“Seven is fine. I’ll see you then.”

“Good. Stefano, I’ll leave you here. My car is right behind the arts building. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“See you.” Korban watched her walk away, then turned his attention to Connor. “I’m available right now. I was just on my way to the parking lot.”

“That’s where I’m headed. Okay, we’ll talk on our way.”

The two men fell into step.

“So you picked up Dr. Bokhari at the airport last night,” Connor said.

“Yes. She flew into Philly from Cairo, got in around six. We stopped on the way home for dinner, small place out near Kennett.”

“What time did you get back to campus?”

“Must have been around seven-thirty.”

“How’d you end up at Dr. Burnette’s office?”

“We saw her lights on when we drove past the administration building. Sabina wanted to stop in and let her know she was back. Also, she wanted an update on the thefts from the museum.”

“So you stopped at the office…”

“The door was partly open, so Sabina stuck her head in to say hello. Dr. Burnette invited us in. A couple of the trustees were there, and they were talking about the artifacts that were stolen and the collectors that were murdered. Everyone was pretty shocked by the whole thing.”

“What time did you leave the office?”

“It was after eight. I don’t remember exactly. It was shortly after Dr. Burnette spoke with Dr. McGowan.”

“Where did you go after you left Dr. Burnette’s office?”

“I drove Sabina back to her apartment. I helped her get her luggage inside. She invited me in for a glass of wine. Sabina was very upset about the entire thing and wanted to talk. Not just the thefts, or the murders, but also about Dr. McGowan discovering that the thefts had taken place.”

“Why do you suppose that was?”

“Because Sabina’s the head of the archaeology department here. She was already upset that the university brought someone in over her to handle the reopening of the museum. When Dr. McGowan discovered the thefts, that made it even worse. Not to say that they are rivals, exactly, but they share the same area of expertise.”

“The archaeology of the Middle East.”

“Yes. Sabina’s quite the scholar, you know.”

“I think Daria-Dr. McGowan-might have mentioned that.”

“Sabina’s spent a lot of time studying over there,” Korban said as they walked toward the parking lot.

“You think she was familiar with this city that Dr. McGowan’s great-grandfather found?”

“Shandihar?” Korban stopped next to a green Jetta and took the key from his pocket. “Sure.”

“How do you know for certain?”

“Because she mentioned once that she was reading up on all of Alistair McGowan’s expeditions.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Because she wanted to follow in his footsteps. She wanted to rediscover the city. She was going to find Shandihar again.”

Korban unlocked the Jetta. “Was there anything else you wanted to know?”

“No,” Connor told him. “I think that should do it for now.”

16

D aria sat in the wicker chair, her feet propped up on the matching ottoman, a cool drink in her hand, and a pounding inside her head. For all Mia’s efforts to make her as comfortable as possible, Daria just wanted to rest her head and cry. The former was doable. The latter would have to wait until she was alone. She’d never been particularly comfortable sharing her emotions.

“What else can I get you?” Mia asked.

“Nothing, thank you.” Daria put the glass down on the table next to her. “And thanks again for bringing me home.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, how about another pillow, or…well, I guess a blanket isn’t necessary, since it’s about eighty degrees in here.”

“Opening the windows and turning on the fan helped.” Daria glanced up at the fan that was whirling over their heads. “I think the room will cool off if we give it a few more minutes.”

“This is a really great room. If this were my house, I’d live out here.” Mia sat in a rocking chair across from Daria. “I guess you spend a lot of time out here.”

“I love it. It was built as a conservatory, and it’s easy to imagine the room filled with leafy plants, and flowering things.” Daria gazed around the room, imagining just that. “But I’ve hardly been in here at all. We’ve been so busy since I discovered the thefts from the museum, then Connor arrived and we started looking up the collectors, and the next thing you know, we discovered several of them were dead-murdered.”

“For someone not used to that sort of pace, I can see where it would be distressing.” Mia nodded. “But one thing I’ve learned over the years, it all passes, sooner or later. One case ends, the next one begins.”

“How long have you been in the FBI?”

“I was in for nine years. I left the Bureau about a month ago.” Mia began to fidget, picking at the paper label on her bottle of root beer.

“Were you just tired of it, or…” Daria wasn’t sure how to continue, or if she should.

“Tired of it in the sense that I’d seen enough bad stuff to last a lifetime or two.” Mia took a long drink from the bottle. “Or three. It just got to me after a while. All the suffering. All the terrible things people do to one another. I just had to step back from it for a time.”

“Do you think you’ll go back?”

“To the Bureau?” Mia shook her head. “No. But I will stay in law enforcement.”

“In what capacity?”

“I’m applying for a job as a small-town cop,” Mia said, grinning, “in a little town on Maryland ’s Eastern Shore.”

“After years with the FBI, will that be too slow a pace for you?”

“Nah. I love the town, and I am so ready for that change. Besides, the chief of police is a hunk.”

“Oh.” Daria laughed. “I guess that’s incentive.”

“More than enough.” Mia gathered the paper scraps and rose to take them and the empty bottle to the kitchen. “Can I bring you anything?”

“No, thanks, Mia. The sandwich was just enough.”

“I’ll bring the cookies back, just in case.”

Mia stepped over Sweet Thing on her way out of the room. The dog had planted herself in the doorway like a furry sentinel, as if to say, You’ll have to go through me to get to Daria, and Daria took some comfort knowing her canine companion was on guard duty. Of course, the fact that Mia was armed added to Daria’s comfort level.

All at once, Sweet Thing rose, a deep growl beginning somewhere deep inside like thunder, her gaze fixed on the door.

“It’s okay, girl, it’s me,” Connor called to the dog as he came through the kitchen. “Good girl.”

He paused in the doorway to pet the dog and praise her. “Way to be on the case, Sweet Thing.”

To Daria, he said, “How are you feeling? Head still throbbing?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Not as bad as yesterday, though.”

“Did you take the medication the doctor gave you?”

“Not yet, but I will. I didn’t want to fall asleep on Mia. She’s been so nice.”

“Yeah, she has her moments.” Connor lifted Daria’s legs by the crossed ankles and sat on the ottoman at her feet.

“I heard that.” Mia came into the room, carrying a plate with a sandwich wrapped in butcher’s paper and a plastic container. “We got you roast beef on rye and some potato salad. Pull that table closer, Con.”

He did as he was told and Mia placed everything on the table for him.

“Can I get you a beer?”

“No, thanks, Mia. I have a meeting in about ten minutes on the other side of campus. I really appreciate you thinking of me when it came to food.”

“We found a really great deli on our way back from the hospital. It’s right down there in the middle of town, so we stopped for sandwiches. Neither Daria nor I felt like having a large meal tonight.” Mia turned to Daria. “Would you like me to get your meds for you now? You must be ready to take something for the pain.”