Winter's Touch (Immortal Touch Series) (30 page)

“The
rabbit?”

“The Rabbit’s Run.
One o’ the village pubs. He spends all his time in there gettin’ blootered, or so I’m told. I don’t have anythin’ to do wi’ the likes o’ him personally.”

Eva took one last look around, then linked her arm in Lainie’s. “You know, suddenly I feel like having a drink. What do you say?”

~*~*~

“She’s
what?
”

“I said, she’s here in Nethy. Right here in my house.
She’s in the spare room changin’ as we speak.”

Julian raked a hand through his hair and
frowned into the cell phone. “What the bloody hell is she doing there?”

“Tryin
’ to find a way to help
yoo
, ye damned fool dobber!”

“
Help
me? Good Lord. What does she think she’ll find there besides a thirty-year-old grave?” Leave it to Eva to pull a stunt like this. For some reason, the thought of her playing detective made him smile. So she hadn’t given up on him then, and he was absurdly glad of it in spite of himself. A mere two and a half weeks without her and already he was going mad.
Face it, old chap, you’ll never make it through an eternity without her.

Lainie snorted. “Y
e only have yerself to blame. Ye started all this and now the poor lamb’s heartbroken.”

“Did she say how long she was staying?”

“Two weeks. We’re just on our way to the pub for dinner.”

“
Lovely. Trust me, whatever you do, don’t let her drink!”

“And
I’m
supposed to stop her?”

“Just do me a favor and try to keep her out of trouble until I can get there.”

“So ye’re comin’ to fetch her, then?” She sounded pleased.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he retorted. “But then that seems to be the norm latel
y, doesn’t it?”

“Shall I tell her y
e’re comin’?”

“No. Just keep an eye on
her, won’t you? I’ll see you soon.”

~
*~*~

The quiet little
village of Nethy Bridge gave Eva the distinct impression that she had been transported back in time, with neat rows of tiny shops that seemed somehow to belong to an age that was gone but still fondly reminisced. At the far end of town, tucked behind a narrow red brick frontage, was the pub known by the droll moniker of Rabbit’s Run. The tavern sign swinging from the wrought iron support displayed the silhouette of a hare in mid-leap.

The interior was warm and welcoming, with rustic wooden tables
, stone floors and an open log fire in the hearth. In one corner a full-size stuffed grizzly bear was permanently frozen in a menacing growl. A few stags’ heads hung from the modest rough-plastered walls. Eva followed Lainie to a table, trying not to notice the curious but friendly looks from the locals, mostly men.

“Is he here?” she asked, and followed Lainie’s gaze to a burly
middle-aged man who was laughing boisterously at something his buddy was saying. His unruly hair was a strawberry blond and his ginger beard unshaven. The fisherman cable knit he wore made him look as if he belonged in a lighthouse by the sea. “Is that him?”

“Aye, that’s
Alistair Guthrie right enough.” She wrinkled her nose. “I warn ye, he’s a rude lout. No couth whatsoe’er, especially wi’ the ladies. I wish ye’d just leave it be. I don’t know what ye think
he’ll
be able to tell ye.”

“Are you coming over with me?”

“Me? Nae, indeed! I’ll just leave ye to it. What would ye like for me to order?”

“Nothing
just yet. I’ll be right back.” Steeling herself, Eva marched self-consciously in the direction of her quarry. Stopping by the brawny Scotsman’s table, she ignored the unabashed stares of his companions and politely said, “Excuse me. Mr. Guthrie?”

Surprised, the man
halted his conversation to look her up and down, then grinned broadly. “Weel, noo thir’s a bonnie lassie! Whit kin auld Alistair dae fur ye, angel?”

Struggling to
filter through the broad accent, Eva hesitated. “Um...I wonder if I might have a word with you?”

Smirking, he gave the man beside him a rough shove and told him, “Move yer crease an’ lit th’
lass hae a seat, ye wanker!” To Eva, he said, “Come hae a blether wi’ me.”

The
evicted man moved aside, allowing her to slip uncertainly into the newly vacant seat. She twisted her fingers together timidly.

“Hoo abit a pint
a’ lager, mah loove?”

“
What? Oh...no, thank you. Mr. Guthrie, my name is Eva Spencer.”

“Weel, Miss Spencer, y
e’re a lang way frae haem, ah see.”

She smiled. “That’s for sure. I’m here visiting Lainie Forbes
...”

“
Ur ye a relatife o’ hers?”

“Just a friend. She mentioned you to me and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I asked you a few questions. If it’s not too much trouble.”

“
Yoo
kin ask me anythin’ ye loch, loove!” He leered at her churlishly with eyes that were red-rimmed and glazed.

“It’s about your
older brother. The one who drowned? I believe Lainie said his name was...”

“
Ah ken his feckin’ name!
” The man’s expression had instantly changed into one of flustered anger. Turning to his companions who were watching the exchange with great interest, he shouted, “Shoot th’craw, ye feckin’ eejits, reit feckin’ noo!”

Startled and confused, Eva sat helplessly immobilized as she watched the men disperse. From across the room, she caught sight of a young man evaluating the situation as he waited for his turn at the dartboard.

Alistair Guthrie put his face near enough hers that she could smell the whisky on his breath as he spoke in a threateningly low voice. “Noo listen haer. Ah dinnae ken whit blether Lainie’s bin fillin’ yer heid wi’, bit ye’d dae weel tae forget it. Edan Guthrie has bin deid an’ gain a lang time. Lae th’bygone alone.”

“I meant no disrespect, believe me. It’s just that I have reason to suspect that his disappearance might not have been an accident, and I thought maybe you could
...”

“
Haud yer wheesht!
” The man’s voice thundered, causing her to flush with embarrassment. “Th’deid ur deid! Lit thaim sleep in peace! Noo be aff wi’ ye!”

Eva stood, opting to heed the man’s wishes before he could cause any more of a scene. Perhaps she could try again when he didn’t have a gut full of liquor. “I apologize if I upset you. I really didn’t mean any harm.”
Walking away, she heard him grunt irately at her retreating form.

Lainie was waiting at their table with a look that said
I told you so
. “I warned ye, lamb.”

“What a crab!”

“Hmph. That’s a nice way o’ puttin’ it.”

“I know he lost his brother, but it
has
been thirty years. He didn’t have to be so touchy about it.”

“That man’s touchy about everythin
’.”

“What did he mean by
, ‘I ken his name’?”

“
Ken
means
know
. He was sayin’, ‘I know his name.’ Do ye want to order somethin’ to eat now? Been a long time since breakfast.”

Before Eva could reply, they were approached by the same man that had been
appraising her by the dartboard. He was a pleasant-looking fellow whose thick hair was dark brown and his eyes blue, endowed with a boyish dimpled movie-star smile. When he spoke, she was immensely relieved to discover that his accent was only slightly thicker than Lainie’s, and far milder than most of the locals.

“Ms. Forbes, how are
ye?”

“O
ch, I’m gettin’ by. Better than yer father, it would appear.”

The man looked chagrined, and to Eva he said, “I must apologize f
or my father. I fear he worships his drink far more than he should.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s my fault, really. I shouldn’t have bothered him.”

“American lass! My, my.” He seemed delighted.

“Yes, I’m just here on a
vacation of sorts.”

“
Permit me to introduce myself - I’m Kade Guthrie.”

“Eva Spencer.”

“It’s a fine pleasure to make yer acquaintance, Eva. If it’s awrite, I’d like to buy a drink for ye both. I’d hate for ye to think we’re all as inhospitable as my father.”

“That’s not necessary, but why don’t you join us? We were just about to order some supper.”

“Fair enough, but it’s on me. Have ye picked up a menu from the bar?”

“Not yet.”

“I’ll fetch some for us.” The young man strolled away towards the bar, and the women looked at one another.

“Those two have the same genes?” Eva joked, and Lainie
grinned.

“Hard to believe, isn’t it? Although from what I know, the
lad was raised primarily in England by his mother after she left Alistair. He’s only just recently returned to Scotland.”

“He seems nice enough. Maybe
he
can give me some information.”

“Wouldn’t do any harm to ask,” Lainie agreed.

“Here ye are, ladies!” Kade handed each of them a menu. “If ye like, I’ll order for ye once ye’ve decided.”

“Thank you.” Eva studied the menu
with bewilderment. She couldn’t make heads nor tails out of half the items listed. “
What
, may I ask, is ‘cullen skink’?”

Kade and Lainie both burst into laughter.
“It’s a soup made wi’ potatoes, onions and smoked haddock,” Lainie explained. “I think ye’d prefer the steak pie, though. That’s what I’m havin’.”

“Make it two.” Eva handed the menu back to
him. “You know what, I just realized I haven’t exchanged any of my cash for pounds. Will they take credit here?”

“I’ve got it, love,” Lainie said.

“Leave it to me, ladies. I’m friends wi’ the owner.” With a wink, Kade strode off to the bar once again, returning a few minutes later with three mugs. Eva didn’t have the heart to tell him she didn’t care for beer, so she just accepted one and thanked him, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she barely sipped it.

He took a
deep swallow from his own mug, then asked, “If ye don’t mind my askin’, what did ye say that put my father in such a temper?”

“I was asking him about his brother.”

“Edan? Noo what on earth made ye dredge up
that
topic?”

“I wanted to ask him some questions about his disappearance.”

“Nae to be intrusive, but why? It was so long ago.”

Eva sighed. “It’s a little hard to explain. I just thought maybe he could provide some information that
might help me with a problem of my own. You see, there was another...ah, disappearance around the same time and I got the notion that the two might be related somehow.”

“So y
e’re thinkin’ my uncle didnae really drown then?” Kade looked intrigued. “Interestin’.”

“I know it sounds a bit far-fetched,” she admitted, glancing at Lainie who was sipping her ale and listening quietly. “Did your father ever talk to you about what happened, by any chance?”

“Aye, he did. I’ve heard the whole story time and again.”

“Seriously?” Her body tensed eagerly. “
Would you share it with me, then? It would really mean a lot to me.”

Kade smiled
good-naturedly. “I’d be more than happy to. But nae in the presence o’ my father. Tell ye what. Let me buy ye dinner tomorrow night and I’ll divulge everythin’ ye want to know then, down to the last detail.”

Finally, she felt as if she was beginning to accomplish something. “Mr. Guthrie, you’ve got yourself a deal!”

She failed to notice the venomous glare that came from across the room. Alistair was watching them.

A
nd he was not happy.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Priest of
Melrose Abbey

They had finished dinner, and still all Eva had derived from her companion was petty small talk.

Common courtesy prevented her from interrogating him, even as she grew more impatient by the minute. He’d been as
lively and cordial as could be and she was having a pleasant enough evening, but the motive behind her acceptance of his invitation kept her fidgety and distracted.

Evidently
oblivious to her barely-suppressed restlessness, Kade lingered maddeningly over dinner and dessert until she was ready to polish off his caramel shortbread herself just so he’d be
done
already. He barely touched his meal as it was, mostly just talking a blue streak while absently pushing the haggis around on his plate. He seemed anxious to impress her, but none of his anecdotes had a thing in the world to do with his missing uncle.