Vostok by Steve Alten Read Free Book Online Page A

snorted a laugh. “Lass, who do ye think yer dealing wit’? A Highland pig farmer? The plane fare to Antarctica for you and the other eggheads alone costs more than five thou. No, ye’ll pay me that sum tonight jist for acceptin’ the job. Then you’ll pay me another fifty thousand when he signs. That fee will be wired intae my bank account before Zachary leaves Inverness.”
    “Out of the question. I can go as high as ten, provided the contract is signed within the next twenty-four hours.”
    “Tells ye whit, I’ll accept five tonight and twenty when the signed contract is faxed. Go on and discuss it at the bar with yer friends, but be quick; there’s been another kill and I’m needed—
ach
, there I go, blabbin’ again like a schoolgirl. Dinnae listen tae me, lass, it’s those three haufs of whiskey talkin’.”
    “Has there been… a murder?”
    “Shh!” Angus grabbed her by the arm while his eyes took inventory of the room. “Can I trust ye with a secret, lassy?”
    “Of course.”
    He leaned in close enough for Liao to catch the scent of booze on his breath. “We have another creature loose in Loch Ness—a big one. Killed three deer in the past two weeks. Last night an elk. She dinnae come ashore like her mama; she’s water-bound. Feeds on ’em as they cross the loch at night, and we collect the remains in the morning.”
    Liao’s eyes lit up as she swallowed the bait. “You said like her
mother
? Are you saying the Loch Ness Monster gave birth to an offspring before your son—”
    “Aye, but let’s be clear; it’s not the same species. Nessie must’ve bred with somethin’ else. Dinnae ask me whit.”
    “But how do you know this?”
    “Bite radius on the dead deer, an occasional sighting… Plus there’s the tooth.”
    “You found a tooth?”
    “Not me. Back in February a coupla’ college students from the States were taking photos by boat along a stretch known tae us locals as the Kill Zone. They saw the half-eaten remains of a deer and went ashore. One of the American lads spotted something protruding from the dead deer’s rib cage. Bloody thing turned oot tae be a tooth—four inches long and barbed. Fortunately, the water bailiff took it from them, or we’d have been invaded by scientists and Nessie hunters. I thought word had leaked when yer team showed up unannounced.”
    “And have you seen the tooth?”
    “Aye. And missin’ one dinnae stop it from killing tha’ elk last night. Sheriff called me not ten minutes before ye arrived. The remains washed ashore in Invermoriston, jist down the road. Wannae take a peek wit’ me before they dispose of the evidence?”

    It was half past six at night. While my father was enticing Dr. Liao and her entourage into his web of deceit, Brandy, Willy, and I were getting ready to eat dinner in our humble resort abode.
    Suites 300 and 302 were connecting rooms that provided us with the living space of a three-bedroom apartment. There was a kitchen and double balcony overlooking Loch Ness, and a living room filled with baby toys.
    I was feeding Willy in his highchair, and Brandy was reheating day-old Scotch pie when my cell phone rang. It was a California area code.
    Jonas Taylor…
    “Jonas, I was waiting until later to call you. I really appreciate Masao’s offer, but I’ve decided to accept a faculty position at Cambridge.”
    “I understand. The money was dogshit. Unfortunately times have been tough. We may end up selling the facility to a developer who wants to build waterfront condos.”
    “J.T., while I have your ear, have you ever heard of a submersible diver by the name of Ben Hintzmann? He says he trained under Graham Hawkes.”
    “It’s possible. I don’t get up to Hawkes’s facility much these days; we’ve become competitors. My son, David, and I have been designing a new submersible we call the Manta. If things work out, I hope to sell them as the ultimate rich man’s toy.”
    A knock on our other front door hastened