Page 2 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

“Thank you,” Gabby said. “I appreciate you picking us up, and a truck is fine. Tony and I aren’t fancy, are we, Tony?” she asked.

“Nah. Point me at the bugs, bones, and remains. That’s my thing.”

Yeah, he’d heard that about the man.

“I’ve made dinner, and we’ll get to know each other before we head into the village,” he said. “Want me to carry ‘for the love of God, stop barking’ ?” he asked, grinning.

Gabby laughed.

Oh, someone had a sense of humor. That was going to make this trip fun too.

“I mean, sure. He’s harmless. Just annoying. We can shorten his name to FTLOGSB,” she teased.

He winked at her.

“I think I’ll call him Bark. People will think I’m having a stroke if I call him FTLOGSB.”

That was probably true.

Taking the dog carrier, Graham hoisted it by the strap over his shoulder. Then, he escorted them to the truck so he and Tony could load up.

As she stood there, Gabby watched. The man was a gentleman, and already, she liked him.

The bottom line was that he had kind eyes. She’d learned in life that the eyes were windows to the soul, and you could read a person by looking into them.

And she’d had her experience with evil ones.

They were unforgettable too.

As the men finished loading up the truck, they each went to a door, and hopped in.

For the ride to the castle, she was the cream in the man sandwich.

Well, her and Bark.

As they headed out, Graham talked to them about their duty there. He wanted to give them a heads-up as to what they had to do.

The ground was thawing, and Ceit’s body would be accessible. They had a warm streak, and the ice was thawing everywhere.

“We have a grave not far from the cliff,” he said, pointing up to the outcropping that dropped off on both sides.

“Callen wants her moved back into her crypt in the castle, and to have her identified. I know that’s difficult since she died before the sixteen hundreds, but he wants to make sure it’s a woman in her grave. ”

Tony was to the point.

“I can identify her, and I can give Callen confirmation. If we have her skull, and it’s in good shape, we have the ability to give the woman her face back.”

That.

Was.

Wild.

“That’s perfect. I know Callen is hoping that digging her up doesn’t disturb her ghost. She’s been quiet the last few weeks.”

What was this?

The anthropologist was amused.

In fact, Tony laughed.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts. When you’re dead, you’re dead.”

Oh, well, someone was going to have an interesting time at the castle.

That was for damn sure.

Because he’d bet a kilt on it that he wasn’t imagining things—like that falling teacup earlier.

ON.

CUE.

“While I understand what you’re saying, tell that to the shadow man who walks the courtyard by the fountain,” he said. “Or who has been making things fall off of shelves.”

Now, Gabby was all ears.

She loved a good ghost story, and unlike Tony, she believed in an afterlife. All she could hope for was that she got to experience something paranormal.

For shits and giggles.

If there wasn’t an afterlife, where else were all of his bugs going after they were evidence smoothies?

“Seriously?” Tony asked. “Are you yanking my chain?”

Graham shook his head.

“Not in the least, Doctor Magnus. The castle is haunted, and by a few spirits. When the dead aren’t at rest, it gets interesting,” he admitted.

She was curious.

How could she not be?

“What can you tell us about the ghosts?” she asked, needing more information.

Curiosity killed the hacker.

From behind the driver’s wheel, Graham was glad they were interested. This castle had a history, and it should be told.

That’s what he told Callen a few times.

Now, his hope was that these people would add to the stories that Gryphen and Ian uncovered.

That would make everyone happy—with the exception of Elizabeth Blackhawk—apparently.

Because they deserved to know, he told them all about the castle adventure the previous visitors had.

“Well, Gryphen and Ian ran into Ceit. She was the lady of the manor. There’s a book,” he said, sharing what they’d found out. “Pages were missing, and the two of them started piecing the book back together again.”

They listened.

“They found ripped out pages from Ceit to Duncan, and letters from a mystery lover to Duncan. There are still a bunch missing. Didn’t Gryphen tell you when he got back?” he asked.

They both looked over at him.

Uh-oh.

It was clear that he hadn’t heard about what happened when they returned.

Now, someone should tell him.

When Tony elbowed her, she knew he wanted her to handle it.

So, Gabby did the deed.

“When they got off of the jet after returning, Ian’s psychopath ex-lover was waiting for them. He went to shoot him, and Gryphen stood in front of him. He was shot in the back.”

He glanced over.

Wait?

What?

How did he not know about that?

Oh, that’s right.

He hadn’t reached out to Gryphen, even when the man told him to call anytime he needed him.

“Oh, no,” he said. “Is he okay? Is Ian okay?” he asked, his heart hurting for them.

Was he shocked that Gryphen protected his man at all costs?

No.

Was he horrified at what happened to Ian and what he was living through?

Yes.

She continued.

“He lived and was in a coma for a few days. It was touch-and-go for a while, but he woke up, and seems to be okay.”

He relaxed.

Marginally.

“Now, he’s at The Fort, the Blackhawk house, recouping. It was scary for the first few days. While he was unconscious, Ian was beside himself.”

Tony agreed.

“He’s getting better every day.”

Graham sighed in relief.

“He’s a good man, and so is Ian. I enjoyed their company a great deal. I’m sorry that I didn’t check in on him earlier. I wish I had.”

And that was the truth.

He missed them both, and felt guilty.

“I’m sorry that no one told you,” Gabby said, patting his arm reassuringly. “It’s been crazy for the Blackhawks trying to contain it. It was all over the news in the States.”

Oh, that was an understatement.

Graham was honest.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t ask about them. Callen likely assumed we weren’t close, but we were. I’ll be at their wedding, and I’m glad he survived. I’ll give him a call and see how he’s doing.”

Tony reassured him.

“Gryphen is tough,” he said. “He’ll be back on Elizabeth duty before long. You can’t keep the big man down.”

That was good to hear.

As they drove up the winding road that led to Ravensmire, they talked about the castle. It was time to clue them into the lay of the land.

Callen had said they were family, and nothing was off limits to them.

“There’s a stable with animals, and spring is here, so the snow should have passed. We’ll have fog and rain now. Walking around is a nice little adventure.”

The weather didn’t bother them. They tended to be out in the bad weather all of the time, working a scene. Well, not Gabby. She had an office.

“We’ll get the remains moved, and I’ll check them out,” he said. “Hopefully, the ghost doesn’t mind,” he added, a little sarcastically.

Oh, well, Graham had news for them.

That sarcasm would bite them in the ass. When you dismissed something, that was always a bad idea. He’d learned that as a soldier.

He continued with his tale.

It was good to have someone to talk to, even if the male doctor didn’t believe in ghosts. The female on the other hand was listening intently.

“Well, as I was saying, Lad and Lassie, Ceit was the lady of the manor, and she was married to Duncan, the Lord of the castle.”

Neither said a word, but instead let him talk.

“In the late fifteen hundreds, Duncan went off to war, and found someone else to love. When his VERY pregnant wife found out, she was not happy. She gave birth to the baby, and then…”

They waited.

He pointed.

“She jumped from that tower,” he said, when the castle came into view.

Well, holy shit.

They both stared.

“Well, I’ll be. It’s a legit castle,” Tony said. “Callen and Chris are dead men when Elizabeth sees this place,” he stated. “I thought it would be more of a smaller structure made out of stone. I didn’t expect this.”

Gabby was caught off guard.

“God,” Gabby said. “It’s beautiful.”

Graham agreed.

This castle was now going to be a thing of Scottish pride again.

“Welcome to Ravensmire,” he said, stopping at the gate to put in the code. When the wrought-iron gate swung open, they drove up the drive.

As they stared, he laid down the law.

“The castle is yours to enjoy. Chris and Callen are grateful for your help, so Elizabeth doesn’t kill them. Any room is yours, but most of the finished ones are in the same area. There’s the Master’s Suite, and there are a few guest suites.”

They didn’t care where they stayed.

This place was awesome.

“The next rule is, no photos,” he stated.

They both looked over.

“Uh, why?” Tony asked. “We take a lot of pictures with our work.”

He laughed.

“No, not those kinds of photos, Doctor Magnus. Callen doesn’t want Elizabeth getting a hold of pictures of the inside until it’s done, and so his ass gets kicked.”

They both found that amusing.

Well, that made sense.

“If I see you taking pictures of the inside of the castle, I’ve been authorized to kick your ass.”

Well, that was a hard no for Tony. The guy looked to be in good shape, and had tats. He was willing to bet he was a soldier at one time—since the Blackhawks favored them to protect their assets, and asses.

“As Chris said, ‘loose lips will sink their ships’ ,” Tony stated. “I’ll comply—this once,” he added.

Oh, there was no shock there.

Gabby was curious.

To be a Fed, you kind of had to be.

“This book…can we see it? It might help us with identifying the remains, and giving them a place to rest. Since Tony does the bone thing, I’m more the researcher. That’s my role.”

He didn’t mind helping them out.

“Gryphen and Ian placed it in the library. Help yourself, but please return it if you read it elsewhere. That’s the only historical context we have.”

She understood.

Graham continued.