The Dig (46 page)

“Relax, they’re not going to give our table away if we’re five minutes late. I’m still all sandy anyway; gonna take a quick shower. Enjoy the view for a few before you get dressed, okay?”

He stroked her leg and smiled up at her lovingly.

She walked inside, leaving the sliding glass door open behind her. The air-conditioned room felt a bit cold, so she flicked the thermostat off on her way into the giant bathroom. The wall jets sprayed from all sides, and she tossed her bikini top and bottom in the hamper and stepped in.

Matt closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the deck chair cushion. Everything new, he thought. They had really done it: kept their promise, right down to the carpet and even the card key for the door. For four thousand a night, they’d better.

“Hello, Mr. Turner,” an English-accented man’s voice said from above his head.

Snapping his head back quickly, Matt saw Garrett Rheese looking down on him. Two tall men with buzz cuts stood on either side of him. Rheese was holding out a giant book.

“I’m going to need your help tracking down a little something. Thank you in advance.” The book dropped onto Matt’s stomach.

I’m Heinrich Strauss. I am thirty-four years old. I live in a mansion in Salzburg, Austria. The year is 1917. I’m crying, curled up in my bed. My wife has left me for a poor dancing man from Vienna. I pray on this Bible that I can find the strength to go on.

I would like to thank my wife, Ana, for her support throughout the writing of this book. The questions she posed as she read each chapter forced me to go back and answer them, resulting in the (hopefully) fully-described worlds of Matt and I-Rin.

Likewise, I send my gratitude to Vicky, to whom this book is dedicated, who read each chapter as it was drafted, and whose daily demand for the next pages lit the appropriate fire under me to stave off the writer’s block/laziness.