"You think Angus meant to kill Johnny C.?"

True mulled it over. "No, but I think he meant tae teach him a lesson. You an' me both ken yer faither carries a fierce temper, especially when it comes tae money. This Johnny C. wis English, an' a big-shot developer, no less, and I'll wager he didnae get that way toein' the line for the likes of us Highlanders. Angus most likely caught him tryin' tae pull a fast one an' decked him guid. I'd have done the same, 'cept no' on the cliffs off Urquhart Bay, an' sure no' in front o' witnesses."

"They're talking about the death penalty"

'Aye, but I widnae fret much aboot that. Angus is still as slippery as an Anguilla eel, an' this is still the Highlands. We tend no' tae hang one o' oor own. Anyway, enough aboot the trial. Am I right in that ye're freed for the weekend?"

"Yes. But I have to be back in Inverness Monday morning."

"Which gi'es us plenty o' time tae poison oor livers. First things first, ye'll need a bed." He reached behind his father's desk and grabbed a room key.

"True, I really didn't plan on staying, I wasn't even sure I'd find you. I left all my clothes back in Inverness."

"So ye'll borrow. Ye're stayin', an' that's a' there is tae it. Ye seem a bit stressed. First things first, we'll blow off some steam, jist like we used tae dae when we were laddies."

Before I could respond, True had me around the shoulders and was sweeping me out the door.

* * *

The ruins of Castle Urquhart stand on Strone Point, a rocky promontory set along the southern shores of Urquhart Bay, one of the deepest parts of the Loch. The castle's origins can be traced back to a Pict fort built in the fifth century, and it was there that Saint Columba, Abbot of Iona, first visited the Pictish Kingdom in A.D. 565.

Eight hundred years later, the English fortified the settlement, following Longshanks's victory over the Scots at Dunbar. William Wallace and Andrew Moray eventually attacked the castle, securing it for Scotland. Years later, another bloody siege ensued, with Longshank's invading army starving the Scot occupants into submission. The castle remained under England's control until Robert the Bruce retook it in 1306.

The Scots controlled the castle for the next four centuries, until the English used explosives to demolish most of the fortress in order to keep it out of the hands of the Jacobites.

What remains today of Urquhart Castle are the upper bailey, sections of its fortifying wall, and part of its five-storey tower house. While there are certainly more impressive structures along the Loch, none are as popular as this haunting castle ruins, surrounded on three sides by deep water known for its frequent Nessie sightings.

* * *