More Bitter Than Death (Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 5) by Dana Cameron

Author:Dana Cameron [Cameron, Dana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, United States, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9780060554637
Amazon: B000VYX91W
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books
Published: 2009-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

AS I STORMED OFF AWAY FROM THE BALLROOMS, I saw Petra sitting with some of the older folks, people who’d been doing historical archaeology before there was such a thing. I hadn’t been over to see them yet, but I knew I would have to eventually. I usually had to juggle finding as many of them together as possible, avoiding Garrison, and my own schedule. Plus, there was a whole pile of inert reluctance that I had to overcome in order to do it, and it weighed on me like an anchor. Overcoming yourself in order to do the right thing seems doubly hard.

“Evening, folks,” I said to the table in general.

“Evening, Emma.”

“How are you, Emma?”

“Well, now, Dr. Fielding.”

Rob Wilson was sitting over there with them, and I thought that might make it easier. “Hey, Emma!”

“Hey, Rob.” He got up and I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Missed you at the card game.”

“Sorry, I got hung up. You know how it is.”

“Sure.”

A good friend to me years ago, and once a more active member of our set, Rob had only ever played two or three years with us. Ever since then, he “got hung up.” It was a yearly exchange on both our parts, and it saddened me.

“Don’t I get a kiss?” Roche said.

Exactly what I’d been hoping to avoid, especially after his egregious sucking-up to Garrison during the plenary session. “Didn’t know you’d want one,” I said, smiling as best I could. I leaned over and bussed him on the cheek and felt a rasp of stiff whiskers against my face. Thomas had missed a couple of places.

“Known her all these years and I still have to ask for a kiss,” he groused to the rest of the table.

“Oh, well…” I began tentatively. There was no good response.

“I knew her back before she was in high school. Knew her before she got too big for her britches—”

“You’ve known your wife even longer, and she still waits for you to ask her for a kiss too,” Dr. Lawrence said. There was some laughter, and then someone came up to ask Roche a question. I felt a surge of relief.

Petra was still talking with someone and Rob had turned away to speak to someone else, but Lawrence—Larry, as I knew him—turned to me, offering a hand.

“How’ve you been, Emma?”

I shook his hand and leaned in to kiss him. “Pretty well, Larry. Busy, you know.”

“I do know. You’d think emeritus would be a break, but now I’m only doing everything I didn’t have time for when I was working full-time. Congratulations on your tenure, by the way. I was very pleased to hear about that. No one deserves it more.”

“Thanks. I thought things would ease up a little, but I feel busier than ever.”

Larry laughed. “And how is Brian?”

We chatted for a few minutes, until I saw that Petra was getting up to leave. I excused myself from Larry and followed her.

“Thomas Roche is an ass,” she said, when she noticed me.

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