"And what?" Revealing myself, I stomped over to his cell, fists balled, my veins boiling. "I'm no' a murderer, Zachary, I didnae dae it, son. Liar!"

Angus looked deathly pale. "Son, it's… it's no' whit ye think."

"Shut up! You used me in court, then you prodded and pushed me, baiting me to go after the creature just so I could solidify your alibi… your lie. Well it's over. I've testified, now I'm going home, and you and the merry widow here can rot in hell for all I care."

"Zack, wait! Dinnae leave, son, ye cannae go now!"

Ignoring the pain in my foot, I hurried down the corridor and back up the stairwell, covering my ears against his rants and wails.

In the summer of 1986 we ran sonar tests in preparation for Operation Deepscan, the most extensive search of Loch Ness ever conceived. Laurence Electronics agreed to supply us with Simpson-Lowrance X-16 sonar units, selected because they'd record anything seen in the Loch's depths onto a paper chart. Each unit had a range of thirteen hundred feet and could target objects as small as twelve inches and one inch apart.

On October 9th, 1987, Operation Deepscan began - the largest sonar sweep of a freshwater body ever attempted. Over 250 news reporters and 20 television crews attended the event, more than showed up for the Gorbachev-Reagan summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, in "86. We began our search in the waters off the Clansman Hotel. Nineteen boats formed a line across the width of Loch Ness, each outfitted with an X-16 sonar unit. Following the flotilla was the New Atlantis, a faster boat fitted with a Simrad Scanning sonar, designed to home in on any identified contacts. On the first day, three strong sonar contacts were recorded between 78 meters (256 feet) and 180 meters (590 feet). The best of the three was recorded over 140 seconds at 174 meters just off Whitefield, opposite Urquhart Bay. After a thorough analysis, David Steensland of Laurence Electronics stated that the three targets were larger than a shark, but smaller than a whale.

—ADRIAN SHINE, DIRECTOR: OPERATION DEEPSCAN, ROYAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Chapter 28

Urquhart Bay

It'll be the most extensive search and capture ever undertaken, and when it's done, the monster will be locked safely in her pen."

David Caldwell stood at the podium of the outdoor sound stage, Brandy at his side, as he addressed members of the Highland Council. Upward of a thousand locals and tourists listened, along with scores of reporters, news personalities, and their camera crews.

"Would you break down this plan for us, Dr. Caldwell?"

"That's why we're here. As you can see, the pontoon bridge has been completed in record time. What you can't see is below the waterline, where two-thirds of the steel fencing is now in place. The remaining third, located close to the northern shore, is purposely being left open."