You are the best archeologist the Speedwagon Foundation has ever hired. But you know that your intelligence and capacity are not the attributes that keep you in this very important position in the company. And your salary? It's not enough to pay to...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You can leave your horses with Peter, don't worry.'' Stephen assured you after you reached your destination, although you weren't too worried about where you would leave Judas - if this Peter wasn't mentioned, you would just leave the horse where it was.
The Steel house stood in front of you, a beautiful building, large and noticeably well ventilated and well lit. You crossed the lawn, ignoring the stares of several servants, gathered at the upper floor windows, pointing at you and whispering among themselves.
"Please, come in.'' Lucy said, a little nervously. ''A good chat before dinner is ready would be great, wouldn't it?''
''Ah, Lucy, I'm afraid I can't come in now.'' Said Stephen, pausing for a moment to brush some leaves off his shoulders. "I told you I had a conference, didn't I?''
She paused for a few seconds, as if she hadn't forgotten the information. Gently, one of her hands touched the other in an involuntary gesture, and she smiled.
"Ah, how could I forget?" She said sweetly. "But you're coming for dinner, aren't you?"
"Of course.'' He said humorously, but without smiling, looking at Gyro and Johnny. ''Please, make yourselves at home. We have a lot to talk about over dinner, right?''
You had the strange sensation of being in the background, of being just an omnipresent viewer. And visible, of course, you thought as you stared at the bustling shapes in the second-floor windows, pointing and whispering at you and Louise. How many servants were there in that house? It wasn't an easy question to answer now, but you had the impression that this would be important information.
And speaking of important information, you were deeply annoyed by everyone there. They seemed to be talking in code; Stephen's passive air, combined with his slightly grim expression disguised by a sympathetic radio announcer's voice, gave you the impression that he wasn't entirely happy with Gyro and Johnny's presence; at least, not as much as his wife. In a normal situation, if you didn't know them, you'd think they were Lucy's lovers judging by the constant exchange of glances; however, those glances weren't - thank God! - in any way lustful.
The house was isolated, but not completely. You could tell that there were neighbors, however distant, on the outskirts. It was a plain surrounded by a coastal forest, the beach not far away. However, everything was silent when Stephen left, the air still and heavy. Even the birds were silent, with only the occasional peck of a woodpecker breaking the silence.
When the horseman took Judas with the other horses, after preparing the horses of Stephen's carriage to set off again, you quickly unzipped your saddle bag. It contained nothing but files and your flashlight; but that, faced with the prospect of having a difficult conversation with Lucy about corpses and time travel, seemed useful enough.
You intended to tell her, of course. But not the moment you arrived. You wanted her to get used to you and Louise first.
"Please, follow me.'' Lucy said after waving to her husband. Her voice didn't change at any point, but she sounded subtly stern.
