Loch: A Dane Maddock Adventure

by David Wood

  You had to go and spoil it, Isla thought. Still, she had gained a new perspective on the man. He was still far too full of himself, but she could at least understand how he’d turned out that way. Generosity had brought him nothing but pain and rejection, while his first real act of selfishness had set him free. The question was, knowing this about the man, could she trust him to work with her and not double-cross her?

  Their meals arrived, and as they dined, they finally broached the subject they’d danced around thus far.

  “All right, let’s talk about the Tuatha de Dannan,” Isla said. “Do you believe in a supernatural race that dwells in the Otherworld?” She held her breath, waiting for his reply.

  Grizzly considered the question for a few seconds before giving a quick shake of his head. “I don’t believe in a literal Tuatha, but I believe in the four treasures that bear their name.”

  “The four jewels?” she asked.

  “No. I believe the word ‘jewels’ is used figuratively to express just how precious these treasures are. The actual treasures are: the Spear of Lug, against which no army could stand; the Sword of Nuada, a glowing sword that, when drawn, none could resist; the Cauldron of Dagda, from which no one came away unsatisfied; and the Stone of Fai.”

  “Which would cry out beneath the king when he claimed sovereignty,” Isla finished.

  “So, we’re on the same page,” he said.

  “It appears so. We have the same understanding of what the treasure truly is, and we apparently agree that it’s not in Ireland, despite the historical associations between the Irish and the Tuatha.”

  “Belief in the Tuatha isn’t a purely Irish phenomenon,” Grizzly said. “And the Lia Fáil stone on the Hill of Tara is not the Stone of Fai, no matter what some say.”

  “Agreed,” Isla said. Her own ancestors hailed from Ireland, so she thought she had a good perspective on the subject. That, and the fact that the myths, legends, and treasures of the Tuatha were a family obsession—one she’d never been able to shake. She pushed her half-finished salad away and sat up straight. “How does a cryptozoologist find himself on the trail of the Tuatha treasures?”

  “According to some legends, the treasure is guarded by water kelpies. That’s what drew my attention to the mystery, but I’m definitely in this for the treasure hunting aspect.” He steepled his fingers and leaned forward, all business. “Now that I’ve solved the Grey Man enigma, I’ll have some added credibility.”

  Isla cleared her throat and quirked an eyebrow. “Who solved it?”

  “Sorry. Now that we, mostly you, solved the mystery.”

  She smirked and gave a small nod to indicate he could continue.

  “I guarantee you I can pitch this to Jo Slater and she’ll bite. Well, almost definitely. She’s an unpredictable sort. Even if she doesn’t, I’ve got enough connections to finance a documentary crew and turn this into a television special.”

  Isla shifted uncomfortably in her seat. If he was on the same trail as she, bringing in outsiders would be a disaster. Hers was a personal quest.

  “But I don’t want to do it that way,” Grizzly continued. “I won’t deny I want to find the treasure myself.”

  “You want to sell it on the black market?” she asked, thinking of the way Grizzly had secretly claimed his family’s inheritance.

  “No. I don’t know what I want to do, other than solve the mystery. And frankly, I’d rather work with you than with an outside party who will try to take over.” He paused. “Assuming, of course, you have something to offer me beyond what I already know. And make no mistake, I’m aware of the legend that connects the Tuatha and the summit indicator atop Ben Macdui.”

  This was the moment of truth. Isla had to make a decision. Either she joined forces with Grizzly, or it would be a race to find the treasure with the American and whichever third party he brought in dogging her trail. With her limited resources, she really had no options. She reached into her purse, took out her journal, and opened it to the page she’d marked earlier.

  “The Tuatha de Dannan still exist as an organization much like the so-called Illuminati in the States. Some believe they’re on the wrong side of things. They’ve been blamed for terrorist attacks against those whom they deem outsiders, but I’ve seen nothing to indicate that. They’re passionate about Celtic culture and tradition. They value their history.”

  Grizzly seemed unsurprised at this revelation. Apparently, this was another thing he already knew.

  “In my research, I came across a letter, written in 1925 by a member of the Tuatha, alluding to a message embedded in the surface of the summit indicator, along with the code.” She turned the journal around so he could see the string of letters and numbers she’d copied down. She gave him only a moment to look at it before she snapped it shut.

  “All right,” Grizzly said. “I propose we combine our efforts. You’ve got the code, which puts you one step ahead of me. I can offer my knowledge and experience. Also, I’ve got some money set aside to finance the search. Can you get away from your work?”

  “I think so. My editor is apparently a fan of yours. If I tell her you’re working on a new mystery and want to give us exclusive access, I’m sure she’ll go for it.”

  “Excellent! We’ll rest up here tonight and get started first thing in the morning.” He narrowed his eyes and flashed a grin. “One room or two?”

  Isla sighed. “The fact that you even have to ask doesn’t speak well for your intuitive nature or your powers of deduction.”

  Grizzly laughed. “I get it. I just figure there’s never any harm in asking. Won’t happen again.”

  Isla rolled her eyes. What had she gotten herself into?

  Chapter 9

  National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

  The National Museum of Scotland was comprised of two buildings set on a busy street in the heart of Edinburgh. Like the city itself, old met new in the architecture of the two main structures. The Museum of Scotland, which housed exhibits and artifacts relating to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history, featured modern architecture. By contrast, the Royal Museum, founded in the 1800s, boasted a more classical look, with a Victorian Romanesque Revival facade. This branch of the museum hosted collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world cultures. It was this half of the museum that Maddock and Bones planned to visit.

  Inside, they passed through the Natural World section, featuring fauna from throughout history. Maddock took time to examine the T-Rex skeleton, while Bones paused to admire a triceratops skull.

  “Let me guess,” Maddock said. “You’re trying to come up with a ‘horny’ joke.”

  Bones shook his head. “Nah, I was just thinking how awesome it would be to ride one of these things. Besides, a horny joke? That’s low-hanging fruit. I expected better from you.”

  “When have you ever passed up low-hanging fruit?”

  Bones held up a big hand. “Hold on. Are we talking chicks or humor?”

  “Either one,” Maddock said, examining a fully-reconstructed stegosaurus skeleton. “And before you tried riding a dinosaur, you might want to consider how you did on that mechanical bull in Austin.”

  “Screw you, Maddock. That had more to do with my level of sobriety than my riding abilities.”

  Maddock looked around and spotted a young man in a suit, one whom he recognized from photos on the web. As they drew closer, Maddock could read the man’s museum ID badge, which named him Colin Jeong. This was the guy. They introduced themselves, and Jeong ushered them into his office.

  “Colin Jeong,” Bones said. “Those names don’t usually go together.”

  “About as incongruous as a six-and-a-half foot tall Cherokee?” Jeong said, grinning. “My father is Korean, my mother Scottish. I inherited my dad’s genes, but Mom passed along her love of Scotch whiskey.”

  “In that case, you and I are going to get along just fine,” Bones said, squeezing into a small chair in front of Jeong’s desk.<
br />
  “I understand you've got a fossil you want identified and dated,” Jeong said.

  “Not exactly.” Maddock had considered and discarded a dozen different ways to approach this conversation. He hoped Jeong would hear him out. “We have something we would like for you to identify, but it’s not a fossil. As far as the date, we know it’s from 1918.”

  Jeong frowned. “If that’s the case, you don’t need a paleontologist. Perhaps one of my colleagues in biological sciences would be better equipped to help you.”

  “Just show him, Maddock,” Bones said.

  Maddock reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a glass vial containing the tooth Bones had recovered from the wreckage of the U-boat. He handed it to Jeong.

  The paleontologist’s eyes went wide as he saw what he held in his hands. His jaw dropped, and he gaped as he slowly turned the vial, examining the tooth from every possible angle. And then he barked a laugh.

  “Who put you up to this? Was it Joanna? I’ll get back at her for this.” His smile melted away as Bones stood, rising to his full height.

  The big man leaned down, rested his hands on the desk, and locked eyes with Jeong.

  “Listen to me, bro. This is no joke. That thing is real, and we don’t have time to mess around.”

  Jeong sat rigid. “But, it can’t be.” He held the tooth up between them. “Look at it. I’ll admit, it’s the most expertly done fake I’ve ever seen, but it’s too fresh to be a prehistoric creature.” He set the vial down on the desk. “Where did you get it?”

  “We took it from the hull of a sunken German U-boat,” Maddock said.

  Jeong pushed back from his desk. “Gentlemen, I appreciate the laugh, but I’m busy. Please see yourselves out.”

  “You’re starting to piss me off,” Bones growled.

  “Sit down, Bones,” Maddock ordered, seeing the alarm in Jeong’s eyes. “We’re all friends here. Mister Jeong, I’m not going to waste time trying to convince you of anything. To speed things up, let’s pretend you believe this item is genuine. If it were, what creature would you say it came from?”

  Jeong’s eyes flitted to his desk phone. He looked as though he was contemplating calling security to have the two treasure hunters kicked out of his office. But then he glanced at Bones, who sat glowering at him. He blanched.

  Maddock could see the gears turning in Jeong’s mind. How much damage could Bones do in the time it took security to get there, and would they be able to subdue him?

  Jeong took a deep breath and nodded. “Fair enough. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to work.” He donned a pair of gloves, removed the tooth, and examined it at length with a magnifying glass. Finally, he replaced it in the vial and turned to his computer.

  “Would you agree this is a match?” He turned his monitor around so Maddock and Bones could see a high-resolution image of a fossilized tooth.

  “Looks like it to me,” Bones said.

  Jeong clicked through a series of images, all of which resembled the tooth they’d recovered.

  “Now you see why I say it’s impossible that this item is genuine. It appears to be from a plesiosaur.”

  From the corner of his eye, Maddock saw Bones smiling and nodding.

  “What can you tell us about plesiosaurs?” Maddock asked. “Aside from their association with the Loch Ness legend.” He already had some knowledge on the subject but hoped to set the scientist at ease with a softball question.

  “The plesiosaur is a marine reptile from the Early Jurassic period. Long neck, thick body, powerful tail, four large flippers. They grew as large as fourteen meters long and four hundred fifty kilograms. Carnivorous. Needless to say, they are long extinct.” Jeong kept his eyes locked on the tooth as he spoke, his voice trailing away. His resolve was clearly fading. “Would you permit me to study this tooth further? I could give you a definitive answer as to its authenticity, and perhaps learn more.”

  Maddock and Bones were more than happy to agree. It was, in fact, more than they had hoped for. After providing Jeong with their contact information, they excused themselves, hiding their triumphant smiles until they were well away from his office.

  “We’ve got him,” Bones said. “He’s pretending he thinks it’s a fake, but he knows the truth. I could see it in his eyes.”

  “I think you’re right,” Maddock said. “He’s taken the bait. A little study and he’ll be hooked.”

  As they once again passed through the dinosaur exhibit, Bones cast a longing glance at the triceratops skeleton.

  “Remember what I was saying about how it would be awesome to ride one of those?”

  “Yes?”

  “They should make a sport out of it. You know, bring them back, Jurassic Park-style and then have a game where people ride them.”

  “Like polo?”

  Bones pursed his lips, eyes narrowed, and tugged on his ponytail as he often did when thinking particularly hard. “Maybe, but more badass, hardcore.”

  Maddock’s shoulders sagged. “Bones, that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”

  As they approached the exit, they passed a dark-haired man and an attractive woman with long, auburn hair. As usual, Bones managed to make eye contact with the woman and gave her a sly wink. She returned a tight-lipped smile and then they were gone.

  “Not bad,” Bones said.

  “Did that guy she was with look familiar to you?” Maddock was sure he had seen the man before.

  “She was with a guy? Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

  “Of course you didn’t.”

  Bones glanced back over his shoulder, searching the crowd. “She was really hot. I think I should go back and get her number.”

  “No time for that.” Maddock opened the door and strode out into the bright, humid day. “We’ve got another stop to make.”

  Chapter 10

  National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

  “Tell me again who this guy is we’re meeting?” Grizzly asked as they passed through the atrium.

  “Walter Meikle. He’s an old family friend.” Despite the tenuous alliance they’d formed, Isla still resented answering the American’s questions, especially the ones she’d already answered.

  “And he’s an archaeologist?”

  “Archaeology is his profession, but he’s also a historian and a skilled cryptologist. He’s familiar with a variety of older codes. I’m hoping he’ll be able to succeed where I’ve failed.”

  Using the writing on the summit indicator, she’d written down the Tuatha’s coded message, but it had her stumped. It galled her to admit she couldn’t decrypt it on her own. Then again, if it were a simple code, she’d worry that the treasure had already been found. The more challenging, the better, she supposed.

  They found Meikle waiting for them in a small, cramped office. Shelves brimming with books lined every wall, leaving barely enough room for a desk and three cheap, metal and plastic chairs.

  Meikle was a man of late middle age, with white hair, mustache, and beard. He had an easy smile and his eyes twinkled as he greeted them.

  “I suppose we should get to business. What do you have for me?” he asked, once they’d exchanged pleasantries.

  “A code.” Isla handed him her notebook, opened to the page where she’d transcribed the letters from the summit indicator. “Needless to say, this remains between us. It’s related to the family project.”

  “I understand completely.” Meikle put on his reading glasses, but peered over the top of the lenses as he examined the book. “Interesting.” After a few minutes of silent study, he looked up. “I assume you’ve tried the usual suspects?”

  Isla nodded. “Simple substitution, Caesar Shift, all the common ones I could think of. No joy.” Beside her, Grizzly nodded knowingly. She wondered if he actually had any idea what she was talking about.

  Meikle stared at the page for a few more silent minutes. Suddenly, he dropped the notebook onto the desk, grabbed a legal pad and a
pencil, and began scribbling furiously. Occasionally he paused, frowned, gave his beard a twist, and then got back to work.

  Several minutes went by. Grizzly leaned in close to Isla and mouthed, “Do we need to be here for this?”

  Isla had been wondering the same thing, but she didn’t appreciate her new partner asking the question. She smirked and pointed to the door. She hoped her message was clear. Go on and leave. No one’s stopping you. Unfortunately, he either didn’t take her meaning or, more likely, didn’t wish to leave without her.

  Finally, Meikle breathed a soft, “Ah!”

  Isla sat up a little straighter, hoping he’d made a breakthrough. Her heart sank as the man turned and began clicking away at his ancient keyboard.

  At long last, he turned to face them, his face splitting into a wide grin.

  “Did you crack it?” Grizzly asked.

  “I have not yet deciphered the code,” Meikle said with exaggerated patience. “But I can say with a fair amount of certainty that this is a Vigenère Cipher.”

  Grizzly was once again a bobblehead at the edge of her vision, but Isla pushed away her annoyance. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “It’s not very well known. In fact, it was once believed to be impossible to decipher. The secret is a five-letter keyword used as a starting point.” He paused. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what that word might be?”

  Isla hesitated. She thought about the code, the Tuatha, and the treasure. A single five letter word sprang to the forefront of her mind. But to reveal it would mean revealing to Meikle the nature of her quest. She immediately realized her folly. He’d know what they were about as soon as he deciphered the code.