back in a heartbeat, but—"
"Butts're for crappin'. Maxie's done some checkin'. The Royal Navy contacted ye six weeks ago, interested in financin' a voyage tae locate thae Bloop thing-a-mah-jingies. Word is they offered ye a research vessel an' another sub, but ye turned them doon."
I ground my teeth, confronted by the truth. The Royal Navy had tried to contact me, but I had refused their calls, still struggling with my hydrophobia. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'll go back to sea when I'm good and ready."
"No ye willnae. The longer ye wait, the harder it'll be. Look how long it's been since ye returned hame tae yer auld man."
"First, Scotland's not my home, at least not anymore. Second, you've never been much more to me than a sperm donor. I was always your runt, the disappointment God gave you to carry on the Wallace name. You want to give me one final lecture before they hang you, go ahead, it's your time, your dime."
"So ye think yer auld man's guilty, is that it?"
"Honestly, Angus, I don't know what you're capable of anymore."
That stung, I could see the hurt in his eyes.
"Zachary, I ken ye're ashamed o' me, but as far as these charges, I didnae dae it. Johnny C. an' me were pals. Sure, we had words, just as we aye had, but whit happened wis an accident. No matter whit ye may think o' me son, I'm no' a murderer."
Son. I couldn't ever remember him referring to me as his son.
"What is it you want?"
"Nothin' more than yer support. The morn, when I walk intae that courtroom, it'd make me proud tae have both o' my laddies by my side."
Maybe it was fatigue, but when he got choked up I lost it, too, the tears streaming down my cheeks as I embraced him through the bars. "Okay, Angus, I'll be there."
----
My wife and I were returning to Drumnadrochit from Inverness, driving along the old narrow road near the seven-mile stone. As we passed Aldourie Castle, she suddenly shouted at me to stop, claiming she saw an enormous black body, rolling up and down in the water. By the time I pulled over, all that was left were ripples, but you could tell something big was out there. Moments later, a huge wake became visible, caused by something moving just below the surface. The wake headed toward Aldourie Pier, then its source submerged, showing us two black humps, one after the next. It rose and sank in an undulating manner, circled sharply to port, then disappeared.
— J OHN M ACKAY, M ARCH 1933 ( F IRST MODERN-DAY SIGHTING SINCE S AINT C OLUMBA)
Chapter 7
Inverness, Scottish Highlands
Scotland
7:15 A.M.
I woke up screaming, limbs quivering, my boxer shorts and T-shirt drenched in sweat. For a terrifying moment, I wasn't sure where I was, and then the empty hotel room yawned back at me, the television still displaying BBC2 from the night before.
You're okay… you're okay… you're okay …
I kicked off the blankets, stripped off my soggy undergarments, and climbed into a hot shower.
A furious banging on the outside door forced me to abandon the shower prematurely. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I left the bathroom, dripping wet. "For Chrissakes, hold on—"
It was the manager, accompanied by hotel security. "Everythin' a'right here, sir?"
"Uh, fine. Is something wrong?"
The security man pushed his way in. "Some o' the guests reported hearin' an awfy scream. Said it sounded like someone wis bein' stabbed."
"Stabbed? Oh, uh, sorry, that must've been the television, you know, one of those American shows. Woke me up as well."
The manager seemed relieved.
Security continued searching for a body.
"Morning." Max entered, dressed in a gray pin-striped suit and matching tie, his spiked hair slicked back, the mascara gone. "There a problem?"
"They heard someone screaming. It was just the television."
"Course it was. Don't say another word."
"Nothin' here," the security man announced. "But if it happens again, I'll write ye up for disturbin' the peace." He shot me a look, then pushed his way out
"Butts're for crappin'. Maxie's done some checkin'. The Royal Navy contacted ye six weeks ago, interested in financin' a voyage tae locate thae Bloop thing-a-mah-jingies. Word is they offered ye a research vessel an' another sub, but ye turned them doon."
I ground my teeth, confronted by the truth. The Royal Navy had tried to contact me, but I had refused their calls, still struggling with my hydrophobia. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'll go back to sea when I'm good and ready."
"No ye willnae. The longer ye wait, the harder it'll be. Look how long it's been since ye returned hame tae yer auld man."
"First, Scotland's not my home, at least not anymore. Second, you've never been much more to me than a sperm donor. I was always your runt, the disappointment God gave you to carry on the Wallace name. You want to give me one final lecture before they hang you, go ahead, it's your time, your dime."
"So ye think yer auld man's guilty, is that it?"
"Honestly, Angus, I don't know what you're capable of anymore."
That stung, I could see the hurt in his eyes.
"Zachary, I ken ye're ashamed o' me, but as far as these charges, I didnae dae it. Johnny C. an' me were pals. Sure, we had words, just as we aye had, but whit happened wis an accident. No matter whit ye may think o' me son, I'm no' a murderer."
Son. I couldn't ever remember him referring to me as his son.
"What is it you want?"
"Nothin' more than yer support. The morn, when I walk intae that courtroom, it'd make me proud tae have both o' my laddies by my side."
Maybe it was fatigue, but when he got choked up I lost it, too, the tears streaming down my cheeks as I embraced him through the bars. "Okay, Angus, I'll be there."
----
My wife and I were returning to Drumnadrochit from Inverness, driving along the old narrow road near the seven-mile stone. As we passed Aldourie Castle, she suddenly shouted at me to stop, claiming she saw an enormous black body, rolling up and down in the water. By the time I pulled over, all that was left were ripples, but you could tell something big was out there. Moments later, a huge wake became visible, caused by something moving just below the surface. The wake headed toward Aldourie Pier, then its source submerged, showing us two black humps, one after the next. It rose and sank in an undulating manner, circled sharply to port, then disappeared.
— J OHN M ACKAY, M ARCH 1933 ( F IRST MODERN-DAY SIGHTING SINCE S AINT C OLUMBA)
Chapter 7
Inverness, Scottish Highlands
Scotland
7:15 A.M.
I woke up screaming, limbs quivering, my boxer shorts and T-shirt drenched in sweat. For a terrifying moment, I wasn't sure where I was, and then the empty hotel room yawned back at me, the television still displaying BBC2 from the night before.
You're okay… you're okay… you're okay …
I kicked off the blankets, stripped off my soggy undergarments, and climbed into a hot shower.
A furious banging on the outside door forced me to abandon the shower prematurely. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I left the bathroom, dripping wet. "For Chrissakes, hold on—"
It was the manager, accompanied by hotel security. "Everythin' a'right here, sir?"
"Uh, fine. Is something wrong?"
The security man pushed his way in. "Some o' the guests reported hearin' an awfy scream. Said it sounded like someone wis bein' stabbed."
"Stabbed? Oh, uh, sorry, that must've been the television, you know, one of those American shows. Woke me up as well."
The manager seemed relieved.
Security continued searching for a body.
"Morning." Max entered, dressed in a gray pin-striped suit and matching tie, his spiked hair slicked back, the mascara gone. "There a problem?"
"They heard someone screaming. It was just the television."
"Course it was. Don't say another word."
"Nothin' here," the security man announced. "But if it happens again, I'll write ye up for disturbin' the peace." He shot me a look, then pushed his way out
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