Rattled by Kris Bock Page A

me.” She gave him a sunny smile, vowing to send his calls straight to voicemail for the foreseeable future.
    Mitchell held her gaze for a long moment and then finally, finally, left.
    Erin slumped on the stool. “Good grief. I really am exhausted now.”
    “You did great. I’d say Mitchell just rose to number one on our suspect list.”
    Erin stared at her hands and didn’t answer. She felt tears pricking her eyes.
    “Are you disappointed? You didn’t, uh, have feelings for him after all, did you?”
    “No.” Erin sighed. “It’s just humiliating. He’s the only date I’ve had in two years. The only man who showed any interest in me, who wasn’t a decade younger and my student or two decades older and married. And all this time, he just pretended to like me because of the treasure ? Am I that boring?”
    “Hey.” Camie grabbed both Erin’s arms. “You listen to me. You’re way too good for Mitchell, even if he wasn’t a jerk.” She frowned. “I mean even if he was just an ordinary jerk. Trust me. The right man is out there, and he’s worth waiting for.”
    Erin sighed again. “Yeah, maybe. And if he isn’t, then I’m better off alone.” She shifted restlessly. “I want to do something. I can’t stand this dancing around, pretending innocence, waiting for something else to happen.”
    “So let’s get going. You still want to get out there, right?”
    “More than ever. I’ll show him who’s a fragile little flower. I’ll head to Albuquerque tomorrow and get supplies. We’d better not do any suspicious shopping locally.”
    Camie nodded. “I’ll let the boss know I won’t be in next week. Tell him I’m driving you to your mother’s, then doing some sightseeing. It will be quiet here anyhow. I’ll smuggle The Finder out tomorrow night.” Camie did a little dance. “We can start on our excursion Saturday.”
    “I can’t wait to get away.” Except for one thing. The memory of a pair of blue eyes. It was foolish to think that Drew would show any more interest in her. But Erin was tired of always being practical and sensible. She wanted to be foolish for once. She wanted to let herself dream. Wasn’t dreaming what led them to the treasure? Well, that and a lot of hard work.
    She still had to be cautious. She knew that. Drew was on their suspect list too. Then she felt a sudden surge of hope. “So if Mitchell is behind the strange things that have been happening, does that mean Drew is in the clear?”
    Camie made a noncommittal noise and paced, frowning. “I don’t know. They could be working together, though I sure didn’t get that impression from the way they were acting at the hospital. Or Drew could be looking for the treasure too, but on his own. I’d say he’s worth further investigation.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Before we head out of town, I think we should celebrate the end of the semester. When’s the last time you were at the Black Dog Saloon?”
    Erin grimaced. “It’s not exactly my kind of place.”
    “Think of it as a research project. Your job is to find out all you can about sexy helicopter pilots.
    Erin laughed. “When you put it that way.... Maybe it is time to close the books and do some fieldwork.”
     
     

Chapter 7
     
     
    The following morning, Erin checked Tiger’s food and water, then started transferring her wallet and keys from her waist pack to a more attractive purse for her trip to Albuquerque.
    The doorbell rang. Erin glanced at the clock. 9:30, a little early for a delivery person. It was probably an itinerant worker hoping to sell some yard work.
    Unless it was Mitchell. She’d ignored two of his calls the night before. She paused halfway to the door. Surely he would be busy with work. Not that he kept regular office hours, he didn’t actually work at the college after all, but when he was in town he usually had meetings all day. Maybe she should ignore the doorbell, just to be safe.
    Tiger was sitting on the windowsill next to