Part Eight
Rick and Jonathan took a leisurely sojourn around the museum, checking that Nathan was well and truly gone before heading back to Evelyn. As they expected, she was waiting impatiently for their return.
"Honestly, you boys!" she scolded, "Were you going to leave me waiting here all day? Where have you been? Some bar, no doubt."
"But Evie-" Jonathan began to protest, for once innocent of what she was accusing him of.
She held her hand up, refusing to listen.
"I don't want to know, Jonathan. I really don't. We have far more important things to be dealing with. Retrieving that book must be our first priority."
The two men looked at one another in apprehension. They had both known she was going to say that. What bothered them was a sense of self-preservation. It was less than a year ago they'd last got involved in something like this. Neither of them were in a hurry to dive back into that little scenario.
"Just out of a matter of interest," Rick said carefully, testing the waters, "Why do we have to get involved? We could just let the cops handle it."
He saw the stubborn look on her face and knew what it meant. Trouble, probably.
"Well, I, for one, am not going to stand around while something dreadful happens. Again."
"Who said anything's gonna happen?" Rick protested, "Jumping to conclusions a little there, don't you think?"
"Well, forgive me for being paranoid, but last time that book had a small adventure..."
Rick sighed. She was always right. Why did she always have to be so damn right? And why did he have to get involved with it every time?
"Okay," he conceded, "I see your point. What do we do about it?"
Evelyn moved away from the desk, frowning thoughtfully, "Well, as I see it, our list of suspects is very narrow. Only a few people knew that book was here. There was myself, of course, and Professor Newman, but I believe he's trustworthy. Then there's you boys-"
"And Nathan," Jonathan added.
She rolled her eyes, "Yes, and Nathan. But, more importantly, Mr Carver." Suspicion suddenly tinged her voice.
"And he seemed awfully interested in the book. It is his holy grail."
"Let's go to his place then," Rick said decisively, taking that as a plan of action, "See what we can dig up".
"Break in?" Evelyn said, in disbelief.
Rick smiled leisurely. In some ways, she hadn't changed at all.
"What do you think? He's gonna invite us to go in and look for incriminating evidence against him?"
Evelyn understood that. She still didn't feel right about it though. Determinedly she pushed her reservations aside however. Now was not the time for them.
"Right," she said decisively, "We'll meet back here at eight."
"'We'll'?" Rick enquired, with a raised eyebrow, "What 'we'? There's no 'we', in this. It's definitely just 'me'."
"I'm coming with you."
"No, you are not."
"Oh yes, I am," she stated, simply, "Last time you left me behind I ended up being kissed by a half-rotten, reanimated corpse. I think I'd feel much better going with you, thank you very much."
Jonathan shrugged, "Can't really argue with that logic, old chap."
"Eight o'clock sharp then," Rick said, seeing no way to dissuade her, "I wanna get this over with."
Rick and Jonathan took a leisurely sojourn around the museum, checking that Nathan was well and truly gone before heading back to Evelyn. As they expected, she was waiting impatiently for their return.
"Honestly, you boys!" she scolded, "Were you going to leave me waiting here all day? Where have you been? Some bar, no doubt."
"But Evie-" Jonathan began to protest, for once innocent of what she was accusing him of.
She held her hand up, refusing to listen.
"I don't want to know, Jonathan. I really don't. We have far more important things to be dealing with. Retrieving that book must be our first priority."
The two men looked at one another in apprehension. They had both known she was going to say that. What bothered them was a sense of self-preservation. It was less than a year ago they'd last got involved in something like this. Neither of them were in a hurry to dive back into that little scenario.
"Just out of a matter of interest," Rick said carefully, testing the waters, "Why do we have to get involved? We could just let the cops handle it."
He saw the stubborn look on her face and knew what it meant. Trouble, probably.
"Well, I, for one, am not going to stand around while something dreadful happens. Again."
"Who said anything's gonna happen?" Rick protested, "Jumping to conclusions a little there, don't you think?"
"Well, forgive me for being paranoid, but last time that book had a small adventure..."
Rick sighed. She was always right. Why did she always have to be so damn right? And why did he have to get involved with it every time?
"Okay," he conceded, "I see your point. What do we do about it?"
Evelyn moved away from the desk, frowning thoughtfully, "Well, as I see it, our list of suspects is very narrow. Only a few people knew that book was here. There was myself, of course, and Professor Newman, but I believe he's trustworthy. Then there's you boys-"
"And Nathan," Jonathan added.
She rolled her eyes, "Yes, and Nathan. But, more importantly, Mr Carver." Suspicion suddenly tinged her voice.
"And he seemed awfully interested in the book. It is his holy grail."
"Let's go to his place then," Rick said decisively, taking that as a plan of action, "See what we can dig up".
"Break in?" Evelyn said, in disbelief.
Rick smiled leisurely. In some ways, she hadn't changed at all.
"What do you think? He's gonna invite us to go in and look for incriminating evidence against him?"
Evelyn understood that. She still didn't feel right about it though. Determinedly she pushed her reservations aside however. Now was not the time for them.
"Right," she said decisively, "We'll meet back here at eight."
"'We'll'?" Rick enquired, with a raised eyebrow, "What 'we'? There's no 'we', in this. It's definitely just 'me'."
"I'm coming with you."
"No, you are not."
"Oh yes, I am," she stated, simply, "Last time you left me behind I ended up being kissed by a half-rotten, reanimated corpse. I think I'd feel much better going with you, thank you very much."
Jonathan shrugged, "Can't really argue with that logic, old chap."
"Eight o'clock sharp then," Rick said, seeing no way to dissuade her, "I wanna get this over with."