Page 57 of Highlander’s Sweet Poison

“Fulton never found out. I swear it. Yes, I touched Jillian, and aye, she broke my nose, but Fulton never knew. I didnae kill him. I would not. He promised to make me captain of the guard on Loch Moran when he was laird. I wanted that position more than anything. Why would I kill him?”

“Captain? Ye werenae even part of the guard.”

Alan tried to move, but the sword was still touching his neck, and he moaned. “Yer father wouldnae train me. He said that it was because of Annella, but I knew he didnae trust me. When he died, I knew that ye would never train me, but Fulton trusted me.”

So Alan wanted to go to Loch Moran. It made sense. As captain, he would have all the prestige and power, no doubt which he would abuse, and on Loch Moran, he didn’t have a wife and two children clinging to him.

It took all of Graeme’s control not to kill him right then and there. “Admit that ye started the rumor.”

“Nay, I swear that it wasnae me. I called her that to others, but I didnae start it. When Art saw my broken nose and asked me what happened, I was drunk and I told him the truth. He was the one who started the rumor.”

“Art?” Graeme frowned. “Nay, that isnae right. Art is Jillian’s friend. Why would he start the rumor?”

“Ask his parents. They know the truth. Why do ye think they want her gone? Please, Graeme. Let me up,” Alan croaked.

Turning his head, Graeme stared at the council. They’d heard every word, and Baldie had real fear in his eyes. “Call the challenge,” he ordered the council, his eyes on the old man.

“Graeme wins,” Ludo announced, but there was no cheer. Everyone was still dying to hear what Baldie had to say. At the side of the council, Nora had gone bloodless.

“Alan MacSeaver, ye are hereby banished from MacSeaver lands. Tearloch will escort ye to yer home for ye to gather yer things and then take ye to the border. To return will mean death,” Graeme snarled as he released the man and turned.

He heard the stirring in the dirt and thought Alan was just rising, but Creighton, who’d been watching on the sidelines, widened his eyes and opened his mouth.

It was all Graeme needed. Gripping his sword, he turned and rammed it into Alan’s chest as the man tried to lurch at him from behind with a blade in his hand.

No one said a word.

Pulling the sword out, he marched to Baldie and Nora. “What did he mean?”

Baldie opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His wife drew herself to her fullest height. “The ravings of a lunatic. Ye cannae believe what he has to say.”

“Ye are lying. Tell me the truth!”

The old man sagged his shoulders and hung his head in shame. “Art has been obsessed with Jillian from the moment he laid eyes on her. We had meant for him to be a great warrior, but all he would do was paint pictures of her and praise her. He grew obsessive in his urges.”

“Baldie,” Nora hissed.

“We found him with a girl who looked like Jillian. Sara. He’d attacked and killed her. We got rid of her body and told everyone she’d ran off to marry a Sinclair.” Baldie was sobbing now. “We knew that we had to get rid of her before he hurt another. Fulton was drunk when he went out hunting...”

“And ye murdered him.” Graeme’s chest was tight. “But ye demanded her return. She was gone, at the loch. Why?”

“Art was planning on leaving to find her. We feared what would happen, and I thought if she returned and were executed for Fulton’s murder, or at least imprisoned, we might finally get some peace,” Baldie confessed.

“Robbie!” Graeme roared. “Take these two to the dungeons.”

“Aye, sir.”

The council looked on, mortified, as Baldie and his wife were put into chains. Nora was still rabid. “My son. What are ye going to do to him? He is a good lad!”

“He is a killer just like the two of ye, so he will face the same consequences,” he said coldly. “And if ye think he is a good lad, ye are delusional.”

“We did everything to protect her,” Nora screeched. “Ye cannae do this!”

“Ye protected yer reputation and his by shredding hers. One more word out of ye, and I will run ye through right now!”

The woman quieted down, and Graeme looked at his guards. Tearloch had Alan and Robbie and Duffie had Baldie and Nora.

“Creighton,” Graeme asked heavily, “care to join me as I clean up this mess?”