“I was right,” Manez said when Joe answered. “Natalie Castino got off the plane in Moscow but immediately took a flight to Paris. From there she disappeared off the radar. I don’t know where she went.”
“Scotland,” Joe said grimly. “I’d bet on it.”
“Is that where you sent your Eve and Cara? You could have told me.”
“You’re in cartel heaven down there. You have too many leaks. Hell, we have too many leaks here, too. I actually counted on them when I was waiting for that report on the bomb.” He paused. “I’m not going to tell you more than that they’re in Scotland for that same reason. Salazar and Franco know that’s where Eve and Cara have been taken. I hope that’s all they know. They’re probably scrambling like crazy to find out exactly where they are right now.” He added, “But I don’t know. I called a buddy at Scotland Yard to try to track them, but no luck yet. Who do you know over there?”
“I do have a few contacts.”
“A few? You know every narcotics cop here and in Europe on a first-name basis. I met several of them when I went down to the cartel seminar you gave last year. All I need is one who is smart and has the informants who can find out what Salazar is doing and if he’s getting close to finding out where Eve is.”
“But then I’ll owe him.”
“And I’ll owe you.”
“That’s right, it might be worth it,” he said. “And what are you doing, Quinn?”
“Trying to keep myself from going over there and doing a major cleanup before Salazar even gets close to knowing where they are.” He paused. “But I’m being watched.”
“Salazar’s men?”
“Yes, I spotted one of his men and ID’d him as Pauly Lomarto, who works for one of Salazar’s local distributors. There’s someone else, but I haven’t been able to ID him yet. He’s much better than Lomarto.”
There was a silence. “He might not be working for Salazar.”
Joe stiffened. There was something in Manez’s tone. “What the hell do you mean? What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything. I only suspect. That’s my job, right?” He paused. “But you should know that I’ve heard rumors that your Justice Department has been making inquiries in the past few days of several of our government departments about the kidnapping of the two Castino children.”
“What?”
“In particular, the older child, Jenny. Inquiries about the possibility of a body being found on American soil and if we knew anything about it. Nothing on an official level yet, but it’s heading in that direction. I found it curious that no inquiry was addressed to my attention. You were talking about leaks. There might possibly be a leak in the Sheriff’s Department, it was suspected that the skeleton in that grave in California was really Jenny Castino.”
“And you weren’t going to tell me?”
“It’s only rumors so far.”
“And you thought I wouldn’t be interested? You didn’t, by any chance, leak it yourself?”
“That would have been self-destructive. Why would I do that when I might have used the information myself to manipulate you? But I don’t want you putting down a state department investigator by mistake. It might be awkward for you. If the information was leaked about the skeleton, then it was probably also leaked regarding both yours and Eve Duncan’s involvement in the removal of Cara Castino from Child Services.”
He was right, Joe thought. “And they probably know by now about the explosion that was supposed to have killed Eve and Cara and my sending them out of the country. None of which was legal.” He muttered a curse. “They’re probably gathering evidence against me and just waiting to step in.”
“Do you have any idea who leaked the information?”
“It could be Sheriff Nalchek, but I wouldn’t think so. Maybe someone in his department.” His hand tightened on the phone. “It doesn’t matter, I have to concentrate on damage control. Who did your ‘rumors’ say was heading the investigation?”
“Agent Jason Toller. What are you going to do?”
“Move on Toller before he can move on me.” He hung up. He drew a deep breath and sat there thinking. Direct attack or try to stave off Toller until he could better control the situation?
God, he wanted to go in now.
That was emotion and impatience. He knew what the right way was to handle it. He reached for his phone and called the FBI Headquarters at Quantico.
Thirty minutes later, he hung up and sat back in his chair to wait.
* * *
It was close to three hours later that there was a knock on the front door.
“Detective Quinn?” The man at the door was lanky, tall, with short, graying hair and a Southern drawl. “Agent Jason Toller. I understand that you wish to talk to me.” His voice never lost the pleasant intonation as he continued, “But I should tell you that I do resent your pulling strings to bring me here. You could have called me and invited me.”
“That would have taken time, and I don’t know how much time I have at any given point.” He gestured for Toller to come in. “I need to know where I stand with you. Are you going to cause me trouble, Agent Toller?”
“It’s possible.” He looked around the house. “Nice. Very nice.” He looked at Eve’s work area. “Is that where Ms. Duncan works? I’ve heard great things about her. I’m sure she’s a fine woman. I was very upset when I thought you’d blown her up.”
“Is that supposed to be a shock tactic?”
“No, I honestly thought you might have murdered her. I’m a suspicious man, and I usually believe the worst until I find out otherwise.” He smiled. “It was at the beginning of my investigation and the facts were a little confused. I was very happy to discover that you probably weren’t a murderer. Would you care to tell me where Eve Duncan and Cara Castino are now?”
“No.”
His brows rose. “May I ask why not?”
“What would you do with Cara?”
“Child Services, and then we’d have to start negotiations with the Mexican government. Considering the identity of her father, the situation is very delicate.”
“And she would probably be murdered before all the red tape had been cut.”
Toller nodded. “It might happen. But it’s not my job to make judgments. I’m only a lowly agent who is trying to do what’s right and still keep my pension.”
“Bullshit.”
Toller shrugged. “I can understand why you might be upset. But you might be a little more tolerant. I could have caused you a good deal of trouble. In fact, I was planning on it until I did my research on you.” He smiled faintly. “You’re respected by your captain and the other detectives. You do favors, but you don’t demand a return. It was the same when I investigated your years with the FBI and the SEALs. In fact, you were the golden boy at Quantico until you resigned and came to live here in Atlanta. You kept strong ties with them, even though you were dedicated to your job here.” He grimaced. “But you did ask a return favor from the Director of the FBI today. I’m flattered. It must mean a lot to you.”
“I can’t have you getting in my way.”
“But I will get in your way. It’s inevitable.” He tilted his head. “I believe you’re an honest man and trying to do the right thing, but unfortunately the right thing isn’t always the way the world works. So shall I tell you how this will play out?”
“I can hardly wait.”
“Since you’re clearly the key to our finding Cara Delaney, we’ll continue surveillance. The moment we get a clue as to where to find her, we’ll act immediately. At that point, we’ll proceed as I’ve outlined. And no strings you can pull will stop us from doing it. Understand?”
“Absolutely.”
“On the other hand, there will be no incarceration of the popular and influential Joe Quinn unless you do something that will cause me problems. At that point, I won’t give a damn if you rot in jail.” He turned to leave. “I’m glad that we had this chat. I was going to initiate a meeting anyway. I hope you’re equally satisfied?”
“Not quite. I expected you to be more of a hard-ass toward me. Why weren’t you?”
“You don’t understand. My job is to investigate and, if possible, to smooth troubled waters. It’s my particular specialty. This situation has the potential to cause the U.S. government headaches for the next ten years even if Cara Delaney isn’t killed. She’ll be an international incident that will attract all kinds of fringe groups until her case is settled.”
“And I’m part of those troubled waters.”
“You could be. You certainly will be if you do anything that will make me look inefficient to my superiors. We have to maintain control of the situation. Don’t try to avoid surveillance, Detective.”
Joe didn’t answer.
Toller shrugged. “Have a nice day.”
The next moment, he was gone.
Son of a bitch.
Joe’s fists knotted at his sides. Toller had drawn the lines clearly, and it was going to be difficult as hell to work around him. He couldn’t afford to be tossed in jail, and there was no way he could risk leading Toller to Eve and Cara. Now he had to deal not only with Salazar’s men but Toller.
He called Manez. “I may be stuck here for a while, and it’s going to drive me crazy. When I do get out of here, I’m going to have to move fast. I need you to get me that help to locate Salazar.”
“You sound angry. A problem with Agent Toller?”
“He’s going to try to block me. He’s good, and he may be looking for a reason to throw me into jail. I’ll have to be careful with him and not take him down. Which means I can’t risk taking a chance on going to Eve yet unless I know Salazar’s already found out where they are. Then I’ll do what’s necessary no matter what the consequences. But there won’t be a risk to her if I go over and take care of business with Salazar. You can help me do that.”
“There’s a risk of an officer of the law breaking that law,” Manez said quietly. “You’re a hunter, and I recognize that you want to defend what is yours by going after the prey. But I can’t condone your being an executioner, Quinn.”
“Then don’t condone it, but will you tap your man in Scotland to get me information? I need to know where Salazar is and what he’s doing.”
Manez was silent. “I’ll ask Burbank at the Yard. He might be able to help.” He hung up.
Joe knew he had pushed him too far. Manez was torn between an obsession to take the cartels down at any cost and his ingrained respect for the law. Hell, Joe had the same respect, but he was also driven by the primitive desire to protect the good against the scum of the world.
And that good in his eyes was embodied by Eve.
So try to hold back if he could, but get ready.
Salazar. Franco. Natalie Castino.
They were probably all in a position to strike.
Well, so would Joe be as soon as Manez gave him the information he needed.
GAELKAR CASTLE
“You’re very quiet, Jane.” Eve looked up from the dirt she was shifting and studied her as Jane gave her a bottle of water from the tray she was distributing. “And you have circles under your eyes. Did you have a bad night?”
“Not good,” Jane said. “I was up late cataloging the day’s finds, then Caleb dropped by, and he’s never soothing.” She opened the bottle and took a drink of water. “But we’ve come to expect that, haven’t we?”
“Yes.” Eve’s eyes narrowed on Jane’s face. “And that’s all? Tell me that you didn’t hear Cara playing.”
“I heard her. She didn’t keep me awake.”
“It seems the whole camp heard her. The only one I haven’t heard from yet is MacDuff.” She made a face. “I promise you it won’t happen again. I’ve had a talk with her. She’ll be mortified that she might have disturbed you.”
“Then don’t tell her.” Jane looked away from her. “It was beautiful, I was only worried that she was out there alone. But then I saw Jock, and I knew it was all right.”
“That was my thought, too.” Her gaze went to Cara, who was working on the other side of the ruins near Jock and MacDuff. “Though I’m not certain now. I think Cara has adopted Jock.”
“What?”
“She thinks that he needs taking care of.” Her eyes were twinkling. “And you’re too busy.”
Jane looked at Cara. “She’s really extraordinary, isn’t she? I don’t know how Jock will take that.”
“I don’t either, but I don’t intend to interfere. I’ll leave it up to the two of them. It may be good for both of them.” She took another drink of water. “This tastes good. It’s cool here at night, but it heats up during the day. For the last half hour, I’ve been thinking wistfully about that lake Caleb took me to yesterday. All that cool mist.”
Jane went still. “Lake? You didn’t mention a lake when you came back yesterday.”
“You can appreciate it wasn’t my top priority,” Eve said dryly. “Joe blew everything out of my mind when he told me about Natalie Castino and that Salazar might soon be breathing down our necks.”
“It did the same thing to me,” Jane said. “You could have told me you went to Timbuktu, and I would have accepted it.” Her gaze slid away from Eve to the wall overlooking the hills. “Where is this lake?”
“Maybe ten miles north. Caleb showed it to me because he said the castle was vulnerable from that direction.” She took another drink. “Beautiful place. But weird, lots of mist. Caleb and I agreed it looked like either the beginning or the end of the world.”
“Interesting.” She looked back at Eve. “I’d like to see it.”
“Maybe after we finish for the day?”
“I’d like to go now.”
Eve paused in raising the bottle to her lips to look at her. “Why?”
“You said it was the one place that was vulnerable, didn’t you?” She smiled. “I should see it. I’ll go tell MacDuff to keep an eye on Cara while we’re gone. Why don’t you go wash your hands and face and meet me at the Land Rover in five minutes?”
Eve frowned as she gazed after Jane as she crossed the courtyard. That smile had been forced, and Jane was definitely not herself. It was just as well she’d have the opportunity to get Jane alone to probe a bit.
But it appeared they were not to be alone. Caleb was sitting in the driver’s seat of the Land Rover when she and Jane reached the road where it was parked.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” He smiled at Jane. “You should have gone with us yesterday. It would have saved us this trip.”
“I was busy.” Jane shook her head. “And we don’t need you, Caleb. Eve and I will do just fine on our own.”
“I’m sure you would.” He met Jane’s eyes. “But I assure you I won’t get in the way. Once we’re there, I’ll just sit in the car and keep an eye on you. I got a call from MacDuff the minute you left after telling him you were taking Eve back to the lake. He told me that since I was a total handicap on the dig, I might just as well make myself useful by acting as guard dog to make sure the two of you were safe.” He shrugged. “I told him that it was a pleasant place, and I’d be accommodating this time. Get in.”
Jane hesitated.
“Get in,” he said softly. “I won’t interfere.”
“That would be a first.” She got in the backseat. “Get in, Eve. I guess we’ll be accommodating, too. I should have known that MacDuff would bring in the Marines.”
“I appreciate the compliment,” Caleb said as he started the car. “But I don’t have the same philosophy. I’m of a more solitary nature.”
“I hadn’t noticed that,” Eve murmured. “Who knows? You may be changing, Caleb. There seems to be something in the air.”
* * *
“Here we are,” Caleb said as he brought the Land Rover to a stop. “I’ll stay here as I promised and commune with nature.”
“There’s a lot of nature to commune with,” Eve said as she got out of the car and started down the steep slope toward the lake. “What do you think, Jane? The beginning or the end?” She looked over her shoulder when Jane didn’t answer. “Jane?”
The same.
The mist.
The hills running down into the deep blue of the lake. The north shore that was completely obscured by the mist.
The mist.
I’ll see him running out of the mist and telling me he’d only been playing in the caves …
“Jane!”
Eve. She sounded concerned, Jane thought vaguely. She had to answer her. She shook her head to clear it. She couldn’t remember what Eve had asked her. Say something. Anything. “It’s as beautiful as you said.” She followed Eve down to the shore. “Do you know, when we were in the study with MacDuff looking at all those schematics, I didn’t even pay any attention to any landscape features. Did MacDuff mention it? Was this lake on the map?”
“I don’t remember.” Eve’s gaze was focused on Jane’s face. “What does it matter?”
“It doesn’t. I just wonder why I wasn’t aware that it was here. I thought maybe MacDuff had mentioned it, and I’d just forgotten.”
“You wouldn’t have forgotten it.”
“I might have. I might have been tired from the drive, and it just escaped me.”
“It’s no big thing. Why are you behaving like this?”
It was a big thing to Jane, but she was acting weird, and Eve had noticed.
Straighten out.
She smiled and looked back at the lake. “The beginning or the end? I guess it depends on what happens to you here. Or maybe it might not even happen here but it becomes a part of—” She stopped and turned toward the car. “I’ve seen enough. We can go back now.”
“No, we can’t,” Eve said quietly. “Not yet. Something is wrong, and it has something to do with this place. What is it?”
“Why should it have anything to do with this lake? I’ve never seen it before.”
“This conversation is so familiar. You said words like that a long time ago in the very same way,” Eve said gently. “Do you think I’d ever forget? You were seventeen, and you were trying to convince yourself that those dreams of Cira were just made up of scraps you’d read on the Internet or stumbled on somewhere. But they didn’t turn out that way, did they?”
“A temporary mental aberration.”
“That came back, Jane?”
Eve wasn’t going to give up. Jane still tried to distract her. “I just wanted to see the lake.”
“Why?”
She gave a deep sigh, then surrendered. “Because I saw it last night, and Cira was there on that north bank.”
She went still. “Another Cira dream?”
“Yes, I haven’t had one for years. I didn’t want this one.”
“But it happened.”
“Yes, I tried to tell myself it was MacDuff’s pressuring me about Cira and the treasure. We were at the castle she built all those centuries ago. I told myself it was the power of all that suggestion going on in my head.” Her eyes were stinging as she turned back to Eve. “I don’t want dreams or knowing about someone else’s life or how they’re hurting. I’ve been hurting enough myself lately. I want to live in the real world and deal with real problems. It’s the only way I can survive.”
“You do yourself an injustice, you’re very strong. You can take anything, do anything.” Eve took a step closer. “I’ve never known why Cira was woven into your life during those years, but I know the experience didn’t hurt you. I know that you only grew stronger and more compassionate. I was glad when the dreams stopped, but if they’re back, then you’ll accept them and make the best of it.” She smiled. “And, if you like, share them with someone you love. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I know you will.” She was filled with so much love that the words were unsteady. “You always have been.” She took a step forward and slipped her arms around Eve and held her close. “I should be saying that to you. I don’t say it enough.”
“Because it’s not necessary, we both know it’s there.” She hugged her once more, then pushed her away. “And we’re both getting all weepy and emotional.” She dropped down on the ground. “Sit down and talk it out. Like you did when you were a kid.” She grinned. “Though you never acted like you were a kid.” She waved at the mist-shrouded lake. “And this isn’t the front porch, and that isn’t our lake, but it will do. Right?”
“Right.” Jane sat down beside her and linked her arms around her knees. “And you thought the lake was a little weird, but I don’t believe it is. I think the mist is friendly. I think it must be full of love.”
“Why?”
She hesitated. “Because my dream was about Cira and her lover, Antonio, and her son, Marcus.” She stared out at the mist. “Cira loved her son so much, and he loved her. He must have been a very special little boy.”
“Yes. But then Cira was special, too. She created a world to suit herself.”
They were both silent, gazing at the mist for a long time.
Then Jane said quietly, “There’s another reason why I was trying to tell myself that the dream was all power of suggestion.”
“Why is that?”
“The dream was all about a child.”
“It reminded you of Cara?”
Jane turned and looked her in the eye. “Not Cara.”
Eve’s eyes widened. She opened her lips to speak, then closed them again. She drew a deep breath. “Oh, shit.”
Jane had to chuckle. “I suppose that’s an affirmation?”
“How did you know? Joe?”
“Not Joe. Do you think he’d ever tell me anything as important as that if you didn’t want him to?” She nodded at Caleb sitting in the car. “You let it slip to him.”
“I did not,” she said indignantly. “How?”
“He was curious. He held your hands. He said some of the blood was being directed to another place. He found it interesting.”
“Nosy bastard.” Then she had to laugh. “I didn’t have a chance of keeping it to myself, did I?”
“If Caleb hadn’t been around, you might have. When he told me, I was stunned.”
“So was I.” She was silent. “You’re not angry or hurt I didn’t tell you?”
“No, I considered the source. The source is remarkably like me. You didn’t want to burden me any more than you had to. I don’t like it, but I understand. How far along are you?”
“Not even a month. I wouldn’t have even known about it except Joe authorized a complete physical and tests when I was in the hospital with that concussion.”
“And how do you feel about it?”
“I don’t know. Scared, happy, bewildered … euphoric. Every time I think about having this child, it changes.”
“But do you want it?” she persisted.
“Oh, yes,” Eve said softly. “That’s not even a question.” Her smile was luminous. “I want to have this baby. I’m already beginning to feel … a presence. It’s wonderful.” The smile faded. “What’s not wonderful is wondering if I’ll be able to keep it safe. Or if I’ll be so worried about trying to make sure nothing happens that I’ll smother the poor kid.”
“You’ll muddle through,” Jane said. “You did pretty well with me.”
“You raised yourself, I was just there for support.” She shook her head. “And I lost my Bonnie.”
“Through no fault of your own.” She reached over and touched Eve’s hand. “And I’ll be around to remind you of that the minute the baby makes an appearance.” She gave a relieved sigh. “Though I’m glad we have a little time to prepare ourselves. I need it.”
“I do, too. Another child after all these years…” She looked out at the lake. “Do you think this is a mistake, Jane?”
“Would you pay any attention to me if I said yes?”
“No. Well, I’d pay attention to you, but I’d seriously doubt your judgment.” She looked back at her. “I know all the drawbacks. I’m not sixteen as I was when I had Bonnie. I’ll have to be careful during the pregnancy. I have a career, and I’m set in my ways. You say I was a good mother, but I only remember my mistakes.”
“What mistakes? I only remember the love,” she said. “And, if there were mistakes, this isn’t one of them. I think sometimes you were a little worried that I’d feel cheated because you loved Bonnie so much.” She shook her head. “I understood. She was gone a long time before I came to you, but I could tell what she meant to you. She was the passion and tragedy of your life. I was your best friend. We were good together. But now you have a chance to bring someone else into your world.” She added unsteadily, “It’s going to be phenomenal, Eve. It will open doors. It will be different from me or Bonnie, but it will be like a new sunrise for you. And I’ll fight like hell for that sunrise to come to you.”
Eve was silent because she couldn’t speak. “I can tell you’re an artist. You’re painting very beautiful pictures.” She cleared her throat. “But that’s down the road, and we just need to get through the next months so that it will be only clear sailing.”
“I’ll second that.” Jane grinned and got to her feet. She reached down and offered a hand to Eve and pulled her to her feet. “And that means taking care of yourself while you’re on the run from Salazar. Maybe you shouldn’t be working on your knees in that courtyard.”
“Don’t start that,” Eve said. “You sound like Joe. Exercise is good for me. I’m strong as a horse. Do not start pampering me.”
“I’ll try to remember,” Jane said. “I’ll do my best to forget you’re pregnant and let you work yourself to the bone for the glory of MacDuff and Cira.” She started up the hill. “I’ll even refrain from telling MacDuff and Jock. I don’t believe Caleb will discuss it. He just thinks it’s interesting.”
“Good,” Eve said. “All I’d need is all those protective males giving me the same treatment as Joe is doing.”
“Yeah, you’re too tough for that.”
“I can but try.”
“And come off very effectively in that area.” She smiled. “Don’t be too tough, Eve. I owe you too much. Let me pay back a little.”
“I know. I know. You’ve already expressed your feelings on that score. I knew I didn’t have a chance of convincing you.” She waved at Caleb as he got out of the car to greet them. “Particularly not now. You invoked the mantra. Family, Jane. Family.”
GAELKAR CASTLE
Jane waited until after they’d eaten supper and all started to scatter before she followed MacDuff to his tent.
She poked her head through the entrance. “May I come in?”
MacDuff’s brows rose, and he gestured for her to enter. “By all means, step into my parlor. I’ve been trying to convince you for years that’s where you belonged.”
“You are not a spider, and I detest flies. I have no ambitions to be one. You could have at least personified me as a butterfly. They have artistic value.” She stepped inside. “I wanted to ask you a question.”
“In the privacy of my tent. I can hardly wait. Personal, I hope?”
“Only as far as it’s the present love of your life.” She gazed around the tent to the portable desk piled high with scrolled plans and loose papers. “Is there anything in that mess that has anything to do with the terrain of the countryside around the castle?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
“Is there?”
“One. I didn’t regard it as important since we’re concentrating on the castle.”
“May I see it?”
“Why? You and Eve left the dig this afternoon to go traipsing back to the lake where Caleb took her yesterday. She was exploring the area to gauge the threat it posed to her and Cara. Were you doing the same thing?”
“I want to keep Eve safe.”
“That’s noncommittal. I think there’s more to it.” He smiled. “But I’ll accept it for the time being.” He turned and went to the desk and searched through the scrolled maps and plans until he found one with a thin blue border. He spread it on the desk and adjusted the lantern so that the light fell upon it. “It’s just a basic map of the area.”
That’s exactly what it was. But Jane would take what she could get. Her gaze went quickly over the trails and roads and hills and then up to the huge lake. It was strange gazing at those simple lines on paper when she remembered the dark blue water, the pale mist, the trees, the hills.
“You wanted to look at the lake again,” MacDuff murmured, gazing at her face. “It appears to have a fascination for you.”
“It is fascinating. I’d like to paint it sometime.” She didn’t take her gaze off the map. “I suppose you’ve seen it?”
“Of course. This isn’t the first time I’ve been to this castle. Everything about the place is absolutely riveting for me. I know every legend, every myth. It’s the place my clan originated, where we all began. I’m very passionate about it.”
Is it the beginning of the world, or the end?
“You hide it very well.”
“I’m a Scot.” He smiled. “And I’ve learned not to let my emotions rule me. I’m the Laird, and many people look to me. It’s a complicated world I live in, and I can’t let my guard down.” He paused. “But I’ve let my guard down with you, Jane. Because you’re one of mine. You belong to Cira and to me.”
“Bullshit.”
He chuckled. “I knew that would cause you to bristle.” He looked down at the map. “Is there anything you’d like to ask me? I may know a few things more than this map will tell you.”
“Because, after all, you are the Laird,” she said dryly.
“Exactly.”
She pointed to a line that appeared to wind from the castle to the lake. “What is this?”
“It’s a dirt trail that leads down to the lake. I’m told as far as anyone knows that it’s been there since the castle was built. The road was only built by my orders about ten years ago. I thought it was time it was accessible.”
“Why?” She tilted her head. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of rebuilding this castle?”
“Anything is possible if I find that chest of coins.” He grinned. “After all, it’s mine.”
“So would be the entire world if you had your way.” She looked back at the map. “What about the lake itself. It’s very … unusual.”
“The mists?” He nodded. “For decades, we’ve had forestry and environmental experts from the universities wanting to come in and make their tests. They want to find out why those mists never disperse. Sunlight or storm, the mists remain. They have all their theories, but it’s frustrating them to hell that they can’t come here and get confirmation.”
“And you won’t let them do it?”
“I don’t want to know.” He gazed at her. “Do you?”
“It’s none of my concern.”
“Do you?” he repeated softly.
He would come running out of the mist and tell me he’d been playing in the caves.
“No.” She asked before he could reply, “In the past, haven’t any of your family gone on that north shore and explored beyond those mists?”
“No, it would take a full-scale expedition, those mists are very thick. You can’t see more than a few feet in front of you. My grandfather tried and fell and broke his leg when the bank gave way. He almost drowned before he got back to the south bank.”
“And no one else?”
“Ah, you are curious.” His finger traced the north curve of the lake. “As a matter of fact, one of those very pushy professors from Oxford sent a few of his prize students up here to get answers in hopes that I wouldn’t prosecute them. One of my caretakers, Ned Colin, saw the cars on the road and went after them.”
She had seen his “caretakers,” who were old Marine buddies, and she felt an instant of sympathy for those college kids. “He wasn’t afraid of getting lost in the mists?”
“Colin only went a few feet and shouted for them to come out. He said they seemed relieved to come stumbling toward him. He confiscated all equipment, cameras, and notes, and sent the kids on their way.”
She went still. “They took photos?”
“That caught your interest. It caught mine as well. But you’d be disappointed. They’re only a white blur. The sketches weren’t much better.”
“Sketches?”
“I knew that would pique your interest. Yes, one of the students had a sketchbook. But, as I said, nothing much more revealing than the photos.”
“And the notes?”
“They didn’t have much time to take notes. Only maybe four, five hours. Nothing interesting.”
She looked back down at the map. “Any mention of the topography? Rocks, caves, mud, sinkholes, cleared areas?”
“They couldn’t see, they didn’t have time to set up their lighting equipment.” He added, “Of course, I’m not an expert at examining that kind of data. Would you like to look at them yourself?”
“Yes.”
“That was instant and vehement. You clearly don’t trust me to have noticed whatever you’re looking for. Would you care to tell me what that is?”
“I don’t know.” She would not lie to him, but to tell the entire truth would immediately set off that very active mind. “I have no logical reason.”
“And it has nothing to do with why I brought you here?”
“That’s definitely not why I’m interested in those reports.”
And now I believe it’s time to take our son into that mist so that he can begin his great adventures.
A search for a dream, some small proof that it didn’t really exist.
She met his eyes. “I don’t want to discuss it, MacDuff. Do I have to do it to have you get those reports for me?”
“Oh, the temptation.” He shook his head. “No, I’ll have my assistant, MacTavish, dig out the originals and clarify them as much as possible and e-mail them to me. They’ll be in your hands by tomorrow sometime.”
“Thank you.” She turned to leave.
“But you do know I’ll be making guesses, and my imagination will run free?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else of you.”
“By the way, what do you think of our progress here at the castle?”
She had half expected that question. “I don’t see any progress, but something could happen at any moment. What do you think?”
“I think that it’s worthwhile exploring the dungeon for a day or two more, then we’ll reassess.” He smiled at her. “I wouldn’t want to waste the time you’ve so generously given me.”
“It’s good to be appreciated.” She left the tent and drew a deep breath of the cool night air. She had found what information she could but she’d probably given up as much as she’d received. MacDuff was ultrasharp, and he’d been processing and analyzing every bit of what she’d said. He would weave scenarios, then come back to her and wouldn’t stop until she told him what he wanted to know. And what he wanted to know was if the dreams of Cira had come back as he thought they might. It would only confirm to him how right he’d been to bulldoze her into coming on this hunt.
Okay, back off from that burst of annoyance. He’d also taken Eve and Cara under his wing at a danger to himself. You had to accept the bad with the good with MacDuff, and most of the time that good came out on top. He had his agendas, but he was loyal and you could count—”
“What were you doing in MacDuff’s tent?”
She turned to see Caleb standing a few yards away. He was standing at ease, but there was a faint tension to the muscles of his shoulders and stomach. She could feel the edge of heat and darkness surrounding him. She instinctively stiffened defensively. “That’s really none of your business.”
He was silent, then the tension was suddenly gone, and he was smiling. “Of course it’s not. Forget I asked. Or tell me, and then you’ll know I’m not storing it away and letting it fester. Being the sexual creature I am, I immediately jumped to a conclusion that’s probably totally wrong.”
“Yes, but you shouldn’t be lurking around like some peeping Tom anyway.”
“I wasn’t lurking, not that I’m not capable of lurking if it suits me. But I wanted to speak to you before you went to bed. It didn’t make me happy to see you duck into MacDuff’s tent. It was fortunate that you didn’t spend more time than you did with him. That would have made me feel dangerously unhappy.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me? It’s still none of your business.”
“That’s where we have a problem. It depends on the viewpoint. You see I have a small problem with MacDuff. Ordinarily, I think you have too many frictions to decide to go to bed with him, but he’s one of the good guys. Not as good as Trevor was, but still in the same ballpark. And you have a tendency to lean that way.”
She turned and walked toward her tent.
He caught up and strolled with her. “But all that indignation can’t be directed toward my interference. Your time with MacDuff must have been squeaky clean.”
“I believe this conversation is over.”
“Almost.” He stopped outside her tent. “I wanted to tell you that I was glad that you told Eve you knew about the child and that it came out all right.”
“I didn’t have any doubt. You see complications where they don’t exist. We love each other. That makes all the difference.”
“Does it? I’ll have to bow to your superior knowledge.” He paused. “I like to see the two of you together. It … warms me.”
She gazed at him. The words had been almost … she didn’t know what. But then she often didn’t understand Caleb. “She told me that you said you would protect her. Now, that warms me, Caleb.”
He smiled. “You see, I can please you occasionally. I just never know when or where. But give me a chance, and I’ll show you how.”
That instant of rapport was gone, and she turned to go into her tent. “Good night, Caleb.”
She heard him laugh as she entered the tent and turned on her lantern.
As usual, those few minutes had put Jane on edge and made her vibrantly, sensually, aware of Caleb. And this time she had thought she had sensed a vulnerability beneath the mockery.
Vulnerability? Not Caleb. There was no one tougher or more impervious to the forces around him. She had to keep thinking that way. If she softened, he would swoop down, and she might be lost.
Forget about Caleb. Think about Cira and that dream that had come out of the night after all these years. She had thought she had beaten it down and dismissed the idea that those dreams had any basis in reality. She had reluctantly accepted the idea of racial or ancestral memory being a vague possibility. But she had been grateful when those dreams had ceased, and she didn’t want them to return. She wanted to deny them in any way she could.
But that lake of mists had definitely been the lake of her dream. The only way to disprove that it had nothing to do with Cira was to find out that the content was totally false.
No casket with the carnelian and copper inlays. No sign or clearing of a grave site where Marcus had been taken to start his final adventure. The small boy’s body must have disintegrated to nothing in the centuries since he had died, but there might be pieces of that casket still intact.
Good Lord, she was playing a long shot. One she fervently wished to lose.
Because if the dreams were back, it might mean Cira was trying to tell her something.
And, with Eve pregnant and Cara in constant danger, the knowledge that the dream had been about a dead child gave Jane a feeling of chilling foreboding.