“I see deer. They’re on the hill.” Sammy’s voice rose a notch, and he pointed emphatically toward a pair of red deer.

“Usually our monarch has several does with him. Is that a doe or a buck? Can you tell?”

“I see another. There it is! Look.”

“I can’t look just now. Keep your eyes on that area though, because there’s liable to be more. They usually run in a herd.”

“I see two more.” Sammy’s excitement was palpable.

“Marvelous. When we get back from our trip, remind me to tell our ghillie where to look. We haven’t had a venison stew in ages.”

A slight movement captured her eye in the rearview mirror. Something dark stirred above the dirt lane. It was too quick for a bird. She squinted as it approached. No. Surely, that wasn’t a drone.

Not waiting to find out, Elise stomped on the accelerator. “Sammy. Open my mobile. The password is s-i-s-v-i. After you do that, press your father’s picture.”

Her anxiety must have transmitted to Sammy because the lad didn’t question her but did as she told him.

“Is it dialing?” Elise asked, her eyes darting between the road and the rearview mirror.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now press the speaker icon. Do you know which one that is?” She dodged another pothole and almost hit a boulder. Spinning the wheel, she bounced the 4x4 to the far side of the track. “The speaker icon is the funny one with the curved lines going away from it.”

“I did it.”

“Good. Now hold the phone up to my mouth.”

The call rang seven times, then went to voicemail: “Benson. Leave a message. I’ll get back to you.”

“Elise here. I have Sammy. I believe Anders Gilmont is on my tail and tracking me by drone. I’m making for the Tay Forest Park in Perthshire’s Big Tree Country. I know the area and can live off the land until Gilmont is contained. Be careful. He has a network of former students, each brilliant in their field of expertise. I plan to drop Sammy off at a kirk—if I can.”

She took the mobile from Sammy and tossed it out the window. Now Gilmont couldn’t trace her. The lad’s eyes were big as saucers. Sammy wasn’t dumb, but she planned to keep his concerns to a minimum—if possible.

“Since we’re playing hide-and-seek, I need you to get on the floor.”

Sammy’s face puckered with confusion. Instead of asking a million questions, he unbuckled and did as she asked.

With one hand on the wheel, Elise tucked her hair inside her beanie and pulled her jacket hood over her head, then added sunglasses to the ensemble for good measure. If Gilmont wanted a positive ID before he chased her down, she wouldn’t make it easy.