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surroundings.
“Well?” she asked when he was back in the living room area with her.
“All clear.”  He slid the gun he’d drawn back in his shoulder holster.
“Any reason to think it might not have been?”
Burke remained silent for an instant, then met her gaze.  “Richard Patterson died abruptly.  We won’t know what caused his death until the autopsy results are in.”
“You think Richard may have been murdered?” 
“I don’t think it. I’m just being cautious.  I can’t see anyone killing him and not taking the formula.  Like I said, I’m just being cautious.”
Burke was right.  It made no sense for the accomplice or buyer to kill Richard and not take the formula.  Besides, Burke said that Richard had never met the people he’d entered into this alliance with.
“I’ll get our bags,” Burke said.
Eve followed him to the car.  It was late.  She didn’t plan on unpacking now.
All she wanted was the garment bag that held the suit she planned to wear in the morning for the conference and her make-up case and hair dryer. 
When Burke would have grabbed her suitcase as well as his own, she shook her head.  “I just want what I’ll need for the morning.”  She followed up her words by swinging out the garment bag and grabbing the make-up case and hair dryer, then returning to the cabin. 
She chose the first room off the short hall and shut the door behind herself.
* * *
Burke watched Eve walk away from him.  Against his will, his gaze lingered.  He took in her straight back, the sweep of her dark hair across her shoulders, the narrow curve of her waistline.  With a scowl, he looked away from her. 
He was angry, his body tense with it.  This investigation that should have clicked into place had blown apart.  Richard Patterson was dead and now, here Burke was, forced to take Patterson’s place.  What should have been a cut and dried apprehension had become complicated.  And, instead of overseeing the investigation, where he needed to be, he’d had to hand over that responsibility to his second in command Lanski while he was now stuck in the middle of nowhere impersonating Patterson and guarding his accomplice. 
Burke pulled out his cell phone and called Lanski. 
“Hey, boss,” Lanski said an instant later.  “Are you calling from the road?”
Burke’s cell phone was secure so his location could not be determined.  “No.  We’ve arrived.”
“You and the lady doc all settled in?”
That comment brought on another scowl.   Burke ignored the question and asked his own. “Are we set for tomorrow night?”
“All set, sir,” Lanski said, all humor gone.  “We’ll have the cottage covered with land, sea and air surveillance. Just like you ordered.  The buyer won’t get away from us.”
Burke expected nothing less.  “Dr. Collins still has her cell phone in her possession.”  
“You let her keep it?”
“Yeah.  I want you to monitor her cell phone calls.  Incoming and outgoing.  I want to know who she calls and who calls her.”
Lanski paused briefly then said,  “You want to know if she tips anyone off about Patterson?”
“Yeah.”
“Good thinking.  She might not be expecting that we’ll be listening, and have her guard down.  I’m on it.  Anything else?”
“That’s it for now.”
“See you tomorrow night.” 
“Tomorrow,” Burke repeated.
This would all be over then.  He couldn’t wait.

Chapter Four  
They were on the road at seven-thirty the next morning.   If this had been another day, Eve would have welcomed an additional couple of hours of sleep.  She wasn’t a morning person to begin with and topping that with the sleepless night spent worrying over her situation had left her edgy.  But, this was the day the true accomplice would reveal himself and exonerate her.  She couldn’t get the day started early enough.
They stopped for breakfast at a restaurant in Rowland then resumed the drive to the conference. Burke didn’t ask for