by Janni Nell
The rhythmic movement of rowing felt good. I hadn’t worked out since arriving in Scotland and I missed the physical exertion that always seemed to sharpen my mind.
As I rowed I wondered what was moving around in the water beneath me. Was there a Loch Ness-type monster lurking only a few feet below my hull? A nervous flutter rippled through my stomach. I was out here unarmed—conventional weapons usually aren’t much use against the paranormal—and what was worse, I hadn’t seen Casper since yesterday.
I had half expected him to be waiting for me at the wharf. Even now I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d appeared in the rowboat. Hang on, maybe he was here. He could be invisible, couldn’t he? I stopped rowing and swept my hand along the seat opposite. Nope. There was no warm muscular butt there.
Pushing Casper out of my mind, I took note of my surroundings. I had almost reached the middle of the loch. Tonight there was no choppy patch of water. The loch was black and eerily calm.
I drew in the oars. The boat might drift a little but out here I had been told it was pointless to drop an anchor. The loch was too deep. The thought of all that water sloshing away beneath me didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.
What was I doing out here in a stupid little rowboat? I should have taken Douglas’s advice and explored the loch on a fishing boat. Briefly I considered going back to shore, but I had come this far and I wasn’t going to wimp out now.
Looking on the bright side, literally, there was plenty of moonlight. But if the moon went behind a cloud—I didn’t want to think about that. As a city dweller, overdosed on neon from birth, I’m always stunned by the absolute darkness of moonless country nights.
Looking up I said a silent prayer that the moon wouldn’t slip out of sight. Then I added another prayer that the few lights on shore wouldn’t be extinguished before I returned. If they were, how would I find my way back?
The thought rattled me so much I said, “Casper, are you here? Now would be a really good time for you to appear.”
No answer.
I felt pretty lonely out there wondering what, if anything, was going to happen. I had expected to experience some sort of paranormal activity but so far my toe hadn’t itched once. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there wasn’t anything paranormal in the loch. Maybe I was in danger of something more prosaic. Douglas had mentioned dangerous currents. They could be just as lethal as the paranormal.
I decided to be brave and remain out here a little longer. To take my mind off things, I thought about the kiss I had shared with Douglas. As kisses went it had been as state-of-the-art, whiz-bang and yee-haw as they got. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t responded to it. How could I not be turned on by such a great kisser? I must be ill.
Of course. I was coming down with something. I felt my forehead.
Sadly, it didn’t feel as though I had a fever—quite the opposite, in fact. I huddled deeper into my jacket against the midnight chill. What now? How long should I sit here waiting for something to happen?
To pass the time I started singing, softly at first, then louder. I sang Copacabana. I just love Barry Manilow. No, really.
I got through every verse of Copacabana and was starting on Could It Be Magic, when the lights in the community hall went out.
Oh well, I still had the moonlight. I started singing Bermuda Triangle, then thought better of it. No sense tempting fate.
I stretched, leaning my head back. The boat rocked gently. I ignored it. The night sky was more interesting than the inky water. Above me I could see stars and wisps of cloud. I wondered, as I often did, which was Cloud 9. Perhaps Cloud 9 wasn’t a cloud at all, since Casper could go there even when the sky was clear blue. Maybe it was another dimension. If it was, I’d love to take a look. I wondered whether Casper would take me.
Nah, the Powers-That-Be wouldn’t allow that. Spoilsports.
I yawned. The rowboat rocked gently. It would have been easy to fall asleep…if there had been anywhere for a woman of my height to curl up comfortably. The rocking increased. Maybe there was a storm coming. Above me a bank of clouds moved toward the moon. Uh-oh. It was time to go back to shore.
I eased the oars into the water. Using one oar, I turned the bow of the boat toward Furness. When it was pointing in the right direction, I began to row. Stroke. Stroke. My oar hit something. I looked over the side of the boat. A sleek dark head broke the surface of the water. I tried to row faster but the thing, whatever it was, grabbed my oar. That wasn’t good.
I tried to wrench the oar free. It was like trying to pull a sword from a stone. And I was no King Arthur.
Maybe if I let it have the oar it would leave the boat alone. I could drift on the loch until dawn when the fishing boats set out. One of them would pick me up.
I told myself it would be quite nice drifting on the loch. Then something crashed into the boat and knocked me sideways. I fell, hitting my shoulder. For one awful moment I thought the boat would capsize.
By some miracle it stayed afloat and I began to think I might make it. Then the clouds moved, covering the moon. Darkness gave the thing in the loch courage. It rammed my boat again and again, tossing me from one side to the other. I hung on, praying it would stop before the boat capsized, but I knew it was only a matter of time.
The creature leapt on the side of the boat, dipping it below the waterline. I hit it with my oar and righted the boat, but it was too late. Icy water sloshed around my ankles. I began to bail but my cupped hands were useless.
Once again the creature reared out of the water and hurled itself at the boat. I made a last valiant effort to fend it off but it was no good. The boat took on more water. I was going down.
Would the thing in the loch kill me? Or would it let me swim to shore?
Who was I kidding? I couldn’t even see the shore.
I made up my mind that, if I was going to die, I wouldn’t go quietly. I would fight to stay alive.
In the moments before the boat sank I pulled off my thick jacket, my shoes and socks. I didn’t want to take off my sweater and jeans but I knew that wearing as little as possible would give me a better chance of surviving the swim. Whether I’d survive the cold was another matter.
The boat was so low in the water it no longer supported me. I kicked away from it and started to swim. The creature closed in. I could feel its body bumping me, churning the water. I thought of McEwen and Malcolm their bodies riddled with bites. Did the creature bite before or after death?
Please let it be after.
The creature rose out of the water and hit my head. I went under but came up immediately. There was time to suck in one breath before I went under again. This time the creature swam over me, holding me under.
I punched it. Fought my way to the surface. The cold air stung my lungs. I shouted, “Casper!” once before it forced me under again.
I needed air. My body screamed to inhale. I kicked and punched, fighting for my life, but the creature was too strong.
Water filled my nose and ears. I kept it out of my lungs as long as possible but the urge to breath was too great. I opened my mouth.
Chapter Thirteen
I don’t know how long I was unconscious. The next thing I remember was a dream. The most beautiful and vivid dream of my life.
I was in a forest. It was hot and damp like a New Orleans summer. I was lying in a clearing. The grass was soft and springy. I could smell wild flowers. Mmm.
There was someone with me. A man. He was leaning over me. We were naked. I could feel warm sun on my body. I heard bees humming and leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. Then I felt tears on my cheek.
The man said, “Hush,” and dried my tears.
Then he kissed me.
He didn’t kiss like a finalist for Best Kisser in the United Kingdom. He had no technique at all but it didn’t matter. He was hard and passionate and I wanted him. Bad.
Suddenly the forest and the heat were gone. I felt a chill like nothing I’ve felt before. But I was sti
ll being kissed. Huh?
I coughed and the man who was kissing me moved away. Rolling onto my side, I spewed up water. Gallons of it.
When I was done, Casper asked, “Feeling better?”
Casper? I rolled over to face him. “Why were you kissing me?”
“I was giving you mouth-to-mouth.”
“Oh.”
“You almost drowned in the loch.”
“No thanks to you,” I said. “I thought you were supposed to be my guardian angel.”
“I got to you in time.”
“Barely.” I thought of the time I had fallen over Wilson’s Creag. He had taken a long time to arrive then too. “Do you do it on purpose?” I demanded. “Leaving everything to the eleventh hour?”
He smiled, so I knew he was teasing when he said, “Doesn’t cheating death by seconds make life just a little bit sweeter?”
“No.” I was in no mood to be teased. I began to shiver. “Have you got a blanket?”
“Sorry.” He took off his Matrix coat. “Put this on.”
It was better than nothing. I huddled into it but I didn’t stop shivering.
Casper said, “Come here.” Opening his arms, he drew me onto his lap. Because of my height it’s not easy for me to curl up comfortably on a man’s lap, but with Casper it worked. He rubbed my back and arms until the blood flowed warm and rich. Then he started on my bare feet.
I felt like a cat curled up snug and warm on its owner’s lap. I very nearly purred.
“Feeling better?” asked Casper.
“A bit.” Okay I lied. I was feeling a lot better but I didn’t want to give up my treasured position on Casper’s lap until I absolutely had to.
He rubbed some more, letting his arms enfold me. Did he hold me a little more tightly than he needed to? Maybe. But who cared. Despite the darkness all around, it felt as though Casper and I were floating in a bubble of light. I leaned against him, savoring the sensation until he said, “You need a warm bath. Let’s go back to Mac’s.”
The bubble burst. Its yellow light streamed into the darkness and disappeared.
Casper scooped me up in his arms and carried me down Loch Road. I was torn between the indignity of being carried like a child—paranormal investigators should look tough at all times—and the thrill of being held in his arms. Luckily there was no one around to see so I decided to remain in his arms. It couldn’t hurt. After all, there was no hanky panky going on.
I leaned my head against his chest. “I’m so cold, Casper.” He held me closer.
I think I died then because I went straight to Cloud 9. Or maybe it was Heaven. Either way it felt great.
But, like all great things, it was over too soon. Casper stopped walking and set me gently down outside Mac’s. The ground was so cold my bare feet ached.
“You’ll be inside soon,” said Casper.
All the lights were out so he hammered on the door. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as we waited for someone to open up. I was considering asking Casper to pick me up again before my feet froze when a light came on inside.
The door opened. Douglas stared at me. He didn’t complain that I’d left him at the dance. He simply asked, “What happened?”
“Long story,” I said.
Douglas shook his head in exasperation. “You took a boat out on the loch, didn’t you?”
I felt like hanging my head in shame. Not because I’d hired the boat but because I’d made such a mess of the job. I made a mental note to reimburse Jason for the loss of his boat.
“If you’d taken me with you,” said Douglas peevishly, “this wouldn’t have happened.”
“If I’d taken you with me,” I said recovering some lost spirit. “Casper would’ve had to rescue both of us.”
“Casper rescued you?”
Oh no. How was I going to explain that? Casper just happened to be passing and he pulled me from the middle of the loch. I don’t think so.
Luckily Casper had more presence of mind than I did.
“I was doing some night fishing,” he said. “I was in the right place at the right time. But there’s no need to talk about that now. Allegra needs a warm bath. She’s half frozen.”
“Aye.” Douglas hurried upstairs to unlock my room. I’d lost my key in the loch.
As we followed him more slowly I heard water running. When we reached my room I could see steam coming from the bathroom. I couldn’t wait to jump in the bath.
After shooing Casper and Douglas away I sank into the blissfully hot water. But I didn’t stay in very long. I was so tired that falling asleep and sliding beneath the water was a real possibility. After my recent experience in the loch, I had no wish to die by drowning.
When I got out I pulled on my granny nightie, a robe and a thick pair of socks, then I headed downstairs to say goodnight and thank Casper once again for rescuing me. As I approached the kitchen, I heard Casper and Douglas talking.
Normally I don’t eavesdrop. (And if you believe that you’ll believe anything. I’m nosy. Get over it.) Tonight, as I stood outside the kitchen, I could clearly hear Douglas and Casper discussing me. They say eavesdroppers never hear any good about themselves, but I challenge anybody not to listen when two men are discussing you.
I heard Douglas say, “You’re her partner, Casper. How could you let her go out on the loch in a rowboat while you went fishing? And why were you fishing when you’re supposed to be helping Allegra solve this case?”
“Allegra has a mind of her own,” Casper said soothingly. “If she’s determined to do something, no one can stop her.”
Douglas grunted his agreement. “Is there anything going on between you and Allegra?”
“Anything going on?” Casper was playing dumb. He must have known what Douglas meant.
“Are you involved with her?” asked Douglas.
“No. That’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible about it? She’s a right bonnie woman.”
Who says eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves? I was mentally patting myself on the back when Casper spoke again.
“She’s not my type.”
I stopped patting.
“So you dinnae mind,” said Douglas, “if she and I…?”
“Go for it.” Casper’s reply was a little too enthusiastic for my liking. He could’ve made an effort to sound reluctant.
Douglas asked, “Another dram?” He sounded happy. I guess he was. He’d just got the girl. But what did the girl have to say about it?
I heard liquid being poured into glasses, then a clink as though they were toasting the successful completion of a deal. I didn’t like the thought that I was the deal. It was time to make an entrance.
I crept back up the stairs. This time I came down so noisily they’d be in no doubt I was on my way. When I entered the kitchen, the bright light made me blink. Douglas and Casper exchanged a guilty glance like little boys caught planning a prank. Casper’s expression made me wonder what he was like during his boyhood.
He had once told me that when he was six he had seen his mother raped and killed by a Roman soldier. He had grabbed his baby sister and hidden in the woods until his father returned. Having experienced such a traumatic event in his childhood, it was odd that Casper had grown up to rape and pillage, but he had never told me why and I had never asked.
Trying not to think of the sad events of Casper’s life—he was paying for his sins now—I asked, “Can I have a drink?”
Douglas poured me a single. I downed it in one gulp and asked for another. This time he poured me a double.
Casper said, “Drink it slowly.”
I did, not because he told me to, but because I knew it was the sensible thing to do.
Douglas clasped my hand. “Are you feeling better?”
I was tempted to withdraw my hand. I didn’t want to encourage Douglas. But when I saw Casper’s eyes on our entwined hands I thought, why not? Casper deserved this. Hadn’t he just relinquished any claim t
o me?
I squeezed Douglas’s hand and tried to look better than I felt. “I’m fine.”
“How did the boat sink?” he asked.
“It was attacked by a creature.” I shuddered, feeling ill at my narrow escape. Sometimes I’m not as tough as I’d like to be.
“What kind of a creature?” he asked. “Are we talking paranormal?”
“Maybe. But I couldn’t see it clearly.” I gulped a mouthful of whiskey. It burnt the taste of the loch from my mouth. “Are there any local stories of anything living in the loch?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” he said easily. Almost too easily. What was he hiding? Suddenly he said, “What do you think, Casper? You said you were out on the loch fishing. Do you think there’s a creature?”
“I couldn’t say,” Casper replied.
Personally I thought he knew exactly what kind of creature we were up against, but to reveal that would be classified as helping me.
“You must have an opinion,” persisted Douglas. “What do you think?”
“I leave the thinking to Allegra. I just clean up the mess when she gets in trouble.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. I wished I could have said, I can look after myself, but clearly I couldn’t. Casper had been forced to rescue me three times in almost as many days. At this rate I could give Calamity Jane a run for her money.
Casper smiled as though he could read my thoughts. “It’s always a pleasure to rescue you, Allegra.”
I scowled at him. Then I stood up. “I’m going to bed.”
It was bliss to ease myself beneath the covers. I expected to fall asleep quickly but I didn’t. I kept thinking about what had happened in the loch. That was scary enough, but what really freaked me out was the dream I’d had of lying in the forest. Of being kissed. Of my reaction to being kissed.
Okay, I knew it wasn’t really kissing, it was Casper performing mouth-to-mouth. But if I reacted like that to Casper’s mouth-to-mouth, how would I react to his kiss?
No point wondering about that. I’d never find out. But, in the absence of anything better, I couldn’t help reliving the mouth-to-mouth.