Page 64 of Troy Story
“Yep. That’s me. Living up to my reputation, once again. But I’m genuinely sorry I wasted your time.”
He eyed her sharply. “Did you think it was a waste of time? You seemed so interested.”
“Iwasinterested. I’ve spent my whole life around ruins, and they fascinate me.” She glanced down at the trenches where the German students were digging. Or rather, pretending to dig while they attempted to listen in. “If anything, I wish our two groups could combine forces. When my mom worked in Egypt, she was part of an international team—British, American, Egyptian, German. Everyone contributed.”
Dr. Wagner gestured for them to come closer. “Have a look. And bring that strudel.”
Clarissa gave a cheeky salute. “Yes, sir.”
Giving Mehmet a quick smile, Dusty pushed past the rope, with Clarissa following her. In the twelve days that had passed since they last visited, the Germans had dug up an even bigger swath of territory, occupying four separate trenches.
“Leopold, take Clarissa over to the break area so she can leave her strudel there,” Dr. Wagner said. “Dusty, you come with me.”
Clarissa went with Leo, talking to him softly as they walked together. Dusty followed the dig director to the area he’d been excavating. “Any evidence of that archive?” she asked. “Not asking for Dr. Hughes, just curious.”
As soon as she said it, she cursed herself inwardly, realizing she’d put her boss in the line of fire and jeopardized her job again. But Dr. Wagner only responded with a sardonic laugh. “So that ridiculous plan was his idea? I suspected as much.”
She cringed. “You won’t report him, will you?”
“No. Despite what you might think of me, I’m not that petty. But I’m angry that he coerced you and your friends into carrying out that scheme for him.”
The tension eased from her shoulders. “Thanks. I’m not proud of what I did, but I needed to stay on his good side. Not that it helped. He’s one of the most toxic people I’ve ever met.”
“He wasn’t always like this. Yes, he was a boastful man who insisted on being the center of attention. But he wasn’t so mean-spirited. Did you know he and I once worked together here at Troy? Years ago, our two teams were part of a joint excavation project.”
“What? I thought you were rivals.”
“No. We were collaborating until Dr. Hughes…” He trailed off. “You know what happened?”
She shook her head. “Just that there was a dispute, and the Turkish government ruled in your favor. Stuart said everyone involved with the dig had to sign an NDA.”
He looked away briefly, as though the memory pained him. “Maybe so, but I think you deserve to hear the truth. Our last season together, we made some valuable finds. Gold jewelry, like the kind found by Heinrich Schliemann back in the 1870s. You’ve heard the stories?”
“Sure. Schliemann claimed it was the treasure of King Priam of Troy, then took photos of his wife wearing it. He smuggled it into Greece, but when the Turks found out, they revoked his excavation permit for three years.”
“Dr. Hughes was doing the same thing. Stealing artifacts, then passing them along to a contact to sell. But when I accused him, he said I was lying. That I’d set him up so I could sabotage him and take full control of the dig.”
This went beyond mere jealousy. This was criminal shit. “Now I get why they kicked him out. Why’d they agree to let the University of Boston come back here?”
“There were artifacts from the Turkish sites of Ephesus and Hierapolis in the university’s archaeological museum—valuable pieces the Turkish government wanted repatriated. So they made an arrangement.”
No wonder the university had tried so hard to keep the incident a secret. Hiding it from everyone, even Stuart. She was astonished Dr. Hughes hadn’t gone to jail, but it was truly mind-boggling what an entitled male authority figure could get away with. “That’s terrible. We’ll have to keep an eye on him.”
“I doubt he’d make the same mistake twice. He’s more intent on restoring his good name. That’s why he wants to find something notable—so he can brag about it at that symposium in Amsterdam.”
Dusty was tempted to reveal that her boss had only found two skeletons, but she held her tongue. Eventually, Dr. Wagner would find out. For now, she’d keep quiet, but she’d watch Dr. Hughes more closely. As far as she could tell, no one in their crew had excavated anything worth smuggling. The few pieces of jewelry she’d drawn were small and poorly preserved. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try something. And if he pulled any criminal shit, it wouldn’t just affect him but Stuart as well.
By the time she left, she’d established a strong rapport with Dr. Wagner. Not only had he forgiven her, but he also sympathized with her for working under Dr. Hughes. As she and Clarissa were leaving, he invited them to drop by again. “Or come lend a hand,” he added with a hint of a smile. “There’s always room for more German-speaking archaeologists onourteam.”
* * *
The first halfhour at the site had lulled Stuart into a state of complacency. Since Kerim and Dr. Hughes hadn’t returned from Çanakkale yet, he was in charge. The prospect no longer intimidated him. Having spent hours working on the site report, he had a better overview of the project than Dr. Hughes, who only cared about his own trench. When Stuart reviewed the day’s objectives with the team, they all listened. No one bickered or grumbled as they took their places and began another day of excavation.
If only the rest of the dig could be like this.
Stuart was helping Emilia outline a wall in the far corner of his trench when Kerim arrived, bringing Dr. Hughes with him. Emilia let out a pained groan. “Please don’t make me work with him. I can’t deal with his attitude this morning.”
“Same here,” said Hayat, who was working nearby.
