Aaron Elkins: Murder In The Queen's armes

Abe oscillated his head grimly back and forth. "I’m sure he was horrified all over again."

"I think he was," Gideon said. Suddenly drained, he sat heavily back against his chair. Merrill had given him some codeine earlier, but his bruises had begun to ache again, and his scrapes to burn. "Anyway, that’s the whole story."

"No, it isn’t," Julie said. "I still have questions. Right after that business with the dog, you were sure Leon had sicced it on us. But then, in the living room, you seemed to think it was Paul. Or did I misunderstand?"

"No, you’re right. I started thinking about the timing, and it was obvious. Whoever stole that sneaker had to have done it this afternoon, because we didn’t decide to go out Barr’s Lane until about two. Well, the hotel was locked up all afternoon because the Hinshores were in Bridport and nobody without a key could get in. That let out Leon, but it didn’t let out Paul, because he was already here."

"But how could he get hold of your tennis shoe?" Julie said, her brows knit. "I was in the room all afternoon." She touched a finger to her lips. "Oops. Except for twenty minutes or so, when I went across the street for some stamps. I guess that’d be long enough."

"More than long enough, what with my key hanging on a peg in the entry. I guess Leon called Paul and told him we were going to go into the woods, and the two of them hatched the idea." He began to stretch, then stopped with a wince. "Ouch. I think I’m about ready to call it a day."

"Me, too," Julie said, putting down her half-finished sandwich. "Just one more question. Was it Paul who was giving all that information to the Times? "

"That’s right. He figured the more pre-publicity it all got, the worse it would be for Nate when it blew up."

"Yes, I can see that. But-not that it matters-how in the world did he ever find out you were coming to Stonebarrow Fell?"

"That I still haven’t figured out."

"That’s easy," Abe said. "I told him."

" You? " Gideon said. "But I asked you-"

"You asked me did I tell anybody on the dig. Paul’s not on the dig; he’s an administrator from Horizon. Why shouldn’t I tell him?"

"For Christ’s sake, Abe, maybe if you’d told me that, we’d… Hell, never mind."

"Maybe if you would have told me why you wanted to know," Abe said, made testy by Gideon’s tone, "I could have told you."

It was rare for them to snap at each other, and Gideon was immediately contrite. "I’m sorry, Abe. I’m obviously not at my best. There was no way for you to know it was important. I didn’t know, myself."

"That’s all right," Abe, too, hurried to patch up the small rift. "It’s my fault. I just forgot."

"No, my fault," Gideon said. "Boy, am I ready for bed." So ready that he couldn’t quite find the energy to gather himself up and go.

"Oh yeah," Abe said, "something else I forgot. From back home."

A certain familiar lilt made Gideon look up, to find Abe grinning widely, at Julie as much as at him.

"I was talking to Michaelis at the university," he went on, "and he was telling me they’re thinking of starting a graduate anthropology department at the Port Angeles campus next year. So he says to me, do I know a good physical anthropologist who’d be interested in teaching up there, maybe with a full professorship if he’s got the right experience."

"I appreciate it," Gideon said tersely, "but I don’t want any strings pulled for me. I can find my own jobs."

"Strings?" Abe repeated, appealing to Julie. "Who’s pulling strings? Boy, this guy has a temper!" He leaned agilely forward with more vigor than Gideon had at the moment, and clapped him gently on the knee. "What kind of strings? You’re not a good physical anthropologist? You wouldn’t be interested in teaching on the Olympic Peninsula? Is it my fault he’s interested in you? Why wouldn’t he be interested?"

Julie leaned over and put her hand on his other knee. "Gideon, it would solve all our problems. I could work at the Park Service in Port Angeles." She sounded breathless and softly excited. "There was a house I saw for sale, with a view of Hurricane Ridge on one side and Ediz Hook on the other…"

"And also," Abe said, "Port Angeles isn’t so far from Sequim. To me it doesn’t matter so much, but I know Bertha would like to see you sometimes…"

Gideon nodded. It must have been the grueling and extraordinary day that made him not quite trust himself to speak.

"You’ll fly up and talk to him?" Abe said.

Gideon nodded again. "I sure will." He rubbed his hand over his forehead and finally forced himself to stand, a surprisingly drawn-out process. "And, Abe, thank you."

"Perfectly all right." Abe was beaming. "My pleasure."

"And what will happen to Nate?" Julie asked Abe. "Will Horizon reinstate him?"

"Oh, I think so, at least if I have anything to say about it. To finish up the Bronze Age excavations anyway. Nathan’s a good boy at heart, and I think he learned a good lesson here. As for Frawley, the shtunk, we’ll let Nathan figure out what he wants to do about him."

With Julie, Gideon had made his painful way to the door before he turned around. "And the Second Interglacial stratum, what about that? There could be a hell of a Middle Pleistocene site here, Abe, and it ought to be dug too."

"Absolutely. I was thinking of organizing an exploratory dig for the foundation next summer-for a couple months, maybe-and bringing in some first-rate prehistoric archaeologists: Hernandez, Passarelli, Ingraham… And of course I might lend a hand myself. It would be a nice place to spend the summer."

It certainly would, Gideon thought with ungrudging envy. "That’s great, Abe; you’ll be right back in the thick of things."

"I certainly will. The only thing I’m missing is a grade-A physical anthropologist." He reached for a pickle slice on his plate and popped it into his mouth. "Listen, Gideon, I was thinking…"