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Chapter Four

Ryan and Ethan’s questions to Metwater’s followers turned up nothing of interest. Most people the two officers approached turned away, disappearing into tents or trailers or slipping into the surrounding trees. Others were polite but responded to all questions with bland comments about the weather. No one would admit to having seen or heard of any of the missing women, or the mysterious Easy. “We’re wasting our time here,” Ryan said, turning away from an affable redhead who, when asked about the missing women, commented on the mild temperatures for this time of year.

“Metwater probably coached them on what to say to us,” Ethan said. “Non-confrontational, but also completely unhelpful.”

“I’d almost prefer confrontation.” Ryan looked around and spotted Jana with a trio of women across the camp. As he and Ethan approached, the women hurried away. “Are you ready to leave?” he asked.

“Yes.” Not waiting for a response, she turned and walked ahead of them to the parking area. She was standing by Ryan’s cruiser when he arrived, and said nothing as they climbed into the vehicle and drove away.

“Something bugging you?” he asked, after another long minute of silence.

“Hmm?” She glanced at him, worry lines creasing her forehead.

“You’re being awfully quiet. I thought maybe you were upset about something.”

She looked away again, gaze fixed on the horizon. Ryan focused on the rough road, giving her time. He hoped she would trust him enough to share what was on her mind, whether it related to the case or not. “If you had asked me two days ago if I was close to my sister, I would have said yes. We were as close as two people could be,” she said after a moment. “But now I feel like I was just lying to myself. I don’t know Jenny at all. I’m asking people questions about her that I think I know the answers to, and the person they’re describing to me is a stranger.”

“Maybe it’s not that you didn’t know your sister, but that other people see her differently,” he said.

“I didn’t know about her engagement to Eric Patterson.” She half turned to face him once more. “And just now, one of Daniel Metwater’s followers told me she saw Jenny kissing Jeremy Eddleston.”

That was a twist Ryan hadn’t seen coming. “When did they see this? And where?”

“Last week. At the dig site. They said it was a very passionate kiss.”

“Maybe they misinterpreted. Or even if they didn’t, it’s not that unusual for coworkers to become involved.”

“Eddleston is married,” Jana said. “And he’s old enough to be Jenny’s father. Why would she become involved with an older, married man—one of her professors?”

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, her obvious distress making him want to reach for her—or to shake the person who had upset her so much. “From what little I’ve learned, your sister does strike me as smarter than that,” he said. “But young people do make mistakes.”

“She never said a word to me about being interested in Eddleston,” she said. “But then, she wouldn’t, would she? She would know I wouldn’t approve.” She faced forward once more, hands knotted in her lap. “Should I ask him about it? Or will I only make things worse if I confront him? Jenny would say I’m interfering—that it’s none of my business.”

“I’ll take you back to your car, then I’ll talk to him,” he said.

“No. I want to go with you. I want to see his face when you confront him with this.”

He stifled a groan. Did they have to go through this again? “I can’t have you there when I question a potential suspect,” he said.

“Why not?” she asked. “He’s more likely to let down his guard with me there, don’t you think? And I’ve already proved I can be useful to you, haven’t I?”

“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.”

“You didn’t know Jenny and Eric were engaged?” Jana asked.

“I had no idea until he showed up at camp looking for her,” Eddleston said. “I’d seen them together a few times, but I never dreamed there was anything serious between them. Frankly, she didn’t even act as if she liked the guy that much.”

“Does your wife know about the affair?” Ryan asked.

His face paled again. “No! And there’s no need for her to. She and I are back together. We’re trying to fix our marriage.”

“Did Jenny know you and your wife were back together?” Jana asked.

“She did. And she was very cool about it. She wished me luck. That’s how I know our relationship wasn’t serious. We were both just having fun.”

“Are you in the habit of seducing students?” Jana asked.

Eddleston drew himself up to his full height, his body rigid. “I did not seduce anyone,” he said. “Jenny actually propositioned me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t flattered, and surprised, too.”

“Why were you surprised?” Ryan asked.

He grimaced. “Please, Officer, I know what I look like. I’m no movie star and Jenny is genuinely beautiful. She has no shortage of good-looking men her own age who would have been happy to date her. But she wanted to go out with me.”

“Did she say why?” Ryan asked.

He let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped. “She said I made her feel safe. Not the greatest romantic declaration, but show me a man my age who isn’t vulnerable to a young, beautiful woman’s proposition and I’ll show you a dead man or a saint.”

“Safe from what?” Ryan asked. “Was she afraid of something—or someone?”

Eddleston shook his head. “I have no idea. I mean, she isn’t a timid girl or anything like that.”

“And you have no idea when she started seeing Eric Patterson, or when they got engaged?” Ryan asked.

“No.”

Ryan studied him. So far, he had a sense Eddleston was telling the truth, but some people were better liars than others. “How did you feel when you found out?” he asked.

“I was upset.” Eddleston shrugged. “While we were dating I thought we were exclusive. That’s the impression I got.” He turned to Jana. “Jenny didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who keeps a lot of guys on a string. She’s sweet. Kind of the girl-next-door type. But then this Patterson guy tells me they’re engaged and I don’t know what to think.”

“What did you do when you found out about the engagement?” Ryan asked.

“There wasn’t anything I could do. Jenny had disappeared. I was worried about her.”

“Were you still seeing Jenny at the time of her disappearance?”

“We weren’t dating anymore, no. We ended it a couple of weeks ago. I told her I wanted to try to fix things with my wife.” He twisted the ring on his finger.

“Jenny was okay with that?” Ryan asked.

“I already told you she was.”

“So the two of you didn’t argue about it or anything?”

“No!” He leaned toward Ryan. “What are you getting at?”

“Breakups are usually rough,” Ryan said. “Maybe she was upset you were going back to your wife. Or maybe you found out about Eric and were angry she’d been two-timing you. You had an argument, one thing led to another...” He let the sentence hang, the atmosphere heavy with the unspoken accusation.

“We didn’t argue,” Eddleston said. “And I didn’t know she was engaged to Eric. I’m not even sure when they became engaged. It could have happened after we split.”

“He says they’ve been engaged a couple of weeks,” Jana said.

Eddleston compressed his mouth in a tight line but gave no answer.

“What do you think led Jenny to walk off the job yesterday afternoon?” Ryan asked. “Was it because she was upset?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” he said. “She wasn’t upset with me.” He turned to Jana. “I like your sister. She’s a sweet girl and we had a good time. We were friends—we are friends. Neither one of us did anything wrong.”

“Someone did something wrong,” Jana said. “My sister is missing and no one can tell me what happened to her.”