“Gotcha. I’m a little surprised that your friend hasn’t convinced you to move into town and have a normal life.”
“John understands the danger.”
“The danger of the time traveler finding you and sending you back?”
“Aye. If I were to find myself toeing that muddy line again, I would be among the fifteen hundred, sure. I fought beside the Appins, and all of them fell. I would be just another set of bones in one of the mass graves. There would have been no one to return m’ body to Balnacoorie.”
“Well, I’m glad you got out of there. I wonder, though, if you could convince him to let you stay. Maybe he doesn’t even care.”
“Aye, he does. About the time I met John, he came to Aviemore, asking about MacInnis plaid. Asking about family lines and family members who might have fought at Culloden. For years, he posted rewards for information, claimed to be writing a book about the battle. John keeps an eye out. The man gave up for a long while. But then…”
“Then?”
“Someone claimed that the Ghost of Glenmore wears the plaid he seeks.”
“Who is the Ghost of Glenmore?”
He shrugged. “I am.”
CHAPTER 19
“Don’t tell me he put out a reward for this ghost?”
“He did. We reckon it’s the same fellow. Posted two-thousand pounds and a phone number.”
“Ever think about calling it and asking him to leave you alone?”
“Calls can be traced.”
“Not necessarily.”
He fell quiet.
“We could hire some high school hacker to help us hide the call. Reroute it through other countries and stuff. Like they do in the spy movies.”
“Auch, I watched a movie once, on John’s telly.”
“One movie? That’s all?”
“He promised it was the best one.”
He couldn’t see me roll my eyes. “I can’t imagine. What was it? Star Wars? Jaws? The Hobbit?”
“Nay. It was called The Highlander, but I have read those other books. In the last house down the lane, I built a library.”
“Of course the Yeti-man would have a library. The Beast preparing for his Beauty. If you could just get her here, why would she ever want to leave?”
“I have read that one as well.” I could hear the pout in his voice.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t mocking you. I just… You know, nobody wanted the Beast to stay alone in that castle.” I bit my lips together. I wasn’t helping. But I wasn’t any good at keeping my mouth shut if something wasn’t fair. “What about changing your name? Not wearing your MacInnis plaid?”
“Wouldnae matter. The traveler saw m’ face. Not for long, but somehow he remembered it clearly enough to render an accurate portrait. John says he’s seen copies of it attached to boards and poles and things from here to Inverness. Help us identify this hero, it says.” He snorted. “He mocks me.”
“Calling you a hero?”
“Aye. A hero wouldnae have fled the battlefield and left his fellow Jacobites to die.”
“You didn’t know he would take you away from the fight?—”
