Page 18 (2/2)

Back at her desk, she started to work, then felt the presence of someone at her door Willener suit Her heart leaped He had been there a while, she thought with amazement There had been a time when she would have known the second he had arrived And now

She thanked God for the American He had returned her confidence to her, and her poise She was able to re

"I’m not in the office," he told her

"What do you want?"

"Forgiveness"

She shook her head "I never forgive, and I never forget" She tried to look down But there was so about him There always had been She looked back up

"I love you," he told her His voice was husky and thick His expression was pained, so o to him So Maybe I was afraid at how deeply I cared about you Or maybe I resented the fact that you’d seeme home, you didn’t involve me with your family, with your life I’ve tried so hard to do what you wanted I knerong But since we’ve been apartAnn, I knoant to marry you"

She stared at hio, such words would have had her in a swoon, shaking, delighted, on top of the world

And now

What a strange day The American in the cafe, and now Willem

"Ann?"

"I don’t know Let me think Maybe we’ll talk later"

She looked back down The words on the page before her blurred She fought hard not to look back up

"When?"

"I don’t know"

"Tonight?"

"No, I have plans with my cousin"

"Your American cousin? Whom I’ve not met"

The resentment was there Maybe she had been too mistrustful Maybe she owed him

He’d cheated on her!

"In a few days, perhaps, we’ll talk"

She felt it when he left her doorway She heard him walk to her secretary’s desk They talked casually about a publication schedule

Ann bit her lip hard She wanted to stand, and race after hi out with Tara

And perhaps she would see the handsoain And then, perhaps, know herself better

Knohat she really felt, and at the least

Pay Willem back for what he had done

Dubois was infuriated

The police could be so incredibly annoying, especially Inspector Javet The ht he was soht toabout

For the third ti Dubois This time, Javet had come to his house The last time they had spoken, he had been down at the station Then, he had been introduced to special crime scene detectives fro site would be closed for some time Well, he had simply exploded

Javet had patiently explained that a man had been killed

Dubois had simply blown up "You fools! This is history This is a find in the scientific world, a find that is far greater than the loss of one man! Do you think Howard Carter never lost a worker when looking for the tomb of Tutankhamen? You can not, must not, stop my work!" He shouldn’t have blown up He went on to say how very sorry he was about Jean-Luc But it was too late The gentleain

Then, of course, he had tried toman They should have been after the A up on his whereabouts, but I don’t believe that your worker can tell us anything more than he has already"

"Surely, if he had murdered the man, he would not walk in and tell you so!" Dubois was impatient that the police seemed like such fools

They’d had little to say They had been entirely cordial They had excused him

And now, Javet was here Dubois didn’t ask him to sit, nor did he ask if he would like wine, water, or anything He barely let hiain, Javet seemed impervious to his rudeness and the blunt fact that he didn’t want the inspector in his house

"Professor Dubois, I think you can give us a great deal of help with knowledge you may not even know that you possess We’d like to see all your notes regarding the dig And especially, we’d like to know about anyone you approached for assistance in financing, anyone to who could provide incredible treasures with a current high ed "Inspector, I e contribution to the present St

Michel to be granted the right to the dig And my workno, no, I’m sorry You cannot have my notes

My work is private My work is like an artist’s canvas I allow no one to view it until it is complete"