Maria could tell that it went directly into his heart and would have killed him instantly. But she didn't stop there, she was looking around at the hallway, and the doors.
“Is this his room?” she asked pointing to the door.
“Aye, it is.”
“Where is his wife?” Maria asked.
“Christ. What has happened here? No. This is not so,” Bran said approaching the scene.
“I’m afraid it is. We are in a mess now,” Cameron said.
“And what is she doing here? The witch? This is no place for her. We cannot trust her tongue,” Bran said narrowing his eyes at Maria and putting himself an inch from her.
“I can help, and I’m not scared of you.” Maria put her chin in the air.
“No, he is right. Having you here will only rouse suspicion. Hugh…” Cameron said.
“Yes, I am on it, Cameron,” Hugh said. He grabbed Maria’s arm and pulled her away.
“No. Don’t. I can help,” she said planting her boots on the stone floor.
Hugh sighed. He picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. “Now don’t scream, lass. We can’t have you waking the castle to this. Let the men figure this out.”
Maria narrowed her eyes as she looked at Cameron while she was being carried away. She wanted to scream in protest, but they were right. Having groups of people stampede all over the place would not be good at keeping this murder from Jamie’s men outside the castle walls for as long as possible was important. No doubt they would think that a member of the MacLeod Clan did it.
Cameron looked at Jamie, lying in a pool of his blood. He glanced up at Bran. “We must put a plan into action immediately. I have the guards searching the castle for anyone suspicious. Who could have done this? Why here?” He frowned and thought of what Maria had asked. “And where is the guard that was supposed to be on his door? And where is his wife?”
“I do not know. No one else sleeps in this corridor to ask. I will have the guards secure the castle after the search to make sure no one comes in or goes out,” Bran said. “And Hugh is tracking down the guard that was on duty, and I will send someone to find the wife.”
“Laird MacDonald could declare war over something like this. He could lay siege to the castle, to the whole island,” Cameron commented, remembering what Maria said about the MacDonald Clan taking ownership of the castle at some point in the future. Jamie’s murder could be the beginning.
Chapter 18
Maria walked back and forth in her room, completely frustrated and annoyed. Cameron had allowed Hugh to carry her to her room like she was a simple girl who didn't know anything. It reminded her of how much she had to struggle to get the police department to take her skills seriously. Some things never changed.
Maria moved to the window. It was dark and quiet outside, no alarms being rung. She saw a few of the MacLeod guards running across the courtyard looking for the murder suspect. I should be looking, she thought. But since she was locked in the room, she could only look from high in her window. It gave a good aerial view, but it was too dark to see much of anything except those who moved across the courtyard every now and then. The murderer would be long gone from the castle by now, if they had tried to leave at all.
“But who would want Jamie dead?” she muttered. “There was no reason that I can see for any MacLeod to kill a visitor from a neighboring clan because it would obviously cause an all-out war. So the only MacLeod Clan member that would want to do such a thing would be someone who also wanted harm to come to Cameron or the castle. But his men were very loyal, she didn't think that any of them would take on such a thing. She knew power did terrible things to the most loyal people and to her, everyone was a suspect.
After watching the courtyard for some time, Maria decided to get dressed. Anything could happen at any moment and she didn’t want to be in her underdress and boots only. She pulled on a daytime plaid wool dress, and quickly laced it up the front and then added the belt. She pulled her hair up into a bun, ready for anything to happen. She really wanted to put on her jeans and sweater and leather jacket, but even if it would be comfortable if any violence were to break out, it would also single her out and make her look very suspicious.
Then she heard boots outside her door in the hallway. They were coming down the hallway and seemed to belong to more than one person, and then they stopped near her door.
“Right here,” was all that she heard them say.
She didn't hear anything else, and she could only think that perhaps guards had been posted on every level of the castle.
One hour later there was a light tapping at the door. She moved to it immediately and heard Cameron say, “Lass, it's Cameron.”
She unlocked the door and he stepped inside. In the hallway she saw two guards posted across from her door. She wondered if that was the noise she had heard earlier, and if Cameron had posted them for her protection.
“What is it? Did you find the murderer? What happened?” she asked.
“No. We have found nothing yet. I only came here to check on you to make sure that you are safe. There is a murderer on the loose. Do not let anyone in the door but myself. I also brought you this,” he said, taking out a short dagger and giving it to her.
Maria immediately wished that she had her Glock instead.
“Thank you.”
“If anyone comes through that door that is not me, use it, love.” He pointed to his chest, right over his heart. “A quick stab here, and you will be safe.” He looked worried.
“I’ll be alright Cameron,” she said, not wanting to tell him in this moment that she was a trained killer, trained by the New York City Police Department to protect herself and to hunt bad people, granted her training had been with a gun, not a dagger, but she had no qualms about using it if it came to that. She took the dagger and pushed it into the belt around her waist.
“Good, cause I could not stand it if anything happened to you, love,” Cameron said, stroking her cheek. And then suddenly he pulled her to him. He placed his lips on hers, pulling her even closer.
Maria could feel his passion and longing, and her body immediately went weak with heat and lust. She wanted him in that moment, but there was no time for it.
She put her hands on his strong chest and pushed away from him slightly. He smiled at her, with lust in his eyes.
“There is no time for that.” She smiled to and then became more serious. “Cameron, I really can help figure this thing out, it was my job in my time. I am trained to find murderers. It is very important that we catch whoever did this. If the men that Jamie came with find out about this, there will be trouble and you could lose the castle. You need to find out how this happened immediately. Please, I really can help I have training in it and where I am from.”
“You have experience in murder?” His thick brows rose.
“Yes, investigating murders and trying to figure out who did it. It is almost like being a guard or a soldier,” she frowned trying to come up with a proper term that he would understand, “or a high ranking officer trying to figure out what happened to a soldier. Like a judge or a court of law. It is hard to explain but I work in that.”
“A woman? Women work in those departments where you are from?” Cameron asked, incredulous.
Maria rolled her eyes. “Yes, in the twenty-first century, it is not like here in this time, one day soon I will explain it all to you, but right now there is no time to lose. We must figure out what happened and who did that to Jamie. Did you recognize the knife that was used to murder him? Is it from the castle? Was it a dagger or something used during a meal? I didn’t get a very good look at it before Hugh dragged me away. Was there a trail of blood? I didn’t see one, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there, the hall was dark. And what about the guard that was supposed to be on the door, or his wife?” she was asking as quickly as they came to mind. “Oh and did he have any defensive wounds on his hands?”
Cameron put his hands on his hips and loo
ked her up and down in amazement. “Aye, you are skilled with knowing the right things to look for. Like a tracker in the woods. Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to those questions.” He frowned.
“Well then let us find them out together. I can't sit here any longer. What about Eileen? She’s been found, hasn’t she? Have you spoken with her? Questioned her?”
“Yes, we’ve found her, but no, we have not yet questioned her. One of the maids is with her because she was hysterical and crying. She did not strike me as a capable woman, I doubt she has any answers for us.”
Maria frowned. “I would not be so sure of that.. Come, let us go question her. Women aren't always that innocent, some of the most prolific serial killers in history are women,” she said moving toward the door.
Together they walked to the room they’d put Eileen in. They entered and Maria saw that one of the kitchen maids from the castle was tending to her as Eileen sat by the fire crying.
“Perhaps you can fetch some tea for us and bring it back here? Speak to no one along the way about anything,” Maria said to the kitchen maid.
The maid looked at Cameron and he nodded, giving her permission. The kitchen maid left, and Maria closed the door.
“Eileen MacDonald, this is a good friend, Miss Maria Saunders, she is staying with us at the castle and is a trusted and skilled scholar of sorts. She is helping with all of this,” Cameron said.
Eileen looked at Maria and nodded her head in greeting but nothing more.
“Eileen, I am very sorry for your loss. We are doing everything we can to find out who did this and bring him to justice. Now just to get an idea of around what time in the night this happened to your husband, I have some questions. Why were you not in the chamber with your husband?”
“I asked a maid to show me to a separate chamber, I was in this room.”
Maria noticed the bed was rumpled, as though someone had been in it at some point. “I see. Did you hear anything unusual coming from Jamie’s room then in the middle of the night?” Maria asked.
“No, I was asleep,” Eileen said.
Maria watched Eileen’s face as she answered her questions, and she could tell instantly that Eileen was hiding something or lying. She fidgeted her fingers and played with her hair quite often and sometimes she would not make eye contact with Maria, all signs that she was trying to hide something.
“What about the guard who was in the hall. Did you see or hear him?”
Eileen shook her head. “No.”
Maria looked around the room, as Cameron made conversation with Eileen, asking more questions. There were some things that were off to her, but since she hadn’t seen this room before the crime, she didn’t know what was unusual. But she did notice that the heather on the floor near the door was fresh compared to the rest of the room, the rushes spread out on the floor. As though it had been recently changed, but just that part. She also noticed that Eileen was fully dressed, in a day gown. But it wasn't the gown that she had worn to dinner, it was a new one that Maria hadn’t seen before. That meant that Eileen had been roused from her sleep to be told about her husband. She should be wearing her night clothes. But at some point since being told of her husband’s death, she had put on a new dress, or the alternative explanation being she changed out of her dinner dress straight into the day gown. Maria wished that she could find that dinner dress and check it for blood, but asking to see it would be too obvious of an accusation and she didn’t have proof that Eileen was being untruthful yet.
After they were done with questioning Eileen, they moved back to the crime scene next door where Maria took mental notes of the position the body had been in and the blood drops on the floor. Jamie’s body had since been removed to the catacombs for safe keeping until his burial.
Chapter 19
“It is something that we absolutely must do, and we must do it right now before the sun comes up and everyone wakes in the castle,” Bran said.
“It is a very risky move.” Cameron paced back and forth inside of his chambers.
Maria watched the two men argue, then she looked toward the window and could see the familiar light of the sunrise ghosting across the horizon, meaning that it would be rising at any moment. Jamie's men would wake up and find out the news.
“But taking the MacDonald men and Eileen hostage is not a good things for us to do, it is not an honorable idea,” Cameron said.
“Then what would ye have us do? Go down to his men in the barracks and explain to them that the man they are supposed to guard with their lives on the journey here has been murdered, we don't know who did it, but it is definitely not one of us and if they will just bear with us we will figure it out? Do ye really think they will simply agree and go on to eat the morning meal and have some ale? Ye know as well as I do that a fight will immediately breakout putting our men in danger and then there will be more lives taken,” Bran said.
“I know you are right. I just wish there was another way. This will look like an act of war against the MacDonalds,” Cameron said.
“It already is an act of war with the death of Jamie, though none of us did it. If it were the other way around and I went to stay with the MacDonalds and I was murdered, what would ye think?” Bran said.
“That it was a MacDonald who did it in order to start a war with our clan,” Cameron said sitting down on the chair behind his desk. He sighed in resignation.
“Very well. Have guards placed at Eileen’s door, she does not leave her room. Wake our guards that are in the barracks with the MacDonalds as quietly as you can. Remove them, and once all of our men are out, then lock the MacDonald men in the barracks with heavy guard. I will come down and explain to them what has happened, as Laird, it is my responsibility. Right now I am going to write to Laird Duncan MacDonald to explain all and have it dispatched to him.”
“But then he will come straight away, with an army!” Bran said.
“Jamie is his son. He has the right to see him, and to bury him and that needs to be done immediately. I will tell him to approach with a white flag raised and that we are doing our best to find who murdered Jamie, and that the Macleod clan is not to blame. We have been set up and we do not want that person to get what they wanted, a MacDonald and MacLeod war. Send word for our rider to get ready, they will ride harder than ever before in order to get this letter to Laird Duncan immediately. Now go and carry out my orders. I shall come down to the barracks to speak with Jamie's men within the hour,” Cameron said.
Bran nodded at Cameron, and then gave a sideways glance to Maria.
She didn’t like the way he was looking at her, as though he suspected her. But Bran had been looking at her in that way since her arrival.
“What? Whatever you have to say, spit it out,” Maria said.
“We do not know where ye were when Jamie was murdered,” Bran said.
“Bran!” Cameron barked.
“How dare you accuse me of such a thing. I would never!” Maria shouted taking a step toward Bran.
“Ye have a dislike of the MacDonalds, ye told me that yerself. Ye stopped me and told me to be wary of them. Did I imagine that question mark that is a fine suspicious thing to say before Jamie is found murdered!” Bran shouted back at her getting in her face.
Cameron stood from his desk and walked toward them. “Bran I said that is enough.”
“No it is not. Ye are always blinded by the beauty of women. Can ye not see how this all connects? This woman shows up out of nowhere, within the walls of our own castle. Then she bewitches ye with seductions, and ye have fallen for it. Then she speaks ill of the MacDonalds, and then Jamie is found dead. Where were ye when Jamie was murdered? Why do ye not answer that simple question?” Bran said.
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t feel the need to prove herself to this man who had doubted her since her arrival. Her anger was flaring. But her whereabouts during the murder was in bed with Cameron, and she felt that it was a sensitive subject. She should not have to
say such a thing, but Cameron definitely should defend her because he knew where she was. She looked to him and waited.
Cameron looked at her. Maria put her chin in the air and her hands on her hips.
“It was not her, Bran. Now go and carry out your orders immediately,” Cameron said putting his hand on Bran's chest and pushing him backward toward the door.
“A witch, clearly,” Bran said, “she will not admit where she was because she did it. She is Jamie's murderer.”
Maria had enough. She was disappointed that Cameron wasn't going to say that she was in bed with him in order to defend her. But she wasn't going to allow Bran to spread his suspicions about her throughout the castle. Mob mentality would take hold and she would find herself being killed because of it.
“It was not me because I was in bed with Cameron. If you do not believe me, then ask Hugh, for he came to knock on my door to find Cameron to alert him about the death of Jamie.”
Bran’s eyes grew wide. He looked at Cameron. Cameron simply looked down at the floor. Maria was crushed that he was not agreeing with her, though there was no need to. Bran could simply ask Hugh and he would say the truth about what he had found.
“You know where she was, now go,” Cameron said pushing Bran out the door.
Bran gave him an angry look and then stomped out the door. Cameron closed the door behind him and took very long strides back to his desk. He said nothing and began to call out parchment and ink to write the letter.
“I think that what you are doing—” Maria began.
Cameron cut her off, “I think it would be best if you returned to your room. Have breakfast, and then go back to your room, please. You have your dagger on you, do you not?”
“I do.” Maria’s jaw tightened.
“Then you shall be safe. Whatever murderer was in the castle must be long gone by now. Now go.” Cameron did not look up but kept his head down.
Love A Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance (A Highlander Across Time Book 1) Page 12