Page 38 of Troy Story
“No!” Clarissa clapped her hand over her mouth. “That’s terrible.”
“Very unprofessional. The Turkish government revoked the university’s permit. I suspect they’re only here because they paid off the right people, but it wouldn’t take much for them to lose this privilege.”
Dusty felt a twinge of foreboding. All the more reason Dr. Hughes needed to behave himself. If he messed up again, he could place their entire project in jeopardy.
After talking with Dr. Wagner a little longer, she grew uneasy. By now, Stuart and Kerim might be questioning their lengthy absence. What if the two men came looking for them? She caught the others’ eyes, then graced Dr. Wagner with a grateful smile. “Thank you for taking the time to show us around. We should let you get back to work.”
“You’re very welcome. Tell Anselm hello from me. And tell him to visit Turkey sometime. The climate here is much more reasonable than Egypt.”
As they made their goodbyes, smiling, waving, and backing away, Dusty’s heart rate ratcheted up a notch. Only a few more steps and they’d be on their way.
Until a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks. “Em? Dusty? What are you doing?”
Dusty froze. TJ stood at the edge of the rope barricade, staring at them.
With lightning reflexes, Emilia whirled around and yelled at him in English. “Stop following us, you American pig! We’re not interested.” Still fuming, she turned to face Dr. Wagner. “I apologize, but thisboyhas been trailing us all over the site, trying to pick us up, if you can believe it.”
Did he believe it? Dusty held her breath, waiting for Dr. Wagner’s reaction. To her immense relief, he glared at TJ and spoke to him in English. “I suggest you leave these women alone. Clearly, they are not interested in you.”
Dusty clenched her hands as she waited for TJ’s response. Rather than challenge their blatant lie, he gave the women a humble smile. “Sorry, ladies. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
Once he had skulked away, Emilia apologized to Dr. Wagner in German. “I’m so sorry for my outburst, but he kept bothering us earlier. I think he mistook us for someone else.”
“Not to worry,” Dr. Wagner said. “It looks as though we’ve scared him off. Anyway, we must resume our work. It was a pleasure.”
“The pleasure was ours,” Dusty said. She motioned for the others to follow, and they left the site quickly. As if by unspoken agreement, they remained silent until they came to the paved courtyard where the Trojan horse stood. TJ waited beside it, arms crossed, with a stormy look on his face.
“What the hell was that?” he asked. “Why are you dressed like tourists? And why did you act like I was a stalker?”
Emilia held up her hand. “Forget about it, okay? The less you know, the better.”
“Are you working with the Germans? Betraying us?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. We’re on a covert mission for Dr. Hughes. Trying to learn more about the Germans’ project without implicating him.”
“Are you insane?” TJ said. “What if Dr. Wagner had recognized you?”
“He didn’t,” Emilia said. “None of them did because we weren’t dressed as archaeologists, and unlike you, we all speak German.” She beckoned to the others. “Let’s get going.”
TJ insisted on following them, still muttering under his breath about the insanity of their plan.
“What were you doing there, anyway?” Emilia asked him. “The morning break should be over by now.”
“It ended ages ago. When Stuart grumbled that all of you were taking too long, I volunteered to go look for you and took the long way around.” He gave a petulant shrug. “I figured if you were still in the café, I’d grab a Coke. I could use the caffeine.”
“Fine, you can join us at the café,” Dusty said. “But keep your mouth shut about our visit with the Germans. Got it?”
He scowled. “I can’t believe you’re doing Hughes any favors. I thought you hated him.”
Clarissa spoke up. “They were doing it for me. Or rather, for my dad. That’s all you need to know.”
They found Mort seated outside at his familiar table. After greeting him, the three women went into the restroom to change into their dig clothes. Once they were done, they joined him and TJ. As they recapped their conversation with Dr. Wagner, Mort jotted down the details in a little notebook he produced from the pocket of his vest. Dusty had seen him pull it out before, often when Dr. Hughes was speaking. Clearly, Mort was the kind of guy who liked to document everything.
He waved the notebook at Dusty. “Don’t worry, my dear. If we’re captured, I’ll eat this. No one will ever get any information out of me.”
She laughed. “Good to know. I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”
“I’m sure Dr. Hughes will be pleased by your work,” he said. “You ladies can order anything you want. My treat.”
