“Thank you for your critique. Now go away, Gideon. I’m busy.”
“Presently. I just thought I’d drop by and give you fair warning. I just got word that Zahra Kiyani is on her way to pay you a visit. I thought you’d want to be prepared.”
Eve frowned with annoyance. “I don’t need this. Can’t you get rid of her?”
“No, you’ll have to do it. Zahra doesn’t listen to me. She’d prefer that I didn’t exist. I actually thought she’d be here before this. She obviously took a long time to make up her mind whether you were worthy of her personal attention.” He paused. “It would be best if you didn’t mention Jill. Zahra can’t hurt me, but she’ll try her best to hurt Jill. And Zahra has enough power in Jokan to make it…uncomfortable for her.”
“You want me to lie?”
“That’s up to you.” He smiled. “No one is going to stop you from saying anything you wish to say. If you think what you’re doing here isn’t worth doing and that Jill should be punished for being involved, by all means have a chat with Zahra about it.” He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll just hang around outside until her entourage shows up and greet her.” His smile was a combination of both mischief and malice. “That should make her day…”
She gazed after him with exasperation. She didn’t want to deal with Zahra Kiyani, and she didn’t want to have Gideon telling her how to handle the woman. She just wanted to go back to work and finish Amari.
But it was too late. She heard the roar of several automobiles exiting the road, then the slam of car doors as they reached the museum. Eve got to her feet and wiped her hands on her work towel. Then the door was being opened ceremoniously by a uniformed soldier, and Zahra Kiyani was sweeping into the museum. She did not look pleased, Eve thought. Evidently, seeing Gideon had definitely not made her day.
She was dressed in a designer gold-paisley suit and was just as beautiful as she appeared in her photos. Her frown disappeared, and she gave Eve a flashing smile. “How happy I am that you’re here in my country.” Her English was faultless, with just a hint of an accent. “And doing such good work. I thought I’d drop by and personally welcome you.” She looked Eve up and down. “But I should have let you know. You’re obviously working so hard that I might be in the way…” She trailed off and shrugged. “You do look so tired. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
The needle was faint but definitely there. Eve was annoyed enough about the interruption not to let it get a pass. “I’m not at all tired. When I become this involved in my work, I forget everything else. I’m looking forward to many engrossing hours spent here at Robaku,” she said. “Thank you for coming to welcome me. But I know how busy you must be, so I won’t keep you.” She gestured to the skull. “And I’m busy as well. He’s one of your own people, so I know you’ll want me to finish as soon as possible.”
“Yes, of course.” She gazed at the skull. “One of the children…” Her glance shifted back to Eve. “I understand you have a child. Aren’t you worried about leaving him to take care of my problems here? Children can be so very fragile.”
Eve went still as she looked at her. Zahra’s voice had been soft, and her expression was serene, but Eve had felt a chill. Could that have been a threat? “My son is always safe even when I’m not with him. And my work is too important to leave it undone when a charity says I’m needed.”
Zahra nodded. “You appear to be very talented.” She forced a smile. “Though I do prefer the certainty of DNA over a pretty sculpture. I suppose Jill Cassidy told you that we disagreed on that score?”
“Jill Cassidy? Isn’t she a reporter or something? I believe I’ve heard of her. But it was Sam Gideon who told me about you.”
She stiffened. “Really?” she said warily. “What did he say?”
“He used the word ‘magnificent’ quite a bit. I can see why he thought it applied to you.” She inclined her head. “Now if you’ll excuse me?”
But Zahra Kiyani was still looking around the room. “I can’t say I like what you’ve done to