Suddenly the trees fell away to reveal an astonishingly beautiful castle standing a mere hundred yards away from the water.

  It faced Loch Ness and looked magnificent, surrounded by the evergreens and fronted by a wide green lawn lined with spring wildflowers.

  The castle was huge with old stone walls tinged a pale coral in the light of the late afternoon sun. The grand edifice had a fairy-tale quality with its many incongruous sections and a roofline that was ridiculously erratic. There was a turret here and a circular tower there, parapets and battlements and then more turrets and towers, some with crenellated rooflines and in one case an oddly bulbous-shaped rooftop. One very tall, very thin round tower was topped by a light blue roof that resembled a witch’s hat. There were a dozen balconies and at least ten chimneys, and like the towers, they were each configured differently.

  I was instantly infatuated and wanted to explore them all. And yet, I had a sense of foreboding as though we were walking into danger. Or maybe I was just hungry. I hoped that was what this gnawing feeling in my stomach was all about.

  In the interest of time I probably wouldn’t explore everything. But I definitely wanted to find our way to the west tower as soon as possible. I couldn’t imagine finding Aunt Gwyneth up there, but stranger things had happened. Maybe the tower was beautifully furnished with a nice little kitchenette for cooking. Maybe she was perfectly comfortable in her secret hiding place. Wherever we found her, I just wanted her to be alive.

  The thought of the west tower gave me another little chill, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to get up there. We were here to find answers. To find Aunt Gwyneth. And maybe confront a killer.

  The helicopter continued to hover about ten feet above the ground, then slowly settled down until it touched the grass. The wind whipped up by the blades caused the vegetation and flowers and nearby trees to be tossed back mercilessly and I worried that they would be damaged. But then Thomas turned off the engine and everything was calm again.

  “That was a smooth flight and an excellent landing,” Derek said as he climbed down from the back seat. “Thank you very much, Thomas.”

  “I appreciate it, sir. It’s a pleasure.” He pushed his door open. “I’ll help you with your baggage.”

  Claire and I both took the time to thank him, too. And as we were collecting our luggage I noticed a woman approach from around the far left corner of the castle. The minute she saw us, she waved her arms in excitement and bustled over to greet us. “Claire, Claire!” she cried.

  “Mrs. Buchanan!” Claire said, and waited as the woman threw her arms around her. “It’s good to see you.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here, child. Now we can get to the bottom of this puzzle.” She held Claire at arm’s length and took her time studying her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, but I must know, have you received any word?” Claire asked anxiously.

  Mrs. Buchanan glanced around. “We should talk inside.”

  “Of course.” Claire took a deep breath and exhaled. “Let me introduce you to my friends. Brooklyn Wainwright and Commander Derek Stone, this is Mrs. Buchanan. She’s my aunt Gwyneth’s dearest friend.”

  I slid a glance toward Claire. Introducing Derek as the Commander had been a smart move, I thought. Smiling at the housekeeper, I said, “How do you do, Mrs. Buchanan? Thank you so much for accommodating us.”

  “As you’ll see, we have more than a wee bit of room.” She let out a hearty laugh as she shook hands with me. Then she turned to Derek. “Commander. It’s so nice to have you here.”

  “Thank you.” The two of them shook hands.

  Mrs. Buchanan reached for one of the rolling bags while Derek turned back to Thomas and handed him a folded banknote.

  Thomas gave a snappy salute. “Thank you, sir.”

  “We’d like to contact you for a ride back to the airport,” Derek said. “But we’re not yet sure of our departure time and date.”

  Thomas pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “Feel free to call me when you have the information. I’ll be happy to pick you up and whisk you away.”

  Derek grinned. “Thank you.”

  Thomas hopped back into the pilot’s seat. “You might want to head inside before I crank up the rotors.”

  “Excellent idea.” Derek turned to the three of us and swept his arm toward the castle. “Shall we?”

  Mrs. Buchanan chatted as we walked up to the castle. We turned and waved to Thomas as he started up the rotors. Even from this distance, the wind from the moving blades was punishing so we moved quickly around the side of the castle and then stopped in front of the main double doors.

  On this side of the castle was a large, ornate fountain in the middle of a circular drive. In the distance was a parking area and what looked like a six-car garage with some sort of living quarters above it.

  Mrs. Buchanan stopped at the doors. “Before we go inside, I want to warn you that the castle is not in tip-top shape. Due to no fault of my own, I hasten to add.” She glanced at Claire. “As I told you, the former laird was quite profligate in his habits and he was not the tidiest of men. I was forced to leave his employ last year when he was no longer able to pay me.”

  “Oh, my aunt told me,” Claire said. “What a terrible time for you.”

  “It wasn’t easy,” she admitted. “And while I was gone, the house wasn’t kept up to my standards.”

  Claire gripped her arm. “Oh, Mrs. Buchanan. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’ve had enough to worry about, lass.” She patted Claire’s cheek. “But I’ve been back now for several months and I’m making up for lost time. I can assure you, your bedrooms are pristine. The kitchen and dining rooms and most of the public areas are spotless. And I’m about to start on the main rooms of the west wing with help from the staff. You’re free to walk around and see some of the beautiful artwork and furnishings, but please be careful. There are parts of the castle that have fallen into disrepair and I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

  She turned to push the door open, but stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Also, the staff is in a bit of an uproar. The laird departed abruptly a few days ago and left no instructions for them.” She waved her hands. “But that’s not for you to worry about. Please come in and be at home.”

  I stared at Derek and he stared right back. “It’s going to be an adventure.”

  “Yes, quite.”

  We followed Mrs. Buchanan through the doors and into a massive foyer. She had obviously cleaned and polished this space and it was beautiful. The elegant furniture and dark wood floors gleamed in the light of an elaborate crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

  “It’s lovely,” I said, gazing around at the flower arrangements on every table. “Do you arrange the flowers?”

  “Oh, heavens no. The girl does it. Uh, that is, my kitchen assistant Treena does the flowers. She’s so clever and really quite insistent that I refer to her as my kitchen assistant.” She grinned. “She’s a good girl so I play along.” She pointed to a room to the left off the foyer. “This is the main dining room, where we’ll serve your meals.”

  I glanced into the room and saw a table big enough to serve twenty people.

  “It’s very grand,” Claire said, earning a big smile from the head housekeeper.

  Mrs. Buchanan pointed straight ahead. “The great hall is just this way to the left, but I’ll show you to your rooms first.”

  At the end of the massive foyer, she turned right and we saw the great staircase.

  “Everything is quite impressive,” Derek said.

  Mrs. Buchanan preened at his words. “I’m happy you think so, Commander Stone.” She turned and began to walk up the stairs.

  “I appreciate your willingness to accommodate us,” Derek said. “I understand that rooms are scarce this week because of your annual boat festival.”

  “Yes. I do hope you’ll enjoy the festival. It’s an extravaganza and brings in a lot of revenue for our little town.”

  “I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” Derek murmured.

  When we got to the top of the stairs, she led the way down a wide hallway. The carpeting was thicker and more luxurious than I would’ve expected based on her earlier warning and the artwork on the walls was remarkable. I thought maybe this wing had been refurbished recently.

  “When do you expect Laird MacKinnon to return?” Derek asked, and I recognized the change in his voice. It was his upper-crust, lord-of-the-manor tone.

  “He’s been away for the past few days,” she explained, “but we’re expecting him back soon. Perhaps later tonight.”

  “I would very much like the chance to meet him and thank him personally for his kind hospitality.”

  Mrs. Buchanan’s eyes popped open and she gulped. “I’ll try to arrange an introduction.”

  “Thank you.” Derek glanced at me and probably noticed my own eyes popping a bit, too. I had to wonder if Mrs. Buchanan had invited us to stay without first clearing it with the laird of the castle.

  “Here we are,” she said, opening a door and inviting Derek and me to go inside. “This will be your room and I hope you’ll be comfortable.”

  I gave a quick glance inside and caught sight of a large picture window with gold draperies, a hunter-green carpet, and an enormous fireplace. The four-poster bed would require a stepstool for me to reach the top of the mattress. There was an elegant loveseat and matching chair at the far end of the room near another wide window. “It’s gorgeous.”

  She beamed at me. “I happen to agree.” She walked a few feet farther down the hall and stopped at the next door. “Here you are, Claire. Right next door.”

  “Oh, it’s lovely, Mrs. Buchanan.”

  “I’m so pleased that you’re all happy.” Mrs. Buchanan checked her wristwatch. “We serve dinner at eight. Please let me know if I can bring you anything in the meantime. Or if you’re feeling peckish, feel free to come down to the kitchen and forage on your own. We’re quite informal here. And if you decide to go out for a meal, I would appreciate your letting me know.”

  “Of course,” I said.

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out two keys, each attached to different-colored ribbons. “These are your room keys. We rarely lock our rooms but since you’re traveling, you might feel more comfortable locking your door.”

  We took hold of our keys and then she said, “When you next come downstairs, I’ll introduce you to the staff.”

  “Wonderful,” I said. It would be good to get to know the people who worked here on a regular basis.

  As we were standing there, a black-and-white cat rushed down the hall and streaked into Claire’s room.

  “Oh, that blasted cat!” Mrs. Buchanan cried. “I was hoping he would stay downstairs.”

  “It’s quite all right, Mrs. B,” Claire said. “When he’s ready to leave, I’ll push him out the door.”

  “I thank you. And if you’ve a liking for the fiendish creature, you’re free to keep him with you. He’s actually a loving boy when he’s not being the devil himself.”

  “I have a cat of my own at home,” Claire said. “I would enjoy the company of this one. What’s his name?”

  “Robbie,” she said, pronouncing it Rabbie.

  “For Robert Burns?” I asked.

  “Aye. You know our people’s poet, then?”

  I grinned. “I’m familiar with the man.” And with his rabid followers, too, I thought. I had once been waylaid by a carful of Robert Burns Society members in Edinburgh. I would never forget their deep-seated devotion to their leader.

  “There is just one more thing I should explain,” Mrs. B said as her smile faded. “As Laird MacKinnon may be arriving later tonight, I would ask that you not wander into the north wing of the castle. That is where he resides and he doesn’t appreciate uninvited guests.”

  “Perfectly reasonable,” Derek said, which brought a smile back to her face.

  We all thanked her for the hundredth time, then watched her dash off down the hall.

  “We’re going to unpack a few things,” I said to Claire, “but feel free to come in and talk once you’re settled.”

  “Aye, we should talk,” she said. “We need a plan.”

  Derek said, “We do indeed.”

  “We’ll leave the door unlocked,” I said, “so just knock and come on in when you’re ready.”

  “All right. Thanks.”

  We walked into our room and I was happy to see that the space was clean and bright. Not a cobweb or dirty window in sight. Even though Mrs. Buchanan had told us these rooms had been renovated, I had still worried. But this beautiful room was beyond my expectations. There was even a bookcase filled with enticing books. I promised myself some time to peruse the contents at some point in our visit.

  After unpacking a few essentials and setting out my toiletries in the lovely, large bathroom, I walked out to talk to Derek and was surprised when he pulled me up close to whisper, “Claire needs to ask Mrs. Buchanan where the laird has been.”

  “Yes, all right. Let me tell her.”

  He pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling that I shouldn’t speak. Did he think the room was bugged? It was possible.

  As if to answer my silent question, Derek picked up my cell phone and turned it off. He did the same with his, then took a small piece of equipment from his pocket. He turned it on and walked slowly around the room, holding the device in front of him and moving it across the books in the bookcase. He walked over to the luggage stand that held my suitcase, then on to the nightstands on either side of our bed.

  I trailed a few feet behind him, thoroughly intrigued by the process.

  After a few moments, Derek moved over to the bathroom, where he scanned the towels on the rack and the jar of potpourri on the counter.

  Finally he switched off the detector. “I didn’t pick up anything.”

  “How does that work?” I asked, fascinated by the little gadget.

  “I first had to turn off our cell phones because they emit frequencies that may interfere with the detector.”

  “Okay.”

  “If a bug has been planted in the room, it transmits a radio frequency signal to a receiving device. This detector will scan for all signals in the RF spectrum. And if it finds one, it will emit a beeping sound. Much like a Geiger counter does when it detects radiation.”

  “Cool.”

  “We’re safe here for now,” he said. “We should ask Claire to join us.”

  “I’ll get her.” I opened the door and walked into the hall. I was about to knock on Claire’s door when another door opened at the end of the hall and a man stepped into view. He was tall and blond and very handsome, if you liked the tall, blond, handsome type. And what woman didn’t?

  He had sculpted cheekbones and clear blue eyes and hair that was a touch too long and curled just slightly. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the guy was adorable.

  “Hello,” he said. “I didn’t realize anyone was up here.”

  “We just arrived,” I said. “Are you staying here also?”

  Claire leaned out of her doorway to see who was talking. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Allen?”

  “Claire?” He was obviously taken aback, but quickly recovered and grinned. “What an excellent surprise.”

  She looked puzzled. “I didn’t realize you were living here.”

  “I’m not,” he said. “I’m only up here because the downstairs maid suggested I might find my hammer in one of these rooms. She thought Trevor or Billy had used it to hang some pictures.”

  “Did you find it?”

  He held out his empty hands and grinned again. “No. I suppose it’ll show up somewhere.”

  He was staring at Claire with real interest, enough to cause my matchmaker antennae to stand up and cheer. Which was weird, because I’d never had any matchmaker antennae before.

  Derek walked out just then and gazed at Allen with curiosity. “Hello,” he said with a smile.

  Allen took a subtle step back, having clearly recognized the alpha dog.

  Claire looked at me and Derek. “Allen is the estate manager for Castle MacKinnon.”

  I perked up. “That must be an interesting job.”

  “It’s all I’ve ever done,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “All I’ve ever known, really. My father had the job before me, working with the old laird.”

  “Allen Brodie,” Claire said. “These are friends of mine from San Francisco. Brooklyn Wainwright and Commander Stone.”

  We shook hands all around and he said, “Good to meet you.”

  “You, too,” I said.

  He glanced from Claire to me and Derek. “Are you all staying here?”

  “Yes.” Claire shrugged. “All the B and B’s are filled up because of the boat festival so Mrs. Buchanan was kind enough to let us stay here.”

  His smile faded. “Aye, it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to be staying at your aunt’s.”

  “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “Has there been any word yet, then?”

  “Not yet.” She quickly brushed aside the distress and said, “Well, we’re going to get settled now, so perhaps we’ll see you around town.”

  “Around town or around the castle,” he said easily. “Say, if you’ve no plans, I’ll be going to the pub tonight and I’d be happy to show you the way through the woods.”

  Claire glanced at me. “The pub is a good place to meet some of the local townspeople.”

  “We’d love to go with you,” I said, after a quick look at Derek. “Thanks.”

  “Good.” He gave us a nod and began walking toward the staircase. “I’ll collect you in the foyer at seven.”

  “We’ll need to let Mrs. B know that we’re going out to dinner,” Claire said.