it for a long time. I like kids, quite a bit. They’re changeable, never boring, and I find being around them, teaching young minds, to be quite satisfying. It’s a lot of work, but I do enjoy it. What about you? When did you know you wanted to be a spy?”
He laughed. “That is so long ago, that it’s hard to look back. I suppose I wished to please my father in the beginning. He had strong political leanings, and passed them on to me. I was young, agile, and my accent wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been as I was schooled in London in my youth when my father was first elected to Parliament.”
He shrugged. “If I’m completely honest, I have to admit I did it for the fun of it. It was exciting getting caught up in the drama of the moment. Men shouting in taverns, whispering in homes, having strong opinions, and being able to influence them myself.” He shook his head. “Enough of that, tell me of yer family.”
“My mom and sister might seem a little bratty, but they’re really not. Dad died a couple of years ago in a car accident, and they haven’t been quite the same since.”
“What of ye?”
“Well, I’m super close to my grandfather so I think it’s made it easier.”
“Why do ye not have a man in yer life?”
Her lips curved. “I thought I did. There’s this guy who’s been going around telling everybody that I’m his.”
He grinned at her, turned on the blinker, and eased into a convenience store parking lot.
“Are you done driving?”
Looking satisfied, his lip curling proudly, he put the car in park, and turned toward her. “Nae, I just thought I’d take this moment to remind ye who ye belong to.” He reached for her.
She should probably turn him down but she didn’t want to, did she? He might be a bit rough and threatening, and dangerous as well, but not with her. With her, he was sweet, caring, protective. And so proud of his driving, so darned cute, she couldn’t be blamed for the heady attraction.
