Page 63 of Stone
Chapter 33
Transfer
She heard her cell phone go off, but to be brutally honest, she didn’t give a damn about answering it. Trying to ignore it the best she could, she continued to work on the report that should have been on the acting curator’s desk two days ago.
A ping told her she had a voice memo.Good. I’ll listen to whatever babbling you left whenI’m done here.
The phone went off again.
“Oh, Jesus.” It was going to be one of those days. Another dark, gray, dismal twenty-four hours in a long line of equally dismal days. Ever since that intruder forced her into her apartment, andGarenthput out his lights, her existence seemed to have gone downhill.
Tears rose in her eyes. Grabbing a tissue fromthe box on her desk, she dabbed at them and sniffed. She had to stop pining like this. She had to go on with her life. This relentless worrying aboutGarenth…
More tears came, damn it. She shouldn’t have brought him up, but in the short time they’d known each other, he had become a part of her. His strength, his bravery, his caring—everything about him had touched her heart, andshe’d never really understood how much her life had changed until he was gone.
We never got to say goodbye.
That was the hardest part, the loss of one last kiss. One final hug. Once the police were finished questioning her, she’d been taken back to her apartment.
The last time she’d seen him was for that too brief moment when their eyes locked throughthe glass partition at the police station. She’d recognized the worry in his face, and knew he was concerned more for her safety and wellbeing than he was for his own.
Her uncle had been released soon afterwards, and returned to his dig in Egypt. A few weeks later,Garenthwas released to the authorities there in Cairo, andKellingaccepted sponsorship of him. In the months thatpassed, he would email her updates as toGarenth’sstatus, letting her know of the pitfalls of trying to get the man a work visa, even a temporary one.
“But, by all counts, Brie, it doesn’t look good. I can hire him on as a worker, but as for the proper paperwork…”
“I understand. Thank you for trying.”
“To these people, he has no history, no background,no family members,nobirth certificate. Nothing.”
“Is he okay, though? Is he doing okay?”
“Yeah. He’s making it. He’s learning English and adjusting pretty well to twenty-first century life, considering. Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m making sure he’ll never want for anything.”
The phone pinged a second time. Curiosity nagged her, and she finally reached forthe cell to see who’d been calling. Was it the same person both times?
Her eyes widened to discover it was.
Her uncle.
“Oh God, please don’t let it be bad news,” she softly prayed as she hit the call back button. It was answered after the first ring.
“Brie! How’s my girl?”
“Uncle Chet, is everything all right? I’m sorry I missedyour calls. I’m in the middle of trying to get this report finished for Gilbertson.”
The man chuckled. “Everything’s fine. Sorry if I upset you. Since you mentioned Gilbertson, what’s the latest news on Moring?”
“The grand jury indicted her Tuesday on several charges, including appropriation by theft and the selling of cultural artifacts. I’ll send you the link.”
“Have the police or ICE mentioned who she was obtaining them for?”
“No, but I suspect it may only be a matter of time before she or that guy who stole them rags on their buyer. Oh, and while I’m thinking of it, the lab results came back from thoseswabbingsI took from the vial.”
“And?”
“Inconclusive. The contents appear to be plant-based, butthere’s nothing in the database to identify which plants. They’re assuming the plants that were used to concoct the potion may now be extinct. I spoke to Johnstone, and he said they’ll continue to pursue it during their off time because they like enigmas.”
Kellinggrunted. “Well, it was worth a try.”
