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is that way,” she said. That was a bad mistake
on her part. Within minutes, Pete came back with half the contents of the
fridge and proceeded to demolish it with noisy enthusiasm.
    Strom poured her another drink and sat beside her on the
couch. “Tomorrow is going to be bad. We don’t know if Raoul will have the nerve
to turn up at the museum. The police will want to question everyone about the
murder and you mustn’t tell them anything about tonight.”
    She didn’t like the bit about Raoul turning up again.
Strom’s arm curved around her shoulders. “Ingrid, you won’t be alone for a
single second. One of us will be with you at all times.”
    “What will I tell them about the fakes?”
    “Nothing yet. Let us do our job, please, Ingrid.”
    “But Raoul will just get away with it,” she protested. “He
killed David.”
    Strom’s large hand covered hers. “Ingrid, I promise you that
Raoul will get away with nothing and that you will be safe. Do you trust me?”
    Ingrid looked at the large hand resting on hers. It was
strange, but it felt as if it belonged there. She had only known him a few
hours, but she did trust him.
    “Yes, I trust you.”
     
    Ingrid glanced at her watch. It was almost one a.m. and she
had to get up in less than six hours. She’d left Strom and the others talking
in the sitting room and went to bed. She couldn’t sleep. This whole thing was
crazy. She had never met anyone like Strom. How could someone turn your life
upside down in a couple of hours? Get a grip, Sorrenson, he could be gone in
a few days. It didn’t seem to matter. If the others weren’t outside with
him, she would have gone to Strom and dragged him back to her bed. Now she
could do nothing but lie awake, wondering.
    A floorboard creaked outside the bedroom door. Ingrid held
her breath as the doorknob turned and then stopped. She almost called out his
name, but the door stayed resolutely shut. Ingrid tumbled out of bed and opened
it. Outside in the hallway, she caught a glimpse of Strom vanishing into the
darkness of the sitting room. He had wanted to spend the night with her. Why
had he changed his mind?
    * * * * *
    The curtains were pulled noisily open, letting daylight into
the bedroom. A furious Finn glared at her. He had been partying again. The
dress and the shoes might have looked good on stage, but they were pretty
terrifying in daylight.
    “I can’t believe it,” he hissed. “I can’t believe that you
had an orgy last night and you didn’t invite me.”
    “Finn, I…” What was he talking about?
    “Have you seen it?” He waved the black ostrich fan
accusingly at her.
    “Have I seen what, Finn?”
    “The sitting room, it’s like a bodybuilding convention.”
    “Finn, I did not…”
    As if to make a liar out of her, Jake emerged from the
bathroom, a towel slung low around his hips, displaying a toned, muscular
torso. He flashed a wicked smile. “Good morning, Ingrid.”
    “Hi, Jake.”
    She sighed gratefully when Strom arrived, carrying two cups
of coffee. His hair was damp and the stubble from the previous evening was
gone. He gave Finn a sidelong glance that was tinged with disbelief.
    “Mission briefing is at eight a.m.”
    “Aye, sir.” Ingrid gave him a cheeky salute.
    “Oh please.” Finn threw his hands in the air as he headed
for the door. “Would you mind taking this one away and putting the real Ingrid
back?”
    Strom fixed him with an impatient stare. “Ingrid, you need
to speak to your friend.”
     
    She had dressed carefully that morning, a calf-length blue
dress that brought out the color of her eyes. She didn’t usually wear makeup,
or leave her hair down, but Finn had noticed both and teased her mercilessly
when they were out of earshot of the others. Considering that he had missed
most of the excitement of the previous evening, Finn had taken the whole
back-from-the-future thing pretty well. Given her recent dating record, it was
probably the only explanation for three hot