Chapter 7

* * * *

Gideon turned the car off and got out. “I’m coming in with you.”

“To make certain no one’s lurking?” Cole replied, looking as if he was uncertain if he should laugh at the idea, or be afraid.

“Yes.”

Cole shrugged, leading the way inside. He disarmed the security system with a slight smile. “I’m not totally na?ve.”

“So I see. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t bypass it, if they know what they’re doing. I doubt it’s even close to what you’ve got on the gallery.”

“Well…”

“I figured.” Gideon looked around the living room, noting the shelves of books, and the drawers under them and under the window seat. He wondered if they held a collection of artifacts. At the far end of the room was a short corridor next to the stairs leading up to the second floor. The furnishings looked comfortable—a long sofa and two armchairs upholstered in tan fabric which contrasted well with the oak floor and off-beige walls. Between them and the hallway was a small dining table with four chairs.