Page 68 of Viking Unchained

“Shot through the head.”

“Who would do a thing like that?”

“Maybe it was just a hunter with a vision problem.”

She laughed. “You don’t really think that, do you?”

“Nope. Not when it was five cows.”

“Five? What’s going on, Dad?”

“It might be one of those animal-rights cuckoo birds, or some teenager wantin’ to show off his shootin’.”

“Maybe I should come get Mike.”

“Now, there’s no need to do that. The police have been here, and we’re keeping close tabs on the little one. Plus, he’ll be going over to the Dentons’ soon to stay there for a week.”

"If you’re sure.”

“I am. If I think he needs to go home, I won’t hesitate, little girl.”

Little girl? Thirty years old, and he still calls me little girl. “Okay, I’ll see you next week. Love you.”

“Love you, too, honey.”

No sooner did she click off than the phone rang again. She knew enough this time not to assume it was Finn. And it wasn’t. It was Kirstin. Still, she was disappointed.

“Lydia, I know where Finn is. He’s been staying with Ian and Madrene, and he’s over at the base this morning taking his PST exam.”

“So soon? I thought that wasn’t coming up for another week or two.”

“Apparently, Ian got him in sooner. Finn was anxious to take the test, and . . .” She seemed to stop herself.

“And what?”

“. . . get out of here. I’m sorry, Lydia.”

So that was that. He was trying for the teams, definitely. And what exactly did “get out of here” mean?

Her heavy heart gained a few more pounds.

“Want to go over and watch?” Visitors often went to Coronado just to see the SEAL trainees in action.

The spectators couldn’t get too close, but then they didn’t need to. Or necessarily want to. Unless they were her.

Two hours later, with a little pull from Kirstin’s brother-in-law, Commander MacLean, they were in.

Lydia was laughing at something Geek said to her out in the hall of the Special Forces Center. Lydia had her nose pressed to the window in the commander’s office, which overlooked the grinder where SEALs and potential SEALs were put through their paces.

Lydia was surprised at her lack of distress on viewing this familiar place again . . . the compound itself, with the blacktopped grinder and the O-Course, the obstacle course best known to SEALs as the Oh-my-God course. Dave used to say it looked like an adult playground, one designed by the Marquis de Sade, maybe. And he was right.

The rope-climbing wall known as the Cargo Net. The Spider Wall. The Slide for Life. Tire Sequence.

Parallel bars. The Dirty Name . . . a log-climbing torture device. The Weaver. The Tower. And, of course, the hated IBSs, or inflatable boats, small, that had to be carried everywhere. All to provide rotations during BUD/S training that would build upper-body strength, stamina, and the will to survive.

And, actually, they weren’t just for trainees. SEALs themselves had to continually maintain their physical condition by working out there alongside the swabbies. In fact, there were a half dozen SEALs there now.

“Do you see Finn?” Kirstin asked, coming into the room.