Maddock recounted the discovery of the U-boat and showed them the items he’d collected.
“It was cool,” he finished, “but I can’t say we found anything of much interest.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Smiling, Bones reached into his dive bag, took out something large and dark, and held it out for the others to see.
“What in the hell,” Willis marveled, “is that?”
Chapter 2
“You know you don’t have to go up the mountain this way?” Isla Mulheron paused and looked ahead at the faint path that skirted a steep cliff as it wound upward toward the summit of Ben MacDui. To the north, low-hanging clouds shrouded the mountaintops in mist. A stiff breeze ran through her long, auburn hair, sending a chill down her spine as she imagined invisible hands nudging her closer to the edge. She set her jaw, stiffened her resolve, and followed along behind her interview subject.
“This way will be of much more interest to your readers. You should get some pictures for the magazine.” “Grizzly” Don Grant turned and struck a pose — hands on hips, one foot propped on a boulder, face tilted slightly upward.
Isla sighed. “Fine. Can you try to look more… natural?”
Grizzly’s brow creased. “What do you mean? Like this?” He moved a hand to his chin and attempted a “Thinker” pose.
“Tell you what,” Isla said, focusing her camera on him with the greatest reluctance. “Just start climbing the trail. Our readers like ‘action’ photos.”
“But you won’t be able to get my face,” he protested.
“It’ll be all right. I’ll take plenty of photos when we reach the summit.” The American cryptozoologist was handsome, with wavy brown hair, penetrating eyes, and stubble that emphasized his strong jawline, but his personality ruined it. “Maybe you’ll fall over the cliff,” Isla whispered as Grizzly began his ascent, dropping down to all fours and splaying out his hands and feet to make the climb appear more difficult. Ever the professional, she chose the best angle to support the illusion, focused, and snapped several photos.
“How does this look?” he shouted back over his shoulder.
“Brilliant!” She gave him a thumbs-up. “But you can get up and walk now. I’ve got plenty of you pretending to… I mean, scaling the rock.”
Grizzly flashed an approving smile, scrambled back to his feet, and resumed the trek up the mountainside.
Isla snapped a couple more pictures, just to prove the buffoon was capable of walking upright, and then followed along. Not for the first time, she questioned the life choices that had brought her to work for Scottish Adventure magazine. Granted, it paid better than her job in New York, and her flat here was twice the size of what she could afford in The Big Apple, but the subject matter upon which she was expected to report ranged from boring to downright insulting. This one was the latter.
“Up ahead is where the trail forks off. We’ll be crossing the Allt Clach nan Taillear.” Grizzly somehow managed to botch almost every syllable of the name. “The way ahead is rough and thick with boulders, but it will give the reader a more authentic adventuring experience. Lots of photo-ops, too. I just hope you can handle it.” He gave her a sly wink.
Isla managed a smile. With greater effort, she kept both hands closed in fists, despite the fact that her middle fingers were struggling to rise. She heard her nan’s voice in her head.
Failing means you’re playing.
At least the man was trying, if trying badly. Somehow, despite his apparent lack of skill, he’d managed to fashion a career and a bit of a reputation, even if it was among conspiracy theorists and nutters.
“I’ll be okay. I did a fair spot of climbing when I lived in the States.”
“You lived in America? I thought your accent was milder than the locals,” Grizzly said, scrambling up the trail.
He wasn’t wrong about that. In America, Isla had found her thick Scottish accent often worked against her, and she’d worked hard to lose it.
“Where have you climbed?” Grizzly asked.
“Mostly in the Adirondacks. I did some climbing at Yosemite last summer.”
“Have you ever summited Everest?”
Isla stopped short. “No. Have you?” Perhaps she’d missed something in the man’s bio. The Everest angle would improve the story dramatically. Maybe there was more to him than she’d initially believed.
“Not yet,” Grizzly said. “I had an offer from a television show last year. They wanted to look for the Yeti. I turned them down. They weren’t willing to meet my appearance fee.”
Isla highly doubted that, considering Scottish Adventure was paying him nothing at all. In fact, he’d only gotten in touch with the magazine after his request for coverage had been turned down by several larger media outlets. He’s all bum and parsley, she thought. It would be a miracle if the man gave her anything of value for her column. Yet, her editor would hold her to blame if her column were lacking.
Up ahead, Grizzly paused and turned to face her. She winced as his over-laden backpack swung out over the edge of the cliff. “The boulder field is up… whoa!” Like a cartoon character, Grizzly windmilled his arms as he overbalanced and began tipping backward.
Isla dashed forward and managed to grab him by the belt as he fell. She pulled with all her might, hauling the sturdily built man back from certain death. He fell forward, and they landed in a heap on the rocky mountainside and slid several meters before skidding to a halt. She found herself lying, winded, on her back, with Grizzly on top of her.
“Well, that was an adventure, wasn’t it?” He grinned down at her.
Isla would have punched him, but she was busy trying to catch her breath.
Grizzly stood, folded his arms, and quirked an eyebrow as he looked down at her. “Panic attack,” he said, sagely. “Just relax. Most women have them at altitude. It will pass in a minute.”
Isla couldn’t help herself. She lashed out and kicked Grizzly square in the shin.
“Ow!” He staggered back two steps before kneeling and rubbing his shin. “I know you’re scared but don’t take it out on me. I was only trying to help.”
Isla finally managed to suck in a breath. The air was thin here, close to the summit of the second-highest peak in Britain, and it took several lungs full before the dizziness subsided. By then, she’d managed to suppress her urge to push the American over the cliff. He offered his hand, and she debated for a full second before taking it and letting him help her to her feet.
“Like I said, you’ll be all right.” He turned and headed toward the boulder field. “Watch your step near the cliff,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to fall.”
This time, Isla’s middle finger won the battle of wills.
“Lord, just get me through this assignment.”
Chapter 3
Maddock looked at the dark, curved object in Bones’ hand. He recognized it immediately, and a shiver ran down his spine. “That is one big tooth.”
“Let me see.” Willis took the tooth from Bones and held it up for closer inspection. It was long, slightly curved and roughly cylindrical in shape, tapering to a point at one end. “Looks like a shiny, dark gray carrot.” He passed it over to Matt.
“If it’s a shark tooth,” Matt said, turning it over in his hands, “it’s a variety I’ve never seen before.”
“That’s no shark tooth,” Maddock said. “But I have no idea what it actually is.”
“I think I can tell you exactly where this thing came from.” Bones grinned broadly, excitement evident in his twinkling brown eyes. In his usual, infuriating manner, he kept his silence.