Chapter Twenty-One
E ven though she’d resolved to keep him at a distance, here she was, showing him her favorite place in the city. Had she no shame? She glanced over at him as he took in the view. Oh well, it was too late now. But after this, she’d make sure their relationship was strictly professional. “This is my favorite place. I come here a lot, actually. I just sit here and think and watch people. Sometimes I bring my Bible and sit here and read.” She smiled. “No one ever bothers me and in fact, it’s rare that anyone even walks over here. It’s like my own little sanctuary right here in the middle of the crowds.”
“You may have some competition for the spot now that you’ve shown it to me.” He grinned at her and his brown eyes sparkled.
“I should’ve known better than to share my secrets.”
He laughed. “I’m kidding. To tell you the truth, prior to the day I met you, I hadn’t even stepped foot at the Lincoln Memorial for several years.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “How about the other monuments? Do you ever visit them?”
“Sometimes I jog here along the paths, but that’s always before seven in the morning and rarely during prime tourist season.” He motioned in the direction of Lincoln. “Okay, now that we’re settled, let me get on with my story.”
She nodded. Each time their conversation veered away from the project, he’d find a way to steer it back. He must really want to make sure she knew he was only interested in her in a research assistant kind of way. That was fine. “Please do.”
“After Ann’s death, a lot of people thought that Lincoln went over the edge for a little while. He sort of went into hiding and those closest to him said he was so devastated he never fully recovered.”
“Poor man.”
“Exactly. And for years, scholars have debated how her death helped to shape him into the man he became,” he said, looking over at her.
For the first time, she noticed a tiny scar on his left eyebrow. She wondered how he’d gotten it, but pushed the thought away. Too personal.
He signed. “The problem is that there has never been any actual evidence the relationship between Ann and Abe existed.”
“So, these letters. . .” she trailed off. “Where might they be?”
“ If they even exist, which we don’t know for sure, they could be anywhere.”
“But they’d have to be hidden pretty well, right? Otherwise they’d have been found by now.”
“Exactly. And I’m not really sure if you and I should first set out to find them or set out to prove that they don’t exist.” He raked his hand through his shaggy hair. “I’m inclined to say maybe we should go through some of the research that’s been done in the past to see what we can find out about the Abe/Ann relationship as well as any mention of the documents.” He looked at her. “And then we can go from there.”
She couldn’t hide her excitement. “What do you think the odds are that the rumor is true?”
He shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. Like I told you the other night, Abraham Lincoln isn’t my area of expertise.”
Vickie leaned back on her hands and looked over at him. “What did you mean the other night when you said this was important to your career?” She sat upright. “I guess it seems odd that someone who doesn’t even consider himself to be a Lincoln scholar would take on such a task.”
Thatcher examined his hands. “It’s something I want to do.”
He was hiding something. Her instincts told her as much. “But why?” she asked, pressing the issue. If there was one thing she wanted in a partner, business or otherwise, it was honesty.
He leaned his head back against the column and sighed. “I guess you may as well know the story.” Thatcher sat up and looked at her, his brown eyes serious. “Basically, I’ve taken a lot of heat lately within my department.” He sighed. “Once upon a time, I was considered one of the best professors on campus. And I don’t mean that in a braggart sort of way. I’ve devoted my life to my work and I’ve always tried to go above and beyond to make sure my students are prepared for whatever lies ahead of them, whether it be graduate school, a doctoral program or just life itself.”
Vickie watched the emotions dance across his chiseled face. He was very passionate about his work. And although she didn’t know if he were dating anyone, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d sacrificed his personal life for his professional one. If so, it made her very sad. “That sounds admirable. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is that the number of history majors is declining. And I guess since I’m one of the longest standing professors, they consider me partially to blame.” He looked sheepish. “At this time last year, everyone who knows anything about our department would’ve said I would be the next department chair.”
“And now?” she was starting to get the full picture.
“Let’s just say that any security I felt with the position is gone. And to make it worse, one of my colleagues despises me. He muddies my name any chance he gets and is trying to schmooze his way into consideration for the position.”
She slowly nodded her head. “So you’re trying to beat him to the punch.”
“Something like that.” He grinned at her. “So, what do you say? Are you in?”
She thought for a second. This could be nothing but a gigantic wild goose chase and a major waste of time. On the other hand, it could also be fun. She wasn’t one to just sit around her apartment and do nothing, so even if she opted not to work with Thatcher, she’d end up filling her time with something. At least this project would be interesting. If nothing else, she might learn information to add to one of her ranger talks. Finally she met his gaze. “I’ll do it. But I must warn you, with this new work schedule, I’m really only available Friday, Saturday and Sunday after church.”
He nodded. “That’s fine. That will actually work well for me, anyway. I’m loaded with classes this semester, but on Fridays I’m through before lunchtime. We’ll have to just make a short amount of time count each week until we’re through.”
She smiled. “Sounds good.”
“So how about we get together again Friday? I’ll see if I can find a list of some of the Lincoln works we should consult. Maybe looking through those will give us an idea of where to start.”
“Friday sounds good. Where and what time?”
He furrowed his brow. “I don’t know. I’d rather stay away from campus. I don’t want anyone there to get wind of our project.” He glanced over at her. “Do you have any ideas?”
“How about this? Once you get the list of works we’re going to consult first, see which ones are in the library on campus. You can go ahead and check some of them out and then we’ll already have some materials to start with.”
“Makes sense. We just need a place we can spread out and work.”
Vickie thought for a second. Normally, it would take more than three meetings with someone before she’d dream of inviting them into her home. But she felt comfortable with Thatcher. “Why don’t you come to my apartment once you’re through with classes? I’ll fix lunch and we can work as we eat.”
An odd expression flashed across his face. “Oh no. I mean, I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
Why had she even suggested it? “It’s fine. I mean, if you’re not comfortable with that, you can eat beforehand.” She looked at him. “Unless you just don’t want to come to my place.”
He cleared his throat. “Actually, I’d appreciate it. That would be fine.” He rose to his feet from where he’d been reclined against the column. “Lunch will be great.”
“Okay.” She slowly got to her feet. It was amazing. Did he have a split personality? One second he was all business, with a serious expression and the next he was all smiles and warmth. “How about straight up noon?”
“Perfect.”
She pulled a notepad from her bag and quickly scribbled directions. “Here are directions to my place and my phone number. Just call if you’re going to be late or if something comes up.”
They made their way down the stairs and paused at the bottom of the memorial.
“Are you headed to the Metro?” he asked.
She nodded. “You?”
“I think I’m just going to walk, actually.”
“Oh. Okay then. See you Friday.” She headed toward the Metro without another look back. She walked slowly at first, just in case he decided to come after her and walk her to the Metro. But after two blocks, she realized that wasn’t going to happen. It’s just business. She had a feeling she’d be reminding herself of that a lot over the next few weeks.