But Nick’s face looked different this time; this time his eyes were closed—something Donovan had never seen before. His huge brown eyes no longer floated like two chestnuts, distorted and magnified by the thick lenses. His eyes were closed now, and the lenses looked like a pair of empty TV screens.

Donovan shook his head. “I knew I’d find you like this someday. It was only a matter of time.”

He bent down and picked up a pebble from the ground. He held it out over the open grave, aimed carefully, and released it. It bounced off the center of Nick’s forehead.

Two soft brown orbs suddenly blinked open. “Hey, watch it—you could kill a guy that way.”

“What are you doing down there?”

“I was taking a nap—until somebody tried to bury me.”

“You were taking a nap in a grave?”

“It’s the coolest place I could find. It was empty—nobody was using it.”

“I’m not paying you to take naps,” Donovan said.

Nick’s eyes widened. “You’re paying me this time? Maybe I am dead.”

“It was just an expression.”

“I figured.”

Nick climbed to his feet and began to dust himself off. The grave was shallow, no more than three feet deep, and the lip of the opening was even with Nick’s waist. He extended his hand up to Donovan, who braced himself and hoisted Nick out of the hole with a single powerful tug. The two men stood face-to-face now; Nick was slightly taller than Donovan, but the FBI agent outweighed him by at least thirty pounds.

Donovan looked at Nick’s face and smiled.

Nick shook his head. “You do that every time, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Grin like a gargoyle the first time you look at my glasses.”

“It’s either that or scream and run.”

“Look who’s talking. I have to look at you through these glasses.”

Donovan glanced down at Nick’s legs. “Man, don’t you ever get any sun?”

“I’m a college professor,” Nick said, “not a field agent with the Federal Bureau of I-travel-to-exotic-hot-spots-and-save-the-world.”

“Is that my job? I wish somebody had told me.”

“How’s Macy doing?”

“She’s good, Nick. She’s pregnant—did I tell you?”

Nick paused. “Is that a good thing?”

“It’s the best.”

“Then I’m happy for you both. Tell Macy that for me—and tell her I’m still available if she ever decides to stop polluting the gene pool through inferior mate selection.”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure and tell her that. When did you get up here?”

“About an hour ago. I drove up from NC State this morning.”

“Just in time for your afternoon nap.”

“An FBI agent told me he’d be here to meet me. Like most government officials, he lied.”

“Then you got my message.”

“You were lucky. We’re in summer sessions right now—I don’t have any classes.”