“Out of the question. I can go as high as ten, provided the contract is signed within the next twenty-four hours.”
“Tells ye whit, I’ll accept five tonight and twenty when the signed contract is faxed. Go on and discuss it at the bar with yer friends, but be quick; there’s been another kill and I’m needed—ach, there I go, blabbin’ again like a schoolgirl. Dinnae listen tae me, lass, it’s those three haufs of whiskey talkin’.”
“Has there been… a murder?”
“Shh!” Angus grabbed her by the arm while his eyes took inventory of the room. “Can I trust ye with a secret, lassy?”
“Of course.”
He leaned in close enough for Liao to catch the scent of booze on his breath. “We have another creature loose in Loch Ness — a big one. Killed three deer in the past two weeks. Last night an elk. She dinnae come ashore like her mama; she’s water-bound. Feeds on ’em as they cross the loch at night, and we collect the remains in the morning.”
Liao’s eyes lit up as she swallowed the bait. “You said like her mother? Are you saying the Loch Ness Monster gave birth to an offspring before your son—”
“Aye, but let’s be clear; it’s not the same species. Nessie must’ve bred with somethin’ else. Dinnae ask me whit.”
“But how do you know this?”
“Bite radius on the dead deer, an occasional sighting… Plus there’s the tooth.”
“You found a tooth?”
“Not me. Back in February a coupla’ college students from the States were taking photos by boat along a stretch known tae us locals as the Kill Zone. They saw the half-eaten remains of a deer and went ashore. One of the American lads spotted something protruding from the dead deer’s rib cage. Bloody thing turned oot tae be a tooth — four inches long and barbed. Fortunately, the water bailiff took it from them, or we’d have been invaded by scientists and Nessie hunters. I thought word had leaked when yer team showed up unannounced.”
“And have you seen the tooth?”
“Aye. And missin’ one dinnae stop it from killing tha’ elk last night. Sheriff called me not ten minutes before ye arrived. The remains washed ashore in Invermoriston, jist down the road. Wannae take a peek wit’ me before they dispose of the evidence?”
It was half past six at night. While my father was enticing Dr. Liao and her entourage into his web of deceit, Brandy, Willy, and I were getting ready to eat dinner in our humble resort abode.
Suites 300 and 302 were connecting rooms that provided us with the living space of a three-bedroom apartment. There was a kitchen and double balcony overlooking Loch Ness, and a living room filled with baby toys.
I was feeding Willy in his highchair, and Brandy was reheating day-old Scotch pie when my cell phone rang. It was a California area code.
Jonas Taylor…
“Jonas, I was waiting until later to call you. I really appreciate Masao’s offer, but I’ve decided to accept a faculty position at Cambridge.”
“I understand. The money was dogshit. Unfortunately times have been tough. We may end up selling the facility to a developer who wants to build waterfront condos.”
“J.T., while I have your ear, have you ever heard of a submersible diver by the name of Ben Hintzmann? He says he trained under Graham Hawkes.”
“It’s possible. I don’t get up to Hawkes’s facility much these days; we’ve become competitors. My son, David, and I have been designing a new submersible we call the Manta. If things work out, I hope to sell them as the ultimate rich man’s toy.”
A knock on our other front door hastened the end of the call. “Well, good luck with that. And send my best to Masao.”
Brandy chided me with a scowl. “Are ye expectin’ anyone, Zach?”
“No, but I’m secretly hoping it’s the pizza delivery boy. The smell of that re-heated mutton concoction is making me ill.”
“When ye get yer first paycheck from Cambridge we’ll feast on take-out. Until then I’m making do.” Opening the door to Suite 300, she turned to the man knocking on Suite 302. “Can I help ye? Oh, it’s you.”
Ben Hintzmann stepped into view. “Evening. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Brandy blocked him from entering. “We were jist aboot tae eat supper.”
“Are you hungry, Ben?”
Brandy turned to face me, her eyes daggers.
“No, I ate earlier. The others went to the village with the big fella. I stayed behind hoping we could talk. I can come by later—”
“It’s all right, come in.”
Brandy allowed him to squeeze past her before returning to the kitchen. “Something tae drink, then?”
“No, I’m good. Who’s this little guy?”
I smiled proudly. “This is our son, William. Willy, say hello to Mr. Hintzmann.”
Willy smiled bashfully, then swatted his dish of applesauce and strained spinach off the highchair’s tray, turning Ben’s jeans into something that resembled a Jackson Pollock painting.
“Willy! Ben, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Brandy wetted a dishtowel and handed it to Ben. “Perhaps one day ye’ll have bairn of yer own?”
“Bairn?”
“Baby.”
“Sure. Maybe. My girlfriend’s more focused on her career.”
“But ye want a wee un, I can tell. Perhaps this girlfriend of yers is not the marryin’ type?”
“Brandy!”
Ben finished wiping down his pants. “Amanda’s still adjusting to me no longer being in the Air Force. And with all the changes, I’m not exactly ready to be anyone’s father. What’s that smell?”
I inhaled, catching a whiff of the baby’s soiled diaper. Releasing Willy from his chair, I handed him over to his mother. “Brandy, would you mind?”
“Time for his bath anyway. Serve yerself the mutton pie before it gets cold.”
“It’s okay, I’ll eat later.”
Brandy shrugged and carried the baby into the connecting suite, closing the door behind her.
Ben smiled. “Mutton?”
“Sheep meat,” I said. “It’s like lamb, only tougher and drier. Want to try some?”
“God, no. I’d rather eat Willy’s leftovers.”
“Let’s talk out here.” I led him to the terrace door and outside to the enclosed balcony. The glass walls blunted the cold to near-tolerable levels, the night concealing Loch Ness from view. Ben made himself comfortable in one of our padded rocking chairs while I ignited a portable heater.
“Must be nice out here during the summer.”
“It’s peaceful,” I agreed, flopping down on a lounge chair. “So what’s on your mind? This isn’t a last-ditch effort to recruit me for Vostok, is it?”
“Just an opportunity to get to know someone I admire. For the record, I wasn’t interested in the Vostok mission until I heard they were recruiting you.” His eyes settled heavily on mine. “When I read The Loch last year, I remember thinking how hard it must have been for you, as a reputable professional in your field, to have been ridiculed by your peers for believing in the water equivalent of Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman.”
“I had a close encounter. It didn’t matter what my peers believed, I knew the truth.”
“A close encounter, exactly! The truth can’t be coerced, can it? I mean, it can. People falsify evidence whenever the truth conflicts with their own agenda. They make you sign things and threaten you, but the truth is still the truth no matter how crazy it sounds, right?”