Chapter Eleven

Campbell hadn't lied.

It was a head. Just a head.

It was discovered by a worker when he came to clean out the bin.

When Carly and Luke arrived, the scene was already chaotic. Police and the forensic crew were trying to work, seeking to find any evidence. The medical examiner was arranging to have the head—and the bin—returned to the station so authorities could find whatever they possibly could.

She'd been quickly and easily identified because her work badge was in the bin as well.

"I believe the badge was tossed in the bin on purpose," Campbell said. "Whoever did this wants the world to know who she was...whose head was in the trash."

Gloved members of the forensic team were ready to take the bin with the medical examiner's approval when Campbell asked them to hold for just a minute.

Carly wasn't sure she wanted to see the head in the bin, but she followed Luke. They went and observed what they could.

The bin was shaded by a tree and sat off one of the streets that offered many businesses—including restaurants and pubs. It had probably been placed to accommodate those who left such an establishment and realized they were carrying trash, perhaps a plastic cup or other, chewing gum...any such little bits of trash.

The head was perched atop a pile of old newspapers, cups and ripped-up receipts. It leaned back against the rubble.

The eyes were open.

Staring.

"And...no body to be found anywhere?" Carly asked.

"Not as yet," Campbell told her. "And..."

"What, sir?" she asked.

He shook his head. "This is different. Perhaps we're even looking at something else entirely. She wouldn't be the right victim for our Burke and Hare murderers. She was well over fifty, and all of their victims have been more than a decade younger and in great physical condition."

"Sir, I think it's too convenient she was someone we were about to investigate, and she wound up being killed," Luke said. "But..."

"You think she was involved, and the killers got nervous?" Campbell asked.

"That is, of course, possible. But from what we've heard, she was a tyrant, but a good nurse. I'm thinking maybe she discovered something about someone, and that's why she had to be silenced."

"Well..." Campbell breathed, exhaling.

MacDuff had been overseeing an examination of the area near the bin. He walked over to join them. "Like usual, we're not finding anything. Of course, there are no witnesses. Whoever did this must have come through here right around three thirty in the morning. At that time, there are no tours at the kirkyard, bars and pubs are long closed, and early morning crews of any kind have yet to get started."

"But there are patrols in the area—" Carly began.

"Carly!" MacDuff said, dismayed. "Every twenty minutes someone is through here. But whoever did this watched and waited and...in all the UK, I don't think we could patrol every square inch of the city at every moment!"

"Of course not, sir, I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "It's just—"

"Frustrating as all damned bloody hell?" Campbell queried.

She nodded and looked at Luke. "We need to get on the other name Forbes and Douglas gave us this morning. Sir—"

Campbell gave her a nod. "He's being researched as we speak."

"Have we gotten anything else on the distilleries or the islands?" Luke asked.

"We have some reports. They're being sent to you," MacDuff said. "Jordan and Daniel are back at the house studying what we do have."

"All right. I believe Carly and I should join them. And have we anything new on the financial reports on the Connoly couple? Anything that will help if we stop by to see them?" Luke asked.

"They're still investigating online," Campbell said. "Hopefully, we'll have something by this evening."

"We should find out if they have had any interactions with..." Carly began. She almost said Nurse Ratched.

Under the circumstances, it seemed proper to be more respectful.

"Nurse Dorothy Norman," she finished.

"We can add that to our investigations," Campbell said.

"Maybe we should grab a quick bite or have some food ordered and delivered to the house," Luke mused.

Carly stared at him.

He smiled. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly. "We just stared at a human head with...tendons or sinew or whatever. But—"

"Let's get out of here," she murmured. "Maybe my appetite will improve."

"I was hoping Keith might come and find us," he whispered back to her.

"Maybe he will. Let's start walking."

They did. Keith didn't find them, but they had barely gone the length of a football field when their phones buzzed.

They looked at each other, arching their brows, and then looked at their phones.

"Well," Luke murmured, "we don't have to worry about food or getting to the house. Daniel and Jordan should be coming along any minute because they've found something in the water just off one of the little islands, and we're heading to a boat to get out there while Campbell works on the warrant."

"And there they are. So incredibly efficient and well-timed," Carly murmured.

They hurried off the pedestrian stretch where they'd been walking to the car. Daniel was driving with Jordan in the passenger seat, and he had pulled to the side of the road. Carly and Luke hurried to the car, surprised no one had honked yet.

Maybe drivers in Edinburgh were just more courteous!

"The coast guard has been searching as directed," Daniel explained as they closed the doors and he eased back into traffic. "Apparently, they found a plastic container that was filled with blood along with several empty needle canisters and needles floating just offshore from a little place called Arthur's Isle. It's a small island and sold just three years ago to another corporation, out of Switzerland this time. It will take us about thirty minutes to reach it once we're on board. Campbell intends to have a warrant for us by the time we reach the marina. The islet is one of the small places that has gone up for sale many times through the years. Apparently, whoever named it first was fond of Arthur's Seat at Holyrood. It's mostly a hill and takes a climb up to the medieval cottage at the top. I guess for many people, the getting up and down was a bit too much and the charm of owning one's own isle wears off easily. Electricity bills have been paid by something called the Donner Association. As I said, their banking is in Switzerland. And who knows what we're going to find."

"Were they able to freeze the assets by any wild chance?" Carly asked.

He glanced at her through the rearview mirror and shook his head. "Carly, the law, remember? We don't even have a warrant yet—"

"Or we may by now," Jordan offered. "When Campbell wants something... Well, he's good at getting it quickly."

"Aye, that he is," Daniel agreed.

"It seems strange to me, though, that these objects were just out floating," Carly murmured.

"Everybody makes a mistake sometimes. And getting rid of medical waste is not easy—certainly not in the United Kingdom," Jordan said. "Of course..."

"It could have all floated in from somewhere else?" Luke asked.

"This could be an exercise in futility," Daniel said. "But..."

"It may not. We are following our leads. And while it still seems incredibly frustrating, we are moving forward. Any part of this enterprise we crack puts them off and brings us closer," Luke assured him. "And, Jordan, after last night—"

"You're talking about the fact I discharged my weapon, and the man wound up dying?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah," Luke said.

"Campbell again. I turned in my weapon and now have a new one. But you shot the fellow at the cottage by Rosslyn Chapel, the bloke who survived his surgery!"

"Campbell again, and the fact I'm part of an international agency," Luke told him.

"Good. I don't want any of us taking chances on this island. The coast guard found the items, but we're heading out with a small craft belonging to the Royal Navy. Our coast guard is usually a rescue force, and most often composed of volunteers. The Royal Navy—"

"Is what we need now, though one can hope we find someone to rescue," Carly said.

She had no idea where they were going—never during the many times she had visited had she left Edinburgh to visit any of the islands.

She could remember asking her grandmother if they could go swimming while they were visiting, and her grandmother had laughed. "Ah, dearie sweet thing, can ye imagine the cold o' the water?"

Her mother had assured her she could swim in the hotel's heated pool.

But it wouldn't have mattered if she'd thought she'd known where she was going; they pulled down a small road and she quickly realized they were headed to a private dock.

They were met by Captain Rory McDermott. He was, Carly thought, what one might call an "old sea dog." He was a big man, apparently strong, with a shaved head beneath his cap and weathered features.

"McDermott," he told them, shaking their hands. "We've received the warrant. I have four fine sailors aboard, all ready to meet whatever the occasion demands. We've been briefed on the operation. Now, of course, we may meet a lovely old couple just enjoying their later years, but..."

"Doubtful when a corporation bought the place," Luke finished. "Sir, we thank you."

"Now, Arthur's Isle, like Arthur's Seat, takes a bit of hiking—"

"And we're all fine with that," Carly assured him. "If we have the warrant..."

"Climb aboard!" McDermott told them. "We'll be heading out the Firth of Forth, Fife on the north, Lothian on the South. We will get you as swiftly to the destination as humanly possible!"

The craft Captain McDermott was navigating seemed perfect for what they needed. She believed larger navy vessels plied the North Sea, but this little craft with a decent-sized deck, helm, galley and sleeping quarters below was perfect for swiftly and easily moving across the water.

They met the sailors even as McDermott revved the motor on the craft.

They were Rodgers, Simmons and Macklemore, but to their friends, they were Duckie, Mouse and Hound-dog. As they all met and the men explained their nicknames, McDermott rolled his eyes but accepted it all with good humor.

As they started out, Daniel joined the men at the galley table, watching as Hound-dog and Duckie went after one another in a game of chess.

Jordan stood, studying a few of the maps that were available behind the helm. Luke joined him, then seeing Carly was just staring straight ahead, came over to join her.

The ride seemed fine enough through the Firth of Forth; the water began to chop and wave once they reached the North Sea.

"Not quite the Gulf, eh?" Luke teased her, watching from just behind Captain McDermott at the helm.

The boat took a serious swerve and she crashed against him.

"Ah, no, not quite the Gulf—unless a hurricane is brewing, you know," she told him.

"My king!" Duckie called out. "Hey, you didnae take me king! He's just flying about over there."

It had landed near Carly's feet. She quickly picked it up to return it.

"Thanks so much, lass. I may win this thing yet!" Duckie told her.

She grinned and left them. She balanced carefully as they caught another huge wave.

"Ah, well, the North Sea is notorious for being rough. Personally, I prefer the islands on the other side of Scotland. Sometimes, the currents bring lovely weather and water that may be the weest bit warm! But—" McDermott turned to look at them "—in truth, my friends, not a bad day. Trust me, it can be much—much—worse!"

Luckily, it didn't take long to reach the small island that seemed to stick out of the water like a large green snow cone.

There was a small weathered dock, but no boats.

"Has anyone seen any boats here recently?" Carly asked as they stepped onto the dock.

"Who knows? Fishermen come out. The islands appear to be sparse and far apart, but there are so many," Duckie said, standing by her side. "And it's not easy to find out what fishermen or pleasure cruisers might have been out at a given time. And if you did find them, they might not know what islands they saw and if there were or weren't boats at their docks."

McDermott came to stand by her, too, having seen his craft was secured.

"And," he added, "there are a few of these islands where the occupants don't own their own boats. As in much of the rest of the world, they seldom leave, so they have supplies delivered to them."

"I suppose for some that would be a great and private way to live," Carly murmured.

"Then," Hound-dog supplied, "there are some islands where two to ten families, say, may live. They keep one craft and take turns with errands, work and all."

"I think I'd like living in Edinburgh best," Carly said.

"Aye, absolutely!" Jordan agreed.

"We should start," Luke said, looking up at the foliage-laden hill before them. "I am assuming there is a path..."

"There is. We shall begin the hike," McDermott said.

He led the way.

And there was a trail. It was, to say the least, rugged, composed of dirt and rock with bits of weed protruding here and there. Carly frowned, trying to imagine someone carrying a body up the steep slope or even the equipment needed for surgery.

Luke was apparently thinking the same thing.

"There's a lift," he said.

She turned to him, frowning. "If there was a lift, I'm sure we'd be taking it," she told him.

He shook his head. "We're going to find a charming cottage with a few bedrooms, kitchen, a window with a view perhaps. And somewhere, hidden, there's going to be a lift. Look at the size of this place. The hill, I mean. And think of the centuries and the many, many things that have gone below the ground not just here, but other places."

"If there is an underground," Carly said, "there must also be an exit near the dock as well, else how would anyone get the people—and everything needed—down below?"

"Well, we'll soon see," he said.

"Now, this may be quite a goose chase!" McDermott warned as they climbed the hill and finally reached the flatland leading toward the entry to the cottage.

"It may, but..." Luke said.

"We follow every lead," Daniel said.

When they reached the door, McDermott turned to Luke, arching a brow. "Your operation, sir," he told him.

He nodded and banged on the door. "Law enforcement! Open up, please!"

They waited. There was no response.

"Shall we?" Duckie asked.

"We shall," Luke assured him.

"Wait!" Carly said. She twisted the old knob on the door.

It opened inward.

McDermott tried to hide his laughter. "Ah, well, that is the easier way! Far gentler upon the shoulders, lads!"

They entered.

Just as Luke had said, the cottage appeared to be a small and charming place with old stuffed sofas in the parlor area, no television, just tables with fiction novels and little wooden holders filled with magazines.

Small hallways went to the right and to the left while a dining table sat at the back, and Carly assumed the kitchen was just behind the wall.

"I'll go left," Jordan said.

"I will take the right," Daniel told them.

"Kitchen," Carly said and Luke nodded.

"We'll divide and follow rather than conquer," Hound-dog offered.

They split up.

The dining table, like the parlor furniture, appeared to be about fifty years old, dating back to the '70s maybe, Carly thought.

The table there was large worn mahogany. The chairs around it matched and were equally as aged.

They moved on into the kitchen.

"Furnished circa 1965, 1970?" Luke murmured.

The kitchen appliances also seemed to have been there for many years.

"I don't see any kind of a stairway leading to a basement," Carly murmured.

"I don't, either," Luke admitted. He wandered through the kitchen, opening cabinets. At first, all of them appeared to be empty.

Then he paused, murmuring, "Well, here's something. This brand of crackers hasn't been around for fifty or more years...these are new. Not in a box...just the tail end of a wrapper." He turned to look at her. "Check the refrigerator," he said.

She did so.

"Empty," she told him.

"And old. Look, under that little table. An ice chest. An ice chest and an empty refrigerator. Hey! Grab that edge."

"Edge of—?"

"The refrigerator!"

She did so. They pulled together and as the appliance was empty—and unconnected—it was easy enough to drag out.

And Luke was right.

There was a door behind the appliance, a short door—no taller than five and a half feet. But when Luke found the knob and pulled it open, they saw that it did lead to a staircase.

All they could see from where they were was darkness.

"Told you," Luke said.

"Yes, you did. Well, we still don't know—"

"Bedroom empty on my side!" Jordan shouted, coming back around.

"My side, too!" Daniel called. "I found some old clothes, dusty, not touched in years and years in the closet. Maybe this corporation—"

He reached the entry to the kitchen and stopped speaking as he stared at the pushed-aside refrigerator and the open door leading to darkness.

"Oh," he said simply.

By then McDermott, Duckie, Hound-dog and Mouse were also at the door to the kitchen, standing right behind Daniel and Jordan.

"There is something below," McDermott murmured. "Not a shock, mind ye—"

Luke pulled out his penlight. "I'll start—two should stay topside."

"The rest of us will be behind you," Jordan said.

Carly pulled out her own light.

Even she had to stoop as Luke did to begin moving down the flight of stairs.

There were at least twenty steps downward until they came to a landing. At first, it looked like little more than an empty basement with decaying stone walls.

"Door! There's a door," Carly said.

She hurried over to it, knowing Luke was right behind her along with Jordan, Daniel, McDermott and Duckie.

All had their flashlights out and glowing and their arms ready.

She took hold of the knob, drawing back as she opened it. As she did so, she stared at the faces of the men.

They all lowered their arms.

Curiously, she came around and gasped softly.

The room they had discovered was a far cry from what they had seen so far...

At first look, there was one bed, covered in a white sheet, showing a great deal of stains—bloodstains. A partition separated it from something else, and Luke walked through quickly, drawing back the canvas.

There was a second bed. This one offered a table by its side, along with a stand for IV drips. A few instruments remained on a nearby silver tray on a small table.

Each were covered in what appeared to be bloodstains as well.

"Someone has been operating here," Luke said.

"But it appears they're gone now, and that they left in a hurry," Carly said.

McDermott was looking at the discovery and cursing beneath his breath. "Bloody bastards!" he announced curtly as he walked through.

"Captain," Luke said. "We need to get a forensic team out here—"

"No one to save, so it seems," McDermott replied.

"But we need to know who was here," Luke said quietly.

"Of course, of course. And then..." He paused, puzzled. "There must be more. How were they getting people in and out? We're still, even here below, only halfway up the hill. An able-bodied man or woman can manage that kind of walk easily enough, but a prisoner...someone not able-bodied..."

"We need to find it!" Luke called. "No one touch anything in here—let's start looking. There's a door somewhere. Stairs or a lift."

"Aye, sir!" Duckie called.

Carly paused, looking around the room where they stood. She closed her eyes and opened them again.

The victim, she surmised, had lain in the first bed—the one that was stained so deeply with blood.

No one would care about that blood. It would have come from a victim already dead.

The second bed was the one that had mattered. But of course, it would have been important then that the area was sterile, that everything was pristine lest infection set in and all would have been for naught.

But...

Had those who received transplants been here while the person next to them had been asphyxiated? Burked? Were the donors killed before they ever reached this level? Or perhaps, the receivers were sedated before anything had begun?

"They only pulled out of here a day or two ago," Luke noted. "And they did so quickly. Except I don't believe they ever thought we'd find the lair here—just that we'd find an empty cottage," he murmured, looking around. "There must be more here. The recipients couldn't have been sent out into the world so quickly. There had to have been a place for recovery."

"You're right," she muttered. "And yet..."

"Their last victim wasn't discovered that long ago. They had to have taken someone out of here who was still recovering from having received a transplant. I'm wondering if that person could have survived the waters around here."

"And where did they go and how did they manage to carry a person in recovery like that without being seen by anyone?" Carly murmured.

"Waterfront house on the Firth of Forth or thereabouts," Luke murmured. "Or perhaps another island. I'm thinking this scheme has been in the works for a while. Time to form dummy corporations, time to arrange a setup like this..."

Carly frowned. "I was thinking...they might have gotten away with this much longer if they'd just tossed the bodies into the North Sea."

"There must be a strange arrogance involved. Maybe our enraged doctor who wasn't given a job. Maybe this is his way of proving he was the best, but why embrace the whole Burke and Hare thing the way that he—or they—did? Because I agree—this would have been easier for them if they'd tossed the bodies. By the time they were discovered—if they ever were—it would be truly difficult to discern just what had happened to the victims and when."

"Found it!" Daniel suddenly shouted from beyond the room.

Carly looked at Luke and they hurried out together.

At first, they didn't even see Daniel or any of the others. Then Luke's penlight showed them what appeared to be a solid wall with a break in it.

Luke pressed the wall at the breakpoint and it moved inward.

They discovered another large room, this one looking as if Mr. Clean had been through it recently. It offered just one bed with a table and a silver stand for an IV.

Daniel was there with Captain McDermott. "Sorry, the wall swung back," the bigger man murmured.

"Recovery room!" Daniel announced. "And another just behind with a few beds—not so sterile. Must be where the doctors—if they are real doctors—slept."

"What about an elevator—a lift?" Luke asked.

Another shout greeted them, sounding like it was coming from the depths of the earth.

Maybe it was.

"Come! Scoot around the right wall. There's a lift just behind it!" Jordan shouted up to them. "You have to work the ropes—I think there was maybe electricity at one time, but it's off now!"

They hurried out of the back room, following Jordan's directions.

There was a lift.

And a pulley system allowed them to take it down.

Down and down. And as they reached the bottom, they found Jordan and Duckie standing in what appeared to be a second, deeper basement.

Empty of everything.

"There's the break!" Luke said.

And he was right. Again, the wall appeared to be seamless—almost. And this time, it was a little more visible because daylight, just a sliver of it, was seeping through.

Luke stepped forward.

The hidden door swung outward as he pushed it. He held it open, showing them they were outside. The dock wasn't far from them at all, but the secret door was hidden by the branches of an overgrown fir tree and the heavy growth of bushes around it.

"This is how they managed," Daniel murmured. "Patients came in by boat—victims came in by boat. And since they seemed to know someone was onto this place..."

"They deserted it," Duckie said.

McDermott swore again, adding, "Aye, if we'd just heard something, seen something, a day or two earlier... This is horrible. Horrible. I am so sorry. We've brought you out here, and it's been a waste of your time, had we just gone in—"

"Captain!" Carly said quickly. "This hasn't been a waste of time at all. When a forensic team comes in here, they will find prints and trace evidence. We can see from what they left behind that they were in a huge hurry and that means something important can be found. We may even discover who has been involved with everything that went on here, at the least!"

"Of course, of course," McDermott murmured. "For now—"

"I'm calling Brendan Campbell, Captain," Luke told him. "He'll see to it a forensic team gets out here quickly."

He pulled out his phone and stepped aside.

That was when Carly saw the white fabric wedged beneath the bushes near the fir tree. Frowning, she headed over and moved a branch.

"Oh, my God!" she murmured.

"What is it?" Luke shouted to her instantly.

She held onto the branch but looked back at Luke and the others.

"I believe we've also discovered the rest of Nurse Dorothy Norman," she told them.