Rattled (7 page)

Mitchell frowned at his watch again, glanced at Erin, and sighed. “All right. I’ll call you tonight.”

Damn again. She didn’t want to keep coming up with excuses to avoid him. “I’ll probably go home and take a long nap, maybe just go to bed early. But you go ahead and call. I’ll turn the phone off before I sleep, so you won’t have to worry about waking me.” She gave him a sunny smile, vowing to send his calls straight to voicemail for the foreseeable future.

Mitchell held her gaze for a long moment and then finally, finally, left.

Erin slumped on the stool. “Good grief. I really am exhausted now.”

“You did great. I’d say Mitchell just rose to number one on our suspect list.”

Erin stared at her hands and didn’t answer. She felt tears pricking her eyes.

“Are you disappointed? You didn’t, uh, have feelings for him after all, did you?”

“No.” Erin sighed. “It’s just humiliating. He’s the only date I’ve had in two years. The only man who showed any interest in me, who wasn’t a decade younger and my student or two decades older and married. And all this time, he just pretended to like me because of the
treasure
? Am I that boring?”

“Hey.” Camie grabbed both Erin’s arms. “You listen to me. You’re way too good for Mitchell, even if he wasn’t a jerk.” She frowned. “I mean even if he was just an ordinary jerk. Trust me. The right man is out there, and he’s worth waiting for.”

Erin sighed again. “Yeah, maybe. And if he isn’t, then I’m better off alone.” She shifted restlessly. “I want to do something. I can’t stand this dancing around, pretending innocence, waiting for something else to happen.”

“So let’s get going. You still want to get out there, right?”

“More than ever. I’ll show him who’s a fragile little flower. I’ll head to Albuquerque tomorrow and get supplies. We’d better not do any suspicious shopping locally.”

Camie nodded. “I’ll let the boss know I won’t be in next week. Tell him I’m driving you to your mother’s, then doing some sightseeing. It will be quiet here anyhow. I’ll smuggle The Finder out tomorrow night.” Camie did a little dance. “We can start on our excursion Saturday.”

“I can’t wait to get away.” Except for one thing. The memory of a pair of blue eyes. It was foolish to think that Drew would show any more interest in her. But Erin was tired of always being practical and sensible. She wanted to be foolish for once. She wanted to let herself dream. Wasn’t dreaming what led them to the treasure? Well, that and a lot of hard work.

She still had to be cautious. She knew that. Drew was on their suspect list too. Then she felt a sudden surge of hope. “So if Mitchell is behind the strange things that have been happening, does that mean Drew is in the clear?”

Camie made a noncommittal noise and paced, frowning. “I don’t know. They could be working together, though I sure didn’t get that impression from the way they were acting at the hospital. Or Drew could be looking for the treasure too, but on his own. I’d say he’s worth further investigation.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Before we head out of town, I think we should celebrate the end of the semester. When’s the last time you were at the Black Dog Saloon?”

Erin grimaced. “It’s not exactly my kind of place.”

“Think of it as a research project. Your job is to find out all you can about sexy helicopter pilots.

Erin laughed. “When you put it that way.... Maybe it is time to close the books and do some fieldwork.”

The following morning, Erin checked Tiger’s food and water, then started transferring her wallet and keys from her waist pack to a more attractive purse for her trip to Albuquerque.

The doorbell rang. Erin glanced at the clock. 9:30, a little early for a delivery person. It was probably an itinerant worker hoping to sell some yard work.

Unless it was Mitchell. She’d ignored two of his calls the night before. She paused halfway to the door. Surely he would be busy with work. Not that he kept regular office hours, he didn’t actually work at the college after all, but when he was in town he usually had meetings all day. Maybe she should ignore the doorbell, just to be safe.

Tiger was sitting on the windowsill next to the door, looking outside, his tail twitching. A head leaned over and peered through the window above him. Erin jumped. She’d been spotted. But fortunately, it wasn’t Mitchell. She didn’t recognize the man.

She opened the door a few inches, blocking it with her body. “Hello?”

The man was probably about 40, with dark hair and tanned skin, not much taller than she was, but stocky. “Erin Hale?”

“Yes?” She looked for an ID badge, a clipboard, anything that would identify his purpose, but saw nothing. He had on slacks and a dress shirt, but no coat or tie. She glanced at the driveway and noted a silver midsize car.

“I’d like to speak with you for a few minutes. May I come in?”

Erin gripped the door more tightly. “No.” To hell with anyone who thought she was being rude. She wasn’t a fool.

The man kept smiling. “All right, we can talk here. I have a proposition for you.”

He paused, but Erin said nothing.

“I represent a group of investors that is interested in treasure retrieval. Word has reached us about your investigation of the Victorio Peak treasure. We’d like to discuss a partnership.”

Erin swallowed and tried to keep her voice steady. “I don’t need a partner.” Just how far had news traveled?

He smiled and spread his hands in a friendly gesture. “Consider the advantages. We’d provide all the funding. Even if your hunt turns up nothing, you won’t be out a single dollar. We’ll provide equipment, technical help. We’re experts in this kind of thing.”

A week ago she might’ve considered the option, set up a meeting with Camie, at least heard what they had to say. It was kind of crazy to think that she and Camie could pull this off alone. They had no idea what they’d find if they did reach the right site. An earthquake could have damaged the cave and blocked the entrance. Earth moving equipment would come in handy then, along with someone who knew how to use it.

But after the last few days, she wasn’t about to trust this stranger. “And what do you get in return?”

“Fifty percent. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s fair. If the treasure really exists, we’re talking about millions of dollars—possibly hundreds of millions. You’ll have more money than you could possibly spend. If we don’t find the treasure, my company loses money, but you don’t.”

“If you’re an expert, you must know that finds on public land belong to the government. You won’t get any money from it.”

“I’m enough of an expert to know that it’s possible to make deals with the government. Sure, they’ll want their share, but there should be enough to go around.”

“I’m not interested in the money,” Erin said. “I’m interested in the history. I want to study the site, not just drag everything away for sale.”

She didn’t trust his smile when he said, “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

Erin was starting to feel lightheaded and had to remind herself to breathe. She’d never had a panic attack in her life, but thought she might be getting close. It was past time to end this conversation. “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested. Goodbye.” She shifted to close the door. Tiger let out a rumbling growl from the windowsill.

The man slammed his hand against the door, knocking it into her shoulder. She cried out at the pain and stumbled back a step.

“You should think about it carefully,” he said. “Treasure hunting isn’t work for nice women. It’s dangerous.” He took a step forward, his face a threat. “Is that treasure worth dying for?”

Erin took a shaky breath and straightened. Her voice trembled. “It’s worth fighting for.” She threw her weight against the door, trying to slam it shut. She barely budged it.

He wedged his way into the opening. “You want a fight? You got one.”

Erin shoved against the door, but she knew it was hopeless. She’d never force him back out. Should she run? Scream?

He pushed the door open with a laugh and she backed away. Erin looked around for a weapon, cursing herself for keeping the entry hall so tidy. She turned to run for the kitchen. She had knives there, heavy ceramic canisters full of flour and sugar. And the back door.

He grabbed her arm and jerked her back to face him. He grinned.

Erin tried to remember the lessons from a self-defense course way back in college. She tried to bring her knee up to his groin, but she wasn’t close enough and he just turned his body away.

He had both her arms now, his fingers digging in and holding her elbows to her sides so she couldn’t hit or scratch. She told herself to kick, do something! But waves of dizziness and nausea rolled over her. Her head pounded and pain lanced through her right shoulder, a reminder of the accident.

He twisted her around so her back was to his chest, squeezing her in a bear hug. She tried to kick back at his knees, remembered something about stomping on an attacker’s instep. But he spread his legs wide and pulled her up to her toes. She thrashed but couldn’t get in a kick with any power behind it. “Maybe you are a fighter after all,” he chuckled in her ear.

She couldn’t breathe. Her vision blurred. She was going to pass out.

A horrible screech split the air. The man stumbled forward, loosening his grip. Erin didn’t understand why, didn’t try. She brought her head forward and then slammed it back. Pain sliced through her skull but she heard a satisfying thunk and cry of pain from the man. He swore and one arm released her. She twisted and pushed back, breaking his grip, and stumbled across the entry hall until she came up against a wall.

Tiger was hanging on the man’s back, clawing at his neck and cheek and yowling like a banshee. The man swore and tried to reach over his shoulder for the cat. He staggered back toward the open door.

Erin pushed herself onto her shaky legs and stumbled forward. She used both hands to give the man a huge shove.

He stumbled back across the porch. One foot went out over the steps.

He windmilled his arms and went flying. Tiger leaped off and the man hit the ground with a thud.

Erin grabbed hold of the open door for balance. She wanted to collapse and lie there shaking. She forced herself to stay upright, though she couldn’t stop trembling.

The man lay still. Was he dead? Erin felt like throwing up. She hoped he was hurt—badly—but she didn’t want to have killed a man. Nor did she want to explain a dead man on her lawn.

He moaned and moved a hand toward his head. Erin gave a shaky sigh, though her stomach still churned and her breath heaved in sobs. Would he get up and come after her again?

Tiger strutted up the steps and across the porch, grumbling. Erin scooped him up in her arms. She slammed the door and locked it, then buried her face in Tiger’s fur. “Good kitty.”

She sank to the floor, leaning back against the door. She knew she should be doing something, but for the moment she could only sit and shake. Tiger rubbed his head against her cheek and purred. She managed a weak smile. “Very good kitty. I apologize for ever doubting you.”

She needed to get her phone, call the police, maybe even an ambulance. She didn’t move, just concentrated on breathing. A few minutes later she heard a car door slam. She let Tiger go, rolled onto her knees, and looked out the window. The silver car was backing down the driveway. She wished New Mexico required license plates on the fronts of cars.

She should call the police. She rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. The man was gone. She didn’t know his name. She hadn’t seen a license plate and didn’t know enough about cars to name the make and model. She had no proof of anything. The police would take her statement and do nothing. Would they even take her seriously and finally agree that this was more than coincidence, or would they think she was crazy, some neurotic woman in a panic because she’d already had a break-in that week?

She slumped against the wall with a sigh. “I have to get out of here. God, I need a vacation.”

Tiger put a paw on her leg and meowed. Erin smiled and scratched behind his ear. “Yes, you’re a very brave boy. My hero.”

So what was she going to do? Go back to bed and sleep off the headache? Leave town, go into hiding? Visit her mother after all, for real?

Erin took a deep, shaky breath. She kept breathing, until the shaking faded. Tiger sat and watched her. “He didn’t get us,” Erin said. “We did all right. I couldn’t have done it without you, but I fought too. I didn’t just cry and scream and give him what he wanted.” She snorted. “Nice women. You think that’s all I am? I’ll show you.”

Tiger gave a questioning mew.

“Yeah, I know, big words. But I’ll hate myself if I let these jerks push me around. I have to prove I can do this. For myself.” She frowned and ran her hand through her hair. “But that doesn’t mean we have to get crazy. We’ll find the treasure, Camie and I. But we have to keep it a secret. They can’t know what we’re doing. No one can know. Let them think we’re weak and scared, too scared to keep looking for the treasure. And then we’ll see who wins the fight.”