Page 84 of Troy Story
As the group sunk into despair, the only one who appeared undaunted was Clarissa. “Maybe Dr. Wagner will go easy on us. Let me call Leo and see if we can work something out. That way, no one has to get kicked out of Troy.”
“You think Leo has that much pull with Dr. Wagner?” Stuart asked.
“Of course he does. He’s Wagner’s oldest son.” Clarissa grinned. “He just keeps it quiet so that no one will accuse his dad of nepotism. I’ll call him and see what I can do.”
While Clarissa went to make the call, Dusty relayed the entire turn of events to the crew. By the end of her story, she was glad she’d had the courage to come back. And even more glad that Mort had stepped up to help them. If Clarissa could work her magic with Dr. Wagner and his son, then the Jones family would have single-handedly saved their asses.
She cast Mort a warm smile. “I owe you, big-time.”
“Think nothing of it,” he said. “I was happy to help.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” When he shook his head, she pressed on. “Don’t forget, I’ve got serious pull with Dr. Louisa Danforth.”
Mort brightened. “Well, now that you mention it, there is something I might want…”
* * *
An hour later,Dr. Wagner, Leo, and three members of the German team showed up at the field house. At the sight of the tablet, Dr. Wagner exploded in anger and accused them of betraying his trust. After Leo and Clarissa begged him to listen, Dusty walked him through the entire story. By the end, he was still seething over Dr. Hughes’ treachery, but he’d calmed down enough to realize the rest of them weren’t at fault.
He gazed at the tablet. “We’ll never have the exact context. It’s a shame.”
“I know,” Dusty said. “But if you talk to Mehmet and his brothers, they can show you where they found it, more or less. Now you can record it as coming from the mound near the Temple of Athena rather than from a trench in the lower city. You’ll also know where to keep looking in case there are more tablets in the same area.”
“True. We found three more fragments this afternoon. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“With that in mind, is there any way you can keep this quiet?” Stuart asked. “If you feel the need to report the incident to the Turkish government, I’ll understand. Rules are rules. But we’d like to keep working here. And come back next year, preferably as part of a joint excavation with your university.”
Dusty tensed as she waited for Dr. Wagner’s response. After everything they’d been through, she didn’t want Stuart or anyone else punished on account of Dr. Hughes’ greed.
Dr. Wagner gave a slow nod. “I see no reason to get the government involved. I’d also like it if our two teams could collaborate, as we once did. But I have a few conditions.”
“Name them,” Kerim said. “We’ll do our best to accommodate you.”
“First, Dr. Hughes must be removed from the dig. He’s not to set foot at Troy ever again. Second, he should not speak on behalf of your university at the Amsterdam symposium.”
Dr. Hughes bristled with anger. “That’s completely unreasonable.”
“If word gets out about what you did, people aren’t going to forget it,” Kerim said. “Is that what you want? To be known as a trench robber? You’ll be the laughingstock of academia.”
He lowered his head. “Fine. I’ll concede.”
“We’ll need to send someone to Amsterdam,” Stuart said. “The university wants a presence there.”
“Then I suggest you go,” Dr. Wagner said. “Take Miss Danforth with you.”
Dusty grinned. Amsterdam? With Stuart?Hell, yes.Maybe by then, her dad would have translated the tablet, and they could share its contents with the scholarly community.
“All this fuss because I moved a tablet,” Dr. Hughes said. “It’s ridiculous.”
“It’s not just because you moved the tablet,” Kerim said. “You bribed three young men into looting a site and risking arrest, you stole Dusty’s phone and her passport, kicked her off the dig, and threatened Stuart’s job. Not to mention the lewd comments you’ve made about the women on the crew. These are not the actions of a professional.”
Dr. Hughes stood and straightened to his full height. “If we’re quite finished with the inquisition, I’d like to retire to my room.”
“Can I have my phone first?” Dusty asked.
Grumbling, he pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her, then strode off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Dusty peeked at the notifications on her phone, only to stare in shock. So. Many. Missed. Texts.
