to Lionel’s cherrywood desk. It was a massive thing with heavy, carved legs, squatting ominously and gleaming in the center of the octagonal room. He felt a momentary pang for what he was about to do, but pushed that aside and ducked around behind the mini-fortress before he had a change of heart. This was his one chance. Once Lionel heard he’d been here, he would contact his great-nephew and demand to know why. And Trevor would tell him. And that would be the end of Trevor’s visits to the mountain retreat. So, he had to make good with the one shot he was ever likely to have. Because he certainly wouldn’t ask Emma to lie and say he hadn’t been here, especially when she was already in potentially enough trouble just by associating with him at all.
He skimmed the light over the drawers, then knelt before the first set of books stacked on one side. The chances that Lionel kept the ancient family Bible, or any other family documentation, right in his desk drawer was slim, but he’d feel better when he’d eliminated it from the possibilities. He had to at least check it out.
Another possibility that hadn’t escaped him was that Lionel might have locked the thing up in the family vault. Only Lionel had access to that code, but possibly, if the Bible wasn’t in the desk, the code would be. Somewhere. Possibly jotted in a journal. Something personal, perhaps, that would trigger awareness of it’s purpose in a family member, but not with a common thief.
At the moment, he felt like both as he slid each drawer open and carefully rifled through the contents. He didn’t bother with worrying about things like fingerprints. If he found the proof he sought, Lionel would know soon enough, as Trevor had every intention of confronting him with it. If he didn’t find it, then Lionel would never suspect him, a family member, of snooping around anyway.
Unless someone mentioned it to him. Someone like Emma.
He rocked back on his heels and ran his plan through his head. Again. Nope, he concluded, he couldn’t involve her. Besides, who was to say she’d be trustworthy anyway? Her loyalty, if she had any, would be to Lionel as he was the one ultimately responsible for handing over her paycheck. And a very healthy one he imagined it would be. Lionel could be a real stick in the mud about, well, pretty much everything. But he paid people enough to put up with his bullshit. Trevor was certain he was taking good care of Emma as well.
Good enough not to risk getting herself involved in a lie. He was a virtual stranger and she owed him nothing. Of course, a little voice said, there are other ways to sway her into wanting to protect you….
No, he resolutely answered. Absolutely not. He was not that type. Hadn’t he spent most of his life loathing the users and hangers-on? And, given that, he was the last person on earth who would ever use another person for personal gain.
He scooted over and started on the next set of drawers. And put any thoughts of seducing Emma right out of his mind.
5
Where the hell was he anyway? Emma shooed a curious Martha back into the parlor and shut the door, closing the dogs in. She knew they were allowed to wander freely, but, given the circumstances, and not being fully—okay, even partially—familiar with the layout of the place, she would feel better if she knew where they were at all times until they got the power restored. “I’ll be back,” she called through the door, when Jack whined and snuffled his nose along the crack at the bottom. “Just go lie down.” The fire was banked and more glowing than burning, there was a full screen in front of it, so they should be fine, she told herself. Mostly because she really didn’t need anything else going wrong. She hadn’t even been there twenty-four hours and already everything that could go wrong had.
At the moment, she wanted to know where Trevor was. He’d said he was going to check back in with her, but that had been almost an hour ago. Just how badly did they really need candles, anyway? Wouldn’t it make more sense just to wait until morning and search with some natural lighting to help them along the way, instead of burning up the only batteries she had? Surely they could make it that long.
At