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Authors: Jill Elizabeth Nelson
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handed Adam off.
Brent held the baby facing away from him, dangling overone arm. Adam’s wails tapered off into hiccups and whimpers.
Desi studied them. “What are you doing? Squeezing the air out of him?”
Brent laughed. “He’s got a tummy ache. Sometimes pressure on the stomach eases the pain. It’ll pass, but maybe later rather than sooner.”
“I’ll leave it to your expertise.” Desi held up her hands. “He’s a cute little fellow, but I don’t have the credentials. Single woman. Never babysat a day in my life.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Brent settled into a wooden rocker. “When you become a parent, you pick up on stuff. As one of my profs says about an archaeology dig, ‘you become invested in the project.’ “
Adam screamed and went stick straight.
Brent got up. “Guess I can’t sit yet.” He took up pacing where Desi left off.
She flopped onto the sofa. “Let me get my second wind. No wonder parenting is a two-person job.”
Brent paled and fixed his eyes on the tile floor.
Desi smacked herself in the forehead. “That was a dumb thing to say. I’m sorry My brain isn’t in this time zone yet. We’ve got to trust that Karen is going to turn up unharmed.”
The young man frowned. “I don’t believe she ran away. She wouldn’t do that to us!” He stared at Desi, daring her to challenge his statement.
She kept silent. The baby was quiet, too.
“And if she didn’t leave on her own, that means—” a muscle in Brent’s cheek jumped—”she was taken. Do you know how horrible the statistics are for recovering someone alive after they’ve been gone for two days?”
Desi sat forward. “Two days! I thought she disappeared last night.”
Brent sighed. He put the baby on his shoulder and sat in the rocking chair again. Adam lay against his father, sucking his thumb, eyelids drooping.
“That’s the first Mama Jo knew about it. I didn’t want to worry her. Thought I could find Karen myself. When I didn’t, I notified the cops, but they didn’t give the matter high priority” The rocker picked up speed. “Someone’s unhappy wife packs a bag and runs? No biggie. But then they figured out she was a receptionist from the museum where those Anasazi artifacts were stolen, and all of a sudden they’re hot to locate her.”
“Did the theft happen on the same day Karen disappeared?” She picked up a magazine from the coffee table and fanned herself.
“The night before.”
“Don’t the police think it’s strange that she’d take off
after
the theft?”
“Yeah, they think it’s real weird.” The rocker creaked into overdrive. “I’m a prime suspect as the thief, and maybe I did away with my wife because she found out.”
“That’s bogus! You’re no murderer. One look at you with that baby over your shoulder and … ” Desi’s breath hitched. She quit fanning.
Brent’s brother had looked like a dedicated family man, and he turned out to be—
“You’re thinking about Dean.” The rocker stopped, and his eyes darkened. “I love him, but I don’t understand what he did. We’re not at all alike.”
“Yes, you are.” Desi nodded. “He’s not a killer, and neither are you.”
“Thanks. I think. But you didn’t say I’m not a thief.”
Desi shrugged. “You could be, but that feels too much like lightning striking twice.”
“To the police, it looks like bad seed related to bad seed.”
“The cops are paid to have suspicious minds. You reported your wife missing. Real dumb if you wanted to get away with murder and burglary.”
“Not so dumb if I wanted to make myself look innocent.”
Desi groaned. “Do I ever know how you feel! I’ve had the long finger of the law pointed my direction.”
“But you came out of it great.” Adam stirred. Brent sighed, and the rocker started in. “If they don’t find out who took those things, this is going to ruin my career. Who’ll want to hire an archaeologist suspected of stealing artifacts in
Brent held the baby facing away from him, dangling overone arm. Adam’s wails tapered off into hiccups and whimpers.
Desi studied them. “What are you doing? Squeezing the air out of him?”
Brent laughed. “He’s got a tummy ache. Sometimes pressure on the stomach eases the pain. It’ll pass, but maybe later rather than sooner.”
“I’ll leave it to your expertise.” Desi held up her hands. “He’s a cute little fellow, but I don’t have the credentials. Single woman. Never babysat a day in my life.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Brent settled into a wooden rocker. “When you become a parent, you pick up on stuff. As one of my profs says about an archaeology dig, ‘you become invested in the project.’ “
Adam screamed and went stick straight.
Brent got up. “Guess I can’t sit yet.” He took up pacing where Desi left off.
She flopped onto the sofa. “Let me get my second wind. No wonder parenting is a two-person job.”
Brent paled and fixed his eyes on the tile floor.
Desi smacked herself in the forehead. “That was a dumb thing to say. I’m sorry My brain isn’t in this time zone yet. We’ve got to trust that Karen is going to turn up unharmed.”
The young man frowned. “I don’t believe she ran away. She wouldn’t do that to us!” He stared at Desi, daring her to challenge his statement.
She kept silent. The baby was quiet, too.
“And if she didn’t leave on her own, that means—” a muscle in Brent’s cheek jumped—”she was taken. Do you know how horrible the statistics are for recovering someone alive after they’ve been gone for two days?”
Desi sat forward. “Two days! I thought she disappeared last night.”
Brent sighed. He put the baby on his shoulder and sat in the rocking chair again. Adam lay against his father, sucking his thumb, eyelids drooping.
“That’s the first Mama Jo knew about it. I didn’t want to worry her. Thought I could find Karen myself. When I didn’t, I notified the cops, but they didn’t give the matter high priority” The rocker picked up speed. “Someone’s unhappy wife packs a bag and runs? No biggie. But then they figured out she was a receptionist from the museum where those Anasazi artifacts were stolen, and all of a sudden they’re hot to locate her.”
“Did the theft happen on the same day Karen disappeared?” She picked up a magazine from the coffee table and fanned herself.
“The night before.”
“Don’t the police think it’s strange that she’d take off
after
the theft?”
“Yeah, they think it’s real weird.” The rocker creaked into overdrive. “I’m a prime suspect as the thief, and maybe I did away with my wife because she found out.”
“That’s bogus! You’re no murderer. One look at you with that baby over your shoulder and … ” Desi’s breath hitched. She quit fanning.
Brent’s brother had looked like a dedicated family man, and he turned out to be—
“You’re thinking about Dean.” The rocker stopped, and his eyes darkened. “I love him, but I don’t understand what he did. We’re not at all alike.”
“Yes, you are.” Desi nodded. “He’s not a killer, and neither are you.”
“Thanks. I think. But you didn’t say I’m not a thief.”
Desi shrugged. “You could be, but that feels too much like lightning striking twice.”
“To the police, it looks like bad seed related to bad seed.”
“The cops are paid to have suspicious minds. You reported your wife missing. Real dumb if you wanted to get away with murder and burglary.”
“Not so dumb if I wanted to make myself look innocent.”
Desi groaned. “Do I ever know how you feel! I’ve had the long finger of the law pointed my direction.”
“But you came out of it great.” Adam stirred. Brent sighed, and the rocker started in. “If they don’t find out who took those things, this is going to ruin my career. Who’ll want to hire an archaeologist suspected of stealing artifacts in
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