“I can see why you don’t claim them as family.” He looked down at the list. “Dave Franklin and Caroline Stanfield. I know both of them. They’re curators at the Museum of Science and Nature.”
“King left the museum a number of valuable artifacts he brought back from various countries. He found the items before today’s more restrictive archeological policies were put in place.”
“Dave and Caroline are both very well respected. I can’t see them involved in the kind of treachery we’re talking about, but money can do strange things to people.” He looked back down at the list. “Clayton Reynolds. I’ve never met him, but I know he’s an expert on pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial art.”
“Mayan culture specifically. Clay and King were friends. My grandfather had some very nice pieces in his collection. Clay was at the reading to receive the gift for the Denver Art Museum.”
Gage studied the list. “Rudolph Weyburn is the name of your grandfather’s attorney?”
“That’s right. Rudy knew about the map. No idea if he knew about the gold in the box.”
“Or if your grandfather told anyone else.” Gage tapped the list. “At least we know who to keep an eye out for. I’d like to talk to your cousins, but we’re on a time clock here. It’s already the eleventh of March. By April, the temperature in the desert can climb into the nineties, sometimes higher. We need to get in and out before the heat turns the trip into a suicide mission.”
A shiver ran through her. A lot of people had died trying to find gold in the Superstitions. In such a hostile environment, the weather was often the cause.
“So what’s our next step?” she asked.
“We need maps. Lots and lots of maps. Old maps, new maps, aerial photos, satellite imagery, soil geology, regular old topo maps. Pretty much anything we can find.”
“I can help with that.”
He nodded. “I’ll give you a list of the places we use for digital mapping, and you can get started. You ready to go to work?”
She was more than ready. Her pulse was hammering with excitement. She couldn’t wait to get started, couldn’t believe her grandfather’s dream, now her own, was about to come true.
Or at least there was a real possibility.
She hoped King Farrell was watching from his corner of heaven.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEY WENT INTO THE OFFICE THROUGH A DOOR DOWNSTAIRS IN the atrium entrance to Gage’s apartment, Abby with her laptop slung over one shoulder, and her digital camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T-8i, draped over the other. The camera shot excellent video and stills. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it.
As they walked down the back hall, she noticed a room filled with workout equipment: weight rack, sit-up board, benches, squat rack, and treadmill.
Abby thought of Gage’s amazing body, the well-defined pecs, rippling abs, and thick biceps, and a little zing slipped through her. Clearly, the effort he made to stay in shape was also worth it.
Continuing into the main office, Abby set up her laptop on one of the desks, and Gage brought her a list of internet sites he used to order mapping information.
“That ought to get you started,” he said, then turned and disappeared into his office.
Abby took a seat in front of her computer screen and went to work. She typed in “Imagehunter” and discovered the company had a hundred million images from fifty-three satellite and aerial databases. Another site, Open Topography, had high resolution topo data. Digital elevation models came from a company called Lumina.
It took most of the day to work through the process of selecting the right areas and choosing the digital information that was needed. When she finished, she ordered wilderness area maps to pick up at the Tonto National Forest Ranger District Office not far from Apache Junction.
It was way past lunchtime, but until her stomach growled, she’d been too busy to notice. Her head came up as she caught the aroma of roast beef sandwiches and spicy dill pickles.
“It’s a little late for lunch,” Gage said, “but I realized I was hungry, and I figured you must be too.” He set a sandwich and a Diet Coke on the desk. “I sent Maggie over to Tony’s Deli. They have great food, and I thought a working lunch would be better than no lunch at all.”
She smiled up at him. “Thanks. All of a sudden, I’m starving.”
Gage absently nodded, his mind already back at work. The man was focused, to say the least. Since they’d walked into the office, Abby seemed to have become all but invisible.
“I meant to ask you,” he said. “When was the last time you had a physical? You need to be fully checked out before we leave.”
“One of your rules?”
He nodded. “An important one. If you need me to set something up—”
“My grandfather had the same rule. He didn’t want anyone getting sick while they were off in the middle of nowhere. You don’t have to worry. I had a complete physical before I came to see you.”
Gage nodded. “I just got a checkup, so we’re both good to go.” As Gage walked away, she noticed the muscles moving beneath the snug black T-shirt stretched over his broad back. Her abdomen clenched. Dammit, she didn’t have time for that kind of thinking, especially not with Gage.
She picked up the sandwich and took a bite, but her thoughts kept straying to the attraction she couldn’t seem to stifle. Work was the cure. As soon as she finished her lunch, she grabbed her camera and started taking photos of the office, which now boasted glossy printed digital maps pinned to a giant bulletin board, as well as brightly colored 3-D maps on several computer screens.
Through Gage’s open office door, she spotted him behind his desk, his head bent over a book he was reading that journaled an early expedition into the Superstitions. Approaching quietly, she started snapping photos, then did a short video sweep.
Gage looked up, and for a moment, their eyes met. Abby snapped a shot that captured his dark good looks and intense blue eyes.
“Got it. Thanks.” She wandered back to her desk, brought up the photo, and sucked in a breath.
There was no mistaking the hot gleam in those fierce blue eyes. Gage might be focused on work, but for a single moment in time, he had been focused completely on her. That single moment told her exactly what Gage had been thinking.
And it meant serious trouble for Abby.
* * *
Gage leaned back in the black leather chair behind his desk, his cell phone pressed against his ear. “All right, Walt, I think we understand each other. I look forward to meeting you.” He ended the call just as Abby walked into his office.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
He tried not to notice the outline of her pretty breasts beneath her sweater, failed miserably, and ignored a surge of arousal and forced himself to concentrate.
“That was Walter Jenkins. He and his son, Kyle, own the Cedar Canyon Ranch. I spoke to some people in Phoenix who know the Superstitions, and according to them, Walt and Kyle are two of the best guides in the area.”
“You hired them?”
“I think they’re our best bet. I still want to meet them, check out their stock and gear. The good news is they have cabins for rent on the ranch. We can stay right there.”