Page 68 of London
“Never heard of them.”
Ignoring him, she continued reading and browsing.
“According toRomania Insider,the forest was named after a shepherd who went missing in this place with a flock of two hundred sheep. It came to international attention in 1968 when Emil Barnea, a military technician, photographed what he claimed was a UFO hovering over The Clearing. Today, visitors to the forest complain of strange symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, the feeling of being watched, and the failure of electronic devices. Ghosts have been seen by joggers brave enough to enter.There’s a picture here of a shadowy man in the traditional dress of northern Romania.”
Gerard chuckled skeptically, but Linda felt her skin crawl. She didn’t really believe in these things, but wasn’t it a strange coincidence that all of their devices had stopped working while they were in the forest? What twist of fate had lured them there so that whoever had followed them had the perfect opportunity to rob them?
And there had been the light in the forest. Neither she nor Gerard had imagined that. Had the document thieves staged the whole thing from the detour to the wrong turn? Or had it been an incredible stroke of luck for the robbers?
Whichever the case, this situation was getting spookier by the minute. She couldn’t wait to leave here and get home before something even creepier happened.
They didn’t stop until they reached the car rental agency. While Gerard attended to the last minute paperwork and fees, she looked around to see if she could spot a Jeep similar to the one Gerard suspected might have followed them, but she didn’t see one.
Edgy, looking over her shoulder every few minutes, she combed the airport for suspicious individuals. The gesture was futile since she had no idea who might be after them. Gerard must’ve felt the same way because, like her, he studied every face in the airport, every person who boarded their plane, but nobody seemed out of place.
Preoccupied as she was with her search for the culprit, Linda forgot all about her fear of flying. After all, a person could only handle so much anxiety. Over millennia, the human body and mind had adopted their own complex mechanisms of coping with stress and learned to prioritize. Besides, knowing that home was only hours away lifted her spirits.
Once they landed in London, she felt saner, safer. It was an illusion. They wouldn’t be safe until they discovered the identity of the person after the formulae.
“I have to go home,” Gerard said, leading her out of the airport. “I doubt anyone’s broken in again, since they knew my files weren’t there.”
Linda tightened her grip around his arm. “I don’t know, Gerard. We should call the police and tell them everything. I really don’t want you going there alone. Hell, the crook was probably on our plane.” She darted another glance behind them. “When they find out they’ve been duped, they may come after you.” She shuddered.
Gerard squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy. I’ll just check on my fish, and then maybe I’ll call the police. I don’t know… Why don’t we wait until you talk to your brother and see if he has any information?”
That idea made sense. Reluctantly, she looked around for a taxi.
“You promise you’ll just feed your fish and then come right back to my place?”
He kissed her forehead. “I promise. I may also take a shower and change—that is if you don’t mind.”
“You may,” she said, smiling reluctantly. “Look, here’s the spare key to the house.”
She dug in her bag until she found it, then handed it to him. His gaze told her he understood how much this next step in their relationship meant to him, and that he appreciated how much it meant to her as well. He closed his fingers around the key, his mouth curving into a smile.
“Thanks. I’ll let myself in. If you get sleepy, don’t be shy. I’ll just slide in next to you.”
She nodded. She couldn’t think of anything better right now than snuggling with him in her own bed.
A taxi stopped. Gerard opened the door and urged Linda to climb inside.
“You take this one,” he said. “I’ll catch the next one and see you in an hour or so.”
“See you at home,” she said, then closed the door. She gave the cab driver her address. Looking out the window, she watched Gerard until he was out of sight.
Chapter Eighteen
The cab pulled up to the door.
“We’re here, ma’am,” the driver said, jarring Linda out of a light doze.
“Thank you.” She handed him the fare and a tip before getting out of the cab with her luggage. After yawning, she inhaled deeply and sighed. It was good to be home again. Once Gerard returned, it would be perfect.
She unlocked the door, set down her suitcase and backpack, slipped off her shoes, and reached for the mail Mrs. Adams had left on the table. Sorting through the letters and finding nothing requiring her immediate attention, she dropped the envelopes into the mail basket, intending to deal with them tomorrow.
Placing her hands at the small of her back, she stretched. Where was Pirata? By now her roommate should be welcoming her with his exuberant meows. She turned on the lights as she made her way through the ground floor. To her surprise, there was no trace of him. Had Mrs. Adams left him outside in the garden thinking she would be home earlier? It wasn’t like her housekeeper to do something careless like that. Most likely, he was curled up on her bed, fast asleep. Still, it was unusual for him to ignore her like this. Was he having a kitty snit-fit at her having left him in the first place?
She picked up her bag to carry it upstairs when the phone rang. Hurrying to answer in case it was Gerard, she saw it was Giovanni instead. She picked up the receiver, but before she could even sayciao, he spoke.
