Trove (The Katie Walsh Mysteries)

by KJ Montgomery

  “All right,” she said, tilting her head, running though possible scenarios in her head. “I’ll go along with your line of reasoning for now. But, if that’s the case, have you heard of any discoveries, major or minor, in the general area where you think Josh was working?”

  “No. And that is the one big flaw in my theory.”

  “So where does that leave you?”

  “It leaves me with no option but to rip Josh’s project notes apart, deciphering them to understand exactly what he was looking for and where.”

  “Deciphering them? Do you mean they’re encrypted with some secret code or software?”

  “Not exactly.”

  She rose and walked to stand in front of him, effectively halting his pacing. The unspoken meaning dawned on her as she studied his face. “The runes… the dossier you assigned me… those are Josh’s notes, aren’t they? That document, it’s like that letter intimated. This is not just another project, it’s… it’s what, a quest for vengeance, a treasure hunt?” She cringed inwardly, trying to suppress her disappointment. This was just as she suspected. He was just another treasure hunter and she was just a means to unlock the clues, and nothing more. “Alec, what the hell is going on?”

  “I needed help. I commissioned the translations, only,” he said as swept his hand through his hair, “only they set me back months in my hunt for the murderer.” He sighed, looking down at her. “I went to Robert and told him what I needed, what I planned to do to out the killer. I told him I needed the runes translated. I told him of the two respected academics I hired and the useless drivel I got from them.” He turned his head away as she headed back to the sofa. He followed her and sat next to her, his knee touching hers.

  “And then he told you about me. The person most likely to translate the runes and send you on your merry way,” she said calmly, too calmly. “But there was a problem, one Robert knew about. Employees aren’t allowed to consult on outside projects. And if they do, not only will we lose our jobs, we’d relinquish any rights to our work and any financial royalties and future payments.” She lifted her eyes to lock onto his. “And Robert, being a board member, he knew that I will be extremely wealthy in a few years. And bless his heart,” she snapped, “he found another way to get you and me together.” She was seething, her blood boiling. She clenched her fists. “He somehow managed to get you the director’s position.”

  “Katie, I didn’t know it was you. I swear and he didn’t get me the position. I interviewed with Dr. Austin based on… on Lucy’s recommendation.”

  She rose and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows and leaned against the frame, staring out but not really seeing anything. “Lucy Millar doesn’t just help people. There has to be a connection between you. What is it?” She turned and faced him, needing to ask the next question, but not sure she wanted to hear the answer. She swallowed. “Are you two involved?”

  He shook his head. “We were, years ago. We did our post-graduate work at the same university. She, Josh, and I were inseparable. One thing led to another and she and I…”

  “For how long?”

  “Look, Katie, it was years ago, long before I met you.”

  “For how long, Alec?”

  Alec exhaled. “It lasted almost two years.”

  “So what happened? What broke up the happy couple?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not relevant and frankly, it’s not any of your business.”

  She pursed her lips. Clearly there was something more to the story, but he wasn’t about to enlighten her. Why not? Her stomach clenched as the answer materialized. Because he’s not interested in me… just my expertise.

  “So,” she continued as she crossed her arms, “you steal this promotion, the one I’ve worked my ass off for the last seven years, the one that would make the others at the Institute finally take me seriously, you steal this and maneuver it so I have to work for you.”

  “It’s nothing personal. I needed your expertise. I swear to God I didn’t know it was you.”

  She felt the fury settle in every cell of her body as she turned to face him, keeping him at a distance with her glare. “I can’t tell how wonderful it makes me feel. I mean, the fact that you were willing to destroy someone’s, hell, anyone’s, career to get what you wanted. God, Lucy must have been salivating at the thought of finally setting me up, and getting me out of the way once and for all.”

  “Katie—”

  “You’re a son of a bitch, Alec.” She walked toward him. “Tell me something. When I finished the translation, what were you going to do? Disappear?”

  “Yes. And then I figured the promotion would be given to you. Everyone would get what they wanted.”

  She shook her head and walked back towards him. “You know something, you damn digger, for all your schooling, you’re not very smart. Do you think they’d give me the promotion?”

  “Well, yes.” He swallowed as she neared him. “You’re actually the most qualified, and as you said, you basically created that division. I don’t see a problem.”

  “Really? You don’t see how my getting the promotion would be viewed as a second-best choice, assuming it would even be offered?”

  “I… no. I don’t.”

  “Well, Mr. Digger, let me spell it out for you. If they even decided to give it to me, it would be viewed as second best. I’d be a laughing stock, an object of ridicule, forever destined to be ‘poor Dr. Walsh’ or worse. You see, I wasn’t good enough to get the offer initially. But then” —she snapped her fingers— “just like that you up and quit and then the job’s mine. The rumors would take hold like weeds, sprouting up all over the Institute. ‘What did she do to get rid of him?’ ‘She can’t work with anyone, she’s such a bitch.’ Do you see where I’m going with this, Alec?”

  He looked up at her. “I didn’t think… I mean, I never intended…”

  She sank into the sofa and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her middle. How am I going to fix this, salvage my career, or at the very least my reputation as a serious researcher?

  Alec reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Katie—”

  She jerked away. “Just get the hell away from me, Alec.”

  R

  Chapter Nine

  Katie waged a war in her head all afternoon. The anger, the fury, the hurt gave way to cold logic. Between scanning pages and pages of documents, she laid out her options, both good and bad.

  It was clear that he was only around until she translated the runes. She’d translated them, but they were incomplete, so what did that mean? Without the missing runes the translation was worthless, gibberish, just like the other two. It revealed nothing, only tantalizing hints of a treasure, but of what and where?

  Had she completed the task? No, she hadn’t, but could she? Yes, if she found the missing runes.

  Her career at the Institute would probably now be stuck in place. She’d be standing still as others passed her by. He’d leave and they’d replace him, but probably not with her. Or worse yet, maybe they’d make Lucy the head of the division. What would she do then? Head back to the basement to dig through the dusty artifacts?

  She could leave, should leave, but she was depending on the royalty payments commencing in a few years. If she left, she’d forfeit any monies due her. Could she work there knowing she would be ridiculed, or worse, ignored? She grimaced. Someday someone will find me with a catalog tag, just another anonymous artifact confined to the storage rooms. Would she still have access to the resources she needed to continue her work? Perhaps, but not likely, she decided, at least not without Dr. Austin’s intervention, and she’d vowed long ago to never put him or herself in that position. If she stuck around, she’d be the official doormat of the Institute.

  No, she knew that ultimately she’d have to leave. The real questions were when and under what circumstances. Odds were that even if she were fortunate enough to secure a research position at another place, the rumors, innuendo, humil
iation would soon deep-six her work. She doubted she’d be able to design her own unique projects. She’d more than likely be assigned to a team. And as had been recently pointed out, she wasn’t an ideal team player. The research world was tight-knit. Gossip spread and always took on a life of its own. She’d soon be spending most of her time fending off challenges to her credentials. What could she do?

  “Another damn digger ruining my life, what are the freakin’ odds of that?” She shook her head. “About the same as lightning striking the same place twice.”

  What the hell is happening to me? If I’m honest with myself, I want him in my life. I haven’t felt this energized, this… alive, but he just admitted that all he needs from me is my expertise. She ran her hands through her curls, tugging gently, concentrating on the slight pain. How can I salvage my career, at least for a couple of years until my royalties start coming, and keep him in my life? Once I translate the runes, assuming I see the missing runes, he’ll be gone.

  She strolled around the library, looking at the shelves, searching for anything that might look interesting. Since she focused on scanning instead of pure research this trip, she was anxious to get as much information as possible. The biggest problem with Lord Chester’s written works was that over the centuries his ancestors had accumulated them, there hadn’t been much thought for organizing them by subject. The tomes were scattered across the huge room in an almost willy-nilly fashion. A book from the twentieth century could well be resting on one from the eighteenth only because there was a spot for it. She had several discussions with Lord Chester about creating an inventory and arranging them in some logical order. She thought it highly possible that there were rare or even one-of-a-kind works buried in the huge cavern of a room. Maybe she should show him the wand scanner and get him to consider at least scanning the title pages, if not the whole book.

  She stood at the bottom of the library ladder and lifted her head. About fifteen feet above her was a shelf that held several large, bound volumes. She guessed, based on the visible bindings, they might be from around the 1400s. She grabbed hold of the rung at chest height and started to climb.

  When she reached the shelf, she pulled the first book toward her and carefully opened it. It appeared to be written in old English, pushing her original time backwards by at least several hundred years. This might be interesting. Many documents that survived from this period contained runes and Latin letters that were recognizable in modern English, though the words themselves may have passed from the vernacular. She pulled it tight to her chest, cradling it much as a mother would a baby, and carefully headed down.

  Once again on solid ground, she laid the manuscript on the desk, donned her cloth gloves and delicately lifted the cover. She picked up her scanner and began importing each page. About a third of the way through, she stopped to glance at the current page. This document appeared to be describing the daily life at an estate somewhere in southeast coastal England. She wondered if it even existed anymore. It would be interesting to see if it did and the information in the book could be tied to an actual location.

  As she neared the last page, she noticed there were runes, not many but enough to convince her that this definitely was from the southeast coast. She closed the book and placed it over on the shelf in the far corner with her other scanned items.

  Walking back to the desk, it dawned on her the runes would be what would tie Alec to her. She’d make him an offer he’d find hard to refuse. And maybe, just maybe, they’d be on track to discover Norland together, since she was more convinced than ever that Josh’s notes related to that mythic settlement.

  It was late afternoon when she decided to call it a day. She was tired, the jet lag finally catching up with her. And she was hungry, suddenly realizing she’d missed lunch. She headed upstairs to take a shower and dress for dinner at seven. She checked her watch and noted it was just after five thirty. Though they weren’t expected to dress formally for dinner, she wanted to change into something other than jeans.

  She changed and headed down to dinner. She stepped into the dining room, looking for him. He wasn’t there. She shrugged as she twirled, her chiffon skirt floating around her. It didn’t matter. She’d find him after dinner if he insisted on keeping a low profile. She hummed softly as she took the chair at one end of the ten-foot-long table. She was a woman on a mission, and though he didn’t know it yet, he played an important part.

  The clock chimed six times. On the seventh a young girl appeared with two salads. She carefully placed one in front of Katie and the other at the empty chair. She was convinced Alec would be a no-show and promptly devoured hers.

  As the empty salad plate was removed and replaced by a bowl of steaming tomato bisque, Alec walked in.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said to no one in particular. He sat at the opposite end of the table and looked up.

  She smiled. “I’m glad you could join me.”

  His brows furrowed. “Really?” He sniffed at the soup. “Just what’s in here?”

  Katie nodded, ignoring his jab, and continued with her soup, watching him carefully as she lifted each spoonful to her lips. She waited until his soup bowl was cleared away and before the entrée appeared. She pointed to her right. “Move your seat down here. I want to talk to you and I don’t want anyone to hear.”

  Wordlessly he picked up his place setting and settled next to her. When the main course was brought in, there was no mention that the seating arrangements had changed. How she loved that British stiff upper lip.

  ****

  Alec listened carefully, as she had instructed him. He said only a few words as they finished their meal and headed out to the formal gardens for a stroll. He was impressed. Her mind was like a computer, flowcharting different paths, changing parameters until she got the outcome she sought. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn she’d spent years working on the proposition she’d dropped in his lap instead of the mere hours it took her to develop it.

  They stopped at the far edge of the stone covered pathway. She sat on the wrought iron bench. He sat beside her. “What’s your answer, Alec. Yes or no?”

  He leaned forward as he clasped his hands, his forearms rested on his thighs. “Let me get this straight. You want us to find the runes and then you’re sure you can decipher them. We’ll work together as a team, equal partners?”

  “I’m pretty sure I can translate them. Not to sound conceited, but if I can’t translate them, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who can. Besides, I think the runes may get me closer to uncovering the source of the myth. I’m convinced, based on what I’ve uncovered, that Josh was searching for Norland.”

  “And you want Robert to find a loophole to get you the monies due you from your financial arrangements with the Institute, if or when you leave before the agreed start date.”

  “Yes. Since my career path is probably at an end at the Institute, it’s just a matter of time before I’ll have to leave. I don’t think I can garner support once you go. I think it very likely that the division may be combined with another, considering it wasn’t one of the more popular organizational announcements, and that would further reduce my opportunities.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s time I spread my wings, but I’ll be damn sure that I’m not going to leave my money on the table. Besides, you owe me for what you’ve done to my future earnings potential. Robert can take some of his millions and hire a crack team of lawyers to find a clause or something in the agreement that will allow me to walk away with my royalties intact. I’ll pay him back once I get my money. In the short term, I can take a leave of absence.” She rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve the tension. “If he can’t crack it, he sets me up in the consulting business and guarantees me a minimum annual income in the mid-six figures until I can develop a substantial consulting clientele or,” she shuddered then continued, “a teaching position.”

  He shook his head. “You and me, equal partners? It’s an interesting proposition, I’ll give you
that.” He faced her. It would definitely keep us together, at least for a while. “You sure you want to do this? I mean, once we start, set everything in motion, it’ll be hard to stop.”

  She sighed. “Have you noticed that you seem to always be asking that question, ‘am I sure?’ ” She wrapped her arms around her core. “So do you agree?”

  He slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around her. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  “What about us, Katie? What happens to us?”

  “Us? I’m not sure I follow.”

  He watched her body tense as she pulled his jacket close. He tried not to laugh when he glimpsed her sniffing his coat. He pulled her over to his lap. She draped her arms around his neck. “I want there to be something between us. I want your promise that you’ll try. I can sense you want me, KitKat. As much as you try to deny it, I know you’re drawn to me, and I’m drawn to you.” He kissed her forehead. She rested her head in the perfect space between his neck and his shoulder.

  “Promise me something, Alec. No more secrets, no more lies, no more half-truths. Honesty all around. You know how I hate the deceit.”

  He gently grasped her chin in his hand and brought her mouth to his. “I promise, KitKat. No lies, no secrets, no half-truths.” He kissed her, sealing her lips beneath hers and sealing the deal between them.

  They strolled back inside, hand in hand. She stifled a yawn as she crossed the threshold. He chuckled. “I saw that. Jet lag?”

  “Um, yeah. I think I might fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow.”

  “Come on,” he said as he guided her up the massive staircase, “time for bed.”

  When they reached the bedrooms, Katie slipped off his jacket and handed it to him. She turned and headed for her room. “Night.”

  He reached down and slipped his hand over hers and tugged gently. “Why not sleep in my bed?”

  Her eyes lifted and met his gaze. She shook her head. “I just want to sleep. I’m so tired.”