Chapter 1-3
563 Words
Drake never did turn up, not even after a search party Weldon, panic in his voice, had called in, scoured that part of the desert.
The pickup had been winched onto the bed of the tow truck and taken to the lab in Santa Fe while Jenn’s team of men and women worked to gather up the remains of the tent and all the other bits and pieces of the campsite—Jenn wasn’t maternal, but the sight of those tiny boots about broke her heart—and to get as many details of the surrounding area as they could, including some prints that looked similar to the one that had been at the last site. “Someone cast those, please.”
They worked as fast as they could. The sandstorm had held off, but night would be falling soon.
Jenn’s cell phone rang. She recognized the ringtone she’d given Nicki, and she almost broke her finger tapping her Bluetooth earpiece. “Please tell me you’ve got something for me already.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you—”
“Shit.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to finish. There’s one thing I can tell you, and that is it wasn’t made by an animal—you were right about that. I’ll need to take it to the university to study it more closely. It looks…familiar…Mom agrees, but she also agrees it’s nonsense. It couldn’t possibly be—never mind. I just wanted you to know I’m catching a redeye and heading home. Santa Fe’s a good city, but it doesn’t have the files and equipment I need. My lab does.”
“I see.” Jenn wondered what had tied her friend’s tongue, but she knew Nicki would tell her only when she was certain. “Okay, here’s the thing. We’ve found Ms. Stuart’s campsite—”
“Who?”
“Ms.—the missing woman.”
“You found her?”
“No, just her camp. We’ve got a couple more prints from this site, and I’ll want you to compare them.”
“So you can see if whatever left the first print you found also left them at the campsite.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. What flight are you taking? I’ll see they get to you before—”
“Hold on a second. Mom just came barging in.” Nick didn’t give her a chance to say yes, no, or maybe. She covered the receiver, so although Jenn could hear the muffled tones, they were too muffled to distinguish individual words. Finally, Nicki came back on the line. “Jenn? Mom agrees this changes everything.”
“Excuse me?”
“We think it’s more important I stay here on the ground. Mom will head back to Coombe—she’ll take the casts back with her, and once there, she’ll liaise with my colleagues.”
“Okay, it sounds like the two of you have this under control.”
“You bet, honey muffin.”
“Nicki—”
Her friend laughed. “I’ve got to get going. Greg is taking me out to dinner, and he should be here any minute.”
“Should he now?” Jenn couldn’t help smiling. She herself would never consider dating someone she worked with, but Nicki was a civilian, and Jenn had no objection to them seeing each other. “Well, I think—” A sudden scream shattered the air, and she jumped, then laughed at herself. It was probably just a puma.
“You think what? Jenn?”
“Sorry. I was distracted for a second.” Jenn didn’t want to scare her. Her friend was a city girl, after all, and unused to the sounds of the desert occupants. “I think you should enjoy your dinner with Sanchez.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Exactly. Didn’t I just say it?”
“Oh, you.” Nicki chuckled. “I have to get going. I’ll let you know what I discover as soon as I can, and the same goes for whatever Mom might learn.”
“Thanks, Nick. That will be a big help.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
When they were friends like Nicki Hallstadt, then yes, they were. “Bye, Nick.”
“Bye, Jenn.”
Jenn disconnected the call and went to see how her people were doing. She’d catch a ride back to town with them.
- Writer
