Everyone was now in bed. It was already after midnight and Cameron recalled Sydney saying something about wanting to get a good head start at first light. After showing them to their respective rooms upstairs she wandered back down to the darkened kitchen, still too excitable to get any sleep, even though she knew her exhausted body required it desperately. Padding over to the stove she put the kettle back on to make herself a cup of that fancy Earl Grey tea Nigel liked so very much. That would indeed settle her stomach. Smiling softly, she remembered how he would make it for her everyday, insisting in his own his good natured way that a cup of tea is the ONLY thing that would help her get better grades...right! An unexpected wave of remorse and sadness caused her body to tremble lightly and her thoughts turned to the cave and it’s contents. She wished she could have been completely honest with them, but risked being turned down if she had. What she wasn’t telling Sydney and Nigel could get them killed, but she was willing to risk that to save Mark’s life.
"Hey, what are still doing up at this hour?"
Startled, Cameron turned on her heel towards the soft-spoken English accent she knew so well. "Nigel... I, I just needed a cup of tea. What about you mister? What are you doing out of bed?"
He strolled into the dimly lit room with his hands inside his pockets and smiled. "Same thing I guess... I was reading some Coast Salish folk tales and needed a pick-me-up." He leaned against the counter top beside her, reaching for a second cup. "So, when do you think Mark will be joining us?"
"I’m not really sure about that." She lied, and placed two tea bags in the brown Betty pot. "He may be detained on the mainland for a while." That was the truth.
"Oh."
"Yeah, he got called away suddenly just before you got here and it looks like this business he has will end up costing us another three weeks of searching here. That was one of the main reasons I had for asking you to come here Nigel. I knew I couldn’t go traipsing up in the bush alone."
"Now, it isn’t that I don’t want to help, but if this is just a mere walk in the park, why call on Sydney and me? Surely there’s someone right here in Vancouver just as qualified to help with this?" He asked. There had been something strange niggling at the back of his brain ever since they arrived, and he had a gut feeling Cameron could very well help him understand just what that might be. She wasn’t usually this jumpy or anxious, relic or not!
"I didn’t want to call on just anyone... you guys are the best in your field! I wanted somebody I could trust." She turned to him and brushed a stray lock of hair from his suspicious eyes, hoping that would throw him off. She couldn’t possibly tell them that Mark was being held hostage until the rest of the Loht’a necklace had been found. They would insist on involving police, and she knew what that would mean for the father of her unborn child! Placing one hand on his chest she sighed. "You were the only person I could turn to Nige..."
He felt a little odd standing this close to her, and when she said his name like that he just about leapt out of his skin. "Oh, yes! Uh, I understand that Cam, I really do, but I still believe we ought to call in a little more help. This is a massive area to cover in a few short days. Have you even considered the fact that going out into such nasty backcountry is hazardous for your well being? I mean, look at your present condition, it’s not conducive to..."
"To what? Just because I’m expecting doesn’t mean I’m an invalid Nigel. I’m not sick you know!" Her voice sounded agitated, but she managed to remain calm on the surface. The last thing she wanted to do was set off Nigel’s bells and whistles. One thing she did not miss about him was his unfailing ability to detect a problem, no matter how trivial. "Can’t you just look at what’s on the surface for a change, instead of poking around looking for trouble? Haven’t you ever considered the phrase, ‘what you see is what you get’?"
"Cameron, that’s not what I’m doing! I’m just worried that this particular adventure isn’t in your best interest, or your baby. That’s all." He explained, holding both hands palms up in the air to signify that he wasn’t looking for a fight.
"Look, you worry about helping to find the missing piece, I’ll worry about my baby. Deal?" She held out her hand.
Nigel looked at her for a moment, not sure he should drop this just yet. He narrowed his hazel eyes and shook his head before taking her hand and leading her out to the living room. "Sit down."
"Nigel, you aren’t going to talk me out of going up there in the morning. I'm your ride, don't forget."
"I know. I’ll be honest with you Cam, I’m a little worried about this whole thing. Something’s not right and I can’t put my finger on it."
She really hated herself for not telling him the truth. If she owed it to anyone, it was Nigel. He used to follow her around campus like a lost puppy back then, now everything was so different. He had Sydney to follow around, and what man wouldn't want to tag along with her? She desperately did want to come clean, but how much of what she told him would stay between them? She had no way of knowing just how intimate his relationship with Professor Fox was, and from the way they looked at each other sometimes, there would be no way he could possibly keep her secret from Sydney very long.
Sydney woke before the alarm went off in her room. Another beautiful, rainy day, she thought. Refreshed and ready to go, she quickly got dressed, pulled her wild silky hair into a topknot and headed across the hall to Nigel’s room. Knocking three times she listened for an answer. There was nothing at first, so she knocked again. "Nigel? Aren’t you up yet?" Carefully opening the door Sydney peered inside. To her shock the room was empty. What the... "Nigel!" Sydney stalked into his room and checked the bathroom before going over to his bed. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in it, and from the icy touch of those crisp cotton sheets, she was correct. His suitcase was still there, along with his coat and reading glasses on the desk beside a book of native folk stories and art. She didn’t like the uneasy feeling overtaking her senses as she flew down the stairs and into the front room.
It was dark, with embers still glowing in the hearth. She quietly stepped from behind the sofa and her heart skipped a beat. "Nigel..."
Go to Part Four.