by R E Gauthier
“We miss you too. Just this morning, Nanna said this was supposed to be your birthday, but you decided to stay inside another nineteen days. I hope you’ll be home for your birthday; this will be my first time to celebrate the day you made this world a better place.”
Filled with more love than she could imagine feeling, Kelsey’s eyes welled up. “I love you so much, and I’ll be home for my birthday; I promise.”
“Agent MacGregor, I’m going to hold you to that promise. I love you, and Nanna sends her love too, and said to tell you to be safe and come home soon.”
“I will; I’ll call tonight. I’m hoping to leave Scotland soon, and if Nikki can help me, I’ll be coming home very soon.”
“Then I’m pulling for Nikki; I’ll wait till you call tonight and…” Miranda’s voice lowered considerably to say, “Nanna is going to play cards with her friends so that we can have some privacy.”
The images caused Kelsey’s body to heat. It had been too long since Miranda, and she had been alone. “I won’t be able to think of nothing else all day.”
Miranda giggled as she said her goodbyes.
Smiling, Kelsey ended the call and called Colin. He was happy to hear that she would be able to join him and his wife for dinner that evening.
Chapter Forty-Three
Kelsey’s Room, Marhall Hotel & Spa, Scotland, Early Morning, March 26, 2012
Waking with the pleasurable warmth of her phone sex with Miranda the night before, Kelsey climbed out of her bed in the hotel room with the biggest smile on her face. Colin and his wife, Estelle had her over for dinner, and Kelsey ate like it might be her last day on Earth. If Kelsey had not woken up, she would have died happier than she had ever been.
Dressing for an early-morning run and heading for the hotel’s golf course, Kelsey ran into the cold Scottish countryside. For the first time since arriving in Scotland, Kelsey didn’t have any plans, so she took advantage of her free time to get out and see the sights like a regular tourist. She made Colin and his wife a promise that she would come by to say her goodbyes before she left Glasgow. Nikki texted her last night that she was closing in on a break in finding who Stéphane Guilliaume’s father was and if the man was still alive. Hoping to find the answers, Kelsey tried to get her mind off of waiting by taking a run and then maybe going for a massage at the hotel’s spa.
Taking the winding paths surrounding the golf course as part of the Marhall Hotel and Spa’s property, Kelsey ran with long strides. Stretching her legs fully, she could feel her lungs fill with the clean, crisp air. Her mind was more open than it had been and a vision hit her full force and almost knocked Kelsey off of her feet. Stopping suddenly, Kelsey’s hand flew to her back. A pain hit her mid-back like a powerful punch had struck her from behind. The air whooshed out of her lungs, and she gasped from the loss of oxygen.
Scouring her surroundings, Kelsey searched for a physical reason for the pain. Finding herself alone on the path, with no signs of anything that may have hit her, Kelsey dropped to a squat and drew in deep breaths. What the Hell? Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, so Kelsey had no experience to draw upon to explain what just happened. Before the pain of the strike she felt as if a vision came to her, but she didn’t see anything. If she didn’t know any better, she would think that her vision was physical this time.
Recalling the vision where her mother warned her about being in danger, Kelsey felt the same dread she felt two nights ago. In the vision from that night, Kelsey’s mother had said she was in grave danger before a pain struck Kelsey’s head, now, today Kelsey had only a physical experience, but no vision or voice. Still feeling the pain in her back, Kelsey stood up and scanned her surroundings. What did someone want to warn her about? Was she in imminent danger or was this a way to tell her if she continued on her present path, she’d get hurt?
Deciding to walk back to the hotel, she turned and went back the way she had come. Another jogger, waved as she ran by and Kelsey waved back. Shaken but not deterred, Kelsey took her phone out of her jacket and tapped Nikki’s photo. “Nikki, please tell me you found something. You texted me last night that you had a lead; how did that pan out?”
“Wow, Mack, what is wrong? You sound out of breath and out of sorts.”
Unsure if she should tell Nikki what had her upset, Kelsey just said, “I’m only anxious to keep moving, that’s all.”
“Less than twenty-four without a mission and you’re impatiently calling me; are you sure that’s all it is?” Nikki sounded worried as her voice caught as she spoke.
Wanting to be able to talk about her odd feelings and worries, Kelsey thought of how to explain it all without worrying Nikki. “I don’t want to worry you, but something has happened that I cannot explain or understand for that matter.”
“If you don’t want to worry me, maybe you should start with something, other than “I don’t want to worry you” because I’m more worried than I was when I first heard your voice. What is going on?”
Kelsey explained the vision where her mother came to warn her about the danger she was in and the pain in her head. Then she told Nikki about the pain in her back while she was running.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just a pain from a stitch or cramp from running after eating all those calories or that the pain in your head, the other night is from Jet Lag or something like that.”
“I’ve thought about all plausible reasons for the pains and this pain in my back is like something, or someone hit me, not like a cramp or stitch. The blow felt like it would have thrown me off my feet if I hadn’t stopped running; there could be another explanation for what I’m experiencing.”
Nikki sighed. “Do you think you’re really in danger? Maybe your mother is trying to keep you from being hurt emotionally or physically?”
Shaking her head, Kelsey replied, “I don’t know. My visions have never been physical before. This is a new experience for me.”
“That was before you opened the door to the World of the Dead; your mother said once you started on your path you wouldn’t be able to turn back. Nanna warned you about what you may have done when you opened up your gift.”
“Nikki, I’m tired of everyone warning me about what could happen once I seek the truth. I want to know what everyone has been keeping from me all these years, and I don’t want to allow fears to deter me, now or ever.”
“I wish I could give you more information, but I cannot find verification that David McColl is your uncle’s father. I did discover that a David McColl was born in 1914 in London, England. He went to school in Scotland at Belmont House School and attended college in France. After college, David McColl joined Scotland Yard before they recruited him to Mi6.”
“Nikki, what do you mean you wish you could give me more information? You’ve done an amazing job. We have plenty to go on here. I can work with this; David McColl worked for Mi6, and my uncle’s assuming another person’s identity is directly out of some intelligence playbook.”
“But I haven’t been able to find something that can definitively say that David McColl is your uncle’s father. It is possible I’m not onto the right David McColl at all.”
“You don’t seriously believe that, do you? First off, there is no way it’s a coincidence that both your David McColl and my uncle attended the Belmont House School; the same school a David McColl took my uncle to from the Quarrier’s Orphan Home.”
“You’re right Mack; what are you going to do?”
“I think it’s time I got in touch with Amy Linden to see if she can help me from here on in with Mi6 and the SOCA. Can you track her down and have her meet me in London? We can test your theory of her recollection of her time at the Academy and the promise she made to owe us a favor.”
“When do you want me to book you a flight out of Glasgow? When do you think you’d be ready to leave?”
Kelsey thought about her promise to Colin and Estelle she made last night. She swore to them she wouldn’t leave until she said her
goodbyes to them both. “I’ll call you once I know when I can get to the airport. I’m just arriving back at the hotel.”
“Okay, I’ll call and see if Amy Linden can help you, and as soon as you know when you can get to the airport, call me.”
Kelsey assured Nikki she would arrange her departure and call Nikki back as soon as she could.
***
Driving to Glasgow Airport, Scotland, Afternoon, March 26, 2012
Sitting inside Colin’s taxi, Kelsey recalled the tear-full goodbyes she had with Colin and his wife only moments ago. After she arrived at the hotel, Kelsey called Colin and told him she would be leaving Glasgow as soon as she could arrange a flight to London. Colin asked her to join his wife and himself for lunch at their home. During the lunch, Estelle begged Kelsey to promise to come back to visit them and bring Miranda with her next time. The couple affected Kelsey in a way she had not expected. They welcomed Kelsey as if she was family and she knew she would miss them dearly once she left Glasgow.
Colin insisted on driving Kelsey one last time to the airport to complete their Glasgow adventure. He was unusually quiet on the short trip to the airport from the house that he shared with his wife. Kelsey had called Nikki to book the next flight out of Glasgow after lunch, giving her time to say goodbye to her new friends Colin and Estelle Brown. Looking into the rearview mirror, Kelsey saw the sad look in Colin’s eyes.
“'ere we ur. Back whaur we stairted. Please promise ye wull come back yin day 'n' visit Estelle 'n' ah; we'd loue tae catch up wi` yer Miranda. Ah kin tak' ye twa whereever ye kin wantae gang; na charge.”
Kelsey smiled and willed the tears to stay put long enough to get out of the taxi and get inside of the airport entrance. She thanked Colin for his unique brand of hospitality and promised she would come back and bring Miranda with her next time. She tried to pay him, but he wouldn’t take the money from her. Instead, Colin got out of the car and drew her in for a hug and kissed her cheek.
“Ye'r lik' th' daughter ah ne'er hud; ah ta fur letting me be pairt o` yer adventure 'ere in Glescae.”
Colin’s words brought the tears trickling out of her eyes and down Kelsey’s face. “Ta, Colin fur be pairt o' mah adventure. Ah will be back wi' Miranda as soon as ah kin.”
Kelsey took her small carry-on bag and the one Estelle packed full of baked sweets and small lamb pies and waved one last time to Colin before she entered the airport doors.
Unable to look back, to see if Colin had left, Kelsey made her way to the ticket counter to pick up her boarding passes and check her one bag, deciding to keep the packed food bag with her in the cabin and check-in her carry-on bag.
A half of an hour later, Kelsey sat on the plane taxiing to the runway for its flight to London. She closed her eyes and sat back for the hour and a half trip; Nikki told her that, when she arrived in London, she would have a taxi waiting to take her to a hotel, where Amy Linden would meet her. Deciding to get any rest when she could, Kelsey put on the headphones and listened to the soothing music as her breathing slowed in direct contrast to the accelerating plane underneath her. Goodbye Glasgow.
Chapter Forty-Four
Heathrow Airport, London, England, Late Afternoon, March 26, 2012
“Mommee, Tommee pulled my hair!” A small, blonde girl shrieked at the top of her lungs.
“Tommy, I’ve told you many times to stop bugging your sister; please behave!” A tall woman, who looked like she was about to lose her temper in the middle of the baggage reclaim area, said.
Kelsey smiled stiffly when the woman turned and apologized for the fourth time since her arrival behind them several minutes ago. Over the heads of a few people, Kelsey scanned the baggage carousel for her one small, checked bag. Contemplating leaving her bag and buying all new clothes and toiletries, she almost did so, if it were not for the fact, she had tossed the items she purchased in Glasgow for Nanna and Miranda in the bag. A few more bags came down the conveyor belt, and Kelsey recognized her tan and white one. Thank God.
Excusing herself as she made her way through the crowd of people looking for their bags, Kelsey reached out and grabbed hers. Since she had flown from Glasgow, Scotland she didn’t have to go through the immigration and passports or customs area and could forgo another long line. Glad to be able to escape the building crowd claiming their bags, Kelsey strode toward the arrivals’ exit to find the waiting taxi, Nikki had ordered to take her to the hotel.
Once outside, Kelsey slipped her sunglasses down over her eyes to block out the bright sunshine of the afternoon sun. Kelsey scanned the area and realized she had exited the wrong doors when she saw where the taxicabs were waiting, at the other end of Terminal 5. Grumbling under her breath, she picked an area on the walkway that wasn’t as crowded with people.
Weaving through people coming to meet people and then other people leaving the arrivals’ exit, Kelsey slowly made her way to the far end of the terminal. A bump to her leg from a wayward baggage cart caught Kelsey off guard, and she stumbled. Righting herself, she stopped to get her bearings and felt a strike from behind. Pain tore through her consciousness, and she raised her hand to protect her head from another blow. A person screamed; Kelsey wasn’t sure where the sound came from. Then people were running and shouting shoving her to the ground. The pain hit her in the leg, and then someone was talking, but Kelsey couldn’t hear the words, only the sound. The world spun and then went totally black.
Inside her subconscious, Kelsey questioned how it could be so dark when just moments ago the sun had been so bright. Trying to stand or move proved impossible for Kelsey
A voice near her ear said, “hold still, you were shot; can you tell me your name?”
Kelsey’s mind tried to make sense of what the person said. Had someone shot her; what is going on? Movement around her told her that people were lifting her, sirens blared, people were shouting and crying. Then Kelsey felt everything slipping away.
Someone said, “we’re losing her.”
Then everything went quiet, and Kelsey saw her mother, standing in front of her. “Kel-Kel, you’re going to be okay. Rest and then go back.”
A calmness overcame Kelsey, and she closed her eyes.
***
Hillingdon Hospital, Outside of London, England, Early Evening, March 26, 2012
“You’ve worried a great many people. Welcome back, SSA MacGregor.” A familiar woman’s voice said close to Kelsey’s head.
Kelsey's eyes weren’t able to open but her mind’s fogginess cleared away, and thoughts and feelings from several people entered. Reaching for her amulet, she felt her hand heavy and deterred by tenderness.
“Careful; you have an I.V. Can you open your eyes, Miss MacGregor?” Another woman said, this time the voice was a stranger’s.”
Trying again to reach her amulet, Kelsey raised her right hand to her neck. Connecting with warm stone, she silently said, block out the noise, let me be in peace and keep them out. Kelsey’s incantation worked as the outside thoughts and feelings silenced. Opening her eyes and pushing past the blurriness, Kelsey looked into the blue eye of the woman close to her. Trying to talk, she made a croaking noise instead.
“Take a small sip of water; your mouth must be parched.”
A straw in a cup appeared before Kelsey’s mouth. She reached with her lips to take the straw in her mouth and drew the water to her mouth. Filling with water, the dryness in Kelsey’s mouth went away. Swallowing a small sip, she released the straw from her mouth, and the woman pulled the cup away. Drawing in a few breaths, Kelsey opened her mouth, and she asked, “what has happened? Why am I in a hospital?”
A man’s voice came from behind the woman who had given her the drink. Stepping forward, a tall, man in a white coat said, “I’m Doctor Talbert, and you’re here after an incident at the airport. Do you know your name?”
Kelsey started to nod, and pain tore through her head. Closing her eyes, she raised her right hand to find cloth over the area where the pain came from. Of course,
I know my name; what the Hell happened to me? She tried to remember what happened before she opened her eyes and found herself in a hospital room with people standing around her. Opening her eyes, Kelsey turned to see a blonde with concerned blue eyes staring at her. “Amy? Amy Linden, why are you here?”
Amy smiled and started to say something when Doctor Talbert spoke over her.
“I need you to tell me your name and what you can remember about how you got here, can you do that for me? Once I can determine a few things we can answer your questions. Is that okay?”
Wanting to nod, but refraining from doing so because of the pain, Kelsey said, “My name is Kelsey Laren MacGregor. All I can remember is I arrived in London on a plane from Glasgow, Scotland and I was walking to my cab when I felt a pain in my head.” More things came back to her as the rest of the fog cleared from her mind. “I don’t know how I got here. Was I shot? I remember someone saying I was shot.”
Doctor Talbert confirmed the earlier assertion Kelsey was shot, but luckily the bullet had only grazed her scalp. After being shot, someone hit her from behind, and she hit her head on a concrete pillar on the way to the ground. The doctor explained Kelsey had suffered a concussion and had been unconscious for several hours. They wanted to keep her in the hospital until the next day for observation, but she should make a full recovery.
“How did this happen? Who shot me?”
The doctor and the nurse told her they would leave her to talk to Detective Linden from Scotland Yard and exited from the room.
“When Nikki called me to say you’d be coming to town, I had no idea that I’d be meeting you here in the hospital. Just like at the Academy, you still have a habit of getting yourself in trouble, don’t you Mack?”
Kelsey wanted to chuckle but feared if she did, it would send another painful reminder through her head. Smiling instead, she said, “I hope you can shed some light on what happened at the airport.”