"Well now, I see ye finally admit tae bein' bitten. Thought ye looked mair focused. Danger'll dae that tae the mind. So then, how dae ye plan on findin' it?"

"First, I have to know what it is I'm looking for. Then—"

"Then ye'll need a boat, equipment too. I can get ye a' ye need."

"How?"

"Go see Theresa. She'll be in her summer hoose, in the hills above Foyers."

"And why would Johnny C.'s widow want to help me?"

"She'd be helpin' me."

"God, you're pathetic." I shook my head and left, wondering why I was wasting my time with him.

* * *

It was almost midnight by the time I tracked down Sheriff Holmstrom in his office. "Sheriff, I need your lab to perform some blood work on these animal specimens. Any word yet about the swatches I gave you earlier?"

"We're workin' on it." He looked through my backpack. "Dead birds… a squirrel? Is this really necessary? Looks tae me like ye're shootin' in the dark."

"Maybe. But we have to… " I paused, as speakers squawked to life from outside his window. "What's going on?"

"Highland Council hired an American scientist tae organize things at Loch Ness. They're bringin' him straight from the airport, press conference's scheduled tae take place on the castle lawn the moment he arrives. Leave the specimens wi' me, I'll see the crime lab gets them."

"Thanks." I shook his hand, then headed outside, curious.

A small sound stage had been set up for the cameras, with Inverness Castle lit majestically in the background. Everywhere I looked were reporters and film crews, the whole catered affair organized by the Highland Council's Division of Tourism.

A buzz rose from the crowd, which squeezed in tighter to the stage as Owen Hollifield stepped to the podium.

"Good evenin', an' welcome tae Inverness, gateway tae the Scottish Highlands. My name is Owen Hollifield an' I am Provost o' the Highland Council, the governin' body that presides over Loch Ness. Over the last forty-eight hours, the Council's been reviewin' progress in our ongoin' investigation tae resolve the mystery o' Loch Ness an' how it relates tae the tragic deaths o' several tourists. Wi' three research teams now combin' the Loch an' several dozen smaller parties staked out on land, the Council felt it imperative that we appoint an expert tae organize our search an' resolve disputes among the, uh… monster hunters, if ye will. We searched worldwide, and while there were at least a dozen candidates we considered, one name stuck out among the rest."

Hollifield paused to read from a three-by-five card. "The scientist of whom I speak has earned a reputation for organizin' research teams an' locatin' their objective. In January o' this year, his team succeeded in doin' somethin' no other research group had ever done, track down and film a giant squid."