Free Golden Relic by Lindy Cameron Page A

know…"
    "Marcus," Adrienne snapped, as if she was talking to a child. "Can't you see I am otherwise
occupied?"
    "What?" The man's tone was short but a little vague, and as he turned around it was obvious he
hadn't even noticed that Adrienne had company.
    The 'Life and Death' catalogue photo she'd seen, had definitely not done justice to the
blue-eyed, tall, dark and 'to-die-for' handsome Dr Marcus Bridger. Sam suffered a complete Mills and
Boon epiphany, weak knees and all, for a good three seconds before she gathered her wits and
convinced herself the sensation had been unadulterated lust not love at first sight.
    She'd managed to realign her hormones by the time Rigby's formal introductions got around to her,
but then had to make a few secondary adjustments as Marcus Bridger gave her the once over, and then
smiled approvingly as he onced her over again.
    Sam acknowledged the introduction with a nod, told Adrienne they were finished for now anyway,
excused herself and Rigby and led him away. Rivers followed.
    "What's up? You okay?"
    "I'm fine Jack. Just fine," Sam declared. "Though I could do with a caffeine fix." And a good lie
down, she thought.
    "They've got an urn and stuff over there, I'll get you a coffee," Rivers offered.
    "My hero," Sam smiled. "Black with no sugar, and the same for Jack."
    "That bird did not like me," Jack stated, as if he couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't take
to him immediately.
    Sam squinted at him. "She probably knew you were the sort of man who'd call her a bird, Jack."
Sam looked back at Adrienne and the disarming Dr Bridger, figuring she was safe from half a room
away. Wrong! She had to shake herself mentally to get rid of an adolescent desire to be standing as
close to the man as Adrienne now was: their heads together as they referred to a piece of paper.
    Good grief, she thought, deciding to give Rigby her undivided attention. "On the other hand, she
might just have a thing against cops."
    "Oh I don't know, she took quite a shine to you," Rigby noted.
    "It takes some people a long time to process the fact that I am a cop," Sam said. "But if she
makes you uncomfortable, I'll deal with her in future, on the condition that you take care of the
equally judgemental Señor Vasquez."
    "I think that's a Latin thing," Rigby suggested. "All that macho blood in his veins, he probably
thinks you should be home with the bambinos."
    "Speak of the devil," Sam muttered under her breath as Vasquez, who had just emerged from the
Voodoo exhibit, made a beeline for them. Correction: a beeline for Rigby; he ignored Sam
completely.
    "Detective Rigby," he pronounced. "I was wondering whether you were aware that Professor Marsden
was planning to fly to Peru tomorrow?"
    "Yes, we were aware of that."
    "Ah, good," Vasquez ducked his head. "It's just that I recalled, last evening, overhearing the
Professor tell Adrienne, on Wednesday, that he was off to Peru this weekend."
    "Thank you Mr Vasquez," Rigby said.
    "I am trying to be helpful, as best I can." Vasquez gave a crisp nod and headed off to a group of
workmen who were fitting in place the last metre-square section of a giant photograph of a Hindu
ceremony.
    "I do not trust that man," Sam stressed. "What do you suppose is motivating him to cast so many
aspersions on his colleagues?"
    "That information wasn't particularly aspersive," Rigby disagreed.
    "The info about Marsden going to Peru, no, but did we need to know the Professor had told
Adrienne on Wednesday, which just happens to be the day he died? Are we suppose to read something
into that? It's like letting us know, in no uncertain terms, that Andrew Barstoc carries out
business, unrelated to the exhibition, wherever he goes."
    "He's trying to be helpful," Rigby repeated in a bad impersonation of Vasquez's accent. "But,
it's hardly his fault if your wild cocaine theory didn't pan out."
    "It's not that wild, Jack." Sam was about to explain when she noticed that Rivers, carrying three
cups of coffee,