Trove (The Katie Walsh Mysteries) (34 page)

“Just so you know, I get cranky without my daily fix of caffeine,” she said.

He arched an eyebrow, his expression visible in the soft light glowing from the cottage. “You don’t say.”

She shrugged and followed him back to the cottage. She slipped the jacket off and sat in front of the fire he’d lit. Her nose twitched. “What’s that smell?” She leaned closer to the fire. “What exactly are you burning in there? It has a rather… earthy odor. Is it dung? ”

“No, it’s not. But as you may have noticed, there is a lack of hardwood forests nearby.”

“I haven’t seen much in case you forgot. My world has been limited to this little…” She searched for the word, as she waved her hand, but it wouldn’t come.

“Point taken. It’s peat, decayed vegetation. That’s the earthy smell you find so offensive.”

“I didn’t say it was offensive. I’m just used to wood fires. Don’t twist my words into something other than what I intended.”

“Forgive me, Princess,” he said, his tone harsh as he headed into the kitchen.

****

She had to admit the simple supper he laid out on the table was delicious or maybe it was because the last food she’d had was about twenty-four hours ago. The fish stew was a close cousin to New England chowder, though not as thick, and he had crusty French type bread to go with it. She briefly considered that the bread might be stale, but as long as there wasn’t mold growing on it, she’d eat it.

He smiled at her as she dipped and swirled her bread in the stew before sucking the wet end in her mouth.

“What’s so amusing?” She could feel something building inside her. Was her head clearing enough that the full impact of who this man was and what impact he had on her life finally bubbling to the surface?

“You. I know I’m not a gourmet cook, but watching you almost lap that up like a cat. Most people I know would slather it with butter, using the bread like a butter delivery system.”

She shook her head. “It just screams to be dunked, what with all those nooks and crannies. It’s just perfect for sopping up liquid. It’s like Italian bread and pasta sauce. You don’t need anything else. Butter would only interfere.”

He picked up a slice and tried it. “You’re right. And to think I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.”

At the mention of time passing, she set her spoon down and pushed the mostly eaten bowl away. She was tired and should just head to bed but she couldn’t stop herself. “Do you feel any remorse?”

“About what? Abducting you? I told you I’m a desperate man. This may well be my last chance, my final grab at the brass ring.”

Katie shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m referring to. I’m talking about the people who died at the excavation in Peru.”

He leaned back and studied her, his eyes narrowed, focused. “So, you know who I am.” He laid his palms against the table edge. “I was warned you were clever as well as smart. When did you figure it out?”

“When you told me you discovered the runes. Alec told me Josh had discovered the runes. It was then I remembered seeing a picture of you with blond hair and holding a striper. It was in Alec’s office. It took me a bit longer to convince myself it was really you. So,” she bit out, “do you feel anything close to remorse for what happened ten years ago when you killed my parents?”
He was warned I was clever. Who the hell did that? Was it Alec?

He lifted one arm, draped it over the back of his chair. “I’m not the cold-hearted bastard that I’ve been made out to be.”

Katie crossed her arms. “That’s what they all say. Unfortunately for you there was an investigation. You were determined to be negligent. And yet”—she flipped her hand out towards him—“here you are, free as a bird.”

He pulled his arm from the back of the chair and slammed it on the table.

She flinched, recoiling from the threat and him as he leaned towards her.

“
Free?
You think I’m free?” He uttered a pathetic laugh. “I’ve lived in the shadows every day since that disaster, disowned by everyone, discarded like garbage.”

“My heart bleeds for you.”

“What would you say if I told you I wasn’t responsible?”

“I’d say you’re delusional, maybe even self-absorbed enough to blame the victims for your… misfortune.”

He shrugged. “What if I show you evidence that I was set up?”

“
Oh,
please
. I was born on a Thursday, but not last Thursday. Let me tell you something. I don’t like people who don’t take responsibility for their actions. They’re cowards and I don’t like cowards.”

His eyes were mere slits, adding to the menace permeating the cottage.

Katie swallowed as she saw something in his eyes, something that flashed quickly yet made her feel compassion.
What the hell is wrong with me
, she thought.
I must still be shaking off the drug.
She looked away and then back again. Whatever it was it was gone, replaced by an icy steeliness.

He shrugged and sighed. “You’re no different than all the others.”

She scowled. “What’s that crack supposed to mean?”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Coward,” she stated matter-of-factly. “What are you afraid of?”

He cleared the table. Katie shook her head vigorously. “You claim you’re innocent, and when I don’t believe it, you… you just drop it. Why don’t you try to convince me, see if your arguments and logic stand up to scrutiny? Or are you really a born-loser, willing to stake your salvation on a millennium-old etching on a stone sentinel?”

Katie watched him as he studied her, each sizing up the other. She could sense the inner war he was waging. She could tell he wanted to say something. “Look, I’m here and apparently I’m not leaving anytime soon and I can tell that you want to get something off your chest so…” She inhaled, not quite believing what she was about to say, knowing the pain of her parents’ deaths had festered inside her for years as she refused to deal with it. “Why don’t you tell me why you think you’re not responsible.”

He pulled a glass off the shelf. “Would you like a scotch?” he asked as he grabbed a full bottle.

“No thanks.”

He strode toward the table, sat in the chair opposite her and filled his glass with the amber liquid. He raised it to his mouth, took a quick sip, swallowed then set the glass on the table between his hands. “I want you to know this, Katie.” He captured her stare and held it before he continued. “I am truly sorry about what happened in Peru. I have
never
forgotten the damage that the survivors and their families suffer each and every day. If I could go back and change the outcome, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“It wasn’t just the survivors who were damaged,” Katie said as she dropped her hands into her lap. “You have no idea how
my
life’s been impacted.” She dropped her gaze from his, trying to break the connection and distance herself. It wasn’t easy. She felt something, felt he might be telling the truth regardless of the guilt that hung around his neck like a boulder.

He said, “Ten years ago I had the brass ring in my hand. I saw myself as a real-life Indiana Jones and my colleagues did too. I was young, attractive, smart, and I confess, a bit of a narcissist.” She cocked an eyebrow. “My career and reputation were not on a fast-track. They were on a rocket soaring into the stratosphere. I was unstoppable, at least in my mind.” He tilted his head. “Have you ever had that feeling, that you’re invincible?”

She shook her head and softly replied, “No, I can’t say that I ever have.”

He took another swig of scotch and then rolled the glass back and forth between his hands. “I’d just been awarded excavation rights in Honduras. See, I’d discovered a Mayan temple hidden deep in the jungle. It was completely overgrown. It actually was mistaken for a small mountain on the map I had.
But my research led me to believe there should be a temple in the area. I did a cursory exam of the site and a bit more research to substantiate my claim and then submitted the documents to the authorities. I figured I’d have to wait a year or two before I could get permission to proceed with an excavation.”

“Is that normal, that it would take that long to get approvals?”

He nodded. “Most excavation permits take much longer so two years would be considered rather quick, but not unheard of.” He refilled his glass, tilting the bottle towards her. “Sure you don’t want some?”

“No thanks. I don’t really like anything but vodka.”

“But vodka has no taste.”

“
Exactly
,” Katie replied and smiled for a moment as she remembered that she had this conversation with Alec when she first met him.

He chuckled. “To each their own poison,” he said as he lifted the glass high in the air as a salute before returning it to his lips and taking a deep drink. “It had been about a month since I submitted my documents when I received a phone call from a man who said he could get my permits approved within a week. I thought this guy was either a crackpot or looking to make some fast money and at that time. I didn’t have money to grease the wheels. So I did what any normal person would do, I hung up.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin, the sound reminding her of skin sweeping across sandpaper. “Damn, I need a shave.”

“So, what happened? He must have contacted you again or this would be a non-story.”

“Yeah, you’re right. He did contact me. Actually he sent a limo for me. The driver, a huge ex-con, told me I was being summoned.”

“And you just went with him?” Katie asked, shaking her head.

“Believe me, there was no arguing with this guy. I was getting in the limo conscious or unconscious.”

She shuddered, thinking of gorilla man in the North End and how, if Alec hadn’t been there...

“He dropped me off at The Wind Jammer restaurant where I was escorted to a private dining room, to the man who would literally change my life. He reeked of restrained power, if you know what I mean. I had an overwhelming sense that he got what he wanted, and if he didn’t, then he made sure no else got it either.” He took another mouthful of the scotch, seeming to savor the aged liquid before swallowing. “To make a long story short, he would invest in me and my career. Make me the superstar I was destined to be. He was giving me all the resources I would need to make it happen and happen quickly.”

“And he did this… why?”

He inhaled. “He wanted me to give him complete inventories of what I would recover.”

“He was a black marketer?”

He shook his head. “No, he was a collector. But more than that, I always had a suspicion that he was seeking specific items, almost like he had a shopping list.”

“You mean like he knew what he wanted, say King Tut’s mask, and you would get it? But that would mean that would mean he knew where the undiscovered artifacts were. How is that possible?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know how, maybe he had ancient documents that told him where the items were. Hell, maybe he had a crystal ball. I don’t know, but through the years, he’d directed me to some pretty obscure finds.”

She scowled. “So why hasn’t the world heard of Indiana Mason?”

“It all goes back to Peru.” He swirled the scotch in his glass before draining it. “Sure you want to hear this?”

“Seems I’ve got nothing better to do,” she snipped, but steeled herself for what he might reveal.

“He delivered on his promise. I had the permits for Honduras and was on site by the end of the next month. You have to remember, this wasn’t his dig, it was mine. His dig was in Peru. He was searching for a gold pyramid, about the size of softball. Only this one had an emerald crystal embedded in the bottom. He’d isolated the site and got the proper authority to set up an excavation at the foot of a mountain. He wanted me to oversee the project, but not remain on-site. He’d arranged for two well-known and respected archaeologists to be the on-site managers…”

Katie wiped a solitary tear from her cheek. “My parents,” she whispered hoarsely.

He nodded. “Their reputations preceded them. He felt comfortable with them in charge of the day-to-day management. They were to send me daily reports. I would only need to be on-site when the government officials would be there. I had the sign-off authority.” He dropped his glass on the table. “You
know
what happened next…”

She jumped up and hissed. “Yes, you and your giant ego killed them.”

He stood, his arms braced on the table trying to steady himself. “
I didn’t kill them
.
I didn’t sign the papers
. I was held up in Honduras due to bad weather. The same storm that delayed you kept me grounded. My partner, The Doctor, signed them. He forged my signature. It was so good that I was almost convinced I’d signed the safety inspection, except I never made it to Peru.”

She slammed her hand on the table. “Why? Why would he do that? You would’ve only been delayed a day, maybe two.”

“He recovered the pyramid. He actually showed it to me a few years ago. And then he said something odd. He said ‘This little gem has cost me so much. Maybe there’s a curse associated with it.’ I tried to get him to elaborate, but he changed the subject. It was the only time I’ve known him that I glimpsed a touch of a soul, if you know what I mean.”