Judge Hannam was at the meeting, having called a one-day recess of Angus's trial "to examine the validity of the defense's claims." The jury had been sequestered in a hotel, but few believed the developing events could be kept from them much longer.

The Highlands were becoming a tinderbox, and Angus and his attorney were tossing matches.

Owen James Hollifield, newly elected provost and head of the Highland Council, was a gentle man by nature, though he carried a power-lifter's physique on his squat, six-foot frame. "Chairmen an' Councillors, please… I'd like tae call this meetin' to order. We'll dispense wi' the minutes an' get right at it, if that's a' right by you."

The room quieted.

"By now, ye've a' heard the rumors, so let's see if we can dispel wi' the fantasy an' get tae the facts. Sheriff?"

Sheriff Olmstead stood and read from his notepad. "At approximately four-thirty this mornin', the remains of the deceased were found by her husband along a wooded trail located at an Invermoriston campsite. The victim wis an American woman named Tiani Brueggert, identified by a weddin' ring taken from the remains o' a digit on her severed left hand. While we've found traces o' other body parts an' a large quantity o' blood, the rest o' the victim's body remains missin'. This suggests the victim's assailant either took the body with him for disposal, or tossed it intae the Loch. As we speak, two boats are dredgin' a two-kilometer area along Loch Ness's shoreline. Technically, it is possible the woman is still alive."

"Sheriff, are you suggestin' the victim was kidnapped?"

"I'm only statin' that, at this time, we have no body, only nonvital body parts. However, an' this is only a preliminary report, medical examiners have determined that the woman's left arm wis severed by an extremely sharp serrated instrument, possibly a long blade, an' yes, possibly by an animal's bite."

The room buzzed with opinion.

"Quiet please! As our guest, Dr. Wallace, has pointed out, if it wis an animal, the bite radius wid be bigger than any species inhabitin' our glen—"

"Except for Nessie!"

Murmurs filled the chamber.

"Go on an' ask him whit it wis, Olmstead, he should know!"

"Come on, Wallace, wis it Nessie or no'?"

The provost banged a thick palm against the table for quiet. "This is a Council meetin', no' a mob scene. Sheriff Olmstead's tellin' us whit he knows, no' whit you want tae hear."

"An' what is Nessie exactly?" the sheriff threw back at them. "Last I heard, legends don't kill people. If it wis an amphibious beast, does that make it Nessie? An' since when does Nessie attack humans?"

One of the council rose, pointing at me. "Whit aboot him? He wis attacked."