“Is there something wrong?” he asked as he moved to stand beside her.
She had to think, delay him while she slipped the puzzle pieces in place. “Um, I was just thinking that I need to be careful about using my laptop. The battery doesn’t last too long and I don’t”—she craned her neck and glanced around the cottage—“I don’t see any electrical outlets.”
“I have a generator that I run when I need to.” He placed one hand on the table, the other on the back of her chair, and loomed over her. “I have plenty of fuel so please continue.”
She quavered ever so slightly as she powered on her laptop. Think. What did Alec tell you about the murder? Josh’s car went off a cliff into the sea, but there was no trace of a body. Could he have faked his own death? Why? So when he magically reappeared and joined up with Alec, his partner wouldn’t know and he’d be able to stake the claim. She reached up with her left hand and pushed against his chest. “You need to back off. I don’t like it when people helicopter me.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Helicopter?”
“Yes, you’re hovering over me. I don’t like it, so back off,” Katie said.
He straightened and stepped away. He grabbed a chair and brought it near the table, next to her, effectively trapping her. She extended her arm, sweeping it from in front of her then to the side making sure he wasn’t in her personal space. “Thank you,” she said.
“It’s not my intention to intimidate you,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think I have the energy to try twenty-four, seven.”
She turned her head to face him. “Are you saying that I’m difficult?” she asked tersely.
He shook his head. “Not what I meant. I meant that I can see the wheels turning in that brilliant mind of yours. I don’t think I’d be able to keep up. Lord knows how Alec—” He caught himself.
Play it cool, she told herself. “Alec. Alec MacGowan, my boss. Do you know each other?”
His mouth tightened. “Yes. We’re in the same business, as it were.”
“Oh, really? So you go around stealing other people’s promotions?”
He laughed. “Is that what he did to you?”
She seethed. “It’s not funny. I’ve worked hard my entire professional life, basically created that position, and he manages, at the last minute, to steal it right out from under me. And then he ‘requests’ that I work for him.” She shook her shoulders, trying to relieve the tension building in her body. “The arrogance of that SOB is incredible. Do you know he actually expelled me from the office? I’ve never been expelled from anything. Insufferable bastard.”
She was stalling, trying to clear her head. She glanced around the cottage, looking for anything that she could use to restrain him. Rope, cording, a leather belt, anything, but if it was there, she didn’t spy it.
His laugh turned deeper, a rich, warm rumble. “He does tend to have a commanding presence.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re just as bad.”
His laugh subsided. “Really? How so?”
Katie glared at him. She locked onto to his eyes and stared. Finally, after almost a minute she replied. “I don’t like you.”
His body stiffened as he replied icily, “We’ve established that fact. Just do what I need and then you’re free to leave.”
“And go where? I don’t have a clue where I am. How am I supposed to ‘just leave’ as you so casually put it? Seems like you have all the control in this situation, and in case you didn’t know, I don’t work like that.”
She exhaled as her mind raced. Keep him occupied. Get him to reveal anything about where I am. He said there’s a generator and fuel. I can start a fire if I think someone might see it. She swallowed. This bastard in all likelihood was none other than Andrew Mason, the man responsible for her parents’ deaths. The man who’s haunted her life and her nightmares for the last ten years. The man who walked away unpunished. Don’t let him get control or any more than he already has. Find a way to turn the tables.
She looked over but he was gone. Where the hell did he go? She felt a sharp pain as he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head up to see his face. “Don’t play games, Katie. Or you’ll regret it.” He wound her hair tighter though his fingers and pulled.
“Ow. Let me go,” she said as she twisted against his hold, slapping his hand with hers. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as he tightened his grip. Her hands flew up to her head and she dug her nails into the fleshy part of his hand near his thumb.
He yanked her head sideways and struck her face with his other hand. “That how you want to play this? I told you I’ve got nothing to lose. I don’t have a lot of patience or a lot of time.” He was breathing hard now, the anger visible on his face in narrowed, hooded eyes, the sneer pasted on his mouth. He pulled harder. “Will you cooperate or fight me?”
The pain was excruciating. Each nerve ending on her head was on fire as if a thousand red hot pokers jabbed into her skull at the same time. Tears ran down her face. “Please. Please stop.” Her voice hitched. “Please.”
He released her hair with a hard shove. Through clenched teeth he said, “Don’t ever forget that I control you. You will do what I say or face the consequences. And as I said, the sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll be free.” He loomed over her. “Do I make myself clear?”
She reflexively shrank back and swallowed. “Yes,” she hissed softly.
“Good. Now pull up your translation and we can start,” he ordered as he pulled his chair next to hers, invading her personal space.
R
Chapter Twenty
“Willie, my brother Robert has arranged to get you over here. Get over to Logan to the private jet terminal, check in with security, and board the plane. Call me once you’re settled.”
“How soon?” Willie asked.
“The departure is set for 10:20 a.m. your time.” Alec checked his watch. “That’s just under two hours. Is that enough time?”
“It’ll have to be.” Willie ended the call.
Alec steeled himself as he called Laura. She had every right to despise him, but she’d have to suck it up until Katie was safe.
“Yeah,” she snapped. “Any news?”
He ran his hand through his hair, took a deep breath and then told Laura everything he knew, ending with Willie’s imminent departure.
“I have to go,” Laura replied and then disconnected the call.
“Did she just hang up on me?” He stared at the phone. “Jesus, she did.” He shook his head. “And I thought Katie was a handful.”
****
Air traffic was light as the plane lined up behind a jumbo jet and a freight carrier and was cleared for take-off. Mere minutes later, they were at the end of the runway, engines revving. The jet sped down the runway, throwing them back in their seats. It seemed liked only seconds before they were soaring above the ground, the terminal buildings shrinking rapidly below them. The wheels clunked as they retracted and then locked inside the plane. Willie glanced out the window, looking down at the lighthouses that peppered the harbor as the plane banked. He turned backed and faced his fellow travelers. “One failure to do as I say and you’re out. Got it?”
“Yes,” Laura answered. “I’ll do whatever you ask, just as long as we get Katie back.”
“Same here,” Robert replied. “You’re in charge.”
Willie flashed a tight-lipped grin. “Just don’t forget it. Now, let’s get to work,” he said as the plane leveled off. He released his seatbelt and headed for the conference table under the back bulkhead with Laura and Robert following.
Willie set his phone on the table and called Alec. Laura opened up Willie’s laptop and started typing.
Alec’s voice interrupted the silence. “You airborne yet?”
“We’re on our way,” Willie replied. “We should be there about midnight local time.”
“We? Who else is coming? I thought you said to keep this close to the vest.”
“Seems like
you’re the one with the loose lips, buddy.”
“Alec,” Robert cut in, “I’m here and Laura’s here. She’s family. Did you just think that we were going to sit on our asses back in Boston?”
“Well, I… I didn’t think about that,” Alec replied. His sigh shot out from the phone and echoed around the cabin. “Thanks, everyone.”
Robert squeezed Laura’s hand.
“Okay,” Willie started, “so let’s get goin’.”
They listened as Willie laid out his methodology and what he’d uncovered so far. He was able to run the license plate on the car Katie was taken away in. “It’s registered to a Drew Anderson. That name ring a bell with anyone?” Willie asked.
Laura and Robert shook their heads. “I can’t recall anyone with that name, never mind in relation to the Institute,” Robert said.
“Katie doesn’t have a lot of friends. I think I know all of them and that’s not one of them. But…” Laura hesitated.
“Go on,” Alec pushed, “but what?”
“Well, I don’t know much about Katie from before I met her. I don’t have any insight into her past.” Laura inhaled and continued. “She may have been a different person before… before her parents’ deaths. I catch glimpses of a happier Katie every once in a while.”
“And your point is?” Alec snapped.
“My point is this Drew Anderson may be someone from her past.”
“Shit,” Alec spewed, “shit, shit, shit. Willie, what about it? Think it’s possible?”
Willie rubbed his chin with one hand. “Possible but not probable. Most people don’t have much patience and I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone carryin’ a grudge for over ten years. The only name that comes to mind is Edmund Dante.”
Laura chuckled. “The Count of Monte Cristo. Willie, you surprise me.”
He winked. “There’s much more to me than a pretty face.”
“HEY,” Alec yelled, “can we get back to Katie?”
Laura tensed. “It’s all your fault.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”
“Children,” Robert said, “let’s just all calm down. We need to work as a group. We can deal with our personal issues after.”
Laura nodded.
Willie spoke. “Alec, I need to ask ya somethin’ and think before ya answer. When ya last saw Katie, was she wearin’ a necklace? A necklace with a purple stone pendant?”
“I… I think so,” Alec replied.
“Don’t think. Remember. It’s important.”
“I-I…yes. I remember now because it was the same color as her underwear.”
“Oh. My. God!” Laura shrieked. “You slept with her last night. After you knew that Josh Mason was the man responsible for her parents’ death.” Her hands clenched and she slammed the tabletop with her fists. “You bastard. No wonder she up and left once she read that email.”
“Jesus,” Robert swore.
“Excuse me, people, but while that’s the cause of her bein’ outside and endin’ up with Anderson, it doesn’t help us, except for the fact that she was wearin’ my necklace.”
“Your necklace,” Alec spat. “Are the two of you involved?”
“We’re not sleepin’ together but I sure as hell wouldn’t do to her what you’ve done,” Willie answered.
“Why, you son of a bitch, I’m going to knock you flat on your ass when I see you.”
“Yeah, you and what army, buddy?”
A high-pitched whistle cut through the sniping. Robert made sure he had everyone’s attention before he spoke. “Listen up, people. We’re getting sidetracked. Let’s stick to the operation. Willie,” he said, nodding in Willie’s direction, “why don’t you tell us why the necklace is so important.”
“Well, after I met Katie in the alley, the one where the guy was tryin’ to mug her, and we became friends, I noticed she never looks out for herself. She wants to do somethin’, she does it. She doesn’t think about her safety. I got worried about her. I mean she’s this little thing, and tough as she thinks she is, she’d lose against sheer brute force or in a situation where she’s outnumbered. So I wanted a way to keep tabs on her. So I gave her the necklace.”
“So?” Alec asked.
Willie grinned. “It has a locator beacon embedded in the stone. If anythin’ happened to her, and she was hurt, I’d be able to find her.”
Laura jumped into Willie’s arms. “I could kiss you.” She pulled his head down and she did just that.
Robert stood up and walked around the table. He laughed as he slapped Willie on the back. “Willie, my man, you’re a genius.”
“Then where the hell is she, Willie?” Alec snarled.
“It’s not a long-distance signal, Alec,” Willie answered. “The range is less than ten miles. I’m bringin’ the locator with me.”
“Well, how the hell does that help?”
“I spent some time researchin’ Skye. It’s not that big.”
“So what do you suggest? We drive all over waiting for a blip? That’s a hell of a plan.”
“Alec,” Robert snapped, “cut it out. Willie’s background makes him the expert, so let him finish.”
“Yeah, let’s all take a couple of deep breaths and calm down. These… these extra issues are keeping us away from our goal,” Laura offered.
“Alec, ya mentioned that Eric was sendin’ some GPS coordinates to your phone. As soon as ya get them, forward them to me.”
“When we’re done with the call, I’ll have Eric send them to you. He’s in London so I’m sure he has a much faster broadband connection. You’ll probably have them in just a few minutes,” Alec said.
“Great,” Willie replied. “I’m guessin’ that once we get them and compare them to Josh’s last known work area, I’m thinkin’ we can cut the area down to less than five miles, based on the maps of Skye I’ve seen. Based on what ya told me, Josh was headed back to his site when his car went off the cliff. There’s not a lot of roads, so I think we can narrow the starting point down fairly quick and then work outwards from there. I don’t think her abduction was a random act. So, in all likelihood, this Anderson guy knew who she was. My guess is that this guy may in fact be Josh’s partner.”
“Why do you think that?” Robert asked.
“He clearly seems to have been fundin’ Josh to find somethin’. From what you all told me, he wasn’t successful. This guy’s still looking and ya also said that he’d been emailin’ Katie. He knew where she was and that she and Alec were looking for the missing runes.”
“Great, just freakin’ great,” Laura said.
“Yeah, but he clearly needs her alive, so as long as she cooperates…”
R
Chapter Twenty-One
Katie slumped against the back of the chair, thankful she hadn’t been standing. She carefully compared the runes with her translation for a third time and exhaled slowly, very slowly. Furtively she closed her hand into a fist, digging her nails into her palm. Ouch! Yep, she definitely wasn’t dreaming.
The throbbing in her head was almost gone. She leaned forward, staring at her netbook’s glowing, taunting screen. It teased her with the translation. Now that she’d completed it, the harder work would begin. She needed to interpret it. The runes had been created long ago, when words had different meanings. If only she could date the runes, she’d stand a better chance of deciphering the message.
She glanced around, taking care to note that Drew was reading something. He’d backed off when he realized his hovering was delaying her work. She quickly password protected the file and saved it with the innocuous name of “MonthlyCalendar.” She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, wishing someone was here to share her discovery with. She wished Alec were here. She absorbed each word, trying to guess at the hidden meaning. She memorized it, burning it into her mind.
Power to the marked ones born
They unlock the Trove
A wealth of knowledge be in their blood
; When one ignites the light of North
By blood and light one frees us all
Stone of blood, stone of grass
Both be needed to trespass
In the land of we who sleep
Those will bring the key they keep
Blood be spilt by one who sees
This be one who sets the Power free
She hastily copied and pasted the valid translation and made a few changes. Since the original was still vague in its true meaning, she felt confident she could pass off this equally vague prose in its place. When she was done, she read the translation that she would hand to him and to the robo-caller when she could contact him. She printed out the translation and handed it to Drew.
He read the following:
Luck to the finder of the stones
They unlock the past
A wealth of riches be in their hands
When one ignites the light within
By blood and light one frees the soul
Stone of blood, stone of grass
Both be needed to trespass
In the land of the ancestors
They will bring the key to see
The key unlocks the history
He tossed the paper at her. “It makes no sense, Katie. So help me if you’re keeping information from me…” He stood beside her, his hand on the back of her head.
She pulled her head clear of his hand. “Don’t touch me,” she seethed quietly. “It is accurate. If you don’t like it, go abduct someone else.” She stood and walked to the cottage door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked as he strode over to the door.
“I need to go for a walk, get some fresh air.” She spun and faced him. “It’s not like I can escape.” She huffed. “Unless I fall off the cliff walk.”
“Stay away from the walk.”
Katie sneered. “Worried I’ll get hurt?”
He crossed his arms. “Hardly. I don’t care what you do after you complete the translation.”
Trove (The Katie Walsh Mysteries) Page 24
