Part 17 (1/2)
”You actually thought you were going to find the Sasquatch?” Joey shook his head. ”And they say kids are crazy.”
”Make the tea, Joey,” Annja said. She turned back to Jenny. ”You really thought you might catch one?”
Jenny shook her head. ”That's a bad choice of words. By find find I meant that we would get some type of evidence on film that the creatures exist. I didn't mean that we were going to trap one and cart it off for study.” I meant that we would get some type of evidence on film that the creatures exist. I didn't mean that we were going to trap one and cart it off for study.”
Joey sniffed again, but this time didn't say anything.
”What's the background on David? Is he local? Would Joey know him?”
Jenny shrugged. ”I thought he was local. But I guess I don't really know.”
Annja sighed. ”For someone as intelligent as you are, Jenny, you really dropped the ball on this one. How in the world did you ever convince the university to back this expedition?”
Jenny smiled. ”I used to date the head of the department of anthropology. He owed me a favor.”
Annja took another breath. ”So let me see if I've got this straight-you hook up with some guy on the Net. He sends you pictures. You agree to come out and meet with him and manage to convince people to give you money to do so.”
”That's about it, yes.”
”You realize this sounds exactly like some type of expose on the dangers the Internet poses to children, don't you?”
Joey stirred a handful of pine needles into the boiling water. ”Tea will be ready soon, everyone.”
Annja frowned. She wished she had some whiskey to go along with that tea. The thought that Jenny would be so reckless, not just with her own safety but with the safety of her students, really bothered her. Annja couldn't believe it. It didn't seem like something Jenny would do, and yet here she was.
She decided to change the subject. ”David never showed up, huh?”
”No.”
”And just what did this guy look like?”
Jenny shrugged. ”He was sort of tall. Nice face. Clean shaven. Kind of that scholarly look-you know the one I like.”
Jenny had always had a thing for bookish guys.
”Yeah, I know what you like.” Annja glanced around. It didn't seem as if this David had any connection to the angry gunmen. None of them fit that description. That was at least something in his favor. Still, Annja wanted to know more about this guy and why he hadn't shown up when he said he would.
”Did you have any established communication routine at all? Would he know how to get in touch with you?” she asked Jenny.
”He had my cell-phone number.”
”And did he call you at any point?”
Jenny frowned. ”No. He didn't.”
Joey handed Jenny a cup of the tea. ”Drink this. It will make you feel better. I added a few extra touches to it.”
Annja accepted tea from him, as well. She could feel the heat emanating from the cup and sniffed it. ”Smells good.”