led her a few yards from the hubbub.
The fog still floated atop the loch, obscuring the opposite shore, but the police lights illuminated the near side like the grand opening of a used-car lot.
The constable removed a small notebook from his jacket and poised his pencil over a pristine white sheet. “What happened?”
“I was walking home from the pub—”
“Which one?”
“MacLeod’s.”
Alan lifted his gaze to hers. “Ye found that already, did ye?”
“Dougal invited me.”
He frowned. “Dougal Scott?”
“Is there more than one Dougal?”
“Around here? Aye. So ye had a date with Dougal—”
“No,” Kris interrupted. “I met him to talk about…” She waved her hand at the now-invisible loch.
“Ah.” Alan nodded. “He’s a good one for that. But he let ye walk home all alone?”
“Let me?” Kris bristled. “I’m not a child.”
“Mmm.” The sound made Kris bristle even more. But before she could say anything, Alan continued. “How did ye end up down near the loch?”
“I…” She glanced in that direction and hesitated.
“Did ye see somethin’?” Kris gave a reluctant nod. “What was it?”
“A log,” she said firmly.
“Mmm,” he said again, the sound very Scottish and male. “And then?”
“I tripped over—” She flipped her fingers at the dead girl, whom she could no longer see for all the people.
“Did ye touch her?”
“I fell on her,” Kris said, and shivered with the memory. “Then, yes, I touched her to make sure she was dead.”
“All right. How long until the boy came by, and ye sent him to the village?”
“I don’t think he’s a boy. He’s probably older than you.”
“The lad who came to find me was no more than fifteen.”
“No, it was…” She paused. This was what came from not insisting on a name. Now she didn’t have one to give. “The same man I saw at Urquhart Castle.”
“The ghost?”
“He wasn’t a ghost,” Kris snapped. “I saw him tonight at MacLeod’s.”
“Did anyone else?”
Kris scowled. “I spoke with him right there next to that body, and—” Yes! “He touched her, too,” she said triumphantly. “There should be fingerprints.”
“Mmm,” Alan murmured again. If he kept that up, she just might smack him. “It’s rare to get fingerprints off a neck.”
“Crap,” Kris muttered.
Alan Mac’s lips curved. “So ye came down to the loch because ye saw…” His smile widened. “A log. Then ye tripped over the body, and the boy came by—”
“Man,” Kris corrected. “The man from the castle, and he said he’d bring the authorities.”
“Anything else?”
Kris paused. Should she tell Alan about Mandenauer or shouldn’t she?
Her hesitation was answer enough.
“Ye better spill it all, lass. Holding back information in a police matter is serious business.”
Why had she even considered lying? Truth was her stock-in-trade. Getting to the truth was all she’d ever been any good at.
“There was an old man. He said this was the second body.”
Alan’s eyes widened. “Tall? Thin? White hair, blue eyes?” Kris nodded, and he sighed. “German?”
“You know him?” Kris imagined Edward Mandenauer escaped often from the local loony bin. And if that was the case, they needed to do something about those guns.
“He’s an American agent. Some sort of Special Forces operation. Though I’ve never been clear on what sort.”
Kris’s brows lifted. Mandenauer had been telling the truth.
“Comes about now and again. Checks in with us since he never goes anywhere without a gun.” Alan’s lips twitched. “Or five. Except…” Now his lips tightened. “He hasn’t checked in lately.”
“I—uh—don’t think he’s staying.”
“No? He said as much?”
Kris nodded, and oddly, Alan appeared to relax at the news.
Someone called his name, and the constable raised a hand to them before returning his attention to her. “Anything else?”
Though Edward hadn’t said she needed to
The fog still floated atop the loch, obscuring the opposite shore, but the police lights illuminated the near side like the grand opening of a used-car lot.
The constable removed a small notebook from his jacket and poised his pencil over a pristine white sheet. “What happened?”
“I was walking home from the pub—”
“Which one?”
“MacLeod’s.”
Alan lifted his gaze to hers. “Ye found that already, did ye?”
“Dougal invited me.”
He frowned. “Dougal Scott?”
“Is there more than one Dougal?”
“Around here? Aye. So ye had a date with Dougal—”
“No,” Kris interrupted. “I met him to talk about…” She waved her hand at the now-invisible loch.
“Ah.” Alan nodded. “He’s a good one for that. But he let ye walk home all alone?”
“Let me?” Kris bristled. “I’m not a child.”
“Mmm.” The sound made Kris bristle even more. But before she could say anything, Alan continued. “How did ye end up down near the loch?”
“I…” She glanced in that direction and hesitated.
“Did ye see somethin’?” Kris gave a reluctant nod. “What was it?”
“A log,” she said firmly.
“Mmm,” he said again, the sound very Scottish and male. “And then?”
“I tripped over—” She flipped her fingers at the dead girl, whom she could no longer see for all the people.
“Did ye touch her?”
“I fell on her,” Kris said, and shivered with the memory. “Then, yes, I touched her to make sure she was dead.”
“All right. How long until the boy came by, and ye sent him to the village?”
“I don’t think he’s a boy. He’s probably older than you.”
“The lad who came to find me was no more than fifteen.”
“No, it was…” She paused. This was what came from not insisting on a name. Now she didn’t have one to give. “The same man I saw at Urquhart Castle.”
“The ghost?”
“He wasn’t a ghost,” Kris snapped. “I saw him tonight at MacLeod’s.”
“Did anyone else?”
Kris scowled. “I spoke with him right there next to that body, and—” Yes! “He touched her, too,” she said triumphantly. “There should be fingerprints.”
“Mmm,” Alan murmured again. If he kept that up, she just might smack him. “It’s rare to get fingerprints off a neck.”
“Crap,” Kris muttered.
Alan Mac’s lips curved. “So ye came down to the loch because ye saw…” His smile widened. “A log. Then ye tripped over the body, and the boy came by—”
“Man,” Kris corrected. “The man from the castle, and he said he’d bring the authorities.”
“Anything else?”
Kris paused. Should she tell Alan about Mandenauer or shouldn’t she?
Her hesitation was answer enough.
“Ye better spill it all, lass. Holding back information in a police matter is serious business.”
Why had she even considered lying? Truth was her stock-in-trade. Getting to the truth was all she’d ever been any good at.
“There was an old man. He said this was the second body.”
Alan’s eyes widened. “Tall? Thin? White hair, blue eyes?” Kris nodded, and he sighed. “German?”
“You know him?” Kris imagined Edward Mandenauer escaped often from the local loony bin. And if that was the case, they needed to do something about those guns.
“He’s an American agent. Some sort of Special Forces operation. Though I’ve never been clear on what sort.”
Kris’s brows lifted. Mandenauer had been telling the truth.
“Comes about now and again. Checks in with us since he never goes anywhere without a gun.” Alan’s lips twitched. “Or five. Except…” Now his lips tightened. “He hasn’t checked in lately.”
“I—uh—don’t think he’s staying.”
“No? He said as much?”
Kris nodded, and oddly, Alan appeared to relax at the news.
Someone called his name, and the constable raised a hand to them before returning his attention to her. “Anything else?”
Though Edward hadn’t said she needed to
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