Chapter 2. Investigations begin
Detective inspector Lesley Watts could hardly believe the information coming
through tī her office in Inverness. "It's got to be a hoax!" she muttered to
herself but the remark was picked up by Nicola Wight, her assistant.
Nicola turned at peered at the screen with her. "Student rag?"
"No Nic, universities finished a month ago but it could be some elaborate hoax.
Maybe one of the boys in the control room having us on. It's just too sci-fi to
be true." Lesley almost dismissed the item.
Ten minutes later while they were still watching and commenting on the reports,
the internal phone rang. "The assistant commissioner would like to see you and
Nicola in his office straight away ma'am." Lesley recognised the dulcet tones of
the A.C.'s personal secretary.
"You've seen the reports?" Charles Kingston asked abruptly.
"They are true then?" Lesley asked.
"Unfortunately it seems so. Yes, I know it doesn't seem possible but the local
boys all confirm it happened. Many witnesses. Worse, it seems the women who were
taken are all wealthy or are the wives or daughters of wealthy or influential
people. One is the daughter of an M.P. another's father is a diplomat so this is
going to be a very high profile case. Press are already arriving but we have the
scene cordoned. Because it was only women that have been abducted I thought it
would be better to send women detectives. Get yourselves down there fast and
sort it. See if you can communicate with them. Keep me informed of any ransom
demands." As was his way, The A.C. gave instructions in an abrupt manner but his
tone was kindly.
Even with a flashing blue light on top of the car, it took Nicola well over an
hour to arrive at the health farm. It seemed appropriate that the first part of
the journey was down the Great Glen alongside Loch Ness. "Perhaps Nessie spawned
young with wings, Les," laughed Nicola as Lesley tried to make some sense of the
information coming in on her laptop. They left the main road and went along Glen
Invermoriston before again turning off into the Ceannacroc Forest where the
health farm was situated.
"Certainly looks like a place where you can get away from civilisation,"
remarked Lesley, "People must have a job finding it. Wonder how the kidnappers
knew it was here?"
Local uniform police were on site and had begun to take statements from the
witnesses. However, as these in the main were other members of the group, they
were very shaken and shocked to think their companions, even though they had
only known them a few days, had been kidnapped but for some reason they had been
left. While details of the creatures varied a little, all statements agreed they
were large and had huge wings and had lifted the girls into the air. Lesley and
Nicola quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn't just money the creatures
were after. The three wealthiest women were left behind.
An elderly rather portly woman brought them mugs of tea. "Thanks," Nicola said,
"Did you see the incident?"
"Oh, yes dearies, I was almost as close to them as I am to you." Linda Jones had
come up from East London to work as a maid on the health farm mainly as a
respite from the aftermath of a messy divorce. Her open friendly manner,
prompted the girls to question her further.
"What happened?" Lesley asked.
"Well, I was sent out to give Mrs. Jackson a message. All the group were out in
their leotards and whatnot prancing about in front of the one they called the
'fit bitch' I think her name was Margot something or other. No one liked her
much. She showed off and her tongue gave them hell if they didn't try to do what
she was doing. And of course some of those old dears didn't have a hope in hell
of doing it, now did they. Think she just liked watching the younger ones move
their legs and wobble their boobies. She could be a les if yer ask me."
"Well what happened?"
"As I was saying." Linda refused to hurry with her account. "The whole group,
all twenty-four of them, were on the lawn as the sun was warm and the grass was
dry. There they was, swinging their arms and bobbing up and down with the fit
bitch in front cocking her legs higher than everyone else when suddenly there
was this whooshing sound and these enormous creatures came out of the sky. One
looked at me. Very piercing eyes he had but he turned away and picked one of the
younger girls. By then there was much screaming and some of the girls were being
held from behind and the creatures had taken them into the air."
"What did these creatures look like?"
"Well they was huge! Ten foot high with black eagle wings but bigger. And they
had horse's feet and a long tail but the top part was like a man but bigger and
hairier. I got a good look at 'em."
"Did they wear clothes?"
"Naw, me dears, they were stark bollock naked, if you'll pardon the expression.
They had big ole cocks that hung down all exposed. More the size of horse cocks
but not in a sheathy thing."
"Did they try and rape the girls?"
"Nope, just carried them up and into one of the fluffy clouds but there wasn't
that a many clouds this morning and those that were about hung around the
mountains and I cud see them a good bit of the time until they went over them.
They kept together all except one, 'ee picked up Naomi, she's a real big gal.
Six foot tall and big with it. Quite a nice gal. Quiet like. Seemed bored with
everything though. He, the birdman, seemed to have problems with her and went to
the top of the mountain over there. I cud just see them. He seemed to put her
down and then a bit later she was on his back and flying away. They was a bit
hidden when they was on the ground so I couldn't see if he did anything to 'er."
"Which way did they go?"
"As far as I cud tell they went that away." Linda held her arm out to indicate a
westerly direction.
"How did they select the girls?" It was Nicola's turn to ask questions.
"Seemed to me they had already done what selecting there was. Each went more or
less for a certain girl. There wuz no fighting over two wanting the same one."
"How often did the girls exercise on the lawn and not in the gym?"
"Not that oft'n. Only when it was warm and the grass was dry. They've been out
there the last three days though on account of this fine spell of weather."
"I don't suppose you've seen any of these creatures flying around before today?"
"Naw, luv'ee no. Had us seen one we'd kept ourselves inside."
"So the just appeared out of nowhere, then in seconds they were flying off with
twelve youngish girls. They left the older, less attractive ones behind."
"Well yes, sorta. They took the generally younger ones but not all were
especially attractive. Some of the mid life ones they left would probably be
more attractive to most men."
"So you're saying it was more age than beauty they went for?"
"I guess so although that isn't quite true either. A couple that were left are
younger than two who were taken but perhaps they don't look it. Dare say they
didn't check on birth sustificates first!" Linda laughed at her own joke.
Lesley and Nicola stayed with Linda a little longer until they finished their
tea but didn't learn anything more of significance. They went to the main office
and got a list of all those abducted and went through their files. All had
access to a fair amount of money except for one who had won the week in a
newspaper sponsered prize draw. Many of those left were seemingly far richer.
Again it looked as if ransom money was not the object. Sex was a possibility but
there were anomalies there too. Not all the girls were particularly attractive,
at least to humans. Maybe the birdmen had a different outlook on women.
They sent a couple of constables to the top of the mountain and they reported
seeing both shoe and hoof prints in the mud but otherwise found nothing. Lesley
asked her office to check with coastguards and radar stations to see if there
were any sightings but initially there were no reported sightings.
By now the media were on to the story and it was the main item on the six
o'clock TV news. Charles Kingston himself appeared and appealed for sightings.
Several viewers rang the hotline but their sightings were probably eagles. It
was 7 p.m. before the first positive sighting. The skipper of the "Mary McLeod"
had spent the night fishing in the Minches and was heading for Loch Torridon
when both he and his crew saw what they first thought was a flight of eagles.
Never having seen eagles fly in formation they studied them through binoculars
and saw they were indeed the birdmen and were each carrying a girl. "There was
the main flight of eleven we counted and about 10 minutes after there was a
straggler," the skipper told the hotline. Thinking perhaps everyone would just
put this sighting down to over generous doses of whiskey, they said nothing
until they saw the news report. The skippers story was confirmed by the three
members of his crew. All suggested the creatures might have been heading for the
northern end of Skye.
Kingston ordered Lesley and Nicola drive to Skye and see if there were other
sightings. By the time they had crossed the ferry and driven to Uig, it was dark
and while it was the main topic of conversation in the hotel bar, nothing
further was learned. The only room available had a double bed but the pair were
too tired to worry. The hotel was able to provide them with washing gear and
toothbrushes but not night clothes. They showered and went to bed naked. Tired
as they were, sleep would not come. The days events kept their minds awake and
each time their bodies touched a spark seemed to jump between them. They lay and
chatted until near midnight, Nicola boldly put her arms around her boss and gave
her a hug. When this wasn't repelled she kissed her. Thereafter they lay wrapped
closely together. Both would have liked to have gone further but knew their
future working relationship might be impaired if they did.
6 a.m. the phone rings. It was Kingston. Another confirmed sighting. This one by
a radar station on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. They had picked up what they
thought was a small aircraft flying between North Uist and Harris, a little to
the north of the station. They had tried to make radio contact on a number of
frequencies but all had failed. What they found most odd was the flying speed
was only about 60 to 80 miles per hour. There was little wind so they couldn't
make out what would be travelling that slow. They logged it as a UFO.
7 a.m. Call from Mark in the office to say a further sighting had been reported
this time from a yacht sailing outside the Monarch Islands. Early yesterday the
creatures were seen by the skipper and crew of the yacht. They were still
heading west, possibly towards St. Kilda. The yacht had only just arrived at
Tarbert and heard the news. "If they don't land on St. Kilda or one of the other
rocks nearby," Mark went on, "The next stop in that direction is Labrador and
even if the creatures can fly that far, I can't see the girls surviving
especially as they are wearing next to nothing."
"What do we know about St. Kilda, Mark?"
"Small group of islands with very steep cliffs. Main island is Hirta with a
seasonal warden and small camp site and partly restored village Rest
uninhabited. During the cold war the rock stacks were used as a target for
rockets fired from a base in the Hebrides. Discontinued in the late eighties.
Now a wild life reserve managed by National Trust for Scotland and very few
passes are issued by the NTS to allow access. Boat access can be difficult. On
calm days landing is at the village. Same with getting back off. Other islands
are not much more than stacks of rock and only climbers can get to them at the
best of times."
"Could be accessed by flight though?"
"Yes, but where would they live? Only buildings as far as we know at the moment
are on Hirta. Am checking with the Ministry of Defense but they are being
difficult as usual."
"Any naval vessels in the area?"
"Nope. Nearest is up around Iceland somewhere."
"Can we get the Air boys to do a recce?"
"Kingston's working on it. We are keeping this latest information to ourselves.
Only letting the press know we are looking on Skye. We don't want the press
hoards on our backs as well as irate fathers and husbands."
Lesley put the phone down. "Looks as if they could be on some rocks out in the
Atlantic Nic. God knows how we will get there."
"I think they used to do boat trips from Oban around there but it was an all day
trip and only in good weather."
Lesley groaned, "We'll head back towards Oban then but let's hope they can
organise a chopper for us."
