Page 69 of Troy Story
“Were you out for a walk?” Dusty asked.
Dr. Hughes stared at them for a beat before responding. “Yes. Out for some air. I wouldn’t suggest staying up too late. We have a busy day tomorrow.” With that, he turned and went into the field house.
An uneasy sensation skittered along Stuart’s spine. Even if his boss hadn’t reprimanded him, he was still aware he’d been caught behaving unprofessionally.
Dusty stood and smoothed down her clothing. “We should get back inside. I feel kind of creepy thinking he might have been watching us.”
Stuart agreed with her. He wanted to tell her more about Istanbul, but this wasn’t the right time. Tomorrow night, he could share his secret, but he’d make sure Dr. Hughes wasn’t around to spoil it.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Dusty yawned, fighting off a wave of tiredness as she filled the coffeepot with water. For whatever reason, she’d woken up an hour early and couldn’t drift back to sleep. If she didn’t get some caffeine into her veins soon, she’d be a grumpy bitch all morning.
As she was retrieving a box of sugar cubes from the pantry, the door to the field house opened. She froze, watching in shock as Dr. Hughes dashed inside. He looked a mess—red-faced and sweaty, his shirt untucked and strands of gray hair plastered to his head. Over his shoulder was a faded green knapsack. The sight of him was so jarring she couldn’t pull her eyes away.
“What’s wrong?” he snapped. “Do you have a problem?”
“No. I just didn’t expect to see you out this early. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Out for a walk, not that it’s any of your business.” Pushing past her, he marched down the hall toward his room and slammed the door shut.
Another walk? If last night wasn’t odd enough, today was even more out of character. He never walked anywhere. The last time he’d taken a “morning constitutional” was when he’d gone with Mort to spy on the Germans.
What the hell had he been up to?
She set down the sugar cubes and crept over to the door. Opening it quietly, she slipped outside and ran to the garage. When she approached the nearest Land Rover and placed her hand on the hood, it was warm, the engine still ticking.
Her curiosity turned to irritation. If that asshole had tried to bully his way onto the Germans’ dig site, then someone needed to rein him in. Not her, since she couldn’t risk antagonizing him again, but she could mention it to Stuart or Kerim.
When she went back inside the field house, TJ was in the kitchen, hovering over the coffeepot. Pushing Dr. Hughes out of her mind, she laughed at her friend’s eagerness. “Give it a minute. You know how slowly it brews.”
“I know, but I need my morning go juice. I’m pumped to see what’s going to happen today.” He rubbed his hands together. “What if the Germans find an engraved tablet? It could be the oldest evidence of writing at Troy. What an incredible score.”
“I know, right? It’d blow that Luwian seal right out of the water.” Seeing that the coffeepot had filled up, she poured TJ a mug. “Here. I tried to make it a little less strong.”
He took a sip, then grimaced. “Still extra bold, but I’m getting used to it.”
She took a container of evaporated milk out of the pantry, opened it, and set it on the counter. “We have to be realistic, though. A tablet might not provide evidence that the Trojan War took place. It could be a set of administrative records or a list of items in storage.”
“But what if the Trojans were stocking up their supplies for a lengthy siege?” TJ’s voice rose. “That could indicatesomekind of war took place. Or what if the tablet contains a treaty between the Trojan rulers and the Mycenaean Greeks? Or—hear me out—imagine if it’s part of a royal archive? Like a bunch of tablets? That would be a total game-changer.”
A flare of excitement shot through her. Even if the Germans were the ones to make the discovery, their find would be a win for the entire site of Troy. Like TJ said, it could change history.
Still, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “If the Germans find a tablet, there’s no way any of us can top that. Which means neither you nor Em can claim victory in your challenge.”
“Whatever. We’ve already let it go.”
“Does that mean you’re becoming friends?”
He scoffed. “Hardly. But I had fun teaming up with her to pull off Operation Aphrodite. She’s gotten a little more bearable, but that’s it.”
* * *
Once on the site,Dusty resigned herself to another day in Dr. Hughes’ trench. Though she was meant to be working with Clarissa, she’d been on her own for the past hour. Clarissa had left at nine, claiming she was desperate to snag a cappuccino at the café, but she still hadn’t returned. No doubt she’d stopped by the Germans’ site to flirt with Leo.
“Hey, there!” Clarissa hopped back into the trench. Her face was flushed, her blond hair coming loose from her ponytail.
“Hey, yourself. How’s Leo?”
