“I’m sorry, but there’s no electricity back here.”
“Terrific.” He took the candle from her, careful not to let his fingers brush against hers. Turning, he set the candle on the small counter next to the sink.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you more.”
“This is fine.” He risked a look at her. “I’m not here to enjoy myself.”
Kneeling, she transferred canning jars from one shelf to another, giving him some room.
“I can do that,” he said.
Ignoring him, she continued working until she’d cleared one of the shelves. “There’s a shower in the main bathroom off the hall. There’s usually hot water in the morning.” She looked away from him, wiped her hands on her jeans. “If you need anything else…”
Before he could stop himself, he reached out and touched her shoulder. “What I need are answers.”
He felt a tremor run the length of her. Then she turned away. He let his hand drop. She brushed by him without answering, without meeting his gaze. Robert watched her move down the hall, feeling petty and pathetic and frustrated as hell.
“What the hell are you doing?” he muttered to himself and dropped his duffel onto the narrow cot. Trying not to think too hard about the answer, he pulled out the battery-powered satellite phone and palm-size computer and set the antenna up on the shelf Lily had cleared. He hit several buttons on the computer, and the liquid crystal display screen glowed ethereally in the candlelight. He waited for the satellite signal to go through, then slipped the tiny padded microphone into his ear and listened to the grid coordinates beep. He typed in his identification number and password, then waited for a mechanical female voice to ask him a pre-designated question for both voice recognition and the correct answer.
“Operation please,” the mechanical voice asked.
“PHOENIX,” he said.
A click sounded, and then Samuel Hatch’s voice came on the line. “Good to hear from you, PHOENIX. I trust you arrived at your destination safe and sound.”
“I did.”
“Any trouble getting to your contact?”
Robert closed his eyes and tried not to think about Lily. “No problems.” He set the tiny camera on the shelf so he and Hatch would have video as well as audio. Having both was not only a convenience, but a security measure to prevent agents from communicating while under duress.
“Have you had a chance to question your contact?”
“Not thoroughly. I arrived pretty late. But I do know that there is information to be had on my target.”
“Okay. Good. Anything we can use?”
He sighed, trying not to think about Lily. “Probably.”
“What about Dr. Morrow?”
“I’ll delve into that tomorrow.”
“And the gems?”
“I should be able to find out more tomorrow.”
“Good.” Hatch paused as if studying him. “Everything else okay? You look…tired.”
“Long day, Hatch. Everything is fine.” Robert looked at the camera, wondering if he looked as strung out as he felt.
“You now have a sidearm for personal protection?”
“That’s correct.”
“Good. Then we’re set. Keep in touch, and be careful. If you get into trouble, you know there’s a doctor at the hospital who can help.”
“Roman Orloff. I know.”
“Good.”
“My contact has a sick child,” he said abruptly. “At some point I’m going to talk to Orloff to see about running some tests.”
“I don’t see a problem with that. It fits nicely with your cover.”
Robert scrubbed a hand over his jaw, feeling the stubble, knowing he wasn’t going to do anything about it until morning.
“PHOENIX?”
He glanced at the screen to see a concerned expression on Hatch’s face and realized belatedly his body language might be relaying more about his frame of mind than he was comfortable with.
“Take care of yourself. I mean it. If things get dangerous, put out the call and we’ll send someone in. You got that?”
“Loud and clear.”
The display blinked, then disconnected. Robert stared at the blank screen for a moment, then folded the tiny computer and slid it into its case. He washed his face in the sink, then blew out the candle and stepped out of his jeans. Rain pinged against the roof as he lay down on the lumpy mattress and pulled the blanket over his hips. The pillow smelled of grass and laundry detergent. The combination reminded him of Lily.