Secrets Uncovered (3 page)

With care, Jeff turned the car onto the little used track that led toward Diomhair from the main road that led into the city and negotiated the ruts and dips carefully. Visitors used the other drive, which was shorted and in better condition. They had all decided it was better that way. “Let’s us know where people are,” was Jess’ comment. “After all, if we want a wee scene in the woods, we don’t want the world and their wives giving us marks for artistic merit. Well, not unless we ask them to. And nor do I want to be on the front page of the Herald as ‘lecturer caught tied up in knots’.” As Jeff knew David and Jess enjoyed playing outside, and David was very creative with a Shibari rope, he agreed with her.

Jeff put his mind back to David’s conversation. “That’s what, the third or fourth time he’s seen it, and not been able to find out what’s going on? I’m not happy. Oh, not with Lachy, though I think we need to get him more back up—Donny is a lazy bastard, he needs calling to account—but with the fact that someone is fucking around with my land. And now you’ve discovered somebody—or bodies plural—have swept out the secret passage, I’m even twitchier. Whatever people might say, Diomhair isn’t haunted—unless it’s by the ghosts of BDSM past wishing it had been here when they were—and I smell more than a rat. Someone is trying to find out exactly what goes on here, and who does it. I’m getting fucking annoyed with assholes thinking we’re all weirdoes. Shit, if anyone ever got hold of our member list, all hell would let loose. It’s dynamite.”

“Well unless I’ve lost my touch, and my computer savvy, it’s not likely,” David said. “That apart, I’m with you on every count.”

“Then do you fancy cutting over that way to see if we can see anything untoward?”

David waved his hand in assent. “Might be an idea. It won’t add many minutes on. Jess was going to exercise, and then as she’s not teaching today, we were going to check out the new spanking bench later. Maybe Kath’ll still be asleep. The longer you’re away, the more rest she’ll get.”

And maybe pigs will fly
. Jeff was under no illusion that Kath would have stopped in bed. He’d guess she’d have contacted Jess for a coffee and gossip session
.

“In our dreams. I bet the girls will be together by now.”
And that little infringement will be added to the ‘what needs punishing whenever’ list
. He’d have to get inventive. Kath enjoyed their punishment sessions rather too much for them to be considered as such. For that matter, so did he.

“Anyway, I still want to know what’s happening. Then we can work out how to stop it if necessary. Somehow I doubt it’s a group of kids on a nature ramble, or egging each other to sneak into the haunted house. My gut feeling is it’s something more sinister, and I’m determined to suss it and whoever out.”

“Yeah, kids aren’t very likely. Mind you, it’s strange about the cottage. Could it be a smokescreen d’you think? Lachy didn’t think it’d been entered,” David said. “Although he admits it’s been so long since he’s been inside it, he’d probably not know unless an intruder wrote in the dust.”

“Who knows?” Jeff said rhetorically. “It’s my fault about the entering, because I told him not to bother with it over much. He said he’d get Donny to keep an eye on it. While I remember, that’s something else to talk about when we’ve got five minutes. Donny might be Lachy’s nephew, but I’m of the mind that if he doesn’t buck up, he’s out on his ear. He might think because I’m not out there all the time, that I don’t know what’s going on, but I do. And what isn’t going on. And his lack of work comes under that heading. He’s a lazy B. Anyway, Keepers Cottage, it’s so far off the beaten track, I reckoned it was safe from intruders and teenagers wanting to play paint ball or war games. Let’s go.” Jeff swung the car off the main track to bump along one that was little more than two ruts between trees.

He did his best to forget the mental picture he had of a white and shaking Kath as he’d fumbled to undo her. Thank goodness for quick release cuffs. Jeff had never ever felt so helpless, so un-Dom like in his life as when she’d blacked out. His heartbeat hadn’t returned to normal until she’d been tucked up in bed. Now he concentrated on the rutted track. If Kath had needed him, she’d have rung.
Wouldn’t she?
He couldn’t get that little worm of worry out of his mind that told him he was missing something. However, anything threatening Diomhair needed to be halted before it grew and became a problem. If someone was messing around in the grounds, and it wasn’t related to their castle intruder, it could be anything from kids looking for somewhere to spend the night, or poachers thinking they’d bag some game and be away before anyone realized. Or something more sinister. None of those scenarios appealed to him. He sighed. David glanced across at him.

“What?”

“I’ve got that nasty skin crawling feeling that all this crap, you know, white van, no spiders, oh, and those phone calls with no one on the line and the number blocked, are all one and the same thing. And an even worse feeling that it could be something big. And then, I’m wondering who, if anyone, we can involve to help us without going to the police. That would maybe be one step too far yet. Even if you know who is a member.” Even here with David the sole person within earshot, Jeff wasn’t prepared to mention names.

The track became boggy, and the ruts deeper. Not for the first time, Jeff was thankful for his sturdy off roader. There was another track to the cottage in somewhat better condition, but it would have meant driving past the main house and across the other side of the grounds. This was easier, and less obvious.

“Look.” David pointed to where the ground was churned into a muddy mess. “That’s recent.”

“Well done, Sherlock. Now if we had plaster of Paris and a camera we could take molds and pictures and check out every white van we see.”

David laughed. “Okay, Einstein. You knew fine well what I meant. If Lachy did see a van and it was up to no good, then this is probably how it got in and out. The main track would be too noticeable.”

“Yeah, well let’s have a look.
Hold on
.” He stomped on the brakes. The car slid sideways and came to a halt less than a foot in front of a log that was blocking the track. “Well, that buggers your theory then.” He put the car into neutral and they both got out and walked to the log.

“Or not.” Jeff looked closely at the half tree trunk, which still had some of its branches and leaves attached. “This is recent. We haven’t had that much wind lately, have we?” He hunkered down and looked more closely. “Hell and damn, the blooming thing’s resting on a wee roller log so it can be shifted. Yeah, something stinks.” He pushed at the wood and, although it didn’t move easily, it moved. Together he and David tugged and pushed until they got it skewed across the track, so there was enough space to drive past. They were both sweating heavily by the time they’d finished.

“Shit, I’m out of condition.” David wiped the sleeve of his shirt over his forehead. His jacket had been discarded several minutes earlier, along with Jeff’s body warmer. “I need to act like a Dom and say no more puddings.”

“You mean they’re edible? That’s progress.”

David laughed. “I suspect they come from the bakery in the village, but it’s my weakness, apart from her, of course, and she knows it. I’ll wait while you see if you can get past now.” He stood in the undergrowth and waited whilst Jeff got back inside the vehicle.

Jeff saluted. “Gee thanks, mate.” He drove past the tree trunk with scant inches to spare. The ground was very boggy, and the mud dragged at the car’s wheels as if it was loath to let it go. However, two faint tracks of harder earth could just be seen, and he aimed for them. He would freely admit it wasn’t the easiest bit of driving he’d ever done. His shirt clung to his back as fresh sweat joined the perspiration already there.

“Let’s put it back, but be a bit more creative, eh?” Jeff said as he joined David on the ground. He frowned. This was his land, and he wasn’t best amused. “Nothing too obvious, except we’ll make it harder to move. And we’ll get Lachy and the young assistant Donny’s taken on to keep a watch.”

“That’s a girl,” David said as they played round with the log until they were satisfied it didn’t look any different than when they’d come across it. “You could have knocked me down with a Finnan haddock when Finn turned out to be Finula.”

“And your point is?” Jeff rounded the final corner until they joined the main track to the cottage. “So is my sister, a girl, I mean, but didn’t I see you tracing little red patterns over her back, and pushing her to her limit? Some would say that’s dangerous.”

David flushed. “There’s no comparison, that’s consensual.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “And so is Finn doing her job. Lachy doesn’t say much, but I reckon he thinks she’s getting a raw deal from Donny. When I asked him how he thought things were going, he shrugged and said he’d keep an eye out for her. I can’t put my finger on it, but I distrust Donny. I have an itch about him, and it’s growing by the day. I’m sure Lachy feels the same, although he’s not saying anything. However, Finn? She can cry her own version of red at any time. And do you honestly think Lachy would put her in a dangerous position? He treats her like a daughter. And to quote him, ‘The lassie can shoot better than a lot of so called master marksmen I know,’ unquote. He’d have your balls if he thought you thought otherwise.”

David held his hands up in a manner that suggested appeasement. “Okay, you’re right, but you see this slip of a girl, and it rocks your ideas somewhat. Yeah, I should know better, especially when you see some of our subs and Dommes. I can think of a couple I’d much rather have watching my back than a lot of blokes I could mention. Plus, before you say it, Lachy is an old hand, so if he says she’s good, I’ll buy it.” David stretched his arms high above his head. “God, I’m stiff.”

“All that flogging, you’re getting old.” Jeff punched David on the shoulder. “Right, let’s check everything out and discover if our aged minds can notice anything untoward and then get back. I want to see if Kath’s feeling any better. I owe her for the fright she gave me.”

Twenty minutes later, they admitted defeat. As far as either of them could tell, the cottage looked as it should. Perhaps someone had lit a fire, but the ashes were old.

“Bloody hell, we’re no James Bonds or that bloke Kath and Jess drool over when they think we’re not around.” Jeff coughed to try to get the musty, sooty taste of disuse out of his mouth. The dust seemed thick enough to have rested since Lachy’s wife’s last visit, but how could they really know that? As no one lived there, those visits weren’t frequent, and were really just a way of showing the local youth that it wasn’t unvisited and unneeded. If Donny hadn’t shown his face—or turned a blind eye to anything going on—there was no way of finding out. A few empty cans of super strength lager and a plethora of dog ends looked as if they’d been there since the cottage was built. With one last poke around and a mouth that assumed he’d eaten dirt and it disapproved, Jeff gestured to the door.

“We need to be a bit more aware around here whilst all this shit is going on and the cottage is empty. Gah, let’s go and have a drink and a shower and not necessarily in that order.”

“I thought Finn was taking over Keeper’s Cottage?” David said as they drove back toward Diomhair.

“She is, but Lachy’s wife was worried about her being out there by herself. Though Lachy tells me Alexina is a bit of a worrywart, and Finn is about to start renovating it how she wants it. Now, I wonder if it’s wise.”

Davis shrugged. “Well, as you’ve made a point of telling me, it’s her life.”

“It’s my estate though.”

“And her employment. Which I guess came with accommodation, Jeff. You’re always saying we don’t give the ladies the credit they deserve, so wait and see, eh? Let’s face it, we can’t offer her accommodation in the castle.”

There was nothing Jeff could say to that. They began to talk about the club, and within minutes they’d arrived at the castle, garaged the car and went their separate ways.

Jeff took the stairs to his apartment two at a time. Even though Kath had been adamant she was fine, her bout of sickness was so unusual, he was uneasy.

Kath was sitting on the sofa with a book in her hand and a basin by her side. The sight made his stomach churn and its muscles knot. He knew he shouldn’t have left her, but spoken to the joiner over the phone instead and told him to right his wrongs and be quick about it.

“Hon? Are you still being sick? That’s it. I’m taking you to the doc’s.” He took out his mobile. “What’s the number?”

“Eh?” Kath looked puzzled then her eyes brightened. “Oh, no, no, I’m not being sick. What gave you that idea?” She stood up and wound her legs around his waist so her arse rested on his cock, and hung on with her arms around his neck. Once settled, she gave a wicked grin and wriggled around just enough to make him harden and press the zipper of his jeans to test its strength. “Ohh well, now then, what do I feel? I bet he’s ready to play, Sir.” She paused and wrinkled her nose. “What on earth have you been up to? You stink, and your hair is all cobwebby and covered in something nasty. It can’t be the passage, ’cause it’s all clean, and anyway Jess told me you never got the hang of opening it.”

Jeff scowled. Not being able to work the release mechanism to the indoor entrance to the no-longer-secret passage was a sore point. “Low blow, woman. Cruel and heartless.” He rubbed his dirty hand over her nose.

“Phew.” Kath wrinkled said nose and blew her breath out noisily. “Maybe we won’t play yet.”

“That’s bratty and not very subbie,” Jeff pointed out and held her tight as she snuck her hands down the back of his jeans and teased his ass. The squeeze of his butt cheeks was enough to make him smile and his cock stretch the denim that covered it once more. The way Kath coughed theatrically as she disturbed a faint cloud of dust made him mock-scowl. She giggled. Jeff looked to one side and remembered something. “And that is what?”

He gestured to the bowl. She looked at where he was pointing then up at his face. Her expression was both contrite and humorous, if that was possible “Oh lordy, sorry. Look.”