Misplaced (83 page)

Sometimes,
they
would
stop
talking,
and
Oli
v
er
would
pull
he
r
t
o
him
.
Sh
e
woul
d
drin
k
i
n
th
e
smel
l
o
f
ha
y
an
d
sin
k
he
r
lips
onto his. By then, the musky
w
armth of his skin had rendered her senses useless. He would laugh, take her hand, and rest it on
his
heart
while
they
cooled
off. “Shameless
girl,”
he
teased. Her
fingers stroked
the
crevices
bet
w
een
his
ribs,
the
knotted muscles of his stomach.

Nothin
g
lik
e
th
e
blis
s
sh
e
fel
t
whe
n
Oli
v
e
r
’
s
w
ar
m
hand
too
k
hers
,
i
n
th
e
w
a
y
h
e
s
w
ep
t
he
r
int
o
hi
s
arm
s
an
d
kissed
her
without
w
arning,
had
e
v
er
belonged
to
her.
Most
of
all,
she
lo
v
e
d
hi
m
fo
r
hi
s
restraint
.
Afte
r
tha
t
firs
t
day
,
h
e
seeme
d
to
understand she could not gi
v
e herself to him. Khara mar
v
eled
a
t
hi
s
abilit
y
t
o
understan
d
an
d
accep
t
he
r
position
,
an
d
sh
e lo
v
ed him more deeply for it.

Often
,
o
n
he
r
w
a
y
bac
k
fro
m
town
,
V
ictori
a
woul
d
joi
n
them
in
the
paradise
of
the
barn.
No
matter
how
much
they
begged
her
to
stay,
something
in
the
kitchen
al
w
ays
called
her
a
w
ay.
A
pastr
y
ha
d
t
o
b
e
mixe
d
righ
t
a
w
a
y
s
o
i
t
coul
d
res
t
properly
,
and
Lila
w
as going to show her how to properly feed
y
east.

Afte
r
dinner
,
sh
e
an
d
V
ictori
a
w
alke
d
t
o
th
e
cabi
n
with
arms
linked,
w
atching
the
stars.
Celeste’s
telescope,
perched
on
the
balcony
of
her
sitting
room
for
the
best
view,
w
as
beyond
anythin
g
he
r
imaginatio
n
coul
d
ha
v
e
wishe
d
for
.
Whe
n
the
setting
s
w
er
e
right
,
yo
u
coul
d
almos
t
touc
h
th
e
moo
n
with
you
r
hand
.
She
,
ho
w
e
v
er
,
fel
t
th
e
myster
y
o
f
th
e
nigh
t
sky
diminished by it.

One
night,
without
w
arning,
V
ictoria
proclaimed,
“I
think
it’s safe to return to the apartment.”

“How can you be sure?
W
e still ha
v
e nineteen days.”

“W
e’
v
e
surely
gi
v
en
Mieley
the
shake
by
now.
E
v
erything
w
e
need—passports,
money—is
still
in
El
P
aso.
W
e
can’t
stay
here fore
v
er.”
T
ell her about the Journey of Death. Do it now.
V
ictori
a
pinche
d
Khara’
s
arm
.
“
Y
o
u
don’
t
see
m
t
o
b
e
i
n
suc
h
a big hurry anymore.”

“Of course I am. It’s just that—”

“I
know,
” V
ictori
a
smile
d
he
r
knowin
g
smile
.
“That’s
why
I
stay
as
far
a
w
ay
as
I
can
from
relationships.
They
make
e
v
erything, and I do mean e
v
erything, more difficult.”

Khar
a
resol
v
e
d
t
o
tel
l
her
.
Tomorrow
.
Mañana
.
Oli
v
er
u
s
e
d
thi
s
w
o
r
d
often
.
A
fter
w
ar
d
,
h
e
qualifie
d
i
t
b
y
a
dd
ing
tha
t
mañan
a
didn’
t
necessaril
y
mea
n
“tomorrow,
”
a
s
t
hos
e
so
unfortunate
to
speak
only
English
might
think.
What
it
really
meant
w
as “not today.”

Jus
t
befor
e
fallin
g
asleep
,
Khar
a
considere
d
tha
t
perhap
s
she
w
as
on
her
w
ay
to
becoming
an
Apache,
no
matter
how
much
she resisted.

Chapte
r
Thirty-four
Miel
e
y

I
t
ha
d
bee
n w
eek
s
sinc
e
he
’
d
cornere
d
V
ictori
a
a
t
the
courthouse. Releasing the seatbelt, he stretched out and made
himsel
f
comfortable
.
Fro
m
th
e
v
antag
e
poin
t
he
’
d
chose
n
to
obser
v
e Elias’s house, the air smelled of o
v
erturned earth and
reminde
d
hi
m
o
f
th
e
far
m
an
d
th
e
lif
e
o
f
drudger
y
h
e
ha
d escaped.

I
t
w
asn’
t
lon
g
befor
e
a
woma
n
who
m
Miele
y
assume
d
to
be
Marta
Barrón
appeared. As
she
w
alked
briskly
to
the
sil
v
er Mercedes parked in
the
circular dri
v
e
w
ay,
she placed a
white mantilla
on
her
head. A
rosary
dangled
from
her
left
hand.
In short order, the Mercedes pulled a
w
ay.

Fo
r
fi
v
e
mor
e
excruciatin
g
minute
s
Miele
y
w
aited
.
His
temple
s
bega
n
t
o
throb
,
an
d
wha
t
littl
e
patienc
e
h
e
ha
d
left
e
v
aporated in the s
w
eat on his brow and upper lip, despite the chilly air blowing in the window. He got out, approached the east side of the house, and checked the windows only to find
the
m
protecte
d
b
y
wrought-iro
n
grates
.
Throug
h
a
partially
open
sliding
glass
door
in
the
back,
he
recognized
the
smooth—
as-butter
voice. Silently, he pulled the door open and entered.

Th
e
enclose
d
sunroo
m
w
a
s
fille
d
wit
h
pot
t
e
d
plant
s
and
gr
o
up
i
ng
s
o
f
f
u
r
nitu
r
e
.
H
e
li
n
ge
r
e
d
jus
t
in
s
i
d
e
th
e
doo
r,
inhalin
g
th
e
scen
t
o
f
lilies
.
Thi
s
i
s
m
y
partne
r
,
h
e
reminded
himself,
not some collector I don’t know from
Adam.

“Ma
x
Cott
s
w
a
s
on
e
o
f
th
e
leadin
g
Egyptologist
s
i
n
this
country.
Of
course
I
knew
of
him,”
he
heard
Elias
say.
This
w
as
follo
w
ed
by
a
couple
of
minutes
of
silence
broken
only
by
the
crea
k
o
f
leathe
r
a
s
Elia
s
shifte
d
i
n
hi
s
chai
r
an
d
th
e
soun
d
of
som
ething
b
e
ing
se
t
do
wn
o
n
the
des
k
repeate
d
ly
—
P
r
obabl
y
h
i
s
afternoon
brandy
,
Mieley
thought
with
sudden
longing.
If
things
w
ent
w
ell,
perhaps
Elias
would
offer
him
one.
They
would
sort
out their differences
like gentlemen.

“
A
tragi
c
endin
g
t
o
a
brillian
t
career.
”
Elias’
s
voic
e
lacked
its usual vigor. “No, I ne
v
er had the opportunity to meet him.”

Th
e
perso
n
a
t
th
e
othe
r
en
d
spok
e
a
t
som
e
length
.
Mieley
couldn’t
take
much
more
of
this.
Y
ou’
v
e
gone
grey
from
a
lifetime
of
w
aiting—
w
aiting
for
absolution,
the
chance
to
pro
v
e
your
talents
,
he thought.

“Th
e
authoritie
s
thin
k
there’
s
a
connection
?
It’
s
har
d
to
belie
v
e
that
someone
with
a
reputation
like
Mr.
Cotts’s
would
trad
e
i
n
th
e
blac
k
market—an
d
jus
t
whe
n
th
e
industr
y
w
as
beginnin
g
t
o
emerg
e
fro
m
s
o
muc
h
scandal
.
No
,
I
don’
t
thin
k
I
’
ll
be
attending
this
y
ea
r
’s
conference.
W
e
ha
v
e
two
new
exhibits
for
the
holiday
season,
and
w
e
’
re
a
small
museum;
I
’
ll
be
quite
bus
y
unti
l
th
e
en
d
o
f
th
e
y
ear
.
Saludo
s
t
o
yo
u
too
,
Jonathon.
Goodb
y
e.”

Mieley
whipped
around
the
corner
and
stood
in
front
of
the
Corinthian
desk,
relishing
the
astonished
look
on
his
partne
r
’s
face.

“Wha
t
th
e
hel
l
ar
e
yo
u
doin
g
i
n
m
y
home?
”
Elia
s
demanded.

Ambition
fueled
a
surge
of
bra
v
ado.
“
Y
ou
lied
to
me
about
ho
w
yo
u
acquire
d
th
e
bracelets,
”
Miele
y
sho
t
back
,
w
atching
the fury in Elias’s e
y
es shift to alarm.

“I
told
you
that
the
acquisition
w
as
none
of
your
business.
Y
ou
w
ere
supposed
to
determine
a
v
alue
and
find
a
bu
y
er,
as
al
w
ays.”