Unlike the fencing near the farmhouse, the wood and wire along the Loch side was brand-new and far sturdier, its gate heavily chained. More curious were coils of barbed wire set along the outside of the fence, creating a barrier that separated the grazing area from the Loch's fifteen-foot drop-off.

But the mental alarm bells truly sounded when I spotted the aluminum shed housing a portable generator and the half dozen bundles of wire that fed into Loch Ness!

Desiring a better vantage, I scaled the bolted fence, then maneuvered down a tight, twisting foot path bordered by barbed wire which led to the boating dock. Walking out on the pier, I lay down on my belly and scanned the water's edge.

There were eight underwater floodlights, set in pairs and all facing out toward the Loch.

Now I knew why the sheep were huddled away from the water— they were afraid! Calum was afraid, too, but he'd chosen to adopt new defenses rather than expose the creature to the rest of the world.

Why?

Wind whipped at my face, the once-clear sky growing overcast and gray. Feeling more than a bit uneasy on the dock, I walked back to the gate, scaled it, then returned to my motorcycle just as it began to rain. The barn door was unlocked, so I pushed the Harley inside, then lay back against a bale of hay while I awaited the return of Calum Forrest.

Aboard the Nessie III
Urquhart Bay
9:45 P.M.

Wind whipped across Loch Ness, rattling the pilothouse windshield while churning the dark surface into three-foot swells.

Brandy Townson stood steady at the wheel, her mind preoccupied with keeping the Nessie III clear of Urquhart Bay's unforgiving shoreline.

Michael Newman sat behind her at the sonar array, his head in his hands, his stomach queasy from the constant rocking. Being stuck inside the pilothouse was only compounding the engineer's seasickness, and he desperately needed to get off the water and back into his dry, warm hotel room.

"I can't take this anymore, I'm going to be sick!"

"No' in here," Brandy yelled. "Use the head."

Hand over mouth, Newman took off down the steps, barely making it to the bathroom in time.

David emerged from below, not bothered by the motion. Slipping behind Brandy, he nuzzled her neck.

"David, stop. That tickles."

"David stop, David stop. That's all I've been hearing from you over the last week. What's the problem?"

"If ye don't mind, I'm tryin' tae keep us off the rocks."

"You know what I mean. That first night in the bar, you were all over me. Now you act like I have a disease."

"I'm just feelin' a wee bit vulnerable. I'm comin' out o' a bad marriage, ye know."

"That's not it. If you remember, you came onto me, obviously so I'd choose your boat to lead this hunt. You used me."