Loch

Chapter 21

The ruins of Urquhart Castle stood on the banks of Loch Ness in the midst of the picturesque Scottish Highlands. Dating from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, the iconic castle was perhaps the best-known site associated with Loch Ness. Built on the site of a medieval fort, Urquhart had served as a royal castle until a series of raids took its toll. Now, little remained of its former grandeur.

Maddock found it difficult to believe he was actually seeing it in person. His was not the joyous, wide-eyed stare with which Bones took in the crumbling walls of the upper and nether baileys, the remains of the great hall, and the grandeur of Grant’s Tower, which graced most Loch Ness postcards. He did, however, feel a sense of completion as he checked off this bucket list item.

He paused, staring out at the dark, serene waters of the legendary Scottish lake, and let the atmosphere wash over him. Growing up, he’d been fascinated by the legend of Nessie, the monster of the loch. Over time, he’d come to believe her a myth, one kept alive by the tourist industry that had grown up around Loch Ness. Nothing he’d seen since their arrival that morning had changed his mind, at least on the latter score. But with the discovery of the tooth, he at least had to consider the possibility.

Isla sidled up to him. “I don’t know about this, Maddock. So much of the Nessie story is utter bollocks.”

A group of tourists standing nearby cast baleful stares in their direction.

“Not a popular opinion around here,” he said. “Maybe mind your volume?” He added a wink to show he was joking.

“But surely you know all the objections?” She began counting on her fingers as she enumerated her concerns. “Putting aside some of the hoaxes, there’s the lack of food supply to support a breeding population; the utter improbability of a prehistoric creature living here for God knows how long without a single, fully verifiable sighting; no scientific evidence; and no carcasses washing ashore. Nothing. And in an age where everyone has a phone with a camera, why aren’t we getting new pictures of her?”

“You’ve been listening to the wrong people.” Grizzly had overheard their conversation, and he and Bones moved to flank Maddock and Isla. “Nessie sightings are actually on the rise. There have been several in the past couple of years, and we’re not talking about drunkards or crackpots.”

“No, just tourists who are desperate to catch a glimpse of a monster. That and true believers who jump at every piece of floating debris.”

“Come on, chick. Don’t be a cynic,” Bones said. “It’s not impossible that some sort of creature lives primarily in the sea, but comes here from time to time.”

Isla rounded on Bones. “And gets here how? Splashing along the River Ness, right through the heart of Inverness?”

“Saint Columba spotted her in the River Ness,” Grizzly said.

“Whatever. I just don’t believe she could traverse the river without being seen several times.”

“She, or they, wouldn’t come by river,” Bones said. “They’d come by underwater channels that eventually lead to the sea.”

Isla rolled her eyes and let out a huff of breath.

“It’s not impossible,” Bones went on. “Non-native shells have been found in the Loch. And let’s be real — no one’s ever done a serious exploration of every nook and cranny of this place. It’s too big, too many cracks and crevasses, and visibility is awful.”

“Let’s say I believe there are such channels. We’re talking about a creature moving from salt water to fresh water and back.”

“Saltwater crocs,” Grizzly offered.

“Bull sharks,” Bones chimed in.

Isla turned pleading eyes at Maddock. “Help me.”

Maddock laughed. “You got yourself into this. Over the past several years, I’ve learned to keep a check on my skepticism, or at least try.”

“Fine.” She turned back to Bones and Grizzly. “I can accept that at least some of the monster sightings are living creatures, and not just logs, gas bubbles, or hoaxes. But a prehistoric creature?”

“What is it, then?” Grizzly asked.

“Seals, giant eels, perhaps Wels catfish.”

Bones snorted. “Catfish? Come on. Have you heard of Operation Deepscan? They turned up a bunch of hits on large, unknown creatures. And another expedition got underwater photos of massive flippers and one of a long-necked creature.”

“Blurry, photographically enhanced images,” Isla said.

“Only because the water’s so clogged with peat particles that a better image is impossible,” Grizzly said.

Maddock had heard enough. “Look, we aren’t going to settle this. The fact of the matter is, we found an actual tooth from a plesiosaur that lived in the Irish Sea a little over a century ago. That proves that a sea creature can go undiscovered for thousands upon thousands of years.”

“Coelacanth,” Bones harrumphed, covering a fake cough.

Maddock shot a reproving glance at him. “And while that doesn’t mean similar creatures lived in this loch, it’s worth checking out.”

Isla gave a reluctant nod. “All right. But can we agree there’s no way a German U-boat could have made its way to the Loch?”

Maddock raised his hand to forestall arguments from Bones and Grizzly. “Let’s agree it’s unlikely.”

A sudden uproar from a group of tourists drew their attention.

Maddock whipped his head around, his senses on high alert since the events of the previous day.

“Oh my God! What is that?” A young woman pointed out into the loch.

Maddock’s jaw dropped when he saw what she was looking at. A row of low, dark humps was slicing through the water, making its way down the middle of the loch.

People shouted with excitement. Camera shutters clicked. Phones and tablets were trained on the moving object.

For a moment, Maddock was a true believer. He raised his camera and focused on the row of humps.

And then it was gone, followed down into the water by a chorus of groans from the onlookers.

“False alarm.” Disappointment hung heavy on Bones’ words.

“What do you mean?” Isla asked. The sparkle in her eyes said she, too, was beginning to forget her skepticism.

“It’s a common phenomenon in lakes, particularly a narrow one like this,” Bones said, gazing at the spot where the humps had melted away.

“A boat comes by, and its wake spreads out in both directions,” Grizzly said, picking up the explanation. “Eventually the waves created by the boat bounce off the sides of the Loch and move back toward the center. Sometimes you don’t even see them until they collide again, long after the boat is gone.”

“And the collision creates what looks like a series of humps,” Bones said.

Maddock understood. “And gives the illusion of movement. That’s disappointing.”

“Enough excitement for now,” Isla said. “Let’s proceed with the treasure hunt. There’s a tour group over there.” She inclined her head toward Grant’s Tower. “Maddock and I will speak with the tour guide. See if he knows any legends of treasure around here.”

Bones quirked an eyebrow. “Why just you and Maddock?”

“You’re too intimidating,” she said. “The guy might be hesitant to talk if you’re looking over him.”

“People say that about me, too,” Grizzly said. “It’s frustrating.”

“Sure. How about you and Bones take another look around the ruins for any signs of the Tuatha? Symbols we missed. Carvings and the like.”

The two nodded, though Maddock thought he saw a touch of suspicion in Bones’ eyes. He made a point to keep a respectful distance from Isla as they walked away.

The tour guide was a tall, fair-skinned man with a thick head of white hair and twinkling blue eyes. His name tag read “Douglas.” He greeted them warmly and was happy to chat about the history of the castle and Nessie sightings that had occurred in this area. When Maddock steered the conversation toward the topic of treasure, he raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re the first to ask me about the Urquhart Treasure. It’s not commonly-known.”

“We actually don’t know anything about it,” Isla said. “I’m writing a book on legendary Scottish treasures and wondered about any that might be associated with the Loch.”

“Well then,” Douglas said. “You’ll be wanting to know about the Urquhart Treasure, I suppose Long ago, Highlanders called this place Strone Castle, after the fortress that sat here upon Strone Point. As legend had it, the old fortress that sat here was built atop two vaulted cells built into the hollow rock below. One of the cells is filled with gold — a treasure of unimaginable value. The other seals up a pestilence that, if it were released, could wipe out all of Scotland. And no one knows which vault is which, save the men who sealed them there long ago, and that secret died with them.”

“The Lady or the Tiger?” Isla said.

“Exactly,” Douglas agreed. “Even if someone found the treasure, they’d have to be certain which vault they were opening, or else all could be lost. Assuming one believes the legend is true, that is.”

“Has anyone ever searched for the treasure?” Maddock asked.

Douglas shook his head. “Not as far as I know. As I told you, it’s not very well-known, and the few who know about it take it none too serious.”

“Any chambers underneath the ruins?” Maddock pressed

“Not that anyone’s found. Given that, in its long history, the castle has been raided, pillaged, and even blown up, if there are vaults down there, they’re buried deep. Of course, the water level of the Loch has risen quite a bit since the construction of the Caledonian Canal back in the 1800s. Perhaps there’s a way in from under the water.”

“Any idea who put the treasure there? The Tuatha de Dannan perhaps?” Isla asked.

Douglas’ smile melted. “No idea. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting back to my group now.”

“That was odd,” Isla whispered.

“Yeah. Considering the guys who tried to kidnap you are Tuatha, you should probably keep mention of them on the down-low.”

“All right.” She sighed, stared down at her hands. “It’s certainly not the Tuatha I imagined when mum and dad used to tell me stories as a child.”

Maddock looked at Isla. Something had been bothering him since they’d first met.

“Isla, you mentioned your parents. You said they ‘believed’ in the treasure. What did you mean by that?”

“They’re dead,” she said flatly. The expression on her face said no further questions would be welcome.

Maddock considered pressing the issue, but then his phone vibrated. He checked it to find a message from Jimmy.

Check your email. Found the key in a scan of an old journal. I’m not saying where I had to hack into in order to find it. You owe me bigger than ever.

Maddock smiled and texted back. You live for this stuff. He laughed aloud when Jimmy immediately replied with a photo of Johnny Cash giving the finger to the camera.

“Good news?” Isla asked.

“I think so.” He opened his email and gave it a quick read. “Looks like our guy wins.”

“Seriously?”

He handed her the phone and she read Jimmy’s email with interest. “Mind if I pass this along to Meikle? Perhaps he could reverse engineer it for confirmation.”

Maddock shrugged. “Can’t hurt. Two heads are better than one.”

While they headed off in search of Bones and Grizzly, Isla called Meikle and shared with him the message Jimmy had decoded. He expressed surprise that someone had decoded the message so quickly, but promised to do what he could to confirm it.

They found Bones and Grizzly down by the waterfront. Grizzly was loudly speculating about the possibilities of a dive in this area.

“I think we should scour it thoroughly. No one with my level of experience has ever…” He halted in midsentence when he saw Maddock.

Maddock figured he’d hold off on mentioning the legend of the treasure since they now had a new lead to follow. He didn’t need to fuel Grizzly’s desire to make another dive. Any more underwater exploits would be himself and Bones.

“We totally struck out. No signs of the Tuatha anywhere,” Bones said. “How about you? Did you get lucky?”

Maddock didn’t miss the double-entendre, but he chose to ignore it. “We might have. Jimmy thinks he’s deciphered the clue from Dunstaffnage.”

“Hell, yes!” Bones pumped his fist. “What is it?”

“We need to find a place called the Well of the Dead.”