Loch

Chapter 19

Walter Meikle sat in a high-backed chair, feet propped up, thumbing absently through an aged volume of Tuatha mythology. The yellowed pages made a pleasant scratching sound as he slowly turned them. He looked at each word but digested only a few. He turned another page and stopped at a detailed, black and white image of the goddess Danu. He knew it was merely his imagination, but it seemed accusation shone in her eyes as she gazed up at him. He snapped the book closed and tossed it on the table beside him, knocking over his empty teacup in the process.

“Damn,” he muttered.

His phone rang, and he stared at the name for a full three seconds before answering. Isla Mulheron. Why couldn’t the girl just leave it alone? But he knew the answer, knew she would not relent.

“Hello?”

“Meikle? It’s Isla Mulheron. Listen, the Dunstaffnage clue was spot-on.”

“Really?” Meikle sat up straight. “What did you find?” He felt his eyes go wide as she described an underwater passageway, a trapdoor, and a treasure room hidden in a cave far beneath the castle.

“And you’re confident the treasures were once kept there?” His reservations about her, his wishes for her to leave him alone, were forgotten.

“As certain as we can be.”

Meikle squeezed the phone, tension knotting his back. “Did you… run into any trouble? The passageway and cave were structurally sound, I mean,” he hastily added, not wanting to rouse her suspicion.

“I didn’t go down with them. SCUBA isn’t my thing. But the guys who went in made it back okay.”

“Guys? I thought it was only you and that… interesting fellow.”

Isla let out a long sigh. “You noticed. Believe me, he wasn’t my first choice of partners. But yes, we’ve added a couple more to our team. Capable men, unlike Grizzly.”

Meikle breathed a sigh of relief. He’d hated reporting Isla’s first clue to the Tuatha, but he’d had no choice. He had feared for her safety, but it appeared they’d made contact with Isla and managed to bring her into the fold, or at least convince her they were on the same side. This also meant that he was not in trouble for concealing her identity. That was a tremendous weight off his shoulders.

“The reason I’m calling is, I need your help again.”

“Oh?”

“We found a set of symbols that had apparently been added to the Danu statue well after its installation. We believe it’s a code or cipher of some sort, but you’d know for sure.”

Meikle’s heart raced. If she was correct, they were finally on the path laid down for the worthy. The treasure might finally be within reach. He’d waited all his life for such a breakthrough.

“Send it along. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Will do. Please let me know as soon as you come up with something.”

Meikle forced a laugh. “I appreciate your confidence in me. It could take time, but I’ll keep you posted.” He bade her goodbye and immediately headed to his computer.

By the time he’d logged in and opened his email server, he had multiple emails from Isla, each with a pair of high-resolution photographs attached. His breath caught in his chest as he clicked through them. A stone serpent slithered across his monitor, and then a series of close-up photos showing symbols that appeared to have been scraped out with a knife.

“Oh, my dear,” he said. “What have you found?”