Page 46 of Troy Story
“Dusty has a history of pulling pranks in the field, don’t you?” Dr. Hughes said. “But this time, you took it too far.”
She nodded miserably, but Emilia wasn’t as complacent. “How can you let Dusty take the blame when—”
“Don’t,” Dusty said. “You don’t have to cover up for me. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Dr. Wagner demanded. “That’s all you have to say? I wasted a lot of time talking to you and your friends.”
“I know, and I apologize. But please don’t blame them. I’m the one who convinced them to go along with it.” As excruciating as it was, she kept her focus on him. If she looked at Dr. Hughes, she’d want to kill him, and she couldn’t face the disappointment in Stuart’s eyes.
“If it would make you feel better, I’d be willing to banish her from the site for the rest of the dig,” Dr. Hughes said. “I could send her back to the lab so that she won’t cross your path again.”
Kick her off the site? For helping pull off his stupid spy mission? Dusty waited, hands clenched, hoping Stuart would defend her, but Kerim spoke up first. “That’s a little harsh. If we’ve really found a cemetery, we’re going to need everyone’s help to finish the season.”
“Fine. Two weeks, then.” Dr. Hughes glared at Dusty. “Some time alone in the lab might give you a chance to reflect on your reckless behavior. If you weren’t so useful, I’d send you home, but I want you off the dig site immediately.”
Stuart addressed Dr. Wagner. “I apologize, sir. I didn’t know about any of this.”
“That much is obvious,” Dr. Wagner said. “But after what I just witnessed, I have no interest in joining you for your morning break. We’ve got work to do.”
Dusty fought back tears as she stuffed her things into her daypack. She peeked over at Stuart, hoping he’d offer to take her back to the field house, but all his attention was focused on Dr. Wagner. Shoulders slumped, he stared at the professor’s retreating figure, no doubt cursing himself for offering an olive branch to the Germans.
When Kerim came up to her, the kindness in his voice almost sent her over the edge. “Dusty? I can drive you to the field house.”
“Thanks.” She could barely get the words out for fear Dr. Hughes would notice how much her voice was shaking. Under no circumstances could she cry in front of him. She followed Kerim away from the site, walking past the others with her head held high.
When they reached the boardwalk, the tour groups were out in droves. She pushed past an unwieldy crowd listening to a guide speaking in Italian and another one filled with Russian tourists. Try as she might to stem the angry flow of tears, her eyes welled up. She blinked quickly, hoping to regain a little self-control.
Kerim stopped when they got to the paved courtyard that held the giant Trojan horse. A rowdy line of kids waited to climb into the horse’s belly. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Dusty?”
“What?”
“Please tell me this ‘ruse,’ or whatever you want to call it, wasn’t your idea.”
She kept her tone light. “Sure it was. You know how much I love shenanigans.”
“I do, but not when they could lead to serious repercussions. Dr. Hughes asked you to do this, didn’t he?”
She sniffed and nodded. While she’d lied to protect her boss from the wrath of his German rival, she wanted to be honest with Kerim. “At first, he just asked Clarissa, but she felt so uncomfortable that she came to me and Em for help. When I confronted Hughes about it, he threatened to fire me unless I went along with it.”
“Oh, Dusty. You should have come to me first. Or talked to Stuart.”
“I know that now,” she muttered. “I put myself in a terrible position. I only agreed to do this so I could keep my job. I didn’t think Dr. Wagner would find out since we’ve been steering clear of his site. And I never intended to humiliate him.” Guilt surged through her as she imagined how he must have felt, learning that he’d been the victim of an elaborate con.
Kerim frowned. “I’m going to talk to Dr. Hughes when I get back. He can’t treat you this way.”
“Don’t. I’m just glad he didn’t fire me. That’s what he wants. He had the perfect excuse to send me home. Maybe he assumed that if he let me stay, I wouldn’t implicate him in this stupid scheme.”
That had to be it. By offering herself up as the guilty party, she’d saved Dr. Hughes’ ass. If Dr. Wagner had known who was truly responsible for her “prank,” he might have done more than just yell. He might have taken further action, like trying to get the Americans expelled from Troy. Better to think this ruse was the whim of an impetuous young woman than a scheming academic.
“Even so, it’s wrong what he did,” Kerim said. “You shouldn’t have to suffer for it.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m pretty tough.” She walked with him toward the parking lot, which was packed with cars and tour buses.
He squeezed her shoulder. “I know you are, Dusty. Or should I say, Hilde?”
A burst of laughter tumbled out. When she reflected on the ludicrous nature of their mission, it was borderline hilarious, even if Dr. Wagner didn’t think so. Maybe one day, he’d look back on it and laugh. He could use a little lightening up.
“If you think that’s bad, Emilia was Gerta.” Dusty laughed even harder. “And Clarissa was Liesel, like inThe Sound of Music.”
