Page 56 of Savage Seduction

“Catherine, I’ve been meaning to ask you about the package that was delivered for me?”

“Oh, yes. Come by anytime and pick it up.”

“Great, thank you,” I say. “I suppose it’s about that time for me to get to work. Dr. Austin will no doubt be in a bad mood once Bob’s done talking to him.”

“Very true,” she says with a smirk on her face, but then grows quiet and serious. “Max?”

“Yeah?”

She crosses her arms and steps uncomfortably close to me. Before she speaks, Catherine checks over her shoulder and then up at the security camera in the corner of the room. She maneuvers herself so her back is to the camera and then whispers, “There is someone here at the museum that isn’t who they say they are, and I feel I owe it to you to warn you. Be careful, Max. I’ve already said too much and my career is on the line.”

“I have questions,” I whisper, careful to not enunciate using my lips as if I were a ventriloquist.

Catherine shoves her hands into her pockets and walks away. What the hell is going on here and what did it have to do with the package that was delivered? My mentioning the delivery seemed to force her warning. But why?

The dread in the pit of my stomach deepens.

I retrieve my lab coat from the locker room and head for the laboratory. I straighten my coat sleeves and then push the automatic opener to the laboratory door. It swings wide, and I walk in expecting a full team working diligently on the remaining Egyptian antiquities.

“Hello?” I say. “Is anyone here?” The room is fully lit, but it appears empty—most strange.

“Dr. Salgado,” Dr. Paul Austin says as he steps out from behind a piece of machinery I assumed was used to run tests or analyze data. “How nice of you to show up to work today.”

I check my watch again, but I’m definitely not late. “Where is everyone?”

“Good question,” Paul replies. “I show up as I usually do, and the lab is a ghost town. I inquired with Catherine… excuse me, Dr. Nakamura… and she said there hadn’t been a single callout.”

“That is odd,” I say. Not even Bretton had showed up and he seemed to always be there. “What would you have me do, Dr. Austin?”

“Thankfully, I’m almost done. Apparently, we aren’t setting up the exhibit until next week, but it would be good to prep all the smaller pieces, catalog them, begin writing up the information for the educational plaques, and then safely return each piece to the numbered crates.”

“Oh,” I say. “That’s it?” I start to laugh, but the no-nonsense expression plastered on Dr. Austin’s face dissolves any mirth in the room like acid.

The day seems to drag on, but it’s actually kind of nice doing most of the work myself. I get to gain even more insight into what life was like at the time of King Tut’s rule.

My stomach growls, and I look at my watch. It’s time to go home and have some dinner, but when I look for Dr. Austin, he’s gone. How long had I been alone in the lab?

My spine tingles and I begin to feel unsafe being therealone. I curse myself for letting that psycho inside my head, but even Dr. Nakamura had freaked me out earlier with her warning. Who wasn’t as they appeared? Bob? Dr. Austin? Bretton? Who?

Another growl erupts, followed by a pang of hunger.Screw this, I’m going home.But first, I'm going to stop at Catherine’s office and pick up my package.

I make my way up to the main level, toward the exit and around the corner to her office. As I approach, I raise my hand to knock on the door when I see it’s cracked open. I stop for a moment to listen.

Whispered voices come from inside. I lean forward and place my ear into the open space between the edge of the door and the doorframe and hold my breath.

“I don’t care what position you have here,” Catherine says. “I’m the lead curator and my decisions stand.”

Silence follows her statement. Catherine must have been on the phone, but who was she talking to?

“I am the one who answers to the board, not you. And for the record, I don’t like how this entire situation is being handled,” she says, voice cracking with emotion. She clears her throat and adds, “No, the staff involved. I asked them not to come in today because you made the situation sound urgent. Do you care to explain yourself? Now, you listen to me, Feds or not, I’m in charge here.”

I need to shift positions to take the strain off my craned neck, but I don’t want to risk moving and getting caught. There’d be no way to explain my way out of it.

“There’s no reason to use that tone with me.” Catherine pauses for a few moments. “I understand. Yes. My apologies. You have my word. I’ll keep my eye on him.” Catherine slams the phone down on the base. “Bastards.”

I hear her chair roll, and I become painfully aware I'm a sitting duck, eavesdropping on my boss. I tiptoe down theshort hallway and turn the corner, pressing my back up against the wall. Catherine’s heels click into the hallway, and she closes the door behind her. I sneak a peek and see she's going the opposite direction toward the main entrance to the museum. Once she's out of sight, I sneak back around and hurry to her office.

Taking a deep breath, I fight against the urge to enter her private space but can’t stop myself. I reach for the knob and turn it.

---