by Ashlyn Chase
His partner chuckled. “I remember hearing that. They may have hidden some of their treasure in the bogs, knowing a war was coming.”
“All of it is now in the Dublin Archeological Museum and National Museum of Ireland, but if a newly discovered ancient castle exists in Ballyhoo…” The first man gazed over his shoulder at a dejected Finn.
“I’m way ahead of you, mate.”
Finn turned toward the gentlemen. “Are you archeologists?”
They looked startled at first. Then sly smiles stole across their faces. “Why, yes. We didn’t know you were listening. Are you interested in the castle and caves?”
Finn straightened. “Very.”
* * *
Minutes later, Finn was rappelling down the cliff. They had already searched the ruins of the castle that were visible above the section that seemed to be built into the cliff below. Any treasure that might be found had to be hidden in the caves. There didn’t appear to be any steps connecting the upper and lower parts. How did the ancient kings get into the caves? They must have had wings…
The portly English guys might be archeologists, but neither one was Indiana Jones. At least they rented the equipment and showed him how to use it. If he weren’t so worried about what or who he might find in the caves, he’d admit this was a lot of fun.
At last he came close enough to one of the caves to peek inside. Nothing seemed to bar the entrance, but beyond that, it was just a hole of darkness. He grasped the flashlight they’d loaned him and shone the light inside the cave.
One of the gentlemen leaned over the cliff and called down, “What do you see?”
“Nothin’ yet,” Finn called up.
The guy above him snorted. “Well, perhaps you should go inside.”
Go inside? “And how do you propose I do that when I’m hangin’ from a string?”
The other bloke laughed. Then he leaned over far enough to see Finn. “It’s a very strong cable. You should be able to push off from the cliff and swing inside the cave. Then it’s just a matter of planting your feet and unhooking yourself.”
“Oh, sure,” Finn muttered. “Just swing back and forth and hope to land far enough inside to do that.” Then he followed through on the thought. “How will I reach the cable again when it’s time to come back?”
“Pull a little extra in with you. The weight of the harness should hold it in place, but if you’re worried, you can put a rock on top.”
That sounded reasonable. He didn’t want too much slack however. Then he’d have to dive off the cliff and bounce when he came to the end of the cable. Trusting it to hold him was hard enough, even though he was slight of build. Tall and wiry, one might say.
But Shannon could be in there.
He had to try.
Finn lowered himself just enough to reach the bottom of the cave entrance, scrunched his knees, and pushed off the edge. His feet landed on the rough floor, but the cable dragged him back outside before he could stand.
“Oh, I have a bad feelin’ about this,” he called up. The guys ignored him and looked like they were having a heated discussion with each other. He could just make out what they were saying.
Apparently one of them wanted to take any artifacts they found to the Royal British Museum and the other thought they should stay in Ireland. Hmmm… Finn was a loyal countryman and didn’t want any more treasures leaving his homeland. Therefore, he needed to keep whatever he found a secret. Unless he found Shannon, in which case he’d be unable to contain his joy.
He had to try again. This time he let out a little more cable. Just enough to send his bum over the threshold. Hopefully he could stand up quickly and have the slack he needed to prevent being dragged outside again.
He pushed off the cliff and swung inside. This time he stuck the landing. He took a couple more steps inside and let out a little more cable before he dared remove the harness.
Now he just needed something to weight down the equipment so it wouldn’t leave him stranded even if a strong wind tried to take it.
He took his flashlight again and shone it farther into the cave. Something glinted. He couldn’t quite make it out, but it appeared to be gold on top and black on the bottom. Best of all, it looked heavy enough to tether himself to. He inched forward.
Mother Mary! It’s a feckin’ pot of gold coins! There was no way he could tell the Englishmen about this and expect them to leave it all in Ireland.
Suddenly a short man dressed like Lucky rushed up to the black iron cauldron. It was almost as large as he was. He grasped the edges.
Appearing angry, the little man said, “You’ll not be takin’ me gold, so just forget it.”
“Who are you?” Finn asked innocently.
“Me name is unimportant. Just go.”
“I can’t. I’m lookin’ for me girl. She disappeared a while ago. If I have to turn over every rock in Ireland to find her, I will.”
“You’ll not find her in here.”
“How do you know that?” Finn shone the flashlight farther into the tunnel. “This place looks like it could be quite large.”
“It may be large, but I know every bit of it. There are no lasses here.”
“Ha. Her sister is missin’ too, and you said ‘lasses.’ You know somethin’. I caught you in a lie.”
At that moment the little man tried to run but couldn’t. His feet were stuck firmly in place. He pushed against the cauldron, straining so hard his face turned red. “Shite! Why did you have to say you caught me?”
Could it be? Finn almost laughed. He’d caught a leprechaun, and according to legend, that pot of gold was now his.
But there was something he wanted more than gold. He prowled around the cauldron in case the little bugger managed to pull free. He’d catch him and sit on him to find out what he knew.
“So,” Finn said confidently, “I’ve caught a leprechaun.”
“No, you haven’t. No, you haven’t,” the little man said as he struggled against the force holding his feet.
“And looky there. I’ve caught you in two more lies.”
The leprechaun finally gave up the struggle and lay over the gold. “You can’t have it. It’s mine! I sto—”
His eyes widened and Finn realized what he’d been about to say.
“Ah. You stole it, did you? And who might you have stolen it from?”
“That’s it. I’m not sayin’ another word.”
He had the little guy. Finn doubted even a leprechaun lawyer could get him out of this. He crossed his arms. “I’ll make a bargain with you.”
The little leprechaun straightened up and looked interested.
“I’ll let you keep your gold if you help me find Shannon and her family,” Finn said. “Oh. And I’ll be needin’ your name.”
The little man’s lips thinned. At last he ground out between clenched teeth, “It’s Shamus.”
“Shamus what?”
“Just Shamus. It’s not like there’s so many of us that we need last names.”
Finn nodded. “All right. Now, tell me how to find Shannon Arish.”
Shamus let out a deep sigh. “Last I saw, they were on a fishin’ boat headin’ west.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “And why would they suddenly decide to go fishin’ and never come back?”
The little man looked away and shrugged.
“I wonder if you might remember more if I ground your foot under me heel.”
Shamus didn’t react.
“Hmmm. Don’t value your foot much, do you? Mayhaps if I gouge out your eyes and toss them over the cliff so you can’t see your gold.”
The leprechaun winced. “You’d never…”
Finn tipped his chin up stubbornly. “Desperate men do things they’d never do otherwise. If you know somethin’ you’d better start talkin’ or prepare to s
ay good-bye to your eyes.”
“No. Don’t do it. I’ll tell you.”
After a brief hesitation, Shamus confessed.
“We leprechauns set them on the boat and gave it a tiny push. I don’t know where they be now.”
Finn clenched his fists and tried to wrestle his temper under control. This leprechaun knew more than he was telling.
“Do you have some magic in you? Can’t you see them if you close your eyes or somethin’?”
Shamus scratched his whiskered cheek. “First let me go, and I’ll tell you what I see.”
Finn laughed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He was careful not to use the words ‘I release you’ in any way. Not even with the word ‘if’ in front. “Sure’n you’d disappear down that tunnel and take your gold with you.”
Shamus looked as if he were trying to stomp his foot. Or maybe he was making one last desperate attempt to get free. “If I do as you wish, you must let me go.”
Finn mulled it over. He figured it was a good bargain—if it led to finding Shannon. “Go ahead.”
“How do I know you won’t take me pot of gold and leave me here as soon as I tell you what I see?”
“First, I don’t want your stinkin’ gold. Second, I couldn’t get it out of here without some help, and that would involve leavin’ and comin’ back. You’d be long gone by then. And third, I’m a man of my word, and I give you me word.”
Shamus stroked his beard and stared off into the distance. At last, he said, “All right. I’m trustin’ you, though you should know that if you try to take me gold, I’ll come after you. And leprechauns can be mighty creative when it comes to playin’ tricks on humans.”
Finn didn’t bother pointing out that if he’d lied and didn’t release the leprechaun, there was little Shamus could do to “come after him.” He wanted the little man to trust him completely, so he nodded.
The leprechaun took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. He remained silent for so long that Finn worried he might have fallen asleep.
At last he opened his eyes. “I saw the young Arish women walkin’ up to a brick building. A brownstone, I think they call it, though it wasn’t brown. Trees lined the street, and many cars were drivin’ down the road. I’d say she’s in a city with her sister.”
Finn wondered why their brother wasn’t with them, but he’d have to find out later. Right now he needed the little bastard to narrow down the search. “They could be in any number of cities. I need more than that.”
Shamus shrugged. “I didn’t see much more.”
“Tell me everythin’ you saw. There must be a clue.”
The little man sighed. “I saw a sign. It said ‘Speed Limit,’ and under that it said ‘30.’”
“That doesn’t sound like kilometers.”
“It isn’t. I’m guessin’ they made it all the way to America.”
Finn snorted. “No thanks to you.”
“I did as you said. You must release me now.”
“Not yet. I need more to find her.”
“Like what?”
“Like what city in America are you talkin’ about?”
Shamus huffed in frustration. “I don’t know. I didn’t see much else.”
“Think harder.”
When no more information came, Finn strolled over to his harness. “Let’s see. There are some pretty sharp hooks on this equipment.”
Shamus held up both palms in a “Stop. I give up” gesture. “All right. All right! I saw two more things in the distance.”
“And those were?”
“Street signs. One said ‘Massachusetts Avenue,’ and the other said ‘Cambridge and MIT next right.’”
At last. Finn knew enough about American geography to know that Boston, Massachusetts, was a northern city in America.
“Could it be Boston?”
Shamus looked hopeful. “I suppose it could.”
“I need to be sure. Why don’t you go back into your trance and take a walk around the town?”
“It hurts me head to do that, you know.”
“More than it hurts your eyes to be gouged—”
“Fine!” Shamus spit in Finn’s general direction. “I’ll do it.”
I wouldn’t really gouge out his eyes, but I have to keep him believin’ I could if he doesn’t confess all.
Shamus closed his eyes and rattled off words as if reading every sign he saw. “Beacon Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology…”
Finn would check the references later, but he was pretty darn sure the leprechaun was visualizing somewhere in Boston.
Chapter 6
Rory finished tuning his guitar and said to his sisters, “Thanks for gettin’ me guitar here so quickly. I was beginnin’ to feel naked.” He waggled his eyebrows at Amber.
She rolled her eyes.
“Did you bring everythin’?” he asked.
“Don’t worry,” Shannon said. “Your precious squeeze box, bodhran, and tin whistles are upstairs.”
He grinned. “Ah, I knew I could count on you.”
He plays all those instruments? Amber couldn’t help being a little impressed. “I imagine you had other belongings with you,” she said, hoping the answer was no.
All three siblings stared at her.
Shannon blinked first. “These aren’t belongin’s, luv. Our music is part of us. To leave me harp behind would be like leavin’ me arm or leg.”
Euterpe nodded. “I understand completely.” Sitting beside Amber on the futon, she elbowed her and rubbed her hands together like an excited teenager at a rock concert. “I can’t wait to hear them play.”
Amber sighed. Why did I have to get the muse of music? Amber was interested in hearing them play, of course, but she could wait until they were at the tearoom, playing for their supper. That would mean this stalemate was over.
“First, a ballad in honor of our home,” Rory announced.
His sisters nodded solemnly.
Shannon sat on the window seat and pulled her harp close. Standing, Chloe put the flute to her lips. Sitting on the other side of the window seat like Chloe’s bookend, Rory strummed the opening and his sisters joined in one by one. When all three instruments were harmonizing, the sound became so rich, it took on a life of its own. Amber had to admit the music they made together was amazing. It sounded like more than just three instruments. Then Rory added his deep bass voice to the mix.
“The Battle of Ballyhoo was a long and bloody thing,
But the invaders were defeated, led by our mighty King.
Nobody knows how long they fought. It lasted many days.
But in the end ’twas all for naught, repellin’ foreign ways.
’Tis said that time, it heals all wounds, and it healed our sacred land.
Yet time defeated what wars could not, and kingdoms did disband…”
A knock sounded at the door. The music ceased. Amber rose and strode to answer it.
The managers were on the other side. “I’m sorry. Was the music too loud?” she asked hopefully.
Morgaine and Sly stood there with Nathan and a beautiful redhead behind them. All were wearing neutral expressions and didn’t seem annoyed at all. Darn it.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” Sly said. “We just wanted you to know that we’re having a tenants’ meeting to address who gets apartment 1B. We figured we’d let your neighbors decide who they’d like to live next to.”
Chloe piped up. “When is it? Me and Shannon would want to be there.”
Morgaine winced. “I’m sorry. You two are excluded for the obvious reason that you’d favor your brother.”
Chloe opened her mouth to say something else, but Shannon clamped a hand over it.
“’Tis fair,” Rory said. “Thank you for tellin’ us in advance.”
The redhead strode forward. “That music was beautiful. Are y’all part of a larger band?”
Rory aimed his charming, hundred-watt grin at her. “Thank you kindly, but no. This is it—the whole band.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Rory. I don’t think we’ve met.”
The gorgeous redhead shook his hand and said, “Gwyneth Wyatt. I live on the third floor.”
Amber was afraid he’d turn her hand and place a kiss on Gwyneth’s knuckles, just like he had with Euterpe, but he didn’t. And why did that thought bother her so much? She didn’t even know this woman, but she wanted to slam the door in her face.
Nathan strode forward and placed a possessive arm around the redhead’s waist. Amber was relieved for some reason, and that annoyed her even more.
“How often do you practice?” Nathan asked.
“Not so often as to bother you,” Chloe said. “We’ve been playin’ together since we were children. Not much need to practice.”
Shannon raised a finger. “But when me or me brother write a new song, we may have a session or two, makin’ sure to get it right before we play in public.”
Chloe focused on Nathan. “We can practice upstairs in 2B and not bother you overly much since you live across the hall.”
“If the music is always that good, I’d love it if y’all would practice upstairs. I live in 3A,” Gwyneth said and smiled up at Rory.
Nathan narrowed his eyes and pulled Gwyneth a little closer.
Ah, jealousy. Good, Amber thought. Maybe that’s another point in my favor. And maybe this Nathan guy will keep a leash on the redhead.
So far it looked like two against two.
“Are there any other neighbors?” Amber asked.
“Not really,” Sly said. “The penthouse is occupied by the owners; my daughter, her husband, and their son. They value their privacy more than anything else—particularly my son-in-law. He’s rather famous. That’s why they appointed my wife and me to manage the rest of the building. I’ll certainly invite them to the tenants’ meeting, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be available.”