Over the Highland Mountains

Chapter 12 • Thief

"What's the matter? Where is Keir going?"

"Ivor."

"Aye, I'll get him," Ivor answered and hurried back the way they came.

Alasdair really appreciated how his men just knew what his orders would be.

"Where is Ivor going?"

"Oh, do no' worry, Lily, they'll return in just a moment," Fergus started, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder followed by a look of confusion as he continued, "Although, I thought ye only had eyes fer me and Alasdair. Looks like we may have some more competi- ow!"

Alasdair smacked Fergus on the back of the head and all but snatched Lily out of his grasp while scowling at his third. He turned back to his wife who was looking up at him with those stunning Forget-Me-Not eyes filled with expectation.

"Keir has gone ahead to get directions to the outsider's lodgings."

"Why? Are we going to talk to him?"

"Mackenzie does no' take kindly to outsiders very often -"

"But I'm an outsider and I was received very kindly," Lily pointed out.

"Aye, but ye're my wife, no' someone hiding in the bushes amongst livestock."

"I see yer point," Lily relented with a nod, "But is dealing with Hugh more urgent than the discrepancies in the ledgers?"

"We think they may be one and the same," Alasdair answered, his face darkening as he looked up to see what was holding Keir up, "The discrepancies were a result o' someone stealing coin and altering the records."

He vaguely heard Lily inhale to speak again, but just then Keir stepped out of the communal hut and beckoned them over.

"Come on." Alasdair took hold of Lily's upper arm and they walked quickly to catch up with Keir who didn't wait for them before following the directions he had received.

"Are we no' going to wait fer Ivor to return?"

"He'll catch up," Fergus reassured her, for once not hiding a double meaning in his words.

It was not a far walk to Hugh's shelter, but Lily's breath was becoming more laboured as she had to take twice as many steps as the men with her short legs. They would have overlooked the campsite if Keir hadn't noticed a tree with abrasions on it, indicating some rope had been tied to it. On the ground beneath, some grass was gathered to make a bed and there was a pile of ashes lighty smoking but no longer burning.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Keir surveyed the area, looking here and there, bending down and standing up. Alasdair could only take a guess at half the things Keir's alert eyes noticed. He bent down to the ashes, letting his hand hover over the top before nudging it with his finger and rubbing a sample between his thumb and forefinger. "He just put this out," Keir reported, "No more than half an hour ago. He left in a hurry, gathered his belongings, and headed north-east."

"He must have seen us coming..."

Keir handed Alasdair a gold coin and his sharp brown eyes told him everything he needed to know: Hugh was the man they were after.

"The thief!" Fergus spat under his breath and kicked a small stone in anger.

"You got all that from his campsite?" Lily sounded impressed and sceptical at the same time to which Keir only shrugged dismissively.

"Keir is the best tracker in Scotland, I wouldn't be surprised if he could tell us how long the man had slept fer or what he ate fer dinner last night," Alasdair praised him with an acknowledging nod and noticed a slight pink tinge coming over Keir's cheeks.