The Assassin's Gift

by C. P. IRVINE, IAN

  "What? What was there?"

  "The Loch Ness 'monster'. Except she was no monster. She was beautiful. Her neck was sticking straight up out of the water, and her head was following me as I came up to her and then flew over the top of her."

  "You flew over her?"

  "Right over her. And as I looked down, I could see the top of her body. It was quite broad. Surprisingly so. I immediately banked and flew around, but I think the sound of the engine changing pitch startled her and she immediately dived down under the water. I saw her back rise up, and then her tail as she dived headfirst straight down."

  "Did you get any photos?"

  "No, I wasn't carrying a camera. Anyway, I circled round a few times, but she was gone. I scared her off I think. She'd probably never seen a microlight before. Especially so close up. I almost crashed into her."

  "Wow. It almost seems too amazing to be true..."

  She paused for a moment, then questioned him with her eyes.

  "You're not making this up are you?"

  Gavin didn't blink when he replied.

  "No. It's the truth. All of it. It changed my life. I was just on holiday at the time, having bought the microlight with my first wages out of university. I then quit my job, moved to Loch Ness, and have been living here ever since."

  "Did you tell anyone about what you saw?"

  "Everyone. Absolutely everyone. You couldn't get me to shut up about it. But I had no proof. And I still don't. I've been running the visitor centre for just over ten years now, and I haven't seen her since. But I keep hoping." He sipped the whisky. "Your turn."

  His big brown eyes twinkled and looked directly at her, and for a moment, she felt rather nervous. Not because he was looking right at her, but for some reason, she realised that she really wanted him to believe her. That she did see 'something'.

  "I ... I was just looking out across the loch, scanning the surface with my binoculars, perhaps 'hoping' that I 'might' see something... you know, like buying a ticket for the lottery... you know it's not going to happen but you can't help but want to try?..."

  Gavin nodded. He knew only too well.

  "And then I saw it. A line of several large dark hoops rising from the water. Three distinct, thick, large humps standing proud of the water's surface. I saw them only for a few seconds. Stupidly, I took the binoculars away from my eyes to see for myself, then looked back through the lenses, but she... he... was gone. Had disappeared."

  Alessandra held her breath as if waiting for a verdict from a judge. What would he say? Had she seen something or not?

  "So you never saw a head? Just the body?"

  "No."

  "Where were you at the time you saw it...?"

  Alessandra paused.

  "Does it make a difference?"

  Gavin obviously wasn't expecting that answer.

  "Yes. And it depends on what time of the day it was, too. Where were you standing when you saw it?"

  Alessandra hesitated. She couldn't tell him the truth.

  "I was down near Urquhart Castle. I'd climbed over the fence just a little along from the car park at the Castle, and made my way halfway down across the field to the shore to have a picnic lunch. It was about one-thirty, probably."

  "When you saw the humps, were you able to discern any skin tones? Any markings or colour?"

  Alessandra closed her eyes and replayed the image.

  "No. Sorry, it was too dark. And it happened too quickly. But if anything, I'd have said the skin was a sort of brown colour."

  Gavin thought for a moment.

  "Okay. Interesting. Most people would not have said that. They would say it was grey or black." He paused again. "It's a difficult one. So, you want to hear my thoughts on what you saw then?"

  She nodded.

  "Okay, so this is just based upon what I've learned over the years, talking to everyone and studying everything I can about the monster. It's become an obsession, but I think I do know what I'm talking about..."

  "If you're not qualified to give an opinion, who is?" she smiled back.

  "Fine… and I'm not saying you didn't see something, okay? The question is, just what was is that you actually did see...?"

  Alessandra nodded, raising her eyebrows, conveying a subtle 'get on with it'.

  "So, to be honest, because you were using binoculars and got a good close up view, it bumps your sighting up a notch, in terms of the Gavin scale of credibility. And the brown was good. Because I think you may be right. But you didn't see a head, and that's not so good. The problem is that there are many natural phenomena out there on the loch that can cause the appearance of humps. Such as when a boat passes up the loch, it sets up waves, which when the light shines or reflects off the water at the right angle, makes the water around seem bright, but the waves themselves very dark. So it looks like you are seeing humps rising up..."

  "But mine were standing quite high out of the water..."

  "Which is interesting. As you say... but perhaps it was a tree trunk that was caught by the waves, so you had two effects combining. Which is unlikely, but very possible."

  "When I was sitting on the grass on the side of the hill, I was looking 'down' at the water... not across it. Does that make a difference?"

  Gavin smiled.

  "Yes. It does. I've already considered that. That raised angle complicates things a little."

  "I've seen the photographs on the Amber wall. The ones that the experts think were caused by waves maybe created by passing boats. But there weren't any boats around at the time. I looked for them. I couldn't see any."

  "The same effect can be caused by the wind. The waves build up, slowly. Or it could have been a big cruiser which passed by a while before... you might not have seen it. It was long ago. Unfortunately, there is also the slight possibility that there may have been an earth tremor that caused the waves. I'd have to check with the university to see if any tremors occurred around that time. We're sitting on a geological fault which runs right down the Great Glen. It's possible, and it's been the cause of other false sightings."

  "So, you don't think it was real, what I saw?"

  "No, it was real. But was it really Nessie! That's the question. Anyway, what do you honestly think it was?"

  "I don't know. Having visited your centre, and seen all the photos, I am honestly, - and I'm surprised just how much I have to admit this to myself- quite disappointed that I think it was probably the phenomenon caused by the waves. But, then again, the humps I saw were so high, and I can't completely get round that."

  "So, amber wall or red wall?" Gavin asked.

  She looked back at him.

  Her face was blank. She looked out of the window, back down at the loch.

  "Why is this affecting me like this? Why does it matter so much?" she asked aloud.

  Gavin laughed, leant across the table and touched the top of her hand, in a reassuring gesture that brought her attention back to him, and away from the loch.

  "It gets to you. Seeing Nessie changes people. Maybe they see something and they are changed. Or maybe they want to change so they think they see something... But they somehow get connected to the Loch. To the monster, or their experience of it. And they get drawn back to it. Repeatedly. We're all affected by the experiences we have. In strange and wonderful ways. It definitely changes people. I understand. Just like it changed me."

  She looked at him, quizzically.

  "Yes. I told you, I quit my job. Moved here. Have been here ever since. Hoping to see her again. I don't think I'm mad, or insane. Others might. But I know I'm not. And I'm not the only one. Do you know about the caravan park?"

  Alessandra frowned, shaking her head.

  "It's at the end of the loch, over there," he said pointing out of the window. "It's got its own beach, at the head of the loch, and you can see for miles along its length. It's not a public caravan park... it's more like a private club, but it's full of people who have come here to find answers."

  "W
hat do you mean?"

  "Over the years, a lot of people have seen the monster. More people than you would think. A lot of them don't feel comfortable telling the press about what they see. Over time the loch draws them back, and they come here to be close to it. They spend months, even years, living in the caravans, until one day, they find the answers they need, and they leave."

  "They see the monster?"

  "Some do. Others don't. But to be honest, I don't think that's the crux of the matter. Young Angus, he has this theory that everyone sees the monster for a reason. "

  Alessandra nodded. "He mentioned that."

  "There's no doubting that the monster exists. And many people do really see it. But some people see it, and truly believe they've seen it, but in reality there's a reason they think they've seen it. There's something else going on in their lives that causes them to see it..."

  "To imagine it?"

  "Possibly. But they see something, imagined or not, and then it gives them the subconscious justification to step away from their daily lives, the problems or the daily routine or grind that's slowly killing them, and to come up here, by the loch, and find some solitude. Some time just to exist. To be. To live. To find answers to questions that really have nothing to do with the monster, and more to do with life, and about themselves."

  "Wow..." Alessandra breathed out heavily and shook her head. "That's heavy... And that's what happened to you?"

  "Maybe. Perhaps. To a certain extent. But for me it was different. I really did see her. I didn't make it up. However, coming here was the best thing I ever did. I'll probably never leave, at least, not until I see her again."

  "Why's it so important that you have to see her again? If you saw her once, and you KNOW she exists, he exists..., then why not just accept it, and get on with life safe in the knowledge that you were privileged to see something no one else has?"

  "I don't know. It's important. For now. Although that may change. If I listen to my own advice, then maybe I am looking for something too. Maybe it's not just the monster. But for now I'm happy."

  Alessandra looked back out the window.

  From where she was, she could just make out a few of the caravans at the furthest end of the loch. She could even see some people standing on the beach, looking out across the water. Hoping to see something. Yearning to find answers.

  She felt strange. Peculiar. This was all rather unsettling.

  She turned around to face Gavin, noticing only then that his hand was still resting upon hers.

  "So, just saying for a moment, that I might consider staying here a little longer, and could be interested in renting a caravan for a week, or two... who would I talk to about it?"

  He smiled.

  "Me. You'd talk to me."

  Chapter 8

  Scotland

  Edinburgh

  Friday

  7.00 p.m.

  DCI Campbell McKenzie sat diagonally opposite his wife at the corner of their large mahogany table in their dining room. From their windows they had a tremendous view which captured the sweep of the Pentlands, the range of hills just outside of Edinburgh. The sun was beginning its slow summer descent, and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful evening.

  He'd poured his wife a glass of wine, a small one, so that it could perhaps take the edge off what he was about to say, but he knew that any more, or too much, would make the situation worse. He was holding his wife's hand in his.

  Dinner had just been finished, and for once Campbell had made it home on time.

  "There's something I need to tell you," he announced, when he'd called from the office that afternoon, checking to make sure she was going to be at home.

  "I need to tell you something too," Fiona had replied. "Something important. I'll cook something nice so we can relax and discuss everything. Can you be home at six? Dinner at 6.30?"

  Dinner had been less animated than usual. Campbell was still trying to keep his resolve to tell her, knowing full well that this might be the last dinner they shared together, and he was full of thoughts and worries. He'd practised his opening line a million times in his head, but he knew when the moment came, he would end up improvising.

  Fiona had been quieter than normal too. Campbell could see she was worried about what he was going to say. She looked drained. Tired out. Her eyes were slightly red, and Campbell even wondered if she had already heard the news and had been crying. Earlier on that afternoon he'd wondered what it was that she wanted to talk to him about, but such was his self-centred focus that as the appointed hour drew closer and closer, he slowly forgot all about it.

  By the time he sat in front of her, the meal finished, his future hanging in the balance and the sword of Damocles hanging over their relationship, there was nothing more important to him that ensuring that he maintained the courage to speak. It didn't really matter what she had to say. At this juncture, as far as their relationship was concerned, nothing could be more important than his news.

  "So, who wants to go first?" Fiona asked, nervously fingering the bottom of her wine glass with two fingers.

  "Can I?" Campbell coughed, taking a sip of the wine to kill a few seconds. "There's something I have to tell you. Something difficult. So I need to just warn you that you may be shocked by what I have to say, but I am only going to tell you, because I love you so much, and that because I love you, I know that I have to tell you."

  He coughed again, looking straight at his wife, noting the immediate concern and questions, and fear, that flashed in her eyes.

  "You're worrying me, Campbell. Has something happened? Something bad? Are you ill?"

  "No, I'm fine. But something bad has happened. In fact it happened a while ago, because I haven't been able to pluck up the courage to tell you, because I knew it would hurt you. It will hurt us both. But I have to. I have to tell you so that you hear it from me, and we can discuss what happened. Husband to wife."

  "Now you're really scaring me... just tell me. Spit it out!"

  "Can you remember about six months ago I was working on the case concerning Tommy McNunn, one of the biggest crime lords in Scotland? We finally managed to arrest him and charge him with the murder of his girlfriend, Danielle Wessex?"

  "Absolutely. You'd been chasing him for years, and unable to ever pin anything on him."

  "Well, there's something more to the case that I need to talk to you about. It wasn't that clear cut. But actually, this isn't really about him. It's about me. And something I did..."

  It was happening. Exactly that which Campbell had feared would. He'd begun to ramble. He was coming to the most important part and he was making a hash of it. He'd known it would all be about the delivery, about the preamble, and the logic and reasoning of what had happened, and he'd practised that all down to a tee. Yet, now he was going off script, and it was all falling apart.

  Fiona squeezed his hand. "What did you do?"

  "I've loved you since the moment I first met you. I know it took a while for me to propose," he smiled. "But it was never in question, that you and I would get together. I've always known it... I've always loved you."

  It was then that Campbell saw the light change in his wife's eyes. The first indication of a shard of steel appearing.

  She'd twigged what this was about.

  Perhaps the only surprise was that it had taken her this long.

  "It's another woman? You're seeing someone else!"

  Campbell hesitated.

  "Actually, yes, it's about another woman, but no... I'm not seeing her... and I never really was seeing her in the first place. She's dead. Shit, sorry, I'm not explaining this well, and it sounds worse than it is."

  He closed his eyes and reached for the glass with his free hand. At least Fiona was still holding his other hand. But for how long?

  He took a sip, and opened his eyes again, resolved to just tell it all as soon as he could.

  "She was a colleague at work. You've met her several times. Smart, attractive. We worked toget
her. A lot. Although nothing ever happened. But about a year ago, when we started working together on the twins rape, -remember when the twins from Galashiels were raped then murdered? - Well, it was about then that we started to spend too much time together. Not out of choice, but because we had to."

  Fiona opened her mouth to speak, but saw Campbell's plea to be allowed to carry on, and she let him.

  "Thanks... it's just that this is really hard to say and explain in any way that makes any sort of sense... so I just want to tell you everything as it happened. The truth. For better or for worse?"

  Fiona nodded, the first tear beginning to form in the corner of her eye.

  "I can't tell you how it happened, exactly, or why, but one night, after weeks of working late and sleepless nights, and I'm not using this as an excuse, but simply because it's the truth... just when you were helping me to fight the alcohol, and keep a lid on how much I was drinking... well, one night, the whole team was out for drinks at the Fiddler’s Arms and as we were all leaving, I bumped into her in the doorway, and she kissed me on the lips."

  "Is that all?"

  Campbell blushed.

  "Yes. But the thing was that for some reason I didn't pull away. It was a slow kiss. Nothing fancy. But there was something there, and I think I felt it. It confused me. I felt guilty. I thought about it a lot. Which really annoyed me because I kept asking myself why? Why was I thinking about it so much?"

  "Were you attracted to her?"

  "... Yes. The truth is I was. But just because I was attracted to her, doesn't mean I should do anything about it. I mean, there’re lots of attractive women in the world, and I'm not attracted to them. So why her?"

  "You're not making this easy, Campbell. You're confusing me. Is this an apology or a philosophy class? Did you sleep with her?"

  Campbell stared at her. He could feel her hand tighten around his, her emotional fuse beginning to burn short.

  "Not then. No..."

  "So later, you did later..."

  "Yes, but it was a long time later. And it's not that simple. It wasn't simply a case of sleeping with her or not... I need to explain what happened..."