Old Earth (25 page)

“Another thing,” Kavanaugh continued, “I’ve been thinking that it would be best to make some changes here at the magazine. I’m sure you can understand that I need to have my own team.”

“Oh,” she said, removing her reading glasses. She folded the frames and put them on her desk in the exact place where they always were.

“You faithfully served Mr. Gruber for years. No one can question your devotion. I assure you I’ll review your file and provide you with a more than adequate severance package and a letter of recommendation.”

She listened to him showing no emotion.

“You obviously had a strong working relationship with Mr. Gruber. Those bonds are hard to break. I understand. I hope you recognize my position.”

Still no response.

“I’m sure we can tidy this up amicably by the end of the week.” Kavanaugh smiled insincerely.

“Thank you for your offer, Mr. Kavanaugh,” Dunbar finally replied. “However, proper arrangements have already been made.” She matched his callous smile. “My
path
has been set for years.”

Kavanaugh felt the lingering presence of Martin Gruber from his grave.
Will he ever go away?

He prepared to leave, but Dunbar began the conversation again. “As I stated, Mr. Kavanaugh, you have an appointment at Brown’s. Eighteen-thirty sharp. Your regular table.”

“I’ll be there,” he replied with open hostility.

Although he didn’t watch, he just knew that she’d picked up her glasses again, rolled closer to the computer and got back to the job she wasn’t going to leave on his account.

• • •

LOS ANGELES, CA
THE SAME TIME

Quinn and Katrina drove to the TV production company office a few miles away on Lankershim Blvd. They were there by 10:15
A.M.
, without a meeting scheduled.

Alpert took the lead with the receptionist.

“I’m Dr. Katrina Alpert from Cambridge University in England. This is Dr. Quinn McCauley from Yale. We’re both paleontologists. I left a message yesterday for Mr. Krein. Since we’re on a tight research time frame, we do
need
to see him this morning. Can you let him know? We won’t take much time, but it’s
urgent
.”

She had stressed two words in particular:
need
and
urgent
.

Alpert wasn’t certain if she was addressing the same person she’d spoken to on the phone, so she added more. “Oh, and please mention that Robert Greene said it was very important that we get together.”

“Once again, you are?”

McCauley looked away totally frustrated. The young redhead had just fulfilled his stereotypical image of a Hollywood airhead.

Alpert slowly repeated their names.

“Please take a seat, Dr. Al-bert,” she said immediately underscoring McCauley’s impression.

“It’s Al
pert
. Doctors Alpert and McCauley. We’re,” she decided not to say paleontologists again. “We’re dinosaur scientists.”

“I’ll try Mr. Krein’s assistant,” the young woman said.

“Thank you,” Katrina said.

They waited ten minutes, mostly watching the receptionist text between calls. Finally, another woman, barely a few years older, came through the doors. She had black hair with red streaks and wore a short navy blue skirt, a yellow button-down linen shirt and two inch heels.

“Dr. Al-bert?” She automatically addressed McCauley.

“Yes,” Katrina said offering her hand. “It’s Dr. Al
pert
.” She stressed the correction. “And Dr. McCauley.”

“I’m Autumn, Gene’s assistant.”

“Autumn?” Katrina tried to stifle a laugh. “Very pretty name.”
Very LA. “
Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you. But I’m sorry to say Gene can’t fit you in today. He’s in edit hell with network notes.”

McCauley quickly deduced that Autumn was the gatekeeper and Krein was dodging them. He was about to respond, but Katrina beat him.

“Excuse me? What does that mean?”

Autumn seemed surprised by the question.
Everyone knew what network notes were, didn’t they?
“Sorry, he’s dealing with changes from the network.”

Katrina smirked. She raised her finger to make a point. Autumn cut her off.

“He can’t leave the edit bay.” Her eyes darted. Now she acted more stressed than surprised. “And he’s really under the gun.”

Under the gun?
McCauley thought it was an interesting choice of words. However, he responded tactfully. “Of course, we understand. We’ll only take ten minutes. Robert Greene said Mr. Krein—ah, Gene—was the best person in television to meet.” He decided to throw in some bait. “We’re onto something that he will be
very
interested in hearing.”

“Well, we have a website portal where you can pitch your ideas.”

Shit! That didn’t work
.

“Listen, I apologize if I don’t have the TV jargon down, but this isn’t about pitching or submitting, or whatever you call it.” McCauley gave up the niceties. “I can’t emphasize strongly enough that we need to speak with Mr. Krein. Ten minutes, that’s all. Ten minutes.”

Autumn was unprepared and inexperienced for an escalating situation. She lost her composure.

“He can’t possibly see you. You have to leave. Goodbye.”

She turned on her heels and spoke sharply to the receptionist. McCauley and Alpert easily overheard her say, “If they don’t leave immediately, call the North Hollywood police.”

“What the…?” Katrina whispered much too loudly. “I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it. Krein obviously heard about Greene,” McCauley said as they cleared the door. “And he’s scared.”

“Well, join the club,” she added.

• • •

THE ENGLISH TEA ROOM, BROWN’S HOTEL
LONDON

Colin Kavanaugh was led to the regular table. Like clockwork, Gruber’s waiter appeared.

“Good day to you, Mr. Kavanaugh. So pleased to see you.”

“Thank you, ah…” Kavanaugh hesitated, trying to remember the waiter’s name.

“Leon, Mr. Kavanaugh. Not a problem.”

“Thank you, Leon.”

“Of course. And may I add that it’s a pleasure to see you carrying on an important tradition.”

“Yes. Tradition is important.”

“Then I will assume you’ll be in more frequently?”

“As often as possible.”

“More than that, Mr. Kavanaugh.” Leon leaned forward and quietly repeated, “More than that.”

The comment stung as sharply as those of his assistant.

Leon straightened to a proper waiter’s posture. “Now, will it be an Earl Grey, sir?”

“That will be fine, Leon,” Kavanaugh managed.

“I also suggest you try the plain scones with clotted cream and the strawberry preserves. They’re delicious and among Mr. Gruber’s favorites.”

“Yes.”

“And as an old teacher of mine once said, let a word to the wise be sufficient, sir.”

“And that would be?” he snapped.

“Mr. Kavanaugh, you walk in the footsteps of your esteemed predecessor and those before him. You are part of an organization, not the organization.”

The construction of the statement, like the other things he’d heard that day, was unmistakable.
A warning.

“Leon.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kavanaugh motioned with his finger to come closer. Now within earshot he continued. “Who are you?”

Leon pulled back and gave a proper smile. “Why, just another servant, sir. Nothing more, nothing less, though perhaps with a
soupçon
of grace you won’t see elsewhere,” he chuckled. “I’m simply a lifelong, loyal employee.”

Anyone who might have overheard the response would have considered it merely the comment of an appropriately devoted Brown’s waiter. But no one heard. The standard
Voyages
table was separate from the others in the austere tea room.

“And, if I may, I would recommend a nice walk in the park after your tea.”

• • •

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA
THE SAME TIME

“Now what?” Katrina said as they got into their distressed Fiesta.

“And where?” McCauley clamped his eyes shut in thought. “We need to track down the archeologist teacher.”

“Start driving to the airport. I’ll look him up. Remember the guy’s name?”

“How could I forget a college history professor with the name DeCoursey Fales?”

It did seem unbelievable, but Katrina’s Internet search proved him right. She read as they drove. “Here it is. Dr. DeCoursey Fales, archeologist and professor of history at Emerson College, Boston. Noted for his in-depth study of a single two-feet high Athenian black-figured vase from sixth century BC, considered the most important find of its kind, discovered in a tomb at Vulci, an ancient Etruscan town in northern Italy.”

“Aren’t there caves in that region? Big ones?” McCauley asked.

“I think you’re right. There’s more.” She paraphrased now. “The vase is decorated with some two hundred mythological figures including Achilles and Ajax. Apparently a real historic and cultural treasure.” Katrina looked up. “So he could very well have….”

McCauley completed the sentence. “Discovered something else.” He merged onto the 101 Freeway West for the first leg to LAX with renewed excitement. “Let’s go find Professor Fales.”

Katrina returned to the Google homepage and clicked on a
New York Times
abstract. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

“I think I know where the good professor is. But we won’t be able to speak to him. He died in 2000.”

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and sped up. “Damn! Two dead ends.”

“I’ll check on his publications as long as you don’t start driving like we’re back in Bakersfield again,” she only half-joked. “And I’ll see about the spelunker and the priest.”

“Yeah, right. I can only imagine,” McCauley said.

Fifteen minutes later, they ground to a halt on Interstate 405, the quickest way to LAX when traffic moved, which was rare. Right now, it didn’t matter much. McCauley and Alpert had no idea where they were going.

• • •

KENSINGTON GARDENS
LONDON
THE SAME TIME

As Kavanaugh strolled to the park bench, he decided to project a better attitude, at least publicly. He noted that someone was already seated in the bench that abutted his.

After a short time, some of which Kavanaugh used to feed peanuts to the squirrels, he initiated the password routine.

“Usually things go well,” the man who went by the name Marvin quietly said. “This time,
we
moved too quickly.”

Kavanaugh felt the
we
was aimed at him. He rubbed his scalp with one hand and with the other, threw more peanuts at the squirrels. Then, emphasizing the word his own way, he responded, “Well,
we
need to fix this!”

Marvin chuckled, “An arrangement is already in progress.”

“Since this is the first operation on my watch, I especially welcome your help. I would like the details, however. Details meaning more than cursory overview. I’m sure you understand.”

Kavanaugh expected Marvin to reply. He didn’t.

Kavanaugh shifted slightly and tossed the remaining peanuts on the grass. This allowed him to glance over his shoulder.

His companion was gone.

Forty-two

GLENDIVE MEDICAL CENTER, MT
GLENDIVE, MT

“How ya feeling sweetheart?” Tamburro asked Chohany.

“Embarrassed. Ridiculous. Stupid. Out of it.”

She was, and so far Anna, as McCauley suggested, wasn’t opening up.

“Doctors say you might be out in a few days.”

“Hope so.”

“The best thing now is for you to get more rest,” Tamburro replied.

“Can’t wait to get back,” she said. “What’s the latest on the dig and the cave?”

“Not sure.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“We’re waiting for Dr. McCauley to come back tomorrow. But we might be shutting it down.”

This was more than he wanted to reveal.

“Really? Why?”

“Too dangerous. Potential pockets of gas.”

“Come on, Rich. You told me it was amazing and when Leslie visited she couldn’t stop talking about…”

“The doc got word that it’s off limits,” he said.

“You’re holding out on me.”

He was.

“Nope. We might move to another site. Not sure yet. I guess there are some insurance issues considering what happened.”

Guilt could work,
he thought. He hoped.

“I’m sorry,” she offered.

Rich Tamburro moved closer to her. “It’s okay. Look, we met each other. I consider it a great summer.”

“Thanks.” She sighed deeply. “Maybe I’ll get a little sleep. Wanna lie down with me?”

• • •

Twenty minutes later, Rich Tamburro rolled off the bed and tiptoed around the room. Anna’s phone was on the nightstand, but he didn’t want to be too obvious. After a moment, he reached into his pocket to look at his cell. He swore under his breath, suggesting—in case she were actually awake—that his battery was dead. Tamburro casually picked up her cell and turned away. He knew her password, and although he felt guilty, he checked her email and texts. What he saw made him exhale slowly.

Tamburro thought hard about what to do next. With his back to her, he created screenshots of three texts and immediately forwarded them to his phone. There were more, but he heard Anna stir so he deleted the screenshots from her camera and the texts he’d sent.

“Hey, what gives?” she asked, apparently waking up. “Come back to bed.”

She watched Rich return the phone to the nightstand. “Hope it was okay. My battery was dead. Trying to reach Jaffe.”

“No problem,” she replied, fully aware that he was stumbling through an explanation. “Let me check on
your
battery right now.”

“But…?”

“There are always ways, sweetheart.”

It took him awhile. There were other things now on his mind.

• • •

HERTZ RENTAL CAR OFFICE
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
LATER

“Doc, I think you were right,” Tamburro said. He began to describe Anna’s text messages, but McCauley was simultaneously listening to the Hertz sales person closing out his rental agreement.