Manhunt On Mystic Mesa

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.