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He stiffened and gave a low whistle. “Fiona.” He was suddenly once more gazing up at the lights in Jane’s room. Then he reached for his phone and dialed her. Her voice was tentative when she answered. “Caleb? Are you all right? Did that wound—”
“I’m fine. I realize you’re not in the mood to talk to me right now. You’ve been closing me out because that’s what I did to you. But I was sitting down here by the fountain, and I had a thought. I’m going to hang up, but after I do, I want you to think about Fiona.”
“Fiona? Why?”
“Just think about her. This has always been her story. If you decide you want to talk about her, call me back.”
He cut the connection.
He waited.
She called him back in seven minutes. “What are you doing sitting down there on that damn fountain? Get up here.”
“You’re sure?”
“I wouldn’t have called you back if I wasn’t sure.” Her voice was crackling with energy. “Get up here. We’ve got work to do!”
***
Caleb was grinning when she opened the door. “What work?”
“You know what work.” She turned and went back into the bedroom. “You spelled it out to me. Judas to furnish the chicanery, an intriguing story to lure Bohdan.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “And very sharp teeth.” She gestured to the files scattered on her bed. “I’ve been working all evening on finding a Judas. I’ve narrowed it down to two, though I have a preference. But I haven’t thought about the intriguing lure for Bohdan yet.”
“Neither did I, until Rodland mentioned he might have to go back to digging for more Fiona stories to entertain you. It reminded me of the Cira treasure that MacDuff discovered all those years ago.” He added softly, “And what is more alluring than an ancient treasure? Particularly to a crook who thinks he deserves to get something for nothing. A portion of which has already made MacDuff an incredibly rich man? All we’d have to do is build the story and set it up.”
Jane nodded. “And we already have the letter that MacClaren wrote Fiona about a second Cira treasure that had been hidden in the Highlands and was supposedly stolen by Fiona’s fiancé, Graeme.”
“It didn’t sound as if there was any ‘supposed’ about it,” Caleb said. “I don’t believe MacClaren would have lied to Fiona even if he might have been less than honest on occasion with someone else. She was his guiding star.”
She frowned, puzzled. “How do you know?”
“Oh, I’m very familiar with guiding stars. I can recognize the signs. Though I’ll have to have you and Rodland go over their in-depth history with me so that I can get with the general program. But you also have to consider that she looked like you and he was an artist. He would have known he could trust her. And by that time, they’d spent months together and become lovers.” He added thoughtfully, “He was telling her the truth as he knew it. Since he was supposed to steal the treasure from Graeme as payment to that rail baron, it could have been the truth. It wouldn’t make sense that Saldaron would lie to MacClaren.”
She tilted her head. “You’re talking as if you believe therewasa second treasure.”
He shrugged. “There might have been. There might not have been. It might still be out there. It might have disappeared into some fat cat’s bank account over two hundred years ago. It shouldn’t matter to us. The only thing that should matter is that we’re convincing enough to make Bohdan believe it’s still out there and he can get his hands on it.”
“Or that the Judas is convincing enough.”
He nodded. “He’s the important one. You’re right, our job is to distract and keep Bohdan off guard until we can close the trap.”
“And plan how we can do that,” Jane said. “It won’t be easy.” She suddenly stiffened. “Though it may not be that hard.” Her eyes were suddenly glittering with excitement. “Not if we continue what we’ve started and follow what we’ve been doing with Fiona and MacClaren. You were right when you told me it was Fiona’s story, Caleb. But it was also MacClaren’s and maybe we haven’t paid as much attention as we should have to his parts of it.” She was reaching for her phone. “But that can be remedied.” She punched in Rodland’s number and hitSPEAKER. “The Judas might even be able to use it when he’s trying to con Bohdan.” Rodland answered and she said, “I need to know more about MacClaren, Rodland. And I have to know both facts and hearsay as soon as possible.”
“You might not have heard, but Caleb has given me a new assignment,” he said caustically. “Talk to him.”
“I will. He’s here now. But he agrees with me that you should split up your duties.” She added, “And this might be even more important. When you were doing the research on MacClaren, you were doing it from Fiona’s point of view up to the very end when she received the letter. But we need to know everything that he was doing from the moment he came back into Fiona’s life after she told him she was being forced into that marriage with Alastair Graeme. Particularly his relationship with that railroad magnate who hired him to do the mural.”
“From his point of view? You don’t want much, Jane.”
“I wanteverything. And I know you can give it to me.”
“After a couple hundred years? Why not?” He paused. “Caleb’s there with you?”
“Do you want to talk to him?”
“No, he’d enjoy it too much.” He sighed. “I’ll get on it right away. Is there anything else?”
“Actually, yes. We were discussing lures to attract Bohdan, and the Cira treasures came up. Do you remember that chapter in the MacDuff historical record that featured those bizarre stories about all the myths and scams concerning the Cira treasure hunts? You laughed about some of them.”
