“Aye, but if I am sitting here translating while you two are already speculating on the contents, I will miss out on the outcome, don’t you see?” she defended. “Now just give me a few minutes and I will deliver all the information at once.”
Purdue exchanged looks with Don, both men shaking their heads in defeat.
They bantered on in a low enough tone to enable the historian to do her thing. Outside, the rain died down a bit for the first time, allowing the earth to breathe a little as the night wore on to the early hours of the next day.
There was a knock at Don’s door; a weary, but insistent rapping so irritating that Purdue felt compelled to open it. Nina was unable to concentrate on the almost illegible wording and released a string of cuss words under her breath. She cradled her head in her hands, sinking her fingers into her hair in frustration.
“Costa!” Purdue exclaimed.
Nina almost gasped out loud, literally kicking back her chair to see past Purdue’s body. Peeping through the space between Purdue’s left arm and his body from the desk she saw someone move.
Don saw him too, shouting, “Hey! Zorba! You made it out alive!”
Purdue caught the soaking wet and wounded professor and helped him inside.
“Looks like I’d have to call that paramedic back,” Purdue said.
“No, no, I am really fine. I just look like shit,” Costa stated firmly. “Please, no paramedics or hospitals or that stuff, okay?” As Purdue set Costa down slowly to seat himself on the floor, he went to collect a dry towel from Don’s en suite bathroom.
Costa smiled gratefully for the towel and started drying his wild black locks, peeking from under the towel at Nina. She looked elated to see him, but she only said, “Welcome back stray cat.”
“How are you feeling, Dr. Graham?” he asked Don.
“Man, I feel fantastic!” Don grinned, slurring his words.
Costa looked up at Purdue, motioning to Don with his head. “Drugs?”
“Legal ones, but yes,” Purdue smiled. “What the hell are you wearing?”
He was referring to Costa’s overcoat, one he had not worn before. It looked disturbingly like the coats of security men at the warehouse. Because of Costa’s height, the long coat was not long enough to reach his ankles, leaving his legs sticking out bare. He was also wearing an over-sized pair of boots looted from the same guard, from the looks of it.
Nina was only three pages into the total of six she estimated would be filled after translation, but she was dying to point her attention to her crush, especially after having thought he had died in the crossfire. Especially after he answered Purdue with, “I lost my clothes. I was practically naked…”
‘Don’t, Nina! Don’t picture that, because you will be moaning out loud!’ Nina’s inner voice warned.
“…from the dog attack. But I managed to kill the animal,” Costa lied.
“My God!” Don caught his breath. “Dogs hate me. I am deathly fucking scared of canines! How big was it?”
“Huge, like Cerberus without all the heads,” Costa replied believably. “Ripped my bloody clothes to bits when I tried to get away… and the fence shredded the rest! So I borrowed these to get back here.”
“Poor thing!” Nina said sympathetically. “You should jump in a hot shower immediately, Costa, or you’ll catch your death.”
“Good idea, Nina,” Don agreed. “Nina’s found some documents that might shed some light on the process of this stone working.”
“You have?” Costa asked with a gleam in his eye. “Do share with me, Dr. Gould. I’m afraid I was absent during class.”
Nina laughed. “My lecture is only due once I have translated and checked the names on these documents, Prof. Megalos. Now be a good boy and go warm your bones.”
Fighting the dirty double entendres her choice of words evoked, Nina did her best to speed up her deciphering of the handwriting and language.
Costa obliged and promptly left for his room for a shower and a change of clothing.
“Hurry up, Zorba!” Don cried. “You don’t want to miss class, eh?” He sank back in his bed. “Christ, I’d kill for a stiff one right now.”
Nina’s eyes flashed up from the page, pushing more images from her head before continuing.
“You!” Purdue smiled. “I know you are the type to marry double vodkas with painkillers, but not on my watch. My worries are already full up with trying not to get my expedition party killed, especially after today. I don’t want to worry about your drinking habits killing you too, old boy.”
“I really thought Costa was done for,” Nina remarked, looking at Don in the mirror.
“Funny,” Don remarked, “he did not ask what happened to Heidmann.”
Chapter 28
When Costa entered the room, he looked much better. Not usually one to blow-dry his hair, the frigid weather did not permit him to let it dry as usual, and he used the hotel hair dryer. It gave his hair a fuller look, almost challenging Nina’s tresses in the process, and obviously spurring Don to make fun of him.
“Hey Zorba, you smell great! Tell me, how does one say L’Oréal in Greek?” Don snorted as he laughed. “You need some relaxer, girlfriend?”
Costa laughed along, mumbling something in Greek and giving Don the finger. Nina and Purdue shared a giggle, too but did not add insult.
“I think your hair is gorgeous, Costa. Don’t listen to him. He wears a kilt on weekends,” Nina winked.
“Aye, and I have the legs for it too!” Don babbled loudly. “I wonder if Zorba can hook me up with some hair removal cream or stockings from his vanity case.”
Costa honestly found it incredibly funny, not because of what the stoned archeologist said, but because of that broad Scottish accent. He always found everything funnier when a Scotsman said it, but he kept that to himself. After all, the pretty historian liked his long locks, and that outweighed out all criticism.
By now, Purdue had voiced his reasonable presumption that Heidmann was not coming back. They had heard nothing from him, and regrettably assumed him dead.
“Am I too late for the lecture, Dr. Nina?” Costa smiled, his voice low and fraught with mesmerizing charm. Purdue was astute enough to see what was going on. Although he had all the patience in the world with bagging Nina for himself, he did not want her to get involved with men he did not know. Right now, though, there was no time for juvenile interventions.
“Nope. Finished the pages a minute ago,” she replied amicably, aware that Purdue was paying attention. She did not want to jeopardize the excursion, however. Whether Purdue believed it or not, she was invested in the investigation for her own reasons, for the sheer thrill of trailing something so mysterious and unprecedented.
Costa sat on the floor, pulling up his legs and wrapping his arms around his shins. Purdue sat down on other chair matching Nina’s while Don was fighting to stay awake. The light of dawn crept out from behind the horizon, gradually coloring the heavens from a dark grey to a lighter hue from the still overcast sky. The group was not in a hurry to further their search that day. Purdue had instructed everyone to take the day off to recuperate from the nerve wrecking close call they suffered the day before.
Nina turned her chair to face her companions. Having arranged the new pages in successive order, she started reading the information. Much of it was perfectly clear, void of any scientific gibberish she feared to have to learn.
“The originals actually resemble a logbook or a diary of sorts,” she started. “I suppose this man kept record of what he was instructed to do by order of his superior officer. What makes this so juicy is that what is written here is directly pertinent to what we have been dealing with!”
“People being turned to stone?” Don cackled.