Hollow Earth by John Barrowman, Carole E. Barrowman Read Free Book Online Page A

ferry ride lasted about fifteen minutes. As soon as the ship docked, the pedestrians streamed off to waiting tour buses, bike rentals or their own cars left in the car park.
    Sandie stepped off the ferry and on to the island, immediately spotting Renard’s right-hand man, Simon Butler. He was leaning against a Range Rover, reading the newspaper, looking exactly as Sandie remembered: a handsome, thirty-something ex-football player, with a dodgy knee and lots of attitude. As he spotted Sandie, he tossed the paper into the front seat and jogged to greet her.
    With the leather satchel and her messenger bag bouncing against her hips, Sandie ran to him. They met in the middle of the car park in a swinging, wild embrace. When the twins caught up, their mum and Simon were laughing and crying and making complete fools of themselves.
    ‘Matt and Em,’ said Sandie, pulling away at last, ‘this is Simon.’
    Em smiled and shook Simon’s hand. Matt nodded, keeping his hands in his pockets.
    Sandie was about to make Matt take his hands from his pockets when Simon spoke. ‘It’s lovely to see you both. I help run your grandfather’s business.’ He opened the car doors. ‘My son, Zach, lives at your grandfather’s place, too. He’ll be thrilled to have some company his own age.’
    From the ferry behind them, car horns were blaring.
    The twins looked over at the parking deck. The first two rows of vehicles were exiting the ferry, but the rest of the cars were caught behind Al Swanson’s lorry. He and a few of the ferry crew stood in front of the lorry’s cab, gazing in utter bewilderment at a jellyfish the size of a beach ball that was firmly attached to the windscreen.

TWELVE
    T he sign on the impressive wrought-iron gates read ‘The Abbey’. Simon tapped a button on the car’s dashboard, and the gate slowly swung open. As they drove through on to a narrow lane shaded by a canopy of trees, they could see the water of Largs Bay on their left, but to their right there was only a wilderness of foliage and trees. Up ahead, the edges of a brick structure were visible behind a tall, stone wall with an arched gateway. When the Range Rover drove out from the cover of the trees, even Matt gasped.
    ‘Our grandfather owns this?’ asked Em.
    Simon smiled. ‘Welcome.’
    ‘Wow,’ Matt managed. ‘It looks more like a castle than a church.’
    Simon nodded. ‘It’s built around one of the oldest fortified tower structures remaining in Scotland,’ he explained.
    The tower on the right was about fifty feet taller than the one on the left, a flagpole flying the St Andrew’s cross and another flag showing the Abbey’s crest – a majestic white stag with enormous wings. The central structure connecting the two towers was three storeys high and topped with a series of turrets that Em decided were part of the Abbey’s living space. She’d spotted the shadow of a figure darting away from one of the turret windows when they’d pulled into the courtyard. In the distance, perched on the promontory of Era Mina, was another Celtic tower that Matt thought had to be at least a hundred feet tall.
    ‘When the original parts of the Abbey were built in the thirteen hundreds,’ explained Simon, while Matt, Em and Sandie climbed out of the car, ‘the monks needed protection as much as they needed a place to worship. Auchinmurn was regularly under attack from Vikings and pirates and sometimes other Scottish nobles who wanted the island for their own, so the tower you can see was used as a lookout.’
    The twins couldn’t stop gawking at the amazing structure before them. Matt especially was fascinated with the carved detail on the tower’s cornices – gargoyles of teeth-baring, two-headed dogs.
    ‘Now, how about a quick tour of the grounds, to give your mum a chance to catch up with your grandfather?’ Simon prompted.
    ‘Sure,’ said Matt, still gazing at the building.
    ‘Yes, please,’ said Em.
    ‘He’s in the library,’ Simon