The Serpent in the Stone - By Nicki Greenwood Page 0,41

shovel into the earth and heaved a chunk into the wheelbarrow standing nearby.

Sara struggled to stifle a smile and lost.

Flintrop removed his sunglasses to reveal cobalt-blue eyes that had charmed many a female student in the field. “Hello, Faith,” he said in a tone far too intimate for a muddy dig site.

Faith pitched her next shovel of earth out of the trench and onto Flintrop’s designer hiking boot. “Sorry about that. Guess I better brush up on my dig skills.”

Flintrop shook the dirt off his boot with an unruffled air and turned his attention on Sara. “Lambertson said you’d need money on this project. I’m the money.”

Sara couldn’t resist asking about his latest stolen project. “What happened to your South America dig?”

He had enough grace to look abashed. “That wasn’t my decision. I gave you a good word with the board. Several, actually. You were very thorough.”

Praise from Flintrop? That was new. “Thank you,” she said, working to keep it from sounding like a question.

He smiled again. “I’ll be setting up. Lambertson’s brought some computer data for you when you’re ready to look at it.” He walked away.

“Jackass,” grumbled Faith.

Sara jumped down into the trench with a chuckle. “You dated him.”

“A momentary lapse of reason on my part,” spat her sister. “Now we’re going to have to deal with him all summer. Does Lamb hate us?”

Sara sighed. “Well, he’s right. We need money, if this is going to be as big as we think it is. As far as I’m concerned, he’s welcome to be the wallet, as long as he stays out of my way.”

Faith shrugged and continued digging.

A few moments later, Lambertson came to the trench. “I have to say, I’m impressed, girls.”

At the sound of his voice, Sara surged out of the trench with her sister close behind. Lambertson was handsome in middle age, with steel-gray hair and pale blue eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. He had the aristocratic air of the consummate British gentleman, even when grinning broadly as he did now.

She broke into an answering smile. She’d been too well-trained to throw her arms around his neck and hug him as she’d done in childhood, but the impulse had never waned. She settled for a handshake. “How was your trip, Lamb?”

“Beastly,” he answered.

Faith embraced him. “It’s good to see you. Not so much, who you brought with you.”

Lambertson chuckled and patted her back, then turned and surveyed the dig. His gaze swept over the surveying level on its tripod, the markers punched into the ground at each plot, and the deepening trench of the excavation. “Excellent,” he said at last, giving them each a satisfied look. “You’re doing your father proud.”

“This is more than a summer’s work,” Sara said. “There’s a lot left to do.”

“Which is why I made the decision to bring in Flintrop,” he said on a sigh. “I know you’d have liked to handle it yourselves, but this is going to involve more work and better financing than Gemini alone can provide.”

“You don’t need to explain,” replied Sara, waving a hand.

The corner of Lambertson’s mouth turned up. “I know you’re angry, Sara. Rest assured, you and Faith will receive top billing when the project is finished. This isn’t going to be like South America.”

Relief poured into her. Lamb knew her too well.

“By the by,” he added, “I noticed another tent when we landed. Which belongs to...?”

“Ian Waverly. He’s a wildlifer for the university, working with the birds on the island. It has nothing to do with the dig.”

Lamb eyed her, but didn’t comment. She felt the full force of his pale blue stare, and worried that he saw more than she’d let on. “Better get back to work,” she said brightly, and jumped back into the trench.

Phew.

Within half an hour, Lamb’s reinforcements had blended smoothly into the rhythm of the project. With so much help, Sara had to admit that work progressed at a blinding pace. The air hummed with their collective energy. She’d almost forgotten how much fun fieldwork could be.

Lamb and Flintrop had brought four assistants between them. Sara knew almost all of them. Cameron Leone, an undergraduate and the crew’s youngest member, hailed her from the trench with a bright smile. She waved back. “Nice to see you again, Cam. How are classes?”

“Good,” he said. “Thanks a ton for that book on the Incas. Got an A on the report. I officially love you forever.”

“Anytime.” She grinned and went on to meet the other arrivals, putting aside