Manhunt On Mystic Mesa

“You’re not an unbiased witness,” he said.

“Are you? Aren’t the police supposed to be on the side of the victim?”

“That’s not the same as being related to her. You can’t come with me.”

“Fine. Then pull over.”

“What?”

“Pull the car over. Now.” She took hold of the door handle.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, alarmed.

“I’ll walk from here to the dig site. I’ll talk to Eddleston on my own and someone there can give me a ride back to my car.”

“Don’t test me,” he said.

“And don’t give me that line about arresting me for interfering with your case. I have every right to talk to the people who know my sister. If it was your sister wouldn’t you do the same?”

Her stubbornness made him want to pull out his hair—but at the same time he admired her loyalty and determination to do everything in her power to find her sister. And she had proved she had a steady head on her shoulders and that people would talk to her. He eased the cruiser to the side of the road. “Don’t get out,” he said. “I’ll take you with me. If I don’t, you’re liable to get us both in more trouble.”

“I admire a man who can admit he was wrong,” she said.

He made a growling noise in the back of his throat and headed the cruiser back in the direction they had come.

“If Eddleston and Jenny were involved, maybe he knows more than he’s letting on about her disappearance,” she said.

“Or maybe he was responsible,” Ryan said. “Either directly or indirectly. Maybe they had a fight and she wandered off to calm down and got lost.”

“The women I spoke with at Metwater’s camp thought Eddleston’s wife might have found out about the affair and done something to Jenny,” Jana said.

“Why do they think that?”

“I don’t know.” She had been too stunned by the bombshell they had dropped to question them about it. “But it makes sense, doesn’t it? A woman whose husband is cheating on her would be understandably angry with the other woman.”

“Do you know his wife?”

“No. I don’t even know Eddleston, really. I met him when Jenny started the internship. I assumed he’s married because he wears a wedding ring.” She hugged her arms across her chest. “But maybe that’s what I get for making assumptions.”

He keyed in his police radio. “Ethan, do you read me?”

“What’s up?” Ethan’s voice crackled over the radio. “I thought I lost you.”

“I’m headed back to the archaeological dig. I have a few questions I need to ask Eddleston.”

“Do you need backup?”

“No, thanks. I’ll fill you in when I get back to headquarters.”

“Ten-four.”

“Will you question Eddleston’s wife, too?” Jana asked.

“Probably.”

“And then she’ll know about Jenny. And her life will be ruined, too. What was my sister thinking?”

“I wonder if Eric Patterson knew about this,” Ryan said.

“How could he not?” she said. “How is it even possible to be engaged to one man and carrying on an affair with another and not have them find out about each other?” She shook her head. “Maybe it’s not even true. Maybe those women didn’t see what they thought they saw. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.” The only explanation that fit with Jana’s image of her sister.

Ryan parked the cruiser in front of the empty shade canopies at the dig site. In the distance, a group of people worked at the base of the mesa. Jana shaded her eyes with her hand and peered in that direction. “I think I see Eddleston,” she said.

Ryan started walking toward the dig, Jana close behind him. His boots left deep imprints in the thick dust and heat shimmered off the rocks around them. He was very aware of the woman beside him, the floral scent of her perfume faint in the air around him, the soft pant of her breath as they labored up a small incline. Professor Eddleston looked up from examining a pottery shard with a magnifying glass as they approached. “Has there been some news about Jenny?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Ryan said. “But I have a few more questions for you.”

“Of course.” Eddleston handed the shard and the magnifying glass to a young man and wiped his hands on the front of his khaki trousers.

“Let’s move back into the shade.” Ryan nodded toward the shade canopies.

“All right.” Eddleston walked beside them toward the canopies. “We’re really feeling Jenny’s absence on the project,” he said. “She’s a hard worker and everyone here likes her.”

“So you and she get along well?” Jana asked. Ryan didn’t miss the edge in her voice, but Eddleston didn’t seem to notice.

“We’re a very cohesive team on this dig,” he said. “Jenny fits in very well with the group.”

They reached the shade canopies and Eddleston sat on the edge of one of the folding tables, his posture relaxed. “What do you need to know?” he asked.

“Another person we interviewed reported seeing you and Jenny Lassiter kissing passionately,” Ryan said. “I want to know what that’s about.”

All the color left Eddleston’s face. He stared at Ryan, mouth opened, and then the color returned, red flooding his cheeks. “Who told you that? When?”

Not a good sign that he didn’t deny it. “So it’s true? You were kissing her?”

“It wasn’t what they thought. Jenny and I were friends. I...” He looked at Jana, who was glaring at him with open hostility.

“Were you having an affair with Jenny Lassiter?” Ryan asked.

Eddleston stared at the ground, mute.

“We’re going to question the rest of the team about this,” Ryan said. “Someone will know. It’s impossible to keep relationships secret in a small group like this.”

Eddleston made a choking sound. Ryan wondered if he was sobbing. After a long silence the professor cleared his throat. “Jenny and I went out a few times,” he said. “My wife and I were separated. It was just for fun. It wasn’t serious.”

“Did Jenny know it wasn’t serious?” Jana asked.

Eddleston glanced at her again. “Of course she did. Apparently, the whole time she was seeing me, she was also dating Eric Patterson. She was engaged to him—a fact I didn’t even know until she disappeared.”