by R E Gauthier
Shaking her head, Kelsey looked at Miranda for support. Her sleepy-eyed fiancée couldn’t offer much as she could barely keep her eyes open. Kelsey opened her mouth and then closed it again when the words caught in her throat.
“Are you just going to stand there opening and closing your mouth like a fish dying on the beach?”
Miranda giggled, then dipped her head. “Sorry. I’m going to go upstairs and take a nap. Those pills, the flight attendant gave me worked like a charm, but feel so exhausted. You two can hash this all out while I rest; I’m not much of a referee as you well know.”
Kelsey watched as an exhausted Miranda ambled up the stairs. Wishing she could climb those stairs with her fiancée and hold her while she slept, Kelsey sighed.
Nanna’s annoyance and disappointment slammed into Kelsey. “What have you done?”
Kelsey fingered the amulet at her throat and nibbled her bottom lip. “You gave me no choice. You drugged me, and have been lying to me for years.” Kelsey hurled the condemnation across the room. For the first time in a very long time, Kelsey directed her anger at her grandmother.
“As I said; I did it to protect you.” Nanna walked over and reached out to take Kelsey into her arms.
Kelsey turned away from Nanna and walked to the other side of the room. “No. You did it to control me. You didn’t want me to use my gift. You kept telling me what my gift could do, then you gave me teas and cast your spells to control what I saw and what I did. I cannot believe you did that for all these years.”
“I only wanted to keep you from—”
“From learning the truth, from finding out how you lied to me, how everyone has been lying to me.”
The fear in Nanna’s eyes was real. Her lips and chin trembled. Raising a hand to her chest, she gasped.
“Nanna, what is it? Are you…?”
Nanna walked to the sofa and sat down. “No, I’m fine. I need to sit down.”
Kelsey reached her grandmother’s side and touched the soft fabric of the sweater on her shoulder. “Are you sure everything is alright. Do you want me to make you some tea?”
Nanna shook her head and closed her eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you. I knew about Ethan the moment I met him. I confronted him, and he assured me he would never hurt my Catriona. I never had a reason to doubt him; he kept his promise.”
“Until the night he couldn’t. Nanna, they died because he put them in danger.”
“How did you find out? What did you learn?”
Kelsey explained to Nanna about Nikki looking into Ethan MacDonald’s past and learning that this was an alias. She told her grandmother everything about how she learned to embrace and strengthen her gift by using the Ancient Gaelic text. Nanna remained silent as she listened to Kelsey.
“I kept quiet to let you explain, but I want to know why Miranda and I had to go away and why people were in my house?”
Knowing that the time would come when she would have to explain her actions, Kelsey braced herself and shouldered on. “It had nothing to do my investigation into that night or their deaths. I’ve been pursuing a man who is responsible for many despicable things. He threatened you and Miranda, and he was inside this house, planted listening devices and cameras. I didn’t have much choice, and I didn’t have the time to explain things to you.”
Nanna’s mouth fell open, and her hand flew to cover it. She whispered a small prayer under her breath. “Did he…what happened? Did you catch him? Please, tell me you caught him.”
Nodding, Kelsey hugged Nanna close. “I had to get you two as far away from me as I could. Once I did, Nikki and I got down to wiping his presence from this house. There is nothing in this house; he left behind.”
“But did you catch him?
“Yes, we did catch him, and he will never hurt anyone again. I would have kept you far away until he was dead or behind bars.”
Nanna whispered, “I only wanted to protect you. I still want to do that, so please don’t keep looking into that night.”
“You know I cannot do that. I promised Aisling, and you of all people should know I always keep my promises.”
Nanna frowned. “Even if by doing so, you endanger the very people you swore to protect and find justice for?”
Kelsey stood up and walked across the room. “I would never knowingly endanger anyone I care for, but I also cannot stop from finding the truth and please don’t ask me to.”
***
Kelsey and Miranda’s bedroom, Late Evening, March 20, 2012
Miranda’s hair tickled Kelsey’s breast. The soft caress of a warm breath made Kelsey shiver. Her eyes wouldn’t close, she feared if she closed them, Miranda would not be there with her when she opened them again. The memory of the past week of being away from the woman in her arms, made Kelsey hold tighter to the body cuddled against her.
After her uncomfortable but inevitable conversation with Nanna, Kelsey climbed the stairs to find Miranda lying in their bed fast asleep. Careful not to wake her, Kelsey stripped off her clothes and slipped under the bedcovers and pulled the sleeping woman into her arms. Miranda had purred and snuggled closer.
Sometime after midnight, Miranda woke up and began nuzzling Kelsey’s neck and in a short period, had Kelsey hot and bothered. Her exhausted body was suddenly alive with a deep need to make love to Miranda. They stayed up for most of the early morning showing how much each of them had missed the other. Miranda collapsed in a heap, half on top of Kelsey’s chest, her head on one breast, one arm flung across Kelsey’s midriff, and a leg entwined and in between one of Kelsey’s long legs.
At some point, Miranda’s hip had slipped off of Kelsey so that only part of her petite body’s weight pressed into Kelsey. Kelsey had missed this while she was in Michigan and while Miranda was in Florida with Nanna. She did miss making love to Miranda and watching her sleep; she missed talking to her and seeing the smiles and hearing the giggles that made her heart flip inside her chest. But more than anything, Kelsey missed these moments when Miranda had surrendered entirely to her, and her fiancée lay vulnerable and beautiful in her arms. The pure love and trust dripped from every pore and fiber in Miranda’s body. Kelsey missed the quiet moment just before Miranda woke up when her mind was filled with sweet dreams and honest thoughts. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, taking in the pleasant aroma of their twinned bodies and love. Kelsey sighed.
“Agent MacGregor, don’t you fall asleep on me now. I’m still hungry for that brand of loving you promised me every night you were away.”
Kelsey smiled. “I’m just resting my eyes. I think they hurt from watching the beauty of you sleeping.”
“Why, Agent MacGregor, I do declare, you make my heart race with talk like that.” Miranda then giggled lightly.
Kelsey felt Miranda’s eyelashes fluttering on the skin of her upper breast. Behind her eyelids, she imagined the flush on Miranda’s face, the parting lips, and the need in her fiancée’s eyes. Her own body heated up quickly with the images and thoughts coming from the woman in her arms. Their play-acting began their first night out by the pool and had continued ever since. The two of them using accents and dramatic effect for Miranda acting like a southern belle and Kelsey a dastardly scoundrel bent on sullying Miranda’s young maiden. They always ended up amorously kissing and then giggling before they made passionate love to one another. Kelsey didn’t know that humor and desire could go hand-in-hand, but hearing Miranda chuckle or laugh always sent a rush of pleasure through her. “Miss Gauthier, I do live to make your heart race and to make you…shiver, shake, and cry out my name.”
“Oh, Agent MacGregor, yes, please,” Miranda said before her lips latched onto Kelsey’s. “I missed you so much, promise we’ll never be apart again.”
Kelsey wouldn’t promise something she knew she couldn’t keep. Knowing that as soon as Nikki found something for her to go on, Kelsey would need to fly off to locate the secrets lying somewhere out in the world. Instead of making that promise, Kelsey deepened the
kiss and whispered inside Miranda’s mouth, “Bidh mi a 'gealltainn nach tèid thu ro fhada a-riamh, nach urrainn dhomh do bhilean a phògadh agus do chorp a chumail faisg.” She repeated it in English as she rolled Miranda over onto her back and covered her body with her own. “I'll promise never to go too far, that I cannot kiss your lips and hold your body close.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nanna’s House, Early Morning, March 21, 2012
Waking with sweat on her brow, and her heart racing, Kelsey closed her eyes and lay back on the bed. Listening for Miranda’s soft breathing, she knew she hadn’t wakened the sleeping woman in her arms. The vision that ripped her from her sleep came back to her, and the same sinister feelings washed over her. The woman’s voice had said, “please don’t do this; you cannot turn back once you travel down this road, I beg you to stop now.” The blackness held her in its steely grip. Her heart clenched in terror, and her head pounded with the need to run. Although the vision made her feel apprehension, she knew she wouldn’t turn back. I’ve come this far, and I cannot turn back now.
Lying awake for several moments, Kelsey listened to the deep, contented breathing of Miranda and the sound soothed her into slumber. As her body trembled with the last piece of consciousness slipping away, the only thought in her mind was that Aisling had suffered and she will not stop until she got the justice her cousin deserved.
***
Nikki called to tell Kelsey that her unnamed acquaintance had found some very informative things that pointed Kelsey toward the United Kingdom. The CIA had a file on a man, with a redacted name, that arrived from Scotland. That file mentioned Mi6, the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, and a case where a joint task force deemed the asset worthy of integrating into the agency. Nikki assured Kelsey that this friend of hers would keep them apprised of any further information he learned from the CIA.
Kelsey decided since her uncle had come to the United States from Scotland, and he had always told everyone he lived in Glasgow, she knew that was where she had to start her search for her uncle’s real identity.
Armed with a photograph of the man, she only knew as Ethan MacDonald, Kelsey prepared herself, Nanna, and Miranda for her imminent departure. Nanna wouldn’t like her pursuing that night, and Miranda would make her feel terrible for leaving so soon after they had just reunited, but Kelsey had to go if she was ever to discover the truth, she sought for so long.
Nikki made the arrangements and sent Kelsey all the names and places she had to visit to begin her search for the real name of the man using Ethan MacDonald’s identity. Nikki had found that an Ethan MacDonald was born, and died at age sixteen in Glasgow, Scotland. Kelsey hoped that if her uncle had used the same city, that a boy lived and died in, as the place where he grew up, would be the right place to start her search.
“Can you keep a close eye on Nanna and Miranda for me, while I’m gone?” Kelsey stuffed the last of her clothes in the small carry-on case.
Nikki’s voice came from Kelsey’s phone speaker. “Sure, that won’t be a problem. Besides, I’m still recovering from all that junk food, Nanna and Miranda’s cooking will be enough of a motivator to come and spend lots of time with the two of them.”
Kelsey chuckled softly. “It’s only a short commute back and forth from Pittsburgh, so I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
“I can do what you need from anywhere, even inside Nanna’s house. I’ll be here to field your calls and do all the techy stuff you need me to do. How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“I don’t know. I’m hoping I can find most of my answers in Glasgow, but then I’ll go see if I can shake some information out of Mi6.”
“Be careful because the State Department or FBI has not sanctioned this trip of yours. You could ruffle some feathers, and those who don’t like you snooping around may make your stay over there difficult.”
“I’m aware that this isn’t an authorized investigation so, I’m going to need to use some personal contacts. Nanna wasn’t happy, but she gave me a few names of people I could look up once I get to the UK. We have some family members that are reputedly outside the law and may be of some help getting information.”
“Oh, wow, the Scottish mob is alive and well. What about that woman we had here from Scotland Yard, wasn’t she involved with the Serious Organized Crime Agency? She might be able to help you bridge the gap if needed; what was her name?”
Kelsey thought about the British woman who came to the FBI Academy while she and Nikki were cadets. Was it, Tammy or was it, Amy? “Her name was Amy Linden. Do you think she’ll remember me; it’s been ten years?”
“Mack, we’ve been over this before. I’m certain she’ll remember you. Let me see…Okay, I’ll send you her contact information. Detective Linden is with the London detachment office of the SOCA; she works with the Counter-Intelligence and Serious Crime Unit within the SOCA.”
“Great, thanks, Nikki. I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it; I would never have been able to do this without you.”
“Well, you know what they say; behind every great woman is an even greater woman.”
“Who says that?”
Nikki chuckled. “I just did. I think it will take off too. In this case, it’s an apt description don’t you think?”
Kelsey laughed and inwardly she agreed. “I’ll call you when I arrive in Glasgow.”
“Tell Nanna and Miranda I’ll be there for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I will.”
“Safe travels, Mack, and be careful.”
“Thanks, Nikki, and you know me; I’m always careful.”
***
Glasgow, Scotland, Afternoon, March 22, 2012
With the time difference and the fifteen-hour travel time, Kelsey left Pittsburgh at 8:15 pm and arrived in Glasgow, Scotland at 3:20 pm the next day. Drinking water during the long flight, and sleeping several of the hours from Boston to Dublin, Kelsey hoped she had prevented the symptoms of Jet Lag. Walking out of the front doors after going through customs, Kelsey hailed a taxi to take her to the hotel Nikki had booked for her. The taxi driver asked where she was going, and she had to look at her phone for the itinerary Nikki sent her. “I’m going to the Marhall Hotel is that near here?”
The driver was an older man in his fifties or sixties with thinning brown hair and a beard. “Aye, tis aboot ten minutes fae 'ere. Whaur ye fae?”
Kelsey took a moment to get used to the Scottish accent. “I’m here from the US.”
“Och, ye'r an American; Whit brings tae thae bits?”
“Family business. I’ve come to learn some family history.”
“Fowk, ye say, whit yer name?”
“Mah da’s name is MacGregor and mah maw’s was MacKenzie.” Kelsey’s Scottish brogue began to trickle out.
“MacKenzie 'n' MacGregor ye say, that's ferr a pair. Yer height is MacKenzie, that's fur sure bit th' locks is a' MacGregor.”
Kelsey’s father was quite tall, but she had seen pictures of his family. The MacGregor’s were usually a stocky bunch. As for her hair, her mother had red hair, and so did her father, but her paternal grandfather had the same jet-black hair as Kelsey’s. “Aye, mah da said mah locks wis as black as coal juist lik' his da.”
“Wha taught ye speak lik' a proper scot?”
Kelsey remembered Nanna sitting and telling her and Aisling stories of her home. Over the years her grandmother’s accent diminished but came out when she was tired or upset. By the time Kelsey was five, her grandmother would say she had sounded like a Scot through and through. “Mah nanna, Isla Mackenzie; she kept oor fowk history 'n' taught me.”
“That's whit guid nannas dae; 'ere we ur. Howfur lang wull ye be staying?”
Kelsey didn’t know what to tell him about how long she would be there. “Ah'm not sure; it wull depend oan if ah fin' whit a'm lookin fur.”
Weel, if yi''ll need a motor, ca' this batch 'n' ask fur, Colin.”
Kelsey thanked Colin and promised she would
call on him if she would need a car. Driving on the other side of the road wasn’t something she wanted to do and finding places wouldn’t be easy. She most definitely would be asking for Colin to drive her about once she got her bearings.
Once Kelsey settled into her hotel, she checked her watch to make sure of the time difference. It was about 11’o’clock in the morning in Pittsburgh, Nanna and Miranda would be having some tea or getting lunch ready. Quickly she texts Nikki, that she was at the hotel and would call her after she called Miranda and Nanna.
Waiting for the phone to make its connection, Kelsey slipped off her clothes, preparing to take a shower.
Miranda answered the phone with a bright and cheery “Hi, how was your flight?”
“It was long, but I slept, I’m feeling grungy though and need to take a shower. Do you mind if I call you back in a bit? I can call you before I go to bed. I need to eat almost as much as I need a shower and then I should try and sleep because tomorrow will be a busy day.”
Miranda’s voice got low and husky. “I wish I was there with you to share that shower. I miss you already.”
Kelsey smiled and closed her eyes. “I haven’t been gone that long.”
“I missed you in our bed. I know you’re there on FBI business, but I wish I could have gone with you.”
Kelsey told Miranda she missed her too and wished they could enjoy this quaint hotel near the water together. “We should add this one to the growing list of places to go on our honeymoon.”
“That list is so long now if we go to every place on it, you may need to take a year off of work.”
“Then, so be it. I do have to go. I’ll call later, kiss and hug Nanna for me.”
“I’ll be waiting, and Nanna says to be careful what you eat, and drink only bottled water.”
“Tell Nanna, thank you, and I love her. I love you too.”
“Until later, my sweet Agent MacGregor; love you.”