Trove (The Katie Walsh Mysteries) (37 page)

Willie waited, his arms hung at his sides, his hands fisted, his feet planted. Alec’s arms were raised in a fighting pose, ready to block the first blow or strike if the opportunity presented itself.
Simultaneously they shifted their weight, looking as if they were dancing to some unheard music.

Laura huffed. “It’s like watching those animal shows. The only thing missing are the clanging antlers.”

Robert chuckled. “Are you saying you don’t appreciate a good show of male aggression?” He glanced down at her. “We take great pride in showing females how strong we are.”

She relaxed and Robert released his hold on her. “It’s stupid. I don’t enjoy watching men pummel each other, but in this instance, I think I can make an exception. I’m actually waiting for Willie to knock your brother flat on his ass.”

“What makes you think that Willie will win? Alec’s quite fast on his feet and has a black belt.”

She shrugged. “Willie’s got more muscle. He’s so going to whip Alec’s ass.”

“Wanna bet?”

She raised her head and scanned his face. “You serious?”

He nodded. “Very.”

“Okay, you’re on. One hundred bucks on Willie.”

“Right, one hundred bucks that Alec wins.”

They turned back to face the two alphas and waited… and waited.

“For God’s sake, will someone throw the first punch so we can get back on track?” Laura yelled.

At the sound of Laura’s voice, Willie took his eyes off of Alec for a mere moment, but it was long enough. Alec saw his opportunity and seized it. He lowered his head, compacted his body into a tight mass, and lunged at Willie, catching him right in his mid-section. The impact knocked the air out of Willie and sent him crashing to the ground. Alec stepped back, a smug looked plastered on his face.

Robert nudged Laura playfully in the ribs. “You can pay me when we get back to Boston.”

She frowned but it quickly morphed into a smile. “Not so fast, mister.” She nodded toward the action. Although Alec was gloating over Willie, he seemed oblivious to Willie’s movements. Willie’s leg shot out in a rocket-fast motion and hooked behind Alec’s knee, pulling his leg forward and out from under him. Alec jerked backwards, crashing onto the ground flat on his ass. Laura punched the air. “Looks like it’s a draw.”

Robert grunted and called over, “Are we done with the pissing contest?”

Alec and Willie were standing, eyeing each other warily. “Don’t think we settled anythin’ yet,” Willie yelled back.

“Yeah,” Alec shouted “we’re just getting—”

“Shut up for a minute,” Laura ordered. “Something’s beeping in the car.” She turned and pulled the rear door open. The sound immediately spilled out in a staccato rhythm. “Willie, it’s the locator. Get over here quick.”

Time stopped as they absorbed what Laura had just said. The locator had picked up a signal.

Willie and Alec raced to the car, each trying to nudge the other out of the way. Robert and Laura backed out of their way as they crashed into the side of the SUV. “Get… out… of… the… way,” Alec yelled to Willie as he tried to catch his breath.

“Back… off… lover… boy,” Willie responded as he elbowed Alec in the chest, sending him reeling backwards. “Ya don’t… know how to… read it.” Willie reached in, pulled the locator out, and placed it on the hood of the SUV, lining it up with the mountains ahead.

“Is it Katie?” Laura asked quietly.

He nodded. “It’s the correct frequency, so yeah, I think we’re gettin’ close, but we’re still about a mile or so away.”

“How can you tell?” Robert asked.

“If we were right on top of her, the signal wouldn’t be a series of beeps like now. It would be one continuous signal. The nearer we get, the closer together the beeps will come until they morph into the one sound,” Willie answered as he picked up the locator, walked to the rear of the SUV, and faced the unit in the opposite direction. The sound weakened noticeably. He walked back to the front and the signal intensified. He nodded his head toward the mountains. “She’s over there somewhere,” he said as he motioned toward the mountain in front of them. “We need to get moving.”

Willie rode shotgun with Alec and braced the locator on the dashboard while Laura and Robert slid into the rear seats. Alec slammed the accelerator and raced toward the mountain. The beeps lengthened, the interval between almost disappearing as the SUV sped across the valley floor.

The air in the SUV was thick with tension and unresolved egos. For now, no talking was better than the insults that had been flying earlier. Alec followed the road to the south side of the mountain. The signal became erratic, jumping from one tone to the distinct beeps they didn’t want to hear. “What’s up with that?” Alec snarled as he glanced at Willie and then down to the locator.

Willie shrugged. “It could be the quartz interferin’ with the signal or maybe she’s not here.”

“What the hell do you mean ‘maybe she’s not here’? Thought you knew how to work that damned thing,” Alec yelled.

Willie turned and faced Alec. “I told ya, quartz deposits can interfere with it but since we got a signal further out, maybe…”

“Maybe what, Willie?” Laura asked.

“Maybe she’s on another side. Drive around the mountain.”

Alec glared at him. “Any particular direction, genius?”

“You’re headed west. Keep goin’ clockwise, lover boy.”

“Damn it. Cut the bullshit right now, you two, or so help me, I’ll kick you both out of the SUV and you can walk the rest of the way,” Robert said quietly through clenched teeth as he leaned forward into the front seat between Alec and Willie.

As they drove, the signal beeped distinct notes or disappear
ed. The tension grew thicker as they headed around to the north side.

Robert broke the silence. “Willie, I have a question for you.”

“Sure. Ask.”

“I guess I understand the interference with the quartz, but that wouldn’t produce a false signal, would it?”

“Nope. It’s definitely honin’ in on a signal bein’ sent on the same frequency as Katie’s transponder.”

“That’s good news then. It has to be her,” Laura added.

“Yeah,” Willie said, “odds are in our favor that it’s Katie. Or at least her necklace.”

Katie and Josh continued their upward climb, aided now by the glowing symbols. They made note of the different marks and quickly determined that there were only four. These were combined in sets of three, the first and the last symbol the same in each group. The middle one alternated between the two remaining symbols, but in no discernible pattern.

“You swear you never noticed these before?”

“I told you, I was always hell bent on getting to the end and they never glowed. Must be something you did. Are you a witch or something?”

She ignored his last remark. “So what do you think activated them?”

“Don’t know. Maybe your geologist friend could answer that.”

“Let me… guess. Your contact… at the Institute told you about him. I’d really… like to know who the snitch is.” She was almost positive that it was Lucy Millar, but she was hoping that he’d offer up the identity. “I think you owe me that much.” The climb was taking its toll as her muscles began to freeze up and her breathing grew labored.

He held his hand out as he started a very steep climb. “Take my hand. This is the worst part… and we’re almost there.” She circled her hand around his wrist and let him pull most of her weight up the rise, relieving the strain on her legs. As she reached the top of the climb, her combined weight and forward momentum slammed her body into Josh’s body, his very lean, male body.

For a brief moment, he held her, trapping her tiny frame against his chest. She squirmed, trying to stand up. “Stop squirming and catch your breath.”

She stilled and laid her head against his heaving chest, breathing deep, matching his rhythm. When she’d regained her breath, she pushed off his chest. He dropped his arms, releasing her.

Josh stood with his back to her. “It’s only about thirty yards from here and it’s pretty level.” He started forward. “Come on.”

She straightened her jacket as she balanced herself and felt the weight in her pocket. She slipped her hand in and grasped the metal. She wasn’t sure why, but she pulled the dagger out and held it in front her midriff. “It can’t be,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and counted to five and then blinked them open. The emerald-colored stone was glowing, just like the symbols embedded in the wall. On the face of the opaque surface of the green stone, symbols began to emerge, the same four symbols that peppered the tunnel walls.

“Joshhh.” She swallowed. “Josh, look.”

In an instant he was back at her side. “What the hell is that and why is it glowing?”

“It’s commonly known as the Emerald Blade. It’s an artifact that I acquired from an estate sale recently.”

“And?”

“I don’t know the full story, but from what I was able to uncover, this dagger is one of two. The other has a red stone embedded in the handle and is commonly known as the Dirk of Skye.

He gasped. “I’ve heard of the Dirk of Skye. It relates to an ancient legend.” He leaned down, examining the artifact, but not touching it. “It’s not really a weapon as I recall, though, it would certainly function as one.”

She nodded. “I think that was both to protect the stone and to ensure its existence if only as a decorative relic. But you’re right. Legend has it that both daggers, in tandem, would function as a key, but I haven’t been able to determine quite what they unlock.”

“It has to be related to this place, Katie. Those walls never glowed and…” He looked more closely at the blade. “The symbols on the face of the emerald stone are the same as those on the walls.” He reached for it. “May I take a closer look?”

She turned the blade around, offering him the handle.

“What the hell?” he gasped. The moment he took the blade from her, it stopped glowing.

Katie laughed softly. “Think it needs batteries.”

He handed it back to her and it resumed its eerie glow. He took it back and again it went dark. “It’s you. You’re making it glow. Tell me how.”

“I-I don’t know. I swear to you it’s never done that, though I haven’t really looked at it. It was just delivered to me the other day. Maybe the symbols on the wall triggered it.”

“How?” he asked disbelief in his tone.

“Well, I’m not an expert, but I believe I read that crystals have individual frequencies. Perhaps there’s something here, a vibration, a sound we can’t hear that’s setting them off. Maybe my emerald stone is an amplifier, focusing the energy onto the walls, activating the others.”

Josh whistled. “The bastard was right all along.”

The locator’s beep had turned back into a continuous tone and held steady for the last ten minutes. Alec continued driving along the base of the mountain while the others searched for any visible signs of Katie.

“Look.” Laura pointed ahead and to the right. “There’s a trail over there.”

“I see it,” Alec said as he pulled the SUV to a stop and cut the engine. En masse they exited the vehicle and gathered at the start of the trail.

Willie scanned up the trail until he lost sight of it. Laura raised her head, looking up the mountain. “You think she’s up there, don’t you?”

Willie nodded. “Yeah, I do. The signal is strongest when the locator is pointed up the mountain.”

“Odds are
he’s
with her,” Alec said.

Willie grimaced. “Yeah, but ya know what?” He looked at the others. “The signal is strong and the trail is in decent shape. We should be able to head up the mountain without obstructions.”

“The runes must be up there,” Laura added.

“The only thing that bothers me…” Willie started.

“What? What’s bothering you?” Robert asked.

Willie looked up the mountain and then back at the ground. “How come there’s no sign of any recent activity on the trail? Look around. There’s no tire tracks and no footprints.”

“Good question. Just what the hell is going on?” Alec asked.

****

Katie stepped back, making sure the blade was out of his reach. “What? Who? What the hell are you talking about?”

“My partner… the bastard that tried to kill me,” Josh said, “seems he was right all along. Remember how I told you it seemed like he had a shopping list of items that he was seeking?” Katie nodded. “And remember how I told you he had an uncanny sense of where to find them? She nodded again. “Well, he had the Dirk of Skye and an emerald-embedded dagger, your dagger, on his list. He told me he knew where they were and that he’d have them soon. Once he had them, he said all he needed was to find the trove runes.”

“The trove runes? He actually called them that?”

He nodded. “Do you know what their significance is?”

“Ahhhh,” she moaned as she suddenly fell forward, bending over. She needed to convince him she was in pain and she needed to get away from him. She wasn’t going to tell what she knew. It was too close to her discovery of Norland. Norland was hers, hers and Eric’s. But where could she go? She couldn’t go backward. He’d quickly overtake her in the tunnel.
Think, Katie, think. He said something about the runes. What was it?