Page 27

C rystal felt refreshed in a way that she didn't know was possible.

Being with Jamie had distracted her from thinking about what had happened to her and allowed her to release some of the stress she'd been holding on to.

She was still troubled about how she'd managed to travel through time, but being with him had soothed something deep in her soul.

She'd never felt so fulfilled after having sex as she did after being with Jamie.

She got out of bed and lit a few candles.

It was almost dusk, about an hour or so before sunset.

It seemed to Crystal like this had been the longest day ever.

She looked at Jamie and he smiled, his arms folded behind his head as he watched her.

She thought he looked more handsome than ever, and she wanted to push him back into bed and stay there forever making love and not having a care in the world.

He began to rise, putting his feet on the floor. "We should get dressed," he said.

"Do we have to? I prefer to stay in bed with you."

He chuckled. "Lass, now that we are rested," he winked, "we should go to the tavern. There might be news for me there of what they found at Cameron's place," he said.

"Oh, yes, I want to hear about that as well. And I would like to see if Melanie and Elena are there as well," she said with a smile. She began to redress and her eyes strayed over to see Jamie was pulling his tunic over his broad chest.

"You are right, I hate to see you get dressed. I think I prefer you stay naked." He gathered her in his arms and nuzzled her neck.

She laughed and gave him a light kiss. When they were both done dressing, they blew out the candles and headed into the village.

She smiled as she took in the villagers going about their routines.

Several waved to her and Jamie and they waved back.

She realized that she felt content here.

There was no sorrow over what she was missing back home.

This place actually had started to feel more like home than her apartment back in the twenty-first century ever had.

She realized she had Jamie to thank for that.

Something about being with him made her feel as though she'd finally found home.

She wondered how that was possible after one day of amazing sex, but then she realized it was more than that.

It was the way he was protective of her, the way he cared for her, even though they'd only known one another for a few days.

She laughed to herself at that thought. It had only been a handful of days.

Jamie looked at her with curiosity, but she shrugged it off.

"Let's get inside," Jamie said when they reached the tavern.

He opened the door and allowed her to enter before him, but he kept a gentle guiding hand on the small of her back, again making her feel cared for.

When Crystal walked deeper into the room, everyone turned and looked at her.

A hushed murmur passed over the crowd, and it made her feel very nervous.

Of course, everyone knew that Cameron had attacked her and that she had slashed his cheek, leading to identifying him as the most likely murder suspect.

Finally after a few moments the crowd began to talk among themselves again and turn their gazes away from her, which she was glad for.

"Crystal, I'm so glad you're okay." Melanie leaned in and hugged her.

"You are, aren't you?" Elena asked as she studied her.

"Yes, I am now. It was terrifying when it happened, but now I'm good," she said, her gaze straying to Jamie at her side.

"Come join us at our table," Elena said. She pointed at a table in the corner where her husband Brendan sat with Rory and a few other guards.

"I'll get us some drinks," Jamie murmured in Crystal's ear.

Crystal followed Melanie and Elena to their table and sat down with them. Brendan and Rory nodded a greeting.

"Aye, lass. Good work," Brendan said.

Crystal smiled. She was glad that these men acknowledged that she had played a part in solving the murders. "Thank you."

Jamie set a bottle of whisky on the table and handed Crystal a cup already filled. His own cup remained in his hand as he sat down and nodded a greeting at the others.

"Any news?" he asked.

"Yes, in fact there is. After a visit to his place and finding the dagger he used, Cameron has confessed," Brendan said.

Crystal looked at him with shock. "Confessed, just like that?"

"He only confessed to murdering poor Maeve, in a blind rage," Elena added.

"Did he give a reason?" Crystal asked, shocked that even with evidence to prove it, he'd finally confessed.

"He said he was in a rage because she'd refused him again. He said he didn't consider her marriage binding since she'd married an English bastard. He felt it was his right to show her what she was missing." Melanie's voice was filled with outrage.

"The bastard." Crystal's jaw dropped.

"Indeed," Jamie said with a shake of his head. "And what of killing his brother?"

"No, he refuses to confess to that. He is adamant that he did not kill Billy. Says he would never lay a hand on him except in a brotherly brawl here and there," Brendan replied.

"I thought you could do with a wee bit of stew," Wallace said as he approached and set steaming bowls of stew in front of Jamie and Crystal with two rolls of bread.

"Thank you, Wallace, this smells delicious." Crystal gave him a grateful smile.

After having worked up an appetite with Jamie, the aroma of the stew was making her stomach growl, but she couldn't dig in just yet when such information was being talked about.

"He's already a condemned man, it's weird that he won't confess to killing Billy when he's confessed to killing Maeve," Melanie said.

"Why do you suppose that is? He will be prosecuted for one murder so what's the point of keeping the other one secret?" Crystal asked, trying to work out Cameron's reasoning.

"Maybe it tis about honor? He does not want to admit he would do that to his own brother," Brendan suggested as he grabbed the bottle of whisky and poured himself a fresh cup.

Crystal dipped a piece of bread in the stew and ate it. As she chewed, she chewed over this new information about Cameron. It didn't make sense to her. She dug into the stew, taking a hearty bite. Then she had a thought.

"I suppose that could be it, about honor, or maybe he's telling the truth," Crystal said.

Brendan leaned in and put his elbows on the table. "Why do you think that, lass?"

"I'm saying maybe Cameron didn't kill his brother as he says. There are two killers," she said. "You found the dagger that matched the marks on Maeve, but what of the ones on Billy?"

The whole table seemed to freeze. Everyone looked at each other with shock. Jamie leaned back in his chair and nodded. "You have a point, lass."

"That could be a possibility," Melanie said.

"A very reasonable answer to why he won't confess," Elena added.

"So there is another killer on the loose? I sent half of the Watch back to the castle this morning, with Cameron," Brendan said. He slammed his cup down on the table.

"It's just a guess," Crystal said.

"Aye, tis a guess, and a good one. One we should have all considered, considering the two different weapons used. T'was sloppy of us to think we'd solved everything by arresting Cameron," Brendan said.

"So who might have killed Billy, then?" Jamie asked.

Crystal sat there thinking about both murders.

She considered everything as if she were writing this as a story.

She went over every detail in her mind as quickly as she could.

Picturing the details as they flashed through her mind.

She remembered that Cameron had found his brother's body pretty much the same way that Brian had found his wife.

The way they had both been killed was too similar and was interesting to her.

It wasn't a detail to be passed up. She recalled seeing Cameron and Billy when they first walked into the tavern.

How similar they looked to each other. It was obvious that Billy was younger, but he had the same build and look as Cameron.

Her eyes grew wide as she realized that someone could easily mistake Billy for Cameron. If that was the case then?—

"I think I've figured out part of it," she said.

"Aye, lass, what are you thinking?" Brendan asked.

"Cameron and Billy were very much alike," she said.

"Aye, as brothers often are," Jamie replied.

"Yes, but I mean they are so much alike that someone might mistake one for the other in the dark," she said.

"Aye, that tis true enough," Shaw said.

"Billy was killed with a smaller blade than Maeve was. And Brian went after Cameron with that short sword. What if he was drunk and mistook Billy for Cameron, attacked him in the dark. Courteney has said he's hardly been sober and his mind is shattered," Crystal continued to share her thoughts.

The group looked at each other again processing what Crystal said.

It began to make sense to her but she didn't know if it would make sense to everyone else, mistakes happened often and Brian had already shown that he wanted Cameron dead.

No one could blame him for that but if he killed Billy by mistake he definitely would not tell anyone.

It would weigh on his mind heavily however as distraught as he was showing to be.

"The wounds on Billy were about the size of a Bollock dagger," Jamie said.

"Aye, that tis true," Brendan said.

"So now what?" Crystal asked.

"When we are done here, we should pay a visit to Brian and look for the murder weapon," Jamie said.

"Tis best. I will go with you. We might have another arrest tonight," Brendan said.

Crystal and Jamie quickly finished their meals. A few moments later, they were on their way to Brian's place outside the village. Crystal was nervous. She didn't know if her guess was right, and if it was, would Brian go quietly? Or would he try to kill again?