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Mrs. Payne disappeared inside and moments later the cab arrived. Quinn hugged Mr. Payne.
"Take care of him."
And without another word she walked down the path and climbed into the cab.
Gabriel could not wait to get home to see Quinn. He missed her so damn much. When he walked into his house, he called out her name, dropped his bags by the door and started towards the stairs, taking them two at a time. He worked the tie from his neck as his long legs carried him down the hall towards his bedroom, their bedroom, and caught himself grinning at the thought that she was already in bed. He wasn't going to let her out of it for at least twenty-four hours, maybe forty-eight.
He couldn't help feeling disappointment when the room was empty, not even her scent hung in the air, but it wasn't until he walked into the dressing room to change that he realized something was wrong. Her things were gone and as he pulled the drawers open he felt panic grip him. A quick search of the bathroom showed her things were cleared out of there too. He was just coming from his room, heading down the hall, when Mr. Payne appeared and he knew from the saddened look on the butler's face that Quinn had left him.
"Where the hell is she?"
"She left last night and by the look of her something she discovered devastated her."
Gabriel felt his throat closing up even as self-loathing burned through him. He turned and disappeared into his room. He just stood there blindly staring at the wall. He hadn't come this far to fuck it all up now, he needed to find her. He started to pull his clothes from the closet to pack when he noticed the shirt in the back, hanging slightly askew on the hanger. He reached for it and pulled out the ring, felt the anger rising in him. Damn, no wonder she left. He should have told her. He pocketed the ring and finished packing. He'd find her and explain everything, like he should have from the very beginning.
Two days later, Gabriel stood in Quinn's cottage but she clearly hadn't come back here. Cole and Nick stood next to him.
"What the hell is going on?" Cole asked.
"You need to tell him, Gabriel." Nick offered quietly.
Gabriel was so angry at himself and how his hesitation in telling Quinn everything had inadvertently hurt her. He had to find her but first he had some explaining to do. He looked at Nick for a minute before he turned to Cole. "This is a conversation best had over scotch."
Chapter Seventeen
Quinn was walking down Grafton Street in Dublin. She should be in her hotel room looking over the file she had collected from Charles before leaving the Cotswolds so abruptly a week ago but she couldn't get Gabriel off her mind. They needed to talk but she just wasn't ready for that conversation: to hear the details of his marriage and his wife.
It wasn't a coincidence that she came to Gabriel's birth place and as she walked along, despite the tourists and the history, Quinn couldn't imagine a seven-year-old surviving these streets because they were definitely a bit scary. As if on cue, her cell phone rang.
"Quinn, it's Tessa. I've been thinking about who could have been working with Derek, who would have known what the glyphs meant, and there really can only be one person. She studied with us at University and did her dissertation on Mayan mediation rituals. You actually met her a few times. Anyway, I've been doing a bit of research on her and have found several publicity photos of her with Derek from his earlier digs but nothing lately."
"Can you send me a copy of her photo?" Quinn asked.
"Yes." Tessa replied.
"What's her name?"
"Constance Danvers."
"Shit," Quinn said under her breath.
"What?" Tessa asked in concern.
"Long story. How much do you think she would have aged based on your theory?"
Tessa exhaled loudly. "It's just a guess and it all depends on how many times she went back."
"I know, but ballpark. Say she went back at least fifteen times?"
"Then I would say anywhere from 35 to 40 years give or take a few years."
"Thanks, Tessa."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, actually. Do you still have that friend who works for the FBI?"
"Yes, why?"
