Page 43 of Deadly Peril

“I think you might be overdoing it,” Thaddeus said. “At this point, it might be best to trust that the trial will go well.”

“You’re right, of course,” Jana said. “But you haven’t been around during the years I’ve been working on my project.” She looked up at him. “I’ve just put so much time and effort into this, and the outcome still hangs in the balance.”

“I can see how that’s stressful.”

Jana walked up to her truck then stopped. “That says it all…stressful.” She smiled. “You know what I’m going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

“I’m going to take your advice, and trust that things will go smoothly.” When Thaddeus opened her door, she hopped into her seat. Then he went around to the driver’s side.

As soon as he shut the door, Jana touched his arm. “It’s easy to say I’ll trust but harder to do. Waiting is the difficult part,” she said. “So I need a distraction.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“When I want to get away, I go to places around South Lake Tahoe. There are many things to do there, besides skiing.” Jana smiled. “And I take it you haven’t seen much of this area?”

“Haven’t had the pleasure.”

“That settles it,” Jana said. “We’re escaping to a hidden castle.” She giggled. “It’s a real castle and you’re going to love it.”

Thaddeus followed her directions and drove to Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. The castle was Vikingsholm, built in 1929. It was on Fannett Island in the bay and was visible from the shore.

“The owner was of English descent, but Emerald Bay reminded her of fjords she’d seen on her travels in Scandinavia,” Jana said. “She commissioned her nephew, a Swedish architect, to build the castle.”

Thaddeus stood on the edge of the bay, gazing at the fairy-tale castle perched on a small, snow-covered island.

“It’s so much better up close, but tours aren’t open in the winter months,” Jana said. “I’ve been through it several times. The castle is made of granite boulders embedded in mortar, typical of Swedish castles in the eleventh century. There are massive hand-hewn timbers with carvings around the doors.”

“That must be something to see.”

“It really is,” Jana said. “And the carvings extend along the roof ridges, with dragon heads at the roof peaks. And there’s a sod roof with wildflowers.”

Even from a distance, Thaddeus could tell the castle was a fine example of Scandinavian architecture. “Too bad it’s not summer, so we could do the tour.” He looked out at the serenity of Emerald Bay, surrounded by dense forest. “It doesn’t keep us from enjoying the scenery.”

Jana sighed. “It’s exquisite, don’t you think?”

“This is a beautiful area.”

Jana strolled along the path by the water. Thaddeus walked beside her, glad to see her more relaxed. A different environment was good anyway, since it made her harder to track or follow. It was to Jana’s advantage that she tended to do the unexpected.

“This whole Tahoe area has much more to offer then just snow sports,” Jana said.

Thaddeus already knew that. He looked at Jana, appreciating the chance to be with her. It was in the line of duty, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy it. “What next?” He’d let her lead, since she seemed in her element.

“I vote for a boat ride.” Jana motioned toward the distance. “The Tahoe Queen cruises year-round. And it has a glass bottom for viewing.”

“I’m in. That sounds like a good way to spend some time.”

Jana took him back to the truck, then gave directions to Ski Run. She guided him to the paddlewheel boat departing from the marina, and they joined others preparing to cruise the bay. Thaddeus found himself floating in the middle of a clear lake, surrounded by 360-degree views of the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

“I’ve done this cruise before, yet it’s breathtaking every time,” Jana said.

Thaddeus took in the panoramic views. “I haven’t seen anything quite like it.” The boat cruised through glacier-carved Emerald Bay, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The trip was over two hours, and Jana seemed to find it invigorating.

The fresh lake air suited Thaddeus fine. He had the chance to see the beauty of the region and view the castle on the island from a different perspective. Tourists snapped photos as the boat paddled through the glassy water.

Thaddeus sat next to Jana, watching the scenery and breathing in nature. The excursion was more memorable, because he was with her. Floating along on a paddleboat hardly seemed like working, but he stayed alert.

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