Free Time Enough To Die by Lillian Stewart Carl Page A

Just the one,” answered Matilda, without digging any further.
    "Very good!” Sweeney took the coin from Matilda's hand, pulled out a handkerchief, and cleaned off the mud. “Reign of Tiberius. Fell from some legionary's pay packet, I daresay. Into someone's collection. This has hardly been buried for two thousand years."
    "I just said that,” Matilda told him. She gave the pick back to Ashley. Ashley's large brown eyes gazed at her in something between bewilderment and admiration.
    Matilda knew someone had been at the hole, Gareth told himself, because the weeds had been tamped down. No ESP in that.
    Reynolds scuffed at the muddy spot but turned nothing up. Sweeney glared at him and popped the denarius into his pocket. Matilda watched them both, her hands fixed on her hips, her expression inscrutable.
    "I allow the local lads to go coin-hunting here,” Reynolds said. “What's a denarius between friends, eh? Looks as though one of them was up here during your lunch break. I'll tell them to bugger off, if you like."
    "It's your property,” said Sweeney, and turned back to the memorial stone.
    Gareth didn't like working undercover. Too many subtleties. “I'm having a recce,” he said to Matilda. “Background material. Reynolds is kind enough to lend us horses, if you'd care to join me."
    "Certainly. Howard, Mr. March and I are going to look around the area—he needs background pictures for his story."
    "I'll need to fetch some more film from the hotel,” Gareth added.
    "Carry on,” called Sweeney, with a glistening smile. “We want you to do a ripping good story, don't we?"
    With a wave at Gareth and Matilda, Ashley settled back down at her wall. No, Gareth thought, Matilda shouldn't speak for the girl. The girl should speak up for herself. But he well and truly understood the importance of fitting in with one's mates. So they took the mickey out of her. It happened to everyone. She was dealing with it in her own way.
    Reynolds strolled across the working area and inspected each trench. “How are you getting on, Doctor? Find anything of interest? Other than the coin, of course."
    "Just this memorial stele, so far.” Sweeney replied.
    "What's it worth?"
    Matilda and Gareth went through the gate in the fence and crossed the road. Beside the bowling green, Gareth asked, “What was all that in aid of?"
    "Someone planted a coin to test my skills. It was Reynolds, probably, although he managed to project proper surprise when I turned it up. If I'd been paying attention I'd have let it lie. An occupational hazard—I distract easily. I'm sorry to throw a spanner into the works."
    Gareth didn't see any spanners flying about. “He isn't supposed to know you have any skills. So how could he test you?"
    "Howard Sweeney would confide in a fence post, if he thought it would be impressed with his knowledge."
    "Sweeney didn't put the coin there. He wasn't out of my sight during lunch, not even in the loo."
    Matilda shook her head. “No, Howard didn't know that coin was there. Reynolds took him by surprise. And Howard doesn't like being taken by surprise. We'll have to be sure we're not caught between the Scylla and Charybdis of their egos."
    Gareth tightened his jaw. Until he and Matilda started speaking the same language, he'd reserve judgment on the entire episode. He held the door of the hotel open for her, and they went inside.

Chapter Six
    Matilda exchanged pleasantries with Clapper while Gareth ran upstairs. “Fresh film,” he announced on his return, and flourished a well-worn nylon camera bag. He probably had picked up some fresh film, Matilda told herself as they went out the door. The camera bag was also the right size for a folder of crime scene reports.
    Gareth threw the bag over his shoulder and they headed toward Fortuna Stud, where horses moved slowly about pastures that glowed green despite the gray skies. Gareth paused by the stone fence that lined the road. “Do you see that big chestnut with the white