“We are escaping, Miss Nina,” Brian shrugged.
“Aye, but what is he trying to tell us? How to escape?” she chuckled.
“Why not?” Sue asked with a tilt of her head. “Maybe.”
“They escaped in a car, dressed as SS officers. They simply drove out of the concentration camp,” Nina reported. “A car, perhaps?”
“And the other mishmash of words?” Pam asked.
“Herxheim am Berg was, is, a town…” she drawled as she wracked her brain.
“And what is special about it?” Sue pried curiously.
Nina scowled as she tried to remember why the town sounded so familiar. It came to her like a hammer to a hamster’s head. “Of course!” she exclaimed. “It has a church bell in honor of Hitler in the tower! You heard a bell like a church bell here, right?”
“So this bloke knew his history,” Sue remarked.
“He sure did,” Nina affirmed as she got on her feet and looked down at the snide criminal who ended up saving their lives. “And he knew I would get this.” From his bed, she drew down one of the blankets and draped it over Bernard’s body. “Shall we get the hell out of here?”
They gathered up some tins of food and all the bread and wrapped it up. At the tap they drank their fill while Brian watched the doorway for more surprises. Knowing that the old man would soon recover, they went out to the bell tower as Bernard instructed. At first, they hopped in the truck, but Brian shouted out and pointed behind the seat. “Miss! Miss Nina! The scabbard!”
“Where?” she asked and rounded the tower wall to see. Nina smiled. “Bernard, you are redeemed, son.” She grabbed the scabbard and put it on Brian. “Can you drag this with you for the moment, Sir Knight?”
“Absolutely, Miss,” the boy beamed.
“Ladies, let us drive out of here in style. I will make some calls in town and see what we can do to get you all to safety,” Nina suggested. They rushed back through the cold downpour into the arched gateway, where the black Hudson was waiting. Nina reached into the front and jangled the keys, striking a pose. Her posh Brit accent was on par. “Whereto, ladies and gentleman?”
Pam played along, to her son’s delight. With a proper accent she replied, “Why, to the nearest watering hole, Jeeves.”
They helped the timid Sue into the backseat where Brian took care of his grandmother. Sue jumped into the passenger seat and Nina quickly worked out the workings of the car. They drove away from the beautifully sinister abbey, down into town.
“My God, this place is beautiful,” Pam said dreamily. They all gawked from the windows of the classic car, admiring the natural scenery and the mighty ocean breathing over the landscape. The hard rain had now diminished to drizzle, allowing them to enjoy the green lush trees that arched over the meandering road.
“Please, can we never go home?” Brian sighed. He was joking, but he was not. Silently, his mother and grandmother felt much the same way. None of them, including Nina, knew that their grandfather had died. Maybe that was for the better. They needed to emerge victorious from one close tragedy to overcome the truth that waited for them.
32
Londale Street
After spending the night at James Willard’s home, Purdue had one of his helicopters brought to Glasgow, from where they would travel south to the Isle of Arran. According to the map on the scabbard, that was where Ronald Hall’s relative received Excalibur with instructions where to hide it. The trip would take no longer than four or five hours, given or take, depending on the weather. The Long Ranger was strong enough to withstand most weather, but turbulence was a big factor, given the lower altitude at which they would fly. Landscape and wind conditions fluctuated considerably, which could delay or deter flight time.
“Why could you not get one of your private jets?” Ava asked Purdue. “We could sip champagne and watch a movie.”
He stared at her, amazed at the ridiculous question. Sam just chuckled, while he lugged their backpacks out to the Jeep with Kostas. Being a traitorous bitch, he hardly wished to answer her, but he had an opportunity to be condescending. “Have you been to the Isle of Arran?”
“No,” she replied.
“Obviously. This is not a trip to Las Vegas. It is not about luxury. There are no airstrips on the island, Ava. Therefore, we will be traveling by helicopter. Please feel free to stay here with Mr. Willard if the transport is too rustic for you,” Purdue explained with a snide smirk. Had he known that she gave Bernard orders to kill Nina, he would have thrown her from the heights and watched her hit the rocks. Ava said nothing. She just pouted and relished in the fact that Purdue’s paramour was now a no more.
“Please do make it swift,” Willard suggested. “The sooner you find Excalibur, the sooner this hunt will be over and we can all go on with our lives.”
“As if,” Sam scoffed. He looked at Ava. “I look forward to receiving Nina back from your brother.”
“I bet you do,” she sneered.
The thought of their faces at the sight of Nina’s dead body excited Ava, but it was a secret she had to keep for now. By the time they would bring back Excalibur, her brother would be out of the picture as well. Once Willard discovered that she had orchestrated his demise at the hands of Major Rian, she will have made off with the legendary relic already. Obviously, Purdue and Sam would use their clandestine method to destroy Major Rian for his hand in killing the Callany’s and Nina. She could take the hard feelings during this trip, considering the rewards it would all bring.
Sam got real close to the beautiful Ava. With his chest against her back, he pressed her body against the car, breathing into her neck. He whispered, “Do not neglect to take note, Ava, that you might just be in the same boat as Nina. If anything had to happen to that oaf, Kostas, you will be alone with Purdue and I, and in much the same compromising position.”
“Oh please, Sam. Your threats only arouse me,” she purred.
He glanced at Purdue. The two men engaged in their private unspoken language again.
“I will hold off Major Rian until you return, Ava, so do not fret about it, okay?” Mr. Willard assured her. In her head she laughed as she hugged the school principal and gave him a goodbye peck on the forehead.
“How sweet,” Sam said. “Can we go and get that cursed sword now?”
They left in Purdue’s heavily laden Jeep, equipped for a three-day excursion to locate the sword and exchange it for Nina. Kostas and Sam took the backseat, while Ava took Purdue’s side. With small talk and minor friction, they travelled to Glasgow Airport, where Purdue’s people had brought his helicopter and left it for collection.
“According to the map, our first stop would be the castle in Brodick,” Purdue said, addressing Sam, mainly. “Off the gardens there is a channel we have to follow to that strange formation on the map, I think.”
“So, some trespassing and stealing a row boat?” Sam asked.
“Something like that,” Purdue affirmed. “It is shaped like a shield.”
“And is that where the sword is?” Ava asked.
“No, you will see on the shield symbol there is a key,” Purdue replied. “We must retrieve that key and then proceed to the other side of the island.”
“Thank God we have a helicopter,” Sam sighed. “I cannot begin to imagine how long it would have taken us to hike over all the mountains to get to the west side.”
“Amen,” Purdue agreed, laughing at Sam’s humorous over-exaggeration. In truth, the other side of the island was a twenty-minute drive from the castle grounds, but their uninvited accomplices did not know this.