Page 108 of High Seduction
Another burst of laughter broke free. “Our lunch sack? They wanted that?”
Marcus and James followed on their heels. “These are the guys you rescued off the mountain?” Marcus asked.
“And they came back for something we accidentally took, yes.” Tim pulled open drawers. “A backpack. They must have shoved whatever they were transporting that was important enough to kill for into the bag while Erin was refueling the chopper at the cabin airstrip.”
A far more somber Erin joined him in his search. “And then when we took off in the middle of the night, we took the bag with us.”
“Bad planning on their part,” James noted. “Is that it?”
Tim turned as Erin pulled the bag out of the side cupboard. “That’s it. Open it up.”
She laid it on the table and unzipped every compartment.
Nothing.
A frown creased her forehead as she looked across the table at him. “We dropped off the bag. Someone went through and emptied it, putting everything back where it belonged, including the bag, which means they should have found whatever was in here...”
“It makes no sense,” James pulled the bag closer, running his fingers through all the pockets, pressing on the seams. “It doesn’t seem likely that they’d have sewn anything right onto the bag.”
“They didn’t have time for that,” Erin agreed.
“Or written something?” Tim asked. “But what would be that valuable...?”
He was looking into Erin’s eyes when the idea struck. She must have thought of something as well, as her eyes widening. “We guessed the flight originated from somewhere in the Northwest Territories?”
She was going the same direction he was. “Red said he was hired to transport a bag, nothing else.”
They both looked at the fridge. “You think?” Tim asked.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Erin opened the door and peeked inside. “Jackpot.”
She pulled out two oversized water bottles.
Tim went for a drawer, bringing out the largest pot they had in the place and placing it on the table. “Open one.”
He stuck his hand into the pot, palm up, and waited as Erin poured the water over his fingers, the steadyglug, glugof the bottle emptying the only sound.
Something hit his palm, and he swore softly.
“What’s that?” Marcus asked.
Erin tipped the final water out, splashing a little on the table as she put the empty bottle aside and leaned over to examine Tim’s hand. “The one thing easily carried out of the north worth killing someone over.”
Tim lifted his hand to display a glistening pile of rough-cut diamonds.
CHAPTER30
They still had their fingers twined together when James gave the go-ahead to leave the RCMP station.
Marcus exited the building with them, shaking his head. “You two just about done with the excitement?” he asked.
“You want to give us more vacation time, we’re game,” Erin teased.
Their boss gave Tim a slap on the back. “I gave you a vacation, and you got involved with diamond smugglers. How about you just stay put for a while. Might be safer.”
“Deal.”
Erin tucked up against Tim’s side as they got into his truck, the position as natural as breathing. He kissed her temple, but other than that he didn’t say anything. Her brain had reached the point of overload, so silence suited her nicely while she relaxed and let him figure out where they needed to go.
