A rule-following ranger finds himself on the hunt for a killer—and falling for a woman who should be off-limits…

On the hunt for a serial killer, ranger Ryan Spencer can’t afford any distraction. But Jana Lassiter, sister to one of the missing women, won’t let Ryan investigate Mystic Mesa alone. Even though the seasoned officer has always been by the book, something tells him it wouldn’t be so bad to break a few rules for Jana.

When Jana’s life is suddenly jeopardized, the lawman is forced to face his darkest fears. He’s allowed desire to overshadow duty. Now he has to rein in his emotions to save Jana from becoming the next victim. Because losing this woman he’s inexplicably fallen for will destroy this warrior forever.

The Ranger Brigade: Family Secrets

“What kind of vibe from me are you getting?” he asked.

“One that makes me wonder how often you get involved with women who are part of a case you’re working on.”

“Never.” He continued holding her gaze. “But there’s a first time for everything, with the right woman.”

She looked away, lamplight playing across the curve of her cheek and the smooth column of her neck. He fought the urge to kiss her there.

“This may be the definition of bad timing,” she said.

“Probably,” he said.

“But do I feel this attraction to you because there’s something between us, or because you’re something steady I can hold on to while I’m reeling from my sister’s disappearance?”

“I think the only way we’re going to learn the answer to that question is to stick around and find out,” he said.

Manhunt on Mystic Mesa

Cindi Myers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CINDI MYERS is the author of more than fifty novels. When she’s not crafting new romance plots, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.

For Denise, the best sister-in-law ever.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“We’ve got another missing woman.” Commander Graham Ellison tossed the photo of a smiling blonde in the middle of the table where the members of the Ranger Brigade had gathered for a morning briefing. The fresh-faced, blue-eyed young woman radiated vitality and happiness, jarring when compared to the stony visage of the commander. “Her name is Jennifer Lassiter, nineteen years old, from Denver,” Ellison continued. “She was one of a group of archaeology students working in the area.”

“That makes two missing women in the past month.” One of the officers seated around the table—the only woman, whose nametag identified her as Carmen Redhorse—glanced at the photo and passed it down the table.

“Three.” Officer Ryan Spencer spoke from the doorway of the room. The rest of the team swiveled to stare at him. Not exactly the entrance he had wanted to make on his first day at his new job. He ignored the stares, strode to the table and pulled out the only empty chair, at the end opposite the commander.

“Who are you?” a sharp-nosed, lean man who sat behind an open laptop—Simon Woolridge—demanded.

“This is Ryan Spencer, with Customs and Border Protection,” Commander Ellison said. “Our newest team member.”

Ryan sat. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. The drive from Montrose had taken longer than he had anticipated, partly because he had gotten behind a caravan of RVs making their way into Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where the Ranger Brigade task force’s headquarters were located. But he didn’t bother to mention that. As his dad had always told him—never make excuses.

“What do you mean three women are missing instead of two?” The man to the commander’s left spoke. He was the picture of a rugged outdoorsman—dark eyes and hair, olive skin, a hawk nose and strong chin. His nametag read Michael Dance.

“I got a bulletin this morning from my office,” Ryan said. “My former office.” Though he was technically still an officer with United States Customs and Border Protection, Ryan’s current assignment made him a member of the multiagency task force whose job it was to prevent and solve crime on the vast network of public lands in southwestern Colorado.

He took out his phone and pulled up the message. “Her name is Alicia Mendoza and she’s from Guatemala. Part of a group of illegal immigrants who were traveling through this area on their way to work in Utah. When they were picked up last night, one of them reported that Alicia had disappeared two days ago, near the national park.”

Simon snorted. “Nice of them to let us know.”

“You know now.” Ryan pocketed his phone and looked around the table.

“Don’t mind Simon.” The man on Ryan’s left offered his hand. “He’s our resident grouch. I’m Randall Knightbridge. BLM.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Ryan shook hands with the Bureau of Land Management ranger, then turned to the man on his right.

“Ethan Reynolds,” the man said. “I’m new, too. Only been with the Rangers a couple of months. I came over from the FBI.”

“We’ll finish the introductions later.” The commander consulted a sheaf of papers in his hand. “Back to the matter of the three missing women. Jennifer Lassiter’s fellow archaeology students report that she took a break early yesterday afternoon. A little while later, they noticed she was missing. Her friends searched the area for several hours but could find no sign of her. They notified park rangers and the county sheriff, who brought us in this morning.”

“Where was she last seen?” Simon asked.

“Out near Mystic Mesa,” the commander said. “The group is excavating an early Native American settlement.”

“Daniel Metwater and his bunch are camped near there, aren’t they?” Randall asked.

“They are.” Simon tapped a few keys on the laptop. “They just received a new permit to camp near a spring out there. Their permit for their site near Coyote Creek expired last week.”

“After the prairie fire they set near there, I’m surprised the park service renewed their permit,” the woman said.

“The fire they allegedly set,” a tall Hispanic officer who sat at the commander’s right—Marco Cruz—said. “Fire investigators determined the wildfire was human-caused, but they have no proof anyone from Metwater’s group was responsible.”

“Except we know they were,” Simon said.

Ethan leaned toward Ryan. “Daniel Metwater is a self-styled prophet who leads a band of followers around the wilderness,” he explained. “There has been a lot of suspicious activity associated with his bunch, but we haven’t been able to pin anything on him.”

“The first young woman who went missing, Lucia Raton, was in Metwater’s camp shortly before she disappeared,” the commander said. “At first, he denied knowing her, but later we confirmed she had been in camp. She wanted to join his group, but he says he sent her away because she was underage.”

“Later, we found a necklace that belonged to her buried about a mile from the camp, with a lot of things belonging to one of Metwater’s ‘family’ members,” the woman said.

“No body has been found and her family hasn’t heard from her,” Randall concluded.

“Interesting that this latest missing woman disappeared near Metwater’s camp.” Ethan tapped his pen on the conference table. “Where did the Guatemalan woman disappear?”

Ryan consulted his phone again. “It just says in the Curecanti National Recreation Area.”

“That’s forty-three thousand acres,” Simon said. “You’ll need to narrow it down a little.”

“See if you can get some more specifics,” the commander said. “Then you and Ethan follow up with the archaeologists, see what you can find out about Jennifer Lassiter.”

“Maybe she got tired of digging in the dirt and decided to take a vacation with a boyfriend,” Michael Dance said.

“For her sake, I hope that’s the story,” Carmen said.

“Moving on.” The commander consulted his notes. “Lance, any update on the plant-smuggling case?”

Simon smothered what sounded like a laugh.

“What kind of plants?” Ryan asked.

“Expensive ones.” Lance, a lanky young man, leaned back in his chair to address them. “The park rangers have found several places where the thief is digging up ornamental plants, some of which retail for hundreds of dollars. We’ve got a few faint tire tracks, but there’s nothing distinct about them. No witnesses. Unless we catch this guy in the act, I don’t think we have much of a chance.”

“All right,” the commander said. “We’re almost done here. Just a little housekeeping to take care of.” Ryan’s mind wandered as Ellison shared some bulletins from area law enforcement, a heads-up about a controlled burn the Forest Service was conducting in the area, and construction updates in the park. The Ranger Brigade was an unusual force, comprised of officers from many different agencies, tasked with overseeing an expanse of public land the size of Indiana. Only a few hundred people occupied that land, but the potential for criminal activity, from smuggling to manufacturing drugs to theft of public property, was huge.

“All right, you’re dismissed,” Commander Ellison said. “Have a safe day.”

Ryan pulled out his phone and sent a text to his former supervisor at Customs and Border Protection, asking for the specific location where Alicia Mendoza had been last seen. He hit the send button as the female officer approached. Her straight black hair hung almost to her waist, and her tawny skin and high cheekbones attested to a Native American heritage. “I’m Carmen Redhorse,” she said. “Welcome to the team.”

“Simon Woolridge.” The agent with the laptop shook hands also. “I’m the tech expert on the squad. I’ve got lots of information on Daniel Metwater, if you need it.”

“I’m Marco Cruz, DEA.” The Hispanic agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency had a grip of steel, but a welcoming expression. “I hope you like working in the great outdoors, because we’ve got a lot of territory we cover, most of it pretty empty.”

“Things can get exciting, though.” Randall Knightbridge joined them, a cup of coffee in one hand, a fawn-and-black police dog at his side. “This is Lotte,” he introduced the dog. “Another member of the team.”

The last two officers he would be working with introduced themselves—Michael Dance was the rugged outdoorsman who had been seated at the other end of the conference table, and Lance Carpenter was the Montrose County Sheriff’s Deputy who was heading up the stolen-plant investigation.

“Are you married?” Marco asked.

“No. The job hasn’t given me much time for girlfriends.”

“You might be surprised,” Marco said. “But if you’re not interested in a relationship, you might want to avoid drinking the water around here.”

The others laughed, and, at Ryan’s confused look, Randall said, “A lot of us have gotten engaged or married recently. It’s starting to look like it’s contagious.”

“But some of us are still immune,” Simon said.

“Thanks for the warning,” Ryan said. “I think.” He hadn’t come to the Rangers to find romance, but to jump-start a career that was beginning to feel stale.

Ethan clapped Ryan on the back. “Ready to talk to the archaeologists?” he asked.

“I am,” Ryan said, grateful to have the conversation focused on the job once more. “Where are they located from here?”

“Come here and I’ll show you.” Ethan led the way to a map that took up much of one wall of the headquarters building. “We’re here.” He pointed to the national park entrance, then traced a path northeast to a flattened ridge. “And this is Mystic Mesa. The archaeologists have been excavating on the eastern side of the Mesa.”

Randall, who had followed them, pointed to a draw Ryan guessed was about a mile from the archaeology dig. “Daniel Metwater and his followers are camped in here,” he said.

“A prophet and his followers in the wilderness.” Ryan shook his head. “That sounds so—I don’t know—Old Testament.”

“He isn’t that kind of prophet,” Randall said.

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked.

“No beard or robe in sight,” Randall said. “He’s the son of a wealthy industrialist and supposedly inherited the family fortune. Most of his followers are young people, searching for something.”

“A lot of them are really beautiful young women,” Ethan said.

“So you think he’s killing some of them?” Ryan asked. “But it doesn’t sound like the women who disappeared were part of his group.”

“They weren’t, but we know that at least one of them—Lucia Raton—had expressed an interest in Metwater’s writings,” Ethan said. “And it’s a weird coincidence that she and Jennifer Lassiter were last seen near his camp.”

Ryan’s phone vibrated and he glanced at the screen. “This says Alicia Mendoza disappeared when the group she was traveling with stopped for water at a spring at the base of a mesa that ran north-south,” he said. “The people she was traveling with didn’t know a name and couldn’t be more precise than that.”

“Mystic Mesa runs north-south,” Randall said. He pointed to a spot on the map. “And there’s a spring right at the base of it. The only one for miles.”

“That’s only a stone’s throw from Metwater’s camp,” Ethan said.

“Too much of a coincidence,” Ryan said.

“Then I guess you know who else you need to talk to.” Randall clapped Ryan on the shoulder. “Have fun,” he said. “Metwater may or may not be a murderer, but he’s definitely a pain in the backside.”

* * *

JANA LASSITER GRIPPED the steering wheel of her Jeep and studied the barren landscape where her sister, Jenny, had disappeared. Red-rock chimneys and hoodoos jutted up from a flat plain of yellowed bunchgrass and dusty green piñon trees, their soot-gray trunks stunted and gnarled from years of fighting harsh winds and scorching sun. Dry washes and deeper canyons made fissures in the dusty surface of the land. Jenny had texted that she loved this place—that the remoteness and wildness of it made her feel so free. But the vast emptiness put Jana on edge. Compared to this great expanse, a single human was insignificant. With no signposts or roads or buildings, she already felt lost. Was that what had happened to Jenny? Had she wandered away from her group and simply forgotten where she was? Or had something more sinister taken her away?

Fighting a feeling of dread, Jana got out of the Jeep and was immediately buffeted by a stiff breeze. She held on to her straw sun hat and started toward the white pop-up canopy she had been told indicated the archaeologists’ base of operations, dodging to avoid an honest-to-goodness tumbleweed and muttering a prayer that there be no snakes lurking behind the clumps of sagebrush she skirted.

A tall, graying man with a deeply pockmarked face looked up from a clipboard as she approached, his mouth turned down in a frown. She recognized Jeremy Eddleston, Jenny’s supervisor. “I’m Jana Lassiter,” she said, before he could order her away. “We met briefly at my sister’s orientation.”

His face relaxed, and he set the clipboard on the folding table in front of him and walked out to meet her, extending both hands. “Ms. Lassiter, it’s good to see you again, though not under these circumstances. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

She froze at his words, anger warring with panic in her chest. She opted for anger. “Is there some news I don’t know about?” she asked. “Is my sister dead?” She had to force out the last word.

Eddleston’s face turned the color of the iron-infused sandstone around them. “Of course not. I mean, we don’t know... I only meant...”

She decided to let him off the hook. “It’s always difficult to know what to say in a situation like this,” she said.

The stiffness went out of him, his shoulders slumping so that he appeared several inches shorter. “Exactly. We’re all so terribly worried about Jenny. She was such a valuable part of our team, and so well liked. We can’t imagine what happened to her.”

“What did happen to her?” Jana asked. “That’s what I came from Denver to find out.”

“We don’t know.” Eddleston turned and gestured toward the mesa that rose up a quarter mile or so away, its slopes heavily pocked with large boulders and clumps of scrub oak and juniper. “We’ve been excavating in this area all summer. Jenny, as you probably know, joined us at the beginning of June. She was helping to sift through some of the material we had recently extracted and after lunch said she was going to take a short break to stretch her legs. Her friends thought that meant she was going to use the portajohn.” He indicated the bright blue portable toilet under a tree to Jana’s left. “Everyone was so engrossed in the work no one noticed she hadn’t returned until the team began packing up for the day a couple of hours later. They called and looked everywhere, but she didn’t answer and no one could find a trace of her.”

“Why didn’t you call the police right away?” Jana asked. “I understand they didn’t get out here until this morning.”

“There’s no phone service out here,” Eddleston said. “It’s a ten-mile drive over rough roads to get a signal. By the time anyone realized Jenny was missing, it was getting dark. As you might imagine, this place is almost impossible to find at night. There’s only the Jeep trail we’ve made and no lights at all.”

Jana shivered, trying not to imagine Jenny out here in that darkness, hurt and alone. But the images of her sister in danger rushed in anyway.

“I was away at a meeting I had to attend,” Eddleston said. “But the rest of the team searched until they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces while others went for help.”

“It’s true.” A young man who had been standing nearby joined them. “We shouted for her until we were hoarse. This morning the park rangers and the county sheriff brought out a search dog. They even flew a helicopter, searching for any sign of her. But they didn’t find anything.”

Jana scanned the area again. “I don’t understand,” she said. “How could someone just...vanish? Jenny isn’t some flighty, irresponsible schoolgirl. She’s smart and sensible. She wouldn’t simply wander off.”

Eddleston was nodding his head like a bobblehead doll. “I know. I’ve said the same thing myself. I wish I had answers for you, but I don’t.”

Jana opened her mouth to ask another question, but was silenced by the distinctive low crackling sound of a vehicle slowly making its way across the rocky track that passed for a road to the dig. She and Eddleston turned together to watch the approach of a black-and-white FJ Cruiser, light bar on top. The cruiser parked beside Jana’s Jeep and two men in khaki uniforms and Stetsons exited.

The passenger was closest to Jana—a broad-shouldered, sandy-haired guy who would have looked right at home on a beach with a surfboard. He was clean shaven, and dark aviator glasses hid his eyes, but she had the sense he was checking her out, so she stared boldly back at him.

The driver, a slim, dark-haired man, spoke first. “I’m Officer Reynolds and this is Officer Spencer, with the Ranger Brigade. We’re looking into the disappearance of Jennifer Lassiter and wanted to interview the people who were with her the day she disappeared.”

“I’m Professor Jeremy Eddleston, lead archaeologist on this dig and Jennifer’s supervisor.” Eddleston stepped forward and offered his hand.

“Ma’am.” The blond Ranger—Officer Spencer—touched the brim of his hat. “Did you work with Jennifer, also?”

“No. I’m her sister. I drove from Denver for the same reason you’re here—to talk to people and try to find out what happened.”

“When was the last time you talked to your sister?” Officer Spencer asked.

“We spoke the day before yesterday. She was in good spirits, enjoying her work and excited about some finds of pottery they had made.” She glanced at Eddleston. “She said she liked the people she worked with.”

“So she didn’t mention anything that was troubling her?” Spencer asked.

“Nothing was troubling her, I’m sure,” Jana said.

“Would you say you and your sister are close?” Spencer asked.

“Yes. We shared an apartment in Denver the first part of this summer, before she started the internship.”

“Do you have any other siblings?” Spencer asked. “Parents?”

“Our mother and father both passed away some years ago,” she said. Her mother had succumbed to cancer while Jana was still in high school, her father killed a few years later in a car accident on an icy road. “We don’t have any siblings.”

“And you’re sure nothing was troubling your sister?” he asked again.

“Nothing was troubling her. If it had been, she would have told me. Why are you even asking these questions?”

Spencer glanced at his partner, who was deep in conversation with Eddleston. “We need to eliminate any obvious reason for your sister to walk off the job and disappear. Unfortunately, a certain percentage of missing persons are people who have chosen to run away from their responsibilities or even commit suicide. We look for things like depression, troubled relationships or financial difficulties as possible motivations. Once we eliminate those, we consider other explanations.”

“Well, you’d better start considering those other explanations now. My sister wasn’t depressed, she didn’t have any debt, and she got along with everybody.”

Spencer removed his sunglasses, the sympathy in his blue eyes catching her off guard. “What do you think happened to Jennifer?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” she said. “You’re supposed to find that out.”

“Yes, but you knew her best. What do you think would have motivated her to leave the group? Would she want to be alone if she had had an argument with someone? Was she the type who would investigate an odd noise, or try to help an injured animal? Would she have left camp to check out an interesting rock formation, or maybe gone in search of a better cell signal?”

She relaxed a little. “I see what you’re getting at.” She looked around them, at the bright, windswept landscape. “I don’t think she would have gone after an animal. She likes dogs and cats, but she’s a little afraid of wild animals—like I am. There’s apparently no cell service out here and she had been working out here long enough to know that, so there was no point in wandering around trying to find a better signal. I suppose it’s possible she might have wanted some time alone if she had had an argument with someone.”

“Then let’s find out if that’s the case.” He moved to join his partner with Eddleston. “Did Jennifer have a disagreement with any of her coworkers that day?” he asked.

“Not at all,” Eddleston said. “Jenny got along great with everyone.”

“We’ll want to talk to her coworkers and verify that,” Reynolds said.

“Of course.” The archaeologist squinted past them, obviously distracted. Jana turned and saw a dusty whirlwind on the horizon that drew nearer and morphed into a late-model, sand-colored Camry racing toward them. “I was wondering when he would show up,” Eddleston said.

“Who is it?” Officer Spencer asked.

“Eric Patterson,” Eddleston said. “He’s a reporter with the Montrose paper.”

Reynolds scowled. “We don’t have time to talk to reporters.”

“He’s not just a reporter,” Eddleston said. “And you probably do want to talk to him.” He turned to Jana. “You, too.”

“Why is that?” Jana asked.

Eddleston looked confused. “Because he’s Jenny’s fiancé. Didn’t she tell you?”

Chapter Two

Ryan studied Jana’s reaction to Eddleston’s identification of the approaching visitor—shock, confusion and then anger played across a face that had the same fair beauty as her sister, but with a maturity that lent more angularity and sophistication to her features. Her eyes held more shrewdness than the photo of the missing young woman, as if she had learned the hard way to be skeptical of the promises people made.

The Camry stopped a short distance away in a cloud of red dust, and a slight young man with thinning blond hair and a boyish face stepped out. He assessed the quartet waiting for him with a glance and nodded, as if approving this welcoming party, then strode toward them and spoke in a loud voice, as if addressing a crowd. “I heard the Rangers had been assigned to the case,” he said. “Now maybe we’ll get some results. No offense to the local cops, but they don’t have the resources and expertise you guys do.”

Before either Ethan or Ryan could reply, Eric turned to Jana and seized her hand. “You must be Jana. Jenny has told me so much about you.”

Jana pulled her hand away and didn’t return Eric’s smile. “Funny. She never mentioned you.”

The wattage of his grin didn’t lower. “We wanted to give you the news in person,” he said. “We planned a trip to Denver to see you later this month. Jenny wanted it to be a surprise.”

“So it’s true—you’re engaged?” Jana asked.

“Yes.” He held up a hand like a cop halting traffic. “Now I know what you’re thinking—Jenny is young and we haven’t known each other that long—but when it’s true love, I guess you just know.”

“How long have you and Jenny known each other?” Ryan asked.

“Two months. We met when I was working on a story on this archaeological dig.”

“Eric did a wonderful piece about our work that was picked up for the Denver Post,” Eddleston said. “It was great publicity for our department.”

“How long have you been engaged?” Ryan asked.

“Not long,” Eric said. “We decided a couple of weeks ago, actually.”

“It isn’t like Jenny to keep something like this a secret from me,” Jana said.

“Well, she isn’t a little girl anymore, telling big sis everything,” Eric said. “She wanted her own life.”

Ryan felt Jana stiffen beside him. He didn’t blame her. Patterson had all the subtlety of a steamroller. But an argument between the two of them wasn’t going to help find Jenny. “When was the last time you spoke to Jenny?” he asked Patterson.

“We talked over breakfast at my place yesterday morning before she left to head out here for work.” The way he said it—emphasizing the word breakfast and watching for Jana’s reaction—made Ryan think he was bragging. He and Jenny had spent the night together and Patterson wanted to make sure Jana knew it. He was letting her know that he had been closer to her sister than she was.

Patterson turned to Eddleston. “I just came out to let you know I want to do anything I can to help,” he said. “If you think more publicity in the paper would be useful, I’m your man.”

“We’ll certainly have questions for you,” Ryan said before Eddleston could answer. “And we have a copy of the interview you gave the sheriff’s office. Right now, we’d like to talk to some of the other people Jenny worked with.”

“Of course.” Eddleston gestured toward the base of the mesa, where half-a-dozen people milled about amid a grid of pink plastic flags. “Talk to anyone you like.”

Ryan nodded to Jana and touched the brim of his hat. “Ma’am,” he said, then followed Ethan across the rough ground toward the excavation.

When they were far enough away from the others that they couldn’t be overheard, Ethan said, “Give me your impressions.”

“The sister doesn’t know as much about Jenny as she thought she did,” Ryan said. “Eddleston is most concerned about making a good impression. The fiancé is too cocky and sure of himself and for some reason he’s going out of his way to goad Jana.”

“If Jenny was the only woman missing, I’d put him at the top of the suspect list,” Ethan said. “But his name hasn’t come up in our investigation of the first missing woman, Lucia Raton, and it seems unlikely he knew an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who just happened to be passing through.”

“So he’s a jerk but probably not a killer,” Ryan said.

“Provided the women are dead,” Ethan said.

“Right. We don’t have any bodies, but we both know the stats.” When young women went missing for no reason, too often they were eventually found dead.

“Maybe this case will be an exception to the norm,” Ethan said.

For the next hour, the two Rangers questioned Jenny’s coworkers, who all professed sadness and shock at her disappearance. They were able to establish a timeline for yesterday. No one had noticed anything unusual before she vanished. They all agreed she hadn’t seemed depressed or afraid or anything like that. “Jenny was one of these really upbeat, look-on-the-bright-side kind of people,” said a twenty-year-old archaeology major, Heidi. “I used to tease her about it sometimes. If she had a flat tire on the way in, she wouldn’t complain about the tire, she’d talk about how amazing it was to be in such a beautiful setting with nothing to do but wait for something to come along and help.”

“So even if something had happened that might upset most people, she wouldn’t necessarily show any distress,” Ethan said.

“I guess you could put it that way,” Heidi said.

“What about her relationship with Eric Patterson?” Ryan asked.

Heidi slanted him a wary look. “What about it?”

“Was she happy? Excited about being engaged?”

“She never actually said anything about being engaged,” Heidi said. “First I heard of it was after she disappeared and he came out with the local cops this morning and told everyone. He said they had agreed to keep it a secret until she had a chance to tell her sister.”

“Did that strike you as odd—that she wouldn’t have shared something like that?” Ryan asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it surprised me a little. I knew she had gone out with the guy a few times, but I didn’t think it was that serious. I mean, they hadn’t known each other long, but love makes people do crazy things sometimes, I guess.”

“Tell me a little more about her mood yesterday,” Ryan asked. “Did she mention anything at all about anything that had happened to upset her—an argument with someone, worry over finances, anything like that?”

Heidi shook her head. “Nothing like that. She was maybe a little quiet. When she took a break at about one, I didn’t think anything of it.”

“You thought she’d gone to use the restroom,” Ryan said.

“At first, but then when she didn’t come back, I figured she’d taken a walk. She did that sometimes, when things were slow. She was really interested in wildflowers and plants and stuff, and she liked to photograph the scenery.”

“What was your first thought when you realized she was missing?”

She shrugged. “I wondered if she’d gone too far from camp and gotten lost.” She swept her hand to indicate the surrounding landscape. “It’s pretty empty out here. I know I get disoriented all the time. But we spread out and searched and none of us saw any sign of her. I wouldn’t think she could have gone that far.”

The rest of the students who had worked with Jenny shared Heidi’s puzzlement as to what might have happened to Jenny. Ethan and Ryan finished their questions and headed back to the cruiser. Eric’s Camry was gone and Eddleston had returned to his work, but Ryan was surprised to find Jana Lassiter waiting beside the cruiser.

“Could I speak with you a moment?” she asked as he approached. She glanced toward Ethan. “Privately?”

“I’ll start filling out the reports,” Ethan said, opening the driver’s-side door.

Ryan walked with Jana about fifty yards, to the shade of a pile of boulders. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“What do you know about Eric Patterson?” she asked.

“No more than you do,” he said. “I’ve only been in town a week. I transferred to the Rangers from Grand Junction.”

She hugged her arms around her stomach, as if she was in pain. “I didn’t know about him—not just that he and Jenny were engaged, but I didn’t even know he existed. That isn’t like Jenny. Not that I expect her to tell me everything, but she always talks to me about the men in her life.”

“Maybe she didn’t say anything to you about Eric because this relationship was different from those others,” he said. “More serious. Maybe she wanted to be more sure of her feelings before she shared them with you.”

Jana shook her head. “That isn’t her. And he’s not her type at all. The men she dates are always funny and easygoing. Considerate. He’s so cocky and full of himself. He isn’t worried about her—he’s basking in the attention her disappearance is bringing to him.”

Ryan couldn’t disagree with anything about her assessment of Eric Patterson. “People react differently to grief,” he said. “Maybe he came off cocky just now because he was nervous about meeting you and trying to impress you.”

She gave him a sharp look. “Do you always feel the need to play devil’s advocate?”

“It’s a cop thing. Questioning assumptions is sometimes a good way to find out new information.”

She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “I suppose being disagreeable doesn’t mean he had anything to do with Jenny’s disappearance.”

“We don’t have a good enough picture of what happened to have any suspects yet,” Ryan said. “We have more people to interview.”

“Who?”

He didn’t see any harm in telling her. “There’s a group camped not far from here. We want to find out if any of them saw or heard anything.”

“I don’t understand why you don’t have more people out searching for her,” Jana said. “What about using dogs to track her? And what about her phone? Can’t you find someone through their cell phone? Have you issued one of those alerts—an Amber Alert? Isn’t that for missing persons?” With each new suggestion, she grew more agitated.

Ryan laid a gentling hand on her shoulder. “There are search and rescue teams combing the area right now,” he said. “The sheriff’s office has had a tracking dog out here and we’ve got people trying to trace her phone, but they’re not getting any kind of signal. And Amber Alerts are only for children. Your sister hasn’t been missing even twenty-four hours. There’s still a chance she’ll turn up unharmed. Maybe she just needed to get away for a while. She could have hitched a ride into town and be staying with a friend we don’t know about.”

She stared into his eyes, as if trying to read his thoughts and divine his intentions. “She wouldn’t let me worry this way,” she said. “If Jenny was with a friend, or anywhere she could make a call, she would let me know she was all right. I’ve tried calling and texting her dozens of times, but she isn’t answering her phone. I’m really worried about her.”

He took his hand from her shoulder and nodded. “From what you’ve told me, it does seem unusual for your sister to just walk away from everything. Right now, our best guess is that she is lost, so we’ll continue the search efforts, including interviewing everyone who might have seen her.”

She opened her purse and took out a business card. She scribbled something on the back, then handed it to him. “That’s my cell number. I’m staying at the Columbine Inn. If you learn anything new, please call me.”

He glanced at the number, then turned the card over. “You’re a CPA?”

“You sound surprised.”

His face felt hot. “It wouldn’t have been my first guess.”

“I get it. CPAs are supposed to be boring and plain. I hear librarians have the same problem.”

“You aren’t boring or plain.” He slipped the card into his pocket. “I promise to keep in touch.”

“I’m trusting you to do that.” She met his gaze and he felt the pull of that look somewhere deep in his gut—a surprising but not wholly unpleasant sensation. “And just so you know, I don’t give my trust very easily,” she added, before turning and walking away.

* * *

JANA’S FIRST INSTINCT was to remain near the dig site, walking the desert and calling for her sister. But she had no idea where Jenny might go, and in the vast, mostly featureless terrain she was liable to end up lost herself. So she returned to Montrose, but not to the motel. Instead, she headed to the apartment Jenny shared with another young woman. April was a medical assistant at the local hospital, and she had told Jana to feel free to come in and look around.

She let herself in with the key Jenny had given her and stood for a moment surveying the living room. She had been here before, of course, on visits since Jenny had relocated here for the summer. But she had never been here without Jenny. Already the place felt alien without her sister’s presence.

Steeling herself, she crossed the living room to Jenny’s bedroom. She didn’t know what she was looking for—what she might find that the police investigators wouldn’t have uncovered. April had told her the police had already been there. They had made copies of Jenny’s computer files and looked through her belongings, but shared no impressions of their findings.

Jana sat on the side of the bed and looked around, trying to see the room as an outsider might. The small space was as bright and sunny as Jenny herself—from the pink patchwork quilt on the bed to the paper flowers tacked to the bulletin board over her desk. Sophisticated cosmetics shared space with a stuffed pink bear. It was the room of a girl who was slowly transforming into a woman.

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. She refused to give in to tears, as if grieving would be disloyal. But the knowledge that her sister might not be all right, might in fact be dead, lurked at the edge of her consciousness, a horrible specter she wasn’t yet willing to confront.

It’s only been one day, she reminded herself. Jenny is young and healthy and smart. If she did get lost, she knows to stay put and wait for help. And she’s got a lot of people working to find her. The memory of Officer Spencer’s hand on her shoulder, a reassuring, comforting weight, returned and made her feel more settled. She believed he was doing everything he could to help her and Jenny. In the future, the sisters would look back on this time and laugh about the adventure.

She forced herself to stand and walk to the desk and power up the laptop computer. She knew the password—the same one Jenny had used for years—and soon was perusing her sister’s files and email and Facebook page. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no journal detailing a secret worry or hurt, no anguished emails to friends, only the usual cheery greetings or gossiping about school or movies or weekend plans. She found a few emails from Eric Patterson, but they offered little insight into the relationship—invitations to dinner or confirmation of weekend plans. No words of love or secret scheming.

The sound of the front door opening startled her. “April, is that you?” she called. “I’m back here in Jenny’s room.”

“It’s not April,” came a man’s voice, and a moment later Officer Ryan Spencer filled the doorway of the bedroom.

Heart thudding painfully, Jana stared at him, caught off guard. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“The sheriff’s office gave us the information they had, but I wanted to see the place for myself.” He came into the room, and the already-small space seemed to shrink around them. “I thought it would help me get a better feel for your sister.”

Jana sank onto the bed again, fearful her shaking legs might not support her. Having the police here—in Jenny’s private space—made the magnitude of her disappearance that much greater. “This room is just like Jenny,” she said. She didn’t elaborate—let him make of that what he would.

His gaze roamed around the room. She had the sense that he was analyzing everything he saw, putting each item into a bigger picture he was forming of her sister. At last his eyes came back to her. “Have you found anything I should know about?” he asked.

She glanced toward the desk and the open computer. “I don’t know if it’s anything important,” she said. “But it’s something that struck me as odd when I was looking through her social media.”

“There are no pictures online of her with Eric Patterson,” he said.

“Yes!” She stared at him, impressed in spite of herself. “She has pictures of herself with other friends on her Facebook and Instagram pages, and here.” She indicated the bulletin board.

He nodded. “If you were engaged to someone, you would probably have lots of pictures of them.” He walked over to the laptop and hit a few keys. “There’s something else on this you ought to see,” he said. “Something I discovered looking at the copy of her hard drive the sheriff’s office made.”

“They made a copy of her hard drive?” She didn’t know whether to be comforted by their thoroughness or alarmed that the investigation was moving so quickly.

“We’ve learned the hard way that we need to take these cases seriously from the start,” he said. “There was a time when adults had to be missing for a while before law enforcement stepped in, but now we know the sooner we launch an investigation, the more likely we are to have a positive outcome.”

She nodded. “That makes sense. So what did you find?”

“Come look.”

Feeling steadier now, she stood and came to stand beside him, studying the screen, which showed a handsome, dark-haired man dressed in white, next to a blog post about the key to happiness. “What am I looking at?” she asked.

“It’s a blog by a man named Daniel Metwater. He calls himself a prophet and preaches a kind of back-to-nature spirituality a lot of young people find very compelling. Jenny’s browser history shows she had read quite a few of his posts and bookmarked his site.”

“Why is that important?” Jana asked.

“Because Metwater and his followers are camped very near where Jenny disappeared.”

Her stomach gave a nervous jump. “You mentioned wanting to question some people who were camped nearby. Did you mean this man, Metwater?”

“Yes, but I haven’t talked to him yet.”

“Why not?”

“I wanted to see what I could find out here first.”

“I want to go with you when you talk to him,” she said.

“No.” The word held all the finality of a slamming door, but she intended to push that door open.

“I can help you,” she said. “People will say things to me they won’t say to a cop.”

He shook his head, his jaw tense, blue eyes boring into her with an intensity that any other time would have been intimidating. But she had too much at stake to back down now. “If you don’t take me with you, I’ll go out there on my own,” she said.

“I can’t have you interfering with my case,” he said.

“This may be your case, but she’s my sister.” She hated the tremor in her voice as she said the last words and fought hard to control it. “I will do everything in my power to find her. I’ll talk to anyone and everyone who might have information that can help me find her, and you can’t stop me.”

“I could have you arrested for interfering with an investigation.”

“You could. But would you really do that? When we met earlier today, you didn’t strike me as a jerk.”

He actually flinched at the word, as if she had slapped him. “Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?”

“Take it however you like.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze, ignoring the tremor in her stomach as he leaned closer. She could smell the leather-and-starch scent of him, masculine and clean, and see the muscle jump along his jaw as he considered his answer.

“If I let you come with me, you can’t take part in questioning Metwater,” he said. “That has to be done by the book if we’re going to get anything we might be able to use in court later.”

“I understand. I thought I could mix with his followers. Find out if any of them know Jenny, or if she’s been in the camp.”

He rubbed his jaw, the scrape of beard against his palm sending another shiver of awareness through her. “You could talk to some of the women in the group,” he said. “I don’t expect them to be very cooperative with the police—they haven’t made any secret of their dislike of law enforcement. But they might be more sympathetic to you.”

She fought the impulse to throw her arms around him and kiss him—not so much because she thought he might object, but because she didn’t trust herself to stop with one friendly kiss. This sexy cop got to her in a way that alarmed her. The last thing she needed now was that kind of distraction. “I won’t get in your way,” she said. “But we could work together.”

His expression hardened again. “No offense, but I don’t need your help. My job is to solve this case and find your sister.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then thought better of it. He had agreed to what she wanted, so she might as well stay in his good graces—for now. “Do you think this man—Metwater—had something to do with Jenny’s disappearance?” she asked.

“We don’t know,” Ryan said. “Right now, let’s just say he’s a person of interest.”

“That means he’s a suspect,” she said, her heart beating faster again.

“I didn’t say that. If you come with me, you can’t do anything to interfere with the investigation and you can’t share anything we see or do with reporters. Especially not with Eric Patterson.”

She made a face. “I don’t have any desire to talk to him. Maybe it’s petty, but he rubs me the wrong way.”

He nodded, as if he agreed with her. “When you meet Metwater, maybe you can tell us if he’s someone who would have interested Jenny—would she have followed him into the wilderness?”

She swallowed past the sudden tightness in her throat. “And the more important question—if she did, why didn’t she come back?”

Chapter Three

Daniel Metwater and his followers had set up camp in a shady grove near a freshwater spring at the base of Mystic Mesa. Ryan parked his cruiser next to a dilapidated pickup, and Ethan slid his vehicle in next to Ryan’s. “I don’t see anything,” Jana said, climbing out of Ryan’s vehicle and looking around. Though the sun was slipping toward the horizon, casting long shadows from the trees and boulders, there was still plenty of daylight left this time of year.

“It’s up in the trees through here.” Ethan pointed to a narrow path into the underbrush. He led the way, with Jana following and Ryan bringing up the rear.

They had only walked about ten yards when a shirtless man with blond dreadlocks stepped out in front of them. He carried a heavy wooden staff, which would have made an effective weapon. He took in the two uniformed officers and scarcely glanced at Jana, then settled on Ethan. “Is there a problem, Officer?” he asked.

“We have some questions for Mr. Metwater,” Ethan said, and started to move past him.

Blondie stepped in front of them, holding the stick across his body. “I’m not supposed to let anyone into camp without permission?” His voice rose in a question at the end of the sentence and he looked doubtful.

“This badge means we don’t need permission.” Ethan stepped toward him again. Blondie glanced at Ryan, then moved off the path. The two officers and Jana filed by and entered a clearing around which were clustered a ragtag collection of tents, trailers and makeshift shacks. A dozen or more adults, most of them young women, and half-a-dozen small children milled around the area.

A tall man with a sharp, intelligent face looked up from a conversation with an attractive pregnant woman. Dark curls framed classically handsome features, but a scowl wrinkled his brow, and at the sight of the newcomers, everyone around him and the woman shrank away. “Hello, Mr. Metwater.” Ethan addressed him. “Ms. Mattheson.”

“Asteria, you may wait for me in the motor home,” Metwater said. Ryan realized the blonde must be Andi Mattheson. According to the information Simon had given him, she was the daughter of a former senator and perhaps Daniel Metwater’s most famous disciple. Without a second glance at the visitors, she slipped away.

“I thought we had reached an understanding that the Rangers were not to harass me and my family anymore,” Metwater said. “Or did my attorneys not make that clear enough?”

Ryan pulled out his phone, woke it to display the photo of Jennifer Lassiter and turned the screen toward Metwater. “Have you seen this woman?” he asked.

Metwater peered at the image and shook his head. “No. Who is she?”

“How about this one?” Ryan scrolled to a photo of Alicia Mendoza.

“No.” Metwater folder his arms over his muscular chest. “What is this about?”

“Do the names Jennifer Lassiter or Alicia Mendoza mean anything to you?”

Instead of answering, Metwater turned to Jana. “Who are you?” he asked. “You don’t look like a cop.”

“I’m Jana Lassiter,” she said, pale but composed. “Jennifer Lassiter is my sister. She disappeared yesterday, from the archaeological dig near here.”

Metwater turned back to the officers. “So of course you think I had something to do with this woman’s disappearance, even though I’ve never met her or even heard of her.”

Before Ryan or Ethan could speak, Jana stepped between them and Metwater. “Jenny had your blog bookmarked on her computer,” she said. “She had been reading it right before she disappeared. We were hoping she came here to meet you.”

Metwater’s expression softened, and Ryan had a sense of the kind of charm that might persuade people that he had the answers they were seeking. “I’m sorry I can’t help you,” he said. “I never met your sister.” He turned to the Rangers. “What about this other woman? Was she a fan of mine, also? I have many people who are interested in the message I have to share, but my aim is to help, not harm.”

“Alicia Mendoza also disappeared very near here,” Ethan said. “She was traveling through the area with a group of illegal immigrants. It’s possible she became lost and sought refuge in your camp.”

“Many things are possible,” Metwater said. “But she never came here.”

“What about Easy? Has he been around lately?” Ethan asked.

Ryan had to think a moment to remember who Ethan was referring to. Some notes from an earlier interview with the women in Metwater’s camp had mentioned someone named Easy who had been seen with Lucia Raton when she left the Family’s camp.

“I haven’t seen him, no,” Metwater said. “He’s not a member of the Family.”

“But he hangs out here sometimes, we understand,” Ethan said.

“I don’t require visitors to sign in and out.”

“So it’s possible Alicia Mendoza or Jennifer Lassiter were here and you didn’t know about it,” Ryan said.

“It’s possible,” Metwater said. “But not probable.” He glared at them, defiant.

“If you hear anything about either woman—or about Easy—please let us know,” Ethan said.

“We avoid mixing with the outside world as much as possible,” Metwater said.

“Yet you welcome new members.” Ryan looked around the camp—there didn’t seem to be a shortage of people who wanted to join Metwater’s group, despite the primitive living conditions.

“People come to me seeking a retreat from the false atmosphere of so-called civilized life,” Metwater said.

Ryan eyed the motor home parked at the far edge of the clearing. The gleaming RV sported a solar array on the roof and was large enough to comfortably accommodate several people. While some of the Prophet’s followers were roughing it, the man himself lived in wilderness luxury.

Metwater noticed the direction of Ryan’s gaze. “I left a life of privilege to find a better way,” he said. “The fact that my message resonates with so many people should tell you I preach the truth.”

Plenty of charlatans and con artists managed to charm untold number of hapless victims. Until Ryan saw evidence to the contrary, he would assume Metwater fell into that camp.

“Mr. Metwater does speak the truth, at least about his background.”

Ryan turned toward the new voice that had addressed them. “Hello officers, Jana,” Eric Patterson said. “I was wondering when you would get around to showing up here.”

* * *

“WHAT ARE YOU doing here?” Jana stared at the reporter. Had he decided to investigate Jenny’s disappearance on his own? Or was her sister’s supposed fiancé a member of Metwater’s group?

“I invited him,” Daniel Metwater said. “Eric is my special guest.”

Eric’s smile echoed Metwater’s own. Jana thought they looked like two politicians posing for a photo op, their grins too large and not quite reaching their eyes. “I’m writing a profile of the Prophet for my paper,” the reporter said. “We’re privileged to have a figure of such national interest living in our area.”

Jana glanced at Metwater. Was he really of national interest? She had certainly never heard of him, but then, she wasn’t searching for meaning in her life or lost with nowhere to go, or any of the other things Ryan had said attracted people to this remote camp. And neither was Jenny.

Maybe one of Jenny’s friends had told her about Metwater, and she had been reading his blog out of curiosity. Jenny was always interested in new things, but that didn’t mean she had decided to follow this false prophet into the wilderness.

“I thought you avoided mixing with the outside world,” Ryan said. “Or don’t newspapers count?”

“It’s another way to spread his message,” Eric said before Metwater could answer.

“I guess it’s another way to solicit financial contributions, too.” Ryan’s eyes met Jana’s, as if they shared an inside joke, and a jolt of pleasure shot through her. She did feel as if she and this cop were allies, that she wasn’t alone in her longing to have Jenny returned to her safely.

“Cynics like you scoff, but I could tell you a dozen stories of people whose lives have been changed by my message,” Metwater said.

“And I want to hear all of them,” Eric said.

“Mr. Patterson,” Jana began.

“Please, call me Eric,” he said. “After all, we’re practically related.”

Jana clenched her teeth to keep from telling him they were definitely not related. She couldn’t understand what Jenny saw in this man, but until her sister could confide in her, better to hold her tongue. “Did you know Jenny followed Mr. Metwater’s blog?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said. “Her interest in the Prophet led me to pitch his story to my editor.” He turned to Metwater. “I’m only sorry my fiancée isn’t here to meet you. She is a great admirer of yours.”

“The loss is mine,” Metwater said.

“You’re sure Jenny never came here on her own or with you?” Ethan asked.

“I’m positive,” Eric said. “We planned to come here together.”

“Maybe she got curious, and knowing Metwater and his followers were camped so close, she decided to check things out on her own,” Ryan said.

“I already told you, she hasn’t been here,” Metwater said.

“You told us the same thing about Lucia Raton,” Ethan said. “Then we found out later she had been to see you.”

Metwater pressed his lips together, but said nothing more.

“Jenny wouldn’t have come here without me,” Eric said. “We had planned to go together and she wouldn’t dishonor those plans.”

“What does honor have to do with it?” Jana asked, unable to contain her exasperation. “If Jenny wanted to do something, she did it. She didn’t need your permission.”

“Since you don’t live here and aren’t a part of Jenny’s everyday life, you don’t understand how close the two of us are,” Eric said. “She wanted to share new experiences with me. When you truly love someone, doing things without them isn’t as satisfying.”

His patronizing tone set her teeth on edge. “Since when does getting engaged to someone mean you’re joined at the hip?” she muttered.

“Now that we’ve established that you’re wasting your time questioning me or my followers, I have an interview to conduct.” Metwater put a hand on Eric’s shoulder.

“We haven’t established anything,” Ryan said. But Metwater and Eric had already turned away.

Ryan started toward the pair, but Ethan stopped him. “We’ll get back to those two later. In the meantime, let’s talk to a few of the faithful.” He nodded to Jana. “Mingle with the women and see what you can find out. Even if these people didn’t have anything to do with your sister’s disappearance, they might have seen or heard something.”

“All right.”

The two officers moved away, leaving her standing by herself. She tried to ignore the nervous flutter in her stomach and headed toward a group of women who stood in front of a large white tent near the motor home. At her approach, they all turned as if to retreat into the tent. “Please, don’t leave,” she called out. “I’m not a police officer. I just want to talk to you.”

“You’re with the police.” A severe-looking woman with curly brown hair addressed her in a scolding tone. “You want to hassle us, the way they always do.”

“I don’t want to hassle anyone,” Jana said. “I’m only trying to find my sister.” She turned her phone toward them to show a recent photograph she had taken of Jenny, who was smiling broadly and looked so young and happy and alive. It didn’t seem real that she could have simply vanished.

“We don’t know her,” the pregnant blonde who had been with Metwater when Jana and the others had arrived in camp said, not unkindly. “We can’t help you.”

“The archaeological dig where she worked is very close to here,” Jana said. “Did you know anyone else from there?”

The women exchanged glances. “We didn’t know anyone,” the oldest of the trio, with white-blond hair and pale eyes said.

“But you know something about them you’re not telling me,” Jana said. She hadn’t missed the significance of the look between them.

“We visited them a few times,” the pretty blonde said. “They showed us some of the pottery shards and other artifacts they found.”

“Who showed you?” Jana asked.

“Not your sister,” the brown-haired woman said. “We never talked to her.”

Jana slumped, trying to hide her disappointment.

“We saw her, though,” the older woman said. “She was with that reporter.”

“Eric?” Jana asked.

“Yeah. That one.” The brown-haired woman’s sour expression left little doubt of her opinion of Eric Patterson. “They were arguing. Pretty loudly, too.”

“What were they arguing about?” Jana asked.

The pretty blonde shook her head. “We couldn’t tell, but she was pretty upset. At one point she shoved him.”

“What did he do?” Jana asked.

“Nothing,” the blonde said. “He was pretty calm about the whole thing, but she was really worked up.”

“Did you overhear anything at all?” Jana asked. “Could you guess what she was upset about?”

All three women shook their heads. “They were standing too far away,” the older woman said.

“I saw her one other time,” the brown-haired woman said. “I went by myself a few weeks ago to try to sell some stuff I had found to the head guy.”

“What kind of stuff?” Jana asked.

“Some arrowheads and spear points, but he said the items I had weren’t worth anything. A woman who looked a lot like the picture you showed us was with him when I got there. They looked pretty friendly.” She smirked.

“What do you mean, ‘friendly’?” Jana asked.

“They were kissing,” the brown-haired woman said. “Going at it pretty hot and heavy, too,” she said. “When I showed up they broke it off and the girl hurried away.”

“But I’m sure Professor Eddleston is married,” Jana said, trying to absorb this new information.

“He was wearing a ring,” the brown-haired woman said. “So maybe instead of thinking the Prophet had anything to do with your sister’s disappearance, you should check out her professor’s wife.”

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.”

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