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He spins around and leaps into the pool, vanishing into the dark depths. A moment later, he emerges—with a fish in his mouth. He climbs out of the pool while keeping that fish between his teeth and only removes it once he's standing near Frisk's feet. Munro holds the fish by its tail and smacks it into the wall.
"Time to gut it," Munro says. He retrieves a large, wickedly serrated knife from his pack and sits down cross-legged on the floor. "You're about to learn how to gut a fish. I've used this technique on men too."
I assume my cousin is trying to terrify Frisk. He wouldn't actually gut a human being. Well, if someone threatened to kill him or someone he loved, maybe he would do that. I would, for sure. Violence is a last resort, but on those rare occasions, a person learns what they're capable of and how far they'll go to protect a loved one.
Munro starts working on the fish.
Ashley and I play our first round of rummy, and she wins. By the time that happens, Munro has gutted and cleaned the fish. I know he prefers to put the whole fish on a stick and cook it over a campfire, so I think he's putting on a show strictly for Frisk's benefit. Christian Frisk might fancy himself a globe-trotting treasure hunter, but he always left the dirty work to me. He loves to wear designer outdoorswear too. So watching my cousin prepare a fish ought to make Frisk nauseous at the very least.
"Forgot the seasoning," Munro says. He rubs his hands in the dirt on the stone floor, then picks up the fish to rub that dirt all over it. "That's better. Now I need to start the fire. Errol, mind if I steal a wee bit of C-4 from your pack?"
I doubt he really means to start a fire with plastic explosives, but I do know my cousin is having fun harassing Frisk. So I tell him, "Afraid I ran out. Would a grenade do the trick? Might knock a wider hole in the ceiling, and possibly collapse the entrance. But where's the fun in camping out if ye cannae start some trouble too?"
"Ah, well, never mind," Munro says. "I'll eat it raw. My gastrointestinal system has become inured to microbes after decades of eating whatever was on hand."
He peels a slice of dirt-covered meat off the fish, then tosses it to Frisk. "Share and share alike, eh?"
Frisk jerks when the raw fish lands on his lap. He carefully takes hold of the fish using the tips of two fingers, tossing it into the pool. Then he furiously wipes his fingers on his trousers. "You are a heathen. No wonder the British army routed you Scots."
Oh, he really shouldn't have said that to Munro. I donnae appreciate the comment either, but my cousin… Well, there's a good reason they call him the Wild Man.
Munro rises and stares down at Frisk. "Time for dessert."
Ashley and I have paused our second round of rummy, fascinated by whatever my cousin means to do next. Ashley raises her brows at me. I shrug. Her guess is as good as mine.
Munro walks outside.
A moment later, he walks back inside, carrying something in his shirt. He has the hem pulled up to form a sling, and I can see something wriggling inside it. Munro halts right beside Frisk and pulls an item out of his shirt-sling.
My cousin tosses the grasshopper into his mouth and eats it.
Frisk's eyes bulge.
Then Munro plucks up an earthworm and eats that too.
Christian Frisk leaps up, stumbling backward into the wall, his lip curling.
Aye, a man who loves gourmet food wouldn't enjoy the Wild Man's brand of outdoors cuisine.
"You are the most revolting man I've ever met," Frisk says. "Did you grow up in a cesspool?"
"Sit down and haud yer wheesht," Munro growls. "Or I'll go find a rattlesnake for you to play with."
Frisk sits down.
Munro eats another grasshopper, then dumps the rest of his booty onto Frisk's lap. "Eat up, mate. Bugs and worms are full of protein. And since ye didnae like the fish, this is the best option."
Frisk's lip curls again as he watches the grasshoppers and worms move around on his lap. "I'm not hungry."
Munro shrugs and takes up a position along the wall, not far from Frisk.
I walk over to my cousin, because I just have to ask a question. "Do ye get many dates, Munro? Cannae be many lasses who want to eat grasshoppers and worms."
He glances at Frisk, then speaks in a hushed tone. "Do ye think I'm daft? I only do that in the wilderness, when I don't have anything else to eat."
I return to Ashley and our second round of rummy. We've finished two more games after that before the alarm on my satellite phone goes off, alerting me that someone has crossed my perimeter. I'd hidden an infrared motion detector near the rafts.
"The show is about to begin," I say, rising and stretching. Then I help Ashley get up. "The rangers must be arriving soon. You and I should greet them."
