But regardless, it would have to involve Varak. She reached for her phone to call him back.
“I was angry,” she said the moment he answered the phone. “I’m still angry. But it’s clear something has to be done. You’ve been nagging me about your share of the treasure? Well, I’m ready to talk about it. But not until you give me everything I need before you fly out of here.”
* * *
Robaku
“You could have called me when you were on your way back here,” Novak said curtly when he met Jill as she parked her car. “Would that have been too much bother?”
“No, but I knew that you’d have someone monitoring the front gates of the palace and would know when I left.” She was walking quickly toward the museum. “And I didn’t know what kind of high-tech listening devices Zahra’s people might have. I took a risk even calling Gideon. I didn’t want her listening in when I chatted with anyone.”
“It wouldn’t have been a ‘chat,’” Novak said. “And they don’t have anything that high-tech. Strictly low-grade stuff.”
“I didn’t know.” She added wearily, “And I didn’t want to talk to you anyway. Zahra is never easy, and she was particularly difficult today. I had to concentrate on doing what I had to do.” She glanced at him, and said deliberately, “What I told you that I could do. Pressure, Novak.”
“And did you do it?”
“I believe I did. I won’t know until I see signs later. I lined up choices for her. I suggested she could kill Varak, which I’m sure she’d like to do. And I told her that schoolroom would be threatened by Eve and me, so she might order Varak out of his rat hole to attack us. She’ll be terrified that her precious treasury might be discovered. Or there’s the possibility she’s so besotted with the statue that she might get careless and go after it herself. But even then, she’d probably pull Varak into it in some way. Zahra might take one choice or none at all. But it might lead her to make her own choices, which might suit us as well. All we care about is getting Varak here.” They had reached the museum, and she put her hand on his arm. “How did Eve’s TV announcement go?”
“Fine. She was warm, concerned, businesslike, appealing.” He grimaced. “And hating every minute of it. She doesn’t care for the media.”
“I know. But this time it wasn’t my fault. It was her idea to get Gideon to set it up.” She paused. “I did everything I could to talk her out of it. It paints a big bull’s-eye on her chest.”
“And you don’t have one? Be serious.”
He was right. After that conversation with Zahra, she’d put everyone here at Robaku at risk. “We knew what we were getting into from the beginning. Eve didn’t.”
“She knows now. She thinks you’re doing the right thing. She’s right.” He was standing looking at her. “Though I hate to admit it.” He suddenly kissed her, hard. “And I know you pulled it off with Zahra. We’re going to find out before this day is over that you changed the story to suit yourself.” Then he was releasing her and turning away. “I’ve got to get back to the village and make sure we’ve made Robaku look like a peaceful, helpless place that Attila the Hun would lust to get his hands on.”
“Not too helpless,” she called after him.
“Be quiet, Jill,” he said over his shoulder. “You told us to do our job and let you do yours. You’re officially on the sidelines now.” He disappeared around the curve of the path.
But she didn’t want to be on the sidelines. She was still on edge and needed to know what was happening. She opened the door and went into the museum to see Eve.
“I’m glad you’re back.” Eve looked up from working on the Mila reconstruction. “I wanted to get rid of Novak. He was pacing the floor in here after I threw out that TV crew. That was the last thing I needed.”
“But he said you did very well.”
She shrugged. “As good as can be expected.” She smiled. “We had to scramble to get that Kiya statue displayed. Why did you want us to do it?”
“I’m not sure. Instinct. The sight of it might be the final thing that pushes her over the edge. It seemed right.”
“And your instincts have proved to be very good as