Angela let out a laugh. She knew Johan meant cools his heels, and his mistake released some of the tension she felt. She wiped her eyes.
"Yes, let's get a drink."
* * * * *
Duncan's anger built with each step back to his office. Once there, he shut his door and closed the shades on the glass walls so his employees could not see him. His fingers trembled as he tried to use his keyboard. Then he remembered the names he entered into his program earlier in the day. Caroline was among them. He checked his software. It had not crashed and there were no error messages yet, twenty-two percent complete. At this rate, it might be finished by morning. He felt the urge to call Caroline, but decided to wait until he calmed down. Instead, he rang up Donald Merriwether. He had a question for his friend.
After speaking with Donald, Duncan felt better. Talking to the older gentleman always had that effect on him. Plus, he was able to answer Duncan's question in a way that shed light on the case. He now had a good idea who else might be involved with Stuart's murder. Duncan rang up his Information Technology, or I.T., support guy. He wanted to run several software programs at once, but was worried he might crash the entire system. With the go ahead granted from I.T., Duncan began loading data into his software.
It was seven p.m. and Duncan's headache had returned when a loud knock sounded on his door. Unaware of the time, he turned and saw the city lights gleaming from beyond his office windows. He rose and opened the shades to see who was still around this late. The Swede, his tie loosened and jacket thrown over his shoulder, stood on the other side of the door. His face was slightly red and Duncan presumed he'd had a pint or two or three. A quick glance around told Duncan the rest of the office was deserted.
"Come on in," Duncan said, opening his door. "Have a seat."
Johan beamed what looked like a tipsy smile, and waited for Duncan to sit before entering the office.
"Because I am large and cordial, many underestimate me," he began, his tone sharp, not at all that of someone with several drinks under their belt. "Before thinking me a clown, reflect on my credentials. I take my work seriously. I am no stupid and neither are you, Duncan, excluding this case and one other matter, of course. I know what goes on with this claim. I have done further analysis by adding the Prisoner's Dilemma and Snow Drift. If you don't wise up, you will find yourself in a bad situation, my friend. Earlier, you left with anger before I finished my presentation, so you did not hear the rest of my findings."
Johan tossed a bound copy of his report onto Duncan's desk and stood to leave.
In the doorway, he turned and said, "One other thing. Be careful how you treat Angela. I care for the girl, and I do not want to see her hurt."
Duncan hoped to apologize to his colleague, but Johan's manner and speech had shocked him so much that he had not gotten a word out. He watched as Johan strolled to the elevator and left. He had underestimated the Swedish Professor. He didn't understand all of the Swede's recent discourse, but Duncan determined to evaluate the speech later. He could easily allay Johan's worries about Angela. He had already decided to give her a promotion. He cast his glance at the bound report. As he flipped the cover open, he knew it was going to be a long night.
Chapter 11 - Snow Drifts & Dilemmas
He gave up trying to get some sleep hours ago. He wondered where Angus got his energy. It was three a.m. and his younger brother chirped incessantly as the overnight to Edinburgh sped north. They had to switch their tickets for a later date because Duncan insisted on finishing his analysis before heading back to Scotland. Angus decided to stick around the extra days while Harold ran the garages back home. It would be a good test to see how well his brother could multitask.
"Do you think it means anything that Angela saw us off?" Angus asked. Duncan had heard that question phrased a dozen different ways already.
"It means she wanted to get final instructions from me and thank me for submitting her name for a promotion," he answered.
"I don't know. Do you think I'm growing on her?"
"Like a fungus," he stated without looking up.
Duncan examined Johan's report again. They'd had several civil arguments over the past two days regarding their findings. Each man stuck to his guns. Duncan had expressed regret for his initial reaction to Johan's report, and the good natured Swede accepted his apology. Johan believed Caroline, acting with an accomplice, was responsible for Stuart's death. Duncan was convinced Peter and Julia, along with someone in law enforcement, were to blame.
Johan Stark had provided additional analysis free of charge to his friend. This addendum to his report was what he studied now. Johan's Snow Drift showed the worst possible thing that could happen if the players in his analysis declined to acquiesce to one another. In other words, if they refused to cooperate. Uniquely, Duncan was included as a player. This analysis took into accounts recent events. Johan predicted that Duncan would end up taking some sort of fall, personally or professionally, if he didn't consider Caroline as a suspect.
The Swede was determined to make his point and created a further analysis that included the Prisoners Dilemma, a common application in game theory. This modeled two players making decisions to protect their interests as individuals. That scenario produced non-ideal results. A simple example was that of a criminal squealing on his partner under examination, instead of keeping quiet. The first criminal might get a reduced sentence, but if he had kept quiet, perhaps both he and his accomplice would have gone free. If Duncan tried to protect his interests, in other words Caroline, it might go poorly for him.
He was not angry at Johan for his conclusions. It was obvious that the Swedish professor cared for his new friend. All the trouble he went to proved that. Duncan struggled to stay objective. His own analysis worked without Caroline as a suspect, and he did not consider her capable of murder. Angus interrupted Duncan's thoughts.
"Let's get something to eat," he suggested.
Duncan realized his brother had been chortling for some while, but he had not listened to a word that he said. Angus was now making up for being so quiet during his visit. The brothers strolled to the dining car, Duncan yawning. Two sandwiches and bottled juices would have to tide them over until they reached Edinburgh.
"Do you ever remember family members talking about our heritage? You know, what clan we come from?" Duncan asked his brother.
Angus looked up, mid bite, at Duncan.
"Not really. It's odd though, considering we're Scottish. We should ask Dad when we get home. I'm sure he knows," Angus answered.
"I seem to remember it being mentioned that we were MacNabs. Maybe our time in the States kept us from getting into all of that in a major way," Duncan said.
"Nah, we weren't over there that long. Hey, remember that time you got caught rummaging through the neighbor's drawers?" Angus started laughing, barely finishing his sentence, before continuing, "Why are you so concerned about our heritage now?"
"Well," Duncan paused, not knowing where to begin. "It's just that most Dewars seem to be Menzies. I bought a book recently that included MacNab history, and I've learned a little Menzies history during my stay in Taye as well. You know, the MacNabs didn't choose to fight with the Bruce against the English. Some people still take a little exception to that," Duncan concluded.
"Bosh! Some of those Dewars claiming to be Menzies are probably mixed nuts, you know, part MacNab and part Menzies. The clans weren't that far away from each other. Some mingling might have gone on over the centuries," Angus surmised. "Just ask Dad or Mum about it when we get home if it's bothering you. One of them will know something."
"Let's get back to our seats," Duncan said after they finished their meal. "I need to get some rest before we arrive."
Angus complied by keeping quiet the remainder of the trip, and Duncan actually did get to sleep. They had arranged for Harold to pick them up on a corner near the station. It was still pitch dark when they arrived. Outside, the Vauxhall was nowhere to be seen. Duncan
hoped their younger brother was not still sleeping in his own bed. Harold was not always the most reliable chap. Just as Angus tried to ring him, Duncan caught a glimpse of the car approaching. Harold came to a quick stop, and did not bother getting out to help them put their bags in the boot. Angus squeezed in the back, and Duncan studied Harold's face in the front, checking to make sure he was awake enough to drive. Before he could draw any conclusion, Harold stomped on the gas and the old Vauxhall sped towards their home.
* * * * *
Duncan slept late and woke feeling slightly ill. He always felt that way with minimal sleep. Angus was gone and so was Harold when he schlepped downstairs.
"I'm so glad you made it back before Christmas," Margaret Dewar said.
Duncan almost jumped out of his skin. He hadn't seen his mother sitting at the kitchen table, as he ambled towards the fridge.
"Oh! I didn't see you there, Mum. You startled me."
Duncan thought now was as good a time as any to tell his mum his plans.
"I'd like to have a guest spend Christmas with us," he said as nonchalantly as possible.
"Oh, really?"
His mother's left eyebrow raised high, a sign she was waiting for more information.
"Yes. Would it be all right if Caroline spent the day with us? We've actually grown quite close and I want her to meet the family."
His mum opened her mouth to say something, but Duncan interrupted, "I know you and Dad think I should wait until the case is over to see Caroline socially. But the case is nearly finished and I don't want her spending the holiday alone. So, is it all right?" Duncan said, his voice betraying annoyance.
Margaret Dewar thought for a second only.
"As long as you are sure you aren't breaking any professional codes of conduct, it's fine with me," she said, lying.
She had taken a dislike to Caroline the minute she first heard of the American from Angus at the Golden Fleece. The widow would have some baggage and that was not her first choice for her firstborn. She feared Duncan was already serious about the woman, and she did not want to alienate her son over a Christmas dinner.
"What's on the menu, Mum?" Duncan asked cheerfully.
"Oh, the usual. I'm going marketing today to pick the meat. We'll see what's available and what looks best. I'm not doing any catering until after the New Year, so I can focus completely on our dinner, time with you boys, and my duties at church. I'm running the Boxing Day event, you know," she said.
"I'm sure it will be a success, as always, Mum. Do you need any help? Any muscle to lift things?" he asked.
"I expect you, Angus, and Harold to come by and pitch in on the 26th. If I need anything before then, I'll let you know," Margaret said, putting the kettle on for tea before she made a small breakfast for Duncan of oatcakes with a fried egg.
Duncan planned to take the next few days off. He would convince Caroline to join him in Edinburgh for Christmas and Boxing Day. Until then, he wanted to clear his mind and make plans for her visit. He would meet with Chief Inspector Wallace sometime after the holidays to update him on all his team had discovered. He remembered what he wanted to ask his mother.
"Mum, do you know anything about our genealogy, the clan we come from? This case took me to Taye and it's really a charming little village. There seem to be quite a few Menzies around there and the MacNab seat isn't too far away in Killin. I remember someone saying we were from clan MacNab, but can't remember who."
"Your dad's the MacNab. My father was a Campbell and my mum claimed to be MacDonald, way back. If you want to know more about your ties to the MacNabs, you'll have to speak to your dad. I'm sure he's got an old MacNab kilt somewhere. He used to wear it when we were young."
Margaret stopped speaking and glanced away with a whimsical smile on her face.
After polishing off his breakfast and seeing his mum off to the market, Duncan rang up Caroline.
"Hallo, Darling. How are you?" he began.
"I'm well. Everything is good here. How was your trip back? Aren't you exhausted?" Caroline asked.
"Yes, my brother chatted most of the way from London. I'm going to try and nap later. How did that Christmas party go at the castle?"
"I have to say it was a complete success. I think we may get more similar business in the future. Donald's chef did a wonderful job with the food. Everyone raved about it. Skye helped me decorate the public areas with greenery from the grounds. It looks beautiful, if I do say so myself. All of it kept me busy, which was a good thing. It kept me from missing you so terribly, but now that it's all over, I'm a little glum. When are you coming back to Taye? Everyone's been asking about you," she said.
"I'll come back after you visit Edinburgh. I want you to come as soon as possible and stay through Boxing Day. I've already made reservations for you at the Balmoral, and those are hard to come by this time of year. So what do you say?" Duncan cajoled.
"I don't know, Darling. I feel like I would be imposing on your family."
"Not at all. I won't hear any of that. Everyone here is keen on the idea, and I won't take no for an answer. All you have to do is drive up day after tomorrow. I'll text you the hotel's address, and after you've had a chance to settle in, I'll be by to pick you up. We'll spend Christmas Eve together and Christmas with the family. I promise you won't regret it. Pack a bag and I'll take care of everything else."
Duncan was elated when she agreed to come. He set about planning what he hoped would be the best holiday of Caroline's life. He made reservations for a late dinner at the Balmoral's Michelin rated French restaurant and spa treatments the next morning for her to enjoy. He planned a sightseeing tour of Edinburgh and shopping excursion. It was going to be a brilliant Christmas.
The ring of his cellular interrupted happy thoughts. It was Angela.
"Hallo, Angela. What's happening?"
"I just found out what kind of science Stuart studied at university. He studied chemistry in addition to history. Duncan, he'd know how to handle an acid and what it could accomplish. Herbert was sure acid caused the swelling and redness on his fingertips. From the microscope, we know acid was used on the base of the merlon on top of the castle," she said, taking a deep breath and waiting for Duncan's response.
"I see," he said thoughtfully. "What do you conclude, Angela?"
"Me? You want to know what I think?" she asked.
"Assuredly, I do. You are going to be promoted soon to an assistant investigator. I want you to start thinking like one," he answered.
"I'd have to say that Stuart was using acid to bring down that merlon shortly before he died," Angela said boldly, without hesitation.
Duncan had already come to that conclusion himself, and Herbert confirmed the idea with his observations. He liked to keep his conclusions close to the vest until he had all his ducks in a row, so he had not mentioned it to Angela. He was still working on corralling a few stray ducklings. He was impressed that she thought outside the box, since Herbert had already stated that Stuart had not fallen off the roof himself.
Duncan wanted to encourage his protégé so he said, "I agree, Angela. Now we just need to connect the dots between Stuart removing that merlon and how he ended up dead. So think on that for a while, and after the holiday, we'll discuss it further."
"Thank you, Duncan, I will be thinking about it. And have a happy Christmas."
Angela hung up before he could mention Angus. He had wanted to say something to the nature of Angus would be sorry he missed her call. His brother had talked about her most of last night's train ride, robbing Duncan of his sleep.
Chapter 12 - How to Cook a Steak
"Come into the kitchen, Duncan. I want to show you something," Margaret yelled up the stairs.
Duncan came trotting down the steps, eager to see what his mum wanted. He had spent the day planning Caroline's visit and was ready for dinner. Angus had only just arrived from one of his garages, and stood in the kitchen munching on a bit of raw vegetable.
"Hi, Dee," An
gus greeted his brother.
Duncan didn't want to be called Dee or Dee Dee but he let it go as usual.
"Hallo, Angus. What did you need, Mum?"
"It's not what I need. It's what you need. You need to learn your way around a kitchen. Angus here has filled me in on how you eat in London," Margaret said, a look of disgust on her face.
He figured Angus must have deflected an earlier conversation with his mum from himself to Duncan's eating habits in order to avoid some kind of trouble or discomfort. That was typical of Angus.
She continued, "I'm going to show you how easy it is to prepare a simple, quality meal. In fact, you will prepare dinner tonight!"
Duncan shot Angus a look that stated Thanks a lot for nothing, then turned and smiled at his mum, rubbing his hands together and said, "Let's get started!"
Margaret pulled five cuts of meat from the fridge labeled Aberdeen Angus Steaks on their wrappers. Duncan chuckled at the type of beef he'd be eating tonight.
"Take that skillet, the large one, and set it on high heat," Margaret said as she unwrapped the steaks. "Now, pat each cut down with a paper towel, both sides. Throw some butter in the pan, about this much."
She cut a cube off a slab of butter while Duncan did as he was told.
When the butter sizzled in the pan his mum said, "Throw the steaks in and see that they get good and seared on each side."
She handed him a pair of heavy duty tongs and waited a few moments.
"Check how they're doing," Margaret commanded.
"Would you like one of Mum's aprons?" Angus piped.
"Be quiet Angus. You'd be doing this if you didn't have dinner at home most nights already. I can tell by looking you're well fed enough!" Margaret snapped at her number two son.
Mystery: The Merlon Murders II: A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense (Duncan Dewar Mysteries Book 2) Page 12