“Are we?” Smiling sweetly, Whitney set the pot to heat and drew in the scent of coffee. The cave, full of dung and damp, was immediately civilized. “Well, partner, how about letting me see the papers?”
Doug handed her a metal mug filled with coffee. “How about letting me hold half the money?”
Over the rim, her eyes laughed at him. “Coffee’s good, Douglas. Another of your many talents.”
“Yeah, I was blessed.” Drinking half his cup down, he let it run hot and strong through him. “I’ll leave you in the kitchen while I see to our sleeping arrangements.”
Whitney hauled out the sack of rice. “Those sleeping bags better feel like feather beds after what I paid for them.”
“You’ve got a dollar fixation, sugar.”
“I’ve got the dollars.”
He mumbled under his breath as he cleared spaces for their bags. While Whitney couldn’t catch the words, she caught the drift. Grinning, she began to scoop out rice. One handful, two. If rice was to be their main dish, she mused, they might as well eat hearty. She dug into the bag again.
It took her a moment to figure out the mechanics of the spoon that folded into itself. By the time she had it opened, the water was beginning to boil rapidly. Rather pleased with herself, Whitney began to stir.
“Use a fork,” Doug told her while he unrolled the sleeping bags. “A spoon mashes the grains.”
“Picky, picky,” she mumbled, but went through the same process on the fork as she had on the spoon. “How do you know so much about cooking anyway?”
“I know a lot about eating,” he said easily. “I don’t often find myself in the position where I can go out and enjoy the kind of food I’m entitled to.” He unrolled the second bag next to the first. After a moment’s consideration, he moved them about a foot apart. He was better off with a little distance. “So I learned to cook. It’s satisfying.”
“As long as someone else is doing it.”
He only shrugged. “I like it. Brains and a few spices and you can eat like a king—even in a ratty motel room with bad plumbing. And when things get tough, I’ll work in a restaurant for a while.”
“A job? I’m disillusioned.”
He let the light sarcasm pass over him. “The only one I’ve ever been able to tolerate. Besides, you eat good, and it gives you a chance to check out the clientele.”
“For a possible mark.”
“No opportunity should ever go undeveloped.” Spreading the lower half of his body on one of the bags, he leaned against the cave wall and drew out a cigarette.
“Is that a Boy Scout motto?”
“If it isn’t, it should be.”
“I bet you’d’ve just raked in the merit badges, Douglas.”
He grinned, enjoying the quiet, the tobacco, the coffee. He’d learned long ago to enjoy what he could when he could, and plan for more. Much more. “One way or the other,” he agreed. “How’s dinner?”
She swiped through the rice with the fork again. “It’s coming.” As far as she could tell.
He stared up at the ceiling, idly studying the formation of rock that had dripped down over centuries into long spears. He’d always been drawn to antiquity, to heritage, perhaps because he didn’t have much of one himself. He knew that it was part of the reason he was driving himself north, toward the jewels and the stories behind them. “Rice is better sautéed in butter, with mushrooms and a few slivers of almonds.”
She felt her stomach groan. “Eat a banana,” she suggested and tossed him one. “Any idea how we’re going to replace our water?”
“I think we might slip down to the village below in the morning.” He blew out a cloud of smoke. The only thing that was missing, he decided, was a nice hot tub and a pretty, scented blonde to scrub his back. It would be one of the first things he saw to when the treasure was in his hands.
Whitney crossed her legs under her and chose another piece of fruit. “Do you think it’s safe?”
He shrugged and finished off his coffee. It was always more a matter of need than safety. “We need water, and we might bargain for some meat.”
“Please, you’ll get me excited.”
“The way I figure it, Dimitri knew the train was going to Tamatave, so that’s where he’ll be looking for us. By the time we get there, I’m hoping he’s looking someplace else.”
She bit into the fruit. “So he doesn’t have any idea where you’re ultimately going?”