Knollig: A Terraneu Novel ( Book 2)

by McKnight, Stormy

  The ninety had all gone on a “dating” vacation offered by McPherson Match Making. It seemed like it was a legitimate business. An older Scottish gentleman had turned his B&B into a dating destination. It was only for select women who passed their stringent profile requirements. None of that was so unusual. A lot of dating sites were very specific about traits their members had to have.

  “What made this place investigation worthy?” she had asked.

  “One of the missing women’s employer requested a check. Once the local authorities realized it was more than one woman, with the exact same notice. It was sent up the line to us. It seems that the only group to have gone to this “vacation” so far was almost six months ago.” Renee, her boss had briefed her. “They arrived and by all accounts had a great time, then as far as we can ascertain, about ninety of them sent out notice to their employers that they had found love in Scotland and were staying. They were giving permission for their last checks to be donated to charity.” Renee had clicked through the digital file until he stopped at a certain page, “Here it is. There were fifteen women that stayed at the B&B run by McPherson that didn’t find ‘love’. They were still very happy with their experience in Scotland, as you will see on the video. The only problem is that they don’t remember meeting any of the other ninety women who are missing. Even though by all accounts they were spotted in the nearby village, and were known to have been vacationing with them.”

  Renee spun his chair around, “Play the video marked interrogation, use the big screen so I can watch also.”

  Catherine did as he asked, as it buffered she put it on large screen view on the monitor on her wall. When it was ready she hit play.

  She recognized the type of interview room. There was a middle aged female being sworn in, an agent was asking general questions. Are you so and so? Do you live at so and so address? Did you join a dating site called McPherson Match Making? Did you travel to the Scottish Highlands on so and so date?

  “This is where it gets interesting.” Her supervisor, Renee cut in.

  The agent had asked the interviewee, “Do you remember meeting this woman?” the agent then flipped over a photograph.

  “No. I don’t recall ever meeting that person. I had a great time in Scotland though.”

  Renee took control of the playback and froze the image. “Remember that phrase.” Then he pressed play again. The scene played out with fifteen different women. All were shown multiple pictures, and all of them responded the same way. Only one person was different, it was a Michelle Clark.

  She answered, “No. I don’t recall meeting that person. I did have a great time in Scotland, though I lost my favorite coat. I don’t even remember where I put it. I ended up with a ratty older one.”

  At the end of the video Catherine thought about that for a minute. “So why am I being given this assignment. I am not certified for field work anymore.” It hurt to say it, but that was the truth.

  “You have been re-instated. You are the only operative that fits the profile. You are in the age range they seem to be selecting, you rate high on the list of criteria the other women had on their profiles.”

  Renee showed her the profile they had created for her on the dating site using one of her previous aliases. It was all true, so it wouldn’t be hard to try to cover up a lie if she accidentally said the wrong thing. She was single, had no family, no pets, and lived for her job, no current boyfriend, was a science fiction fan, open minded, and people friendly, adventurous and so on.

  “They sent a welcome packet…you were picked for their special vacation event. Check in is in two days.” Renee stated matter of factly.

  “So the women missing fit my description. Are we looking at some type of trafficking? Some rich Arab trying to fill a harem? There is definitely some kind of mind game going on.” Catherine was memorizing the profile while Renee talked.

  “We aren’t sure what is going on. There is no buzz anywhere about these women being trafficked, no sign of any kind that might point to where they are. That is why it is so important for you to make it to this McPherson B&B. We need to know if we are dealing with a new kind of terrorist threat, maybe a new prostitution ring. Read the rest of the data, watch the video a few times, and then get to Scotland.”

  Renee advised her there was a portable tablet containing all of the pertinent information in her packet, along with her re-issued side arm, alias pass-port, credit cards and support documents. She was going under an old alias, so the cover was very deep and impossible to break. She was to arrive in Scotland in two days.

  Catherine had landed in Scotland and met Mr. McPherson when he picked her up in the McPherson Match Making shuttle bus. He seemed to be a very nice grandfatherly type man. He hadn’t been very chatty with her or the other women on the shuttle. They had pretty much talked amongst themselves. She quickly realized that she did fit the profile! These women were interested in the same shows that she watched, like Star Trek, Big Bank Theory, Dr. Who.

  They all talked about the same experiences with men, how hard it was to find a good one. What they hoped to find on this Scottish dating vacation. Someone who liked them for who they were. Catherine had noticed that most of the women on the shuttle were a bit out of shape, but she had always followed the motto: “Live and let live.”

  Three years at a desk job had taken its toll on her, and she was sure these women had similar stories. She wasn’t nearly as trim as she had been, but she wasn’t as far gone off the diet trail as some of her fellow vacationers. She had to admit that every single woman she had met was exceptionally friendly. They all had easy laughs, were eager to talk and make friends and Catherine was secretly hoping this was all a misunderstanding.

  Maybe the other women had found love, and were off somewhere with their dream guys. She knew that it was unlikely. Things like that didn’t happen in the real world. In reality, this situation was likely to end with the arrest of Mr. McPherson for trafficking women for the sex trade, or for harvesting their organs. She knew it was cynical, and she hoped she was wrong.

  After getting checked in and settled she headed outside for a breath of fresh air. Catherine wasn’t paying attention as she hurried around a corner. She gasped in surprise when it felt like she had run into a brick wall, and then bounced back a few feet. Strong hands steadied her, and her eyes swung up, and then up even higher. What she saw had her holding her breath.

  “Are you okay?” The male before her was an Adonis walking and breathing. Catherine wasn’t usually tongue-tied but something about him had her speechless. He looked her over, his eyes glowing with merriment. “Little female, did I hurt you when we collided?’

  “Uh. No.” Catherine drew in a great breath, and stepped back so she didn’t have to crane her neck to see his face. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m sorry to have bumped into you.” She realized with a start what was holding her captivated. It wasn’t his chiseled good looks, which were on the pale side for her tastes. It wasn’t his height, because at 5’ 2” everyone was tall to her. It wasn’t his body, it wasn’t even his smoky voice or silky black hair. It was his eyes! They were purple! Not the fake contact kind of purple, but a mixing of light and shadow kind of purple. They were so alive with color they seemed to be glowing.

  “Are you staying here at the main house or do you have a camp site?” his voice rumbled out.

  “I am at the main house.” Catherine stated, “I didn’t know there were camp sites.”

  “There are over a hundred women, and some of them are in the camp sites. It is not for long, and they seem to be comfortable.”

  Catherine remembered why she was here and decided it was time to fact gather. “I am Katie. It is nice to meet you…” She used “Katie” when undercover because it so closely resembled her given name, she wouldn’t give herself away by ignoring the speaker. She held out her hand. The giant of a man was shaking it absently. “I didn’t catch your name.” She prompted.

  “I am Kneus Mc
Pherson. It is nice to meet you Katie.” He had an odd accent she couldn’t place.

  “You are related to Mr. McPherson?” She would eat her own shirt and pants for dinner if those two men were related. Her “something is up” alarm was going off, and whenever it sounded…she listened. She wasn’t sure what, but there were odd happenings here in Scotland.

  “Yes.” Kneus answered. His smile never wavered but his eyes shifted slightly.

  Catherine knew instantly that he was lying, so her alarm was right again. How much was off with this whole dating vacation thing, she didn’t know. She was going to find out though. The longer she watched him, the more she saw behind the façade. His smile was genuine, but pinched with stress. His eyes at first glowing had lost their merriment, and were shadowed with something she couldn’t pinpoint…pain, despair?

  “I have work to accomplish before the welcome breakfast tomorrow. It was nice to meet you Katie. We set up the food on the knoll across the way, be sure to arrive early so you can enjoy it.” He smiled down at her once more, and then headed off around the building.

  Catherine worked her way around the old Victorian and then further explored the grounds. The camping sites she found were very well maintained, there wasn’t anything odd about them. She wasn’t able to spot anything obviously amiss anywhere. So she headed back to the main house, stopping to chat with some of the women on the way.

  “They say it is a second chance in their pamphlet. It is what they cater to. Middle aged women like us that want adventure, and romance.” One vacationer was chatting animatedly to her group, “I was ready to pack when I read that on their site. I don’t have anything holding me back, I would love to have an adventure! That tall hunky one said they have a special trip planned for tomorrow! I can’t wait to go!” She laughed heartily, everyone around agreed, and went on to tell their stories. All of them were the same. Lonely single women ready for a little excitement in the Scottish Highlands.

  Catherine went to her room, thinking about a strategy for getting information. Mr. McPherson was probably the easiest target. Maybe he would let something slip, if she could get him alone. Every time she had checked downstairs he had been busy with something and she couldn’t get him by himself to question him. For an older man, he sure was spry!

  She would ask him for a tour of the grounds tomorrow morning that would get him alone and hopefully talking. With a plan of action in mind, she had readied herself for bed. Tomorrow was the welcome breakfast and she needed to be ready early. With her thoughts running crazy in her head, she slept fitfully all night.

  Catherine woke to a knocking at her door. She mumbled something and grabbed her robe off the end of her bed. Seeing the time was six o’clock. It was kind of early but after checking she swung the door open. It was Mr. McPherson pushing a cart full of fruit juices and breakfast snacks.

  “Woods ye loch some ginger ur muffin tae start yer morn?” Mr. McPherson asked. He indicated the selection of items on the cart.

  “No thank you Mr. McPherson.” Catherine never took food or drink from an unknown source when undercover. Even if it looked as good as those muffins, “I have some water in my room. Thanks for the wake up, I wouldn’t want to miss the welcome breakfast.” Catherine went to close the door and Mr. McPherson got a pained look on his face, and Catherine was instantly alert.

  Mr. McPherson moved away from the doorway, and her shocked gaze fell on the big one from yesterday. He held a tranquilizer gun in his hand. She dropped and twisted toward the bed. If she could just reach her hidden side arm. Then she felt a sharp sting in her butt.

  “Don’t panic Catherine. What we gave you isn’t deadly. We just needed you out of the way. I accessed your tablet yesterday when you were searching the grounds. I know you are not here for the second chance as the other women are. You are some kind of military figure sent here to investigate the missing women from six months ago. It would seem the mind wipe didn’t work as well as I had hoped.” He had picked her up and placed her gently on the bed, making sure she was covered and comfortable. “We just have ten hours…you will be okay! I swear it.”

  “We need to hurry to the breakfast and get the women ready. Time is urgent now.” Kneus was talking to Mr. McPherson. “You are going through first! I insist upon it. I will send the items on the shopping list you were given through directly after you. That is going to take up a lot of our time. Tell my brothers to work as fast as they can, and get the women that don’t want to stay returned quickly. If I am not through after the females have been sent back they are to destroy the port pad. Even if I would be stuck here, it is too dangerous to leave it intact. “Kneus sighed, “We knew they were going to investigate, I was just hoping there would be more time.”

  Catherine was in shock. How had he found and hacked her tablet? It had the top of the line cryptography with biometrics, nobody could just hack it. She tried to recall what he had said after drugging her. She had heard some strange coded conversations before, but what was he taking about? A port pad? What was Antilles? She was still struggling to stay focused when she lost the fight and everything went black.

  ~*~*~*

  Catherine felt like she had a huge sweat sock in her mouth, and it tasted nasty! She groaned and rolled sluggishly on the bed. Her mind was fuzzy, and she couldn’t seem to make any connection to her thoughts. She knew she was in Scotland, there was a seemingly nice old man and a really good-looking one. She was investigating them…but why she couldn’t remember. She looked over at the nightstand, there was a container of water that she wanted to drink. She struggled to a sitting position, her hands were shaking with the effort to push her black hair out of her face. It wasn’t long, was only about shoulder length but the bangs were bothering her. Why she couldn’t focus on anything, but was worried about her hair puzzled her. Then her head started to clear a little, and she stumbled to the bathroom to splash water on her face.

  She had been drugged, and something was going to happen today. What time was it? She stumbled into her bedroom and saw that the time was almost three o’clock. The large man, Kneus had said they only had ten hours. That meant she only had an hour to try to stop whatever they were doing. Catherine rushed to send a coded SOS to her superiors, then got dressed, looked for her side arm in its hiding place. Kneus must have found it because it was missing. She had hidden another one on the premises in a secure place and hurried outside to retrieve it.

  The most activity had come from the knoll, so she quickly ran in that direction. For a vacation destination with over a hundred women, it was eerily quiet. Catherine knew she was running out of time. She picked up her pace until finally she heard some sort of noise up ahead, so she turned toward the sound. She slowed and crept around trees keeping her eyes open for anything suspicious. When she peered around a tree into a small clearing, she swallowed her gasp of surprise and pulled back. She saw some of the females lying on the ground. Unconscious or dead she wasn’t sure, but the large male was standing over them. She moved slowly around the tree, and checked to make sure he wasn’t looking her direction. Putting one foot slowly in front of the other, she made her way to a point until she had a clear view.

  There were about six women on the ground, Kneus was moving them so they weren’t touching the strange glassy looking ground he was standing on. When he moved away from the last female, Catherine stepped forward. Her firearm pointed at his heart.

  “Don’t move.” Her voice sounded steady, which she was happy for. With the adrenaline rush, and drugs he had given her she was hoping not to sound like Mickey Mouse. “Put your hands in the air.”

  He turned toward her, his hands going into the air. “I am not armed little female.” His face showed concern over the weapon she was holding.

  “I had another gun in a different hiding place.” Catherine stated at his obvious surprise over her having a weapon. “What did you do to those women?” Catherine asked, moving ever so slowly to see if the females on the ground had any obvious injuries.

>   “Very smart tactic to have additional weaponry in a secondary location, my brother would approve.” Kneus was looking at her with something like admiration. Then he gestured toward the women, “They are just sleeping right now. Dosed to stay that way until the end of the allotted portal time. They will wake up in about ten minutes.” Kneus kept his hands up.

  “Where are the others? Where is Mr. McPherson?” Catherine was standing on the ground that upon closer inspection looked like cracking ice. Bending over carefully, one eye still on Kneus, she checked the pulse of the woman closest to her. She felt a strong beat against her fingers, this woman was going to be fine as far as she could tell.

  “None of the females are in any danger. They are all being well cared for. You don’t understand what is happening, and I am out of time to explain it to you. Please step off the ring.” Kneus was looking at her, pleading in his eyes. She was used to die-hard criminals looking at her with anger, or malice, or glee over the acts they committed. She had never had one look at her with eyes full of pleading and something deeper…pain and misery.

  “I am not moving until you tell me what is going on!” Catherine insisted. Backup should be here any second, if she could just keep him talking.

  Kneus just shrugged, “May I please show you something? It is not dangerous.” He made to move his hands down, that is when Catherine noticed he had some type of remote control.

  “Is that to detonate a bomb? Is what I’m standing on some sort of explosive?” Catherine raised her gun again to point directly at him. “Don’t move!” she demanded. “I sent out an SOS and have backup coming!” As if on queue she could hear distant sounds of sirens.

  “This device is my way home, not a bomb. Shoot me if you must, if I am to be stuck on this planet I would rather be dead.” His face held such misery that Catherine froze for one second and began to lower her weapon.