Manhunt On Mystic Mesa. Cindi Myers
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“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