Chapter 2
Megan sat across from Alan Eppes at his kitchen table. She touched his hand lightly, then turned back to her notes. "Tell us one more time, the whole day. Maybe we're missing something."
The older man sighed, rubbed his chin. "Fine. Charlie got up late, skipped breakfast. He said he felt like he might be coming down with something, but he went to Cal Sci anyway. It's the week before finals, and his office hours between classes are always jam-packed with students in the beginnings of panic."
"That explains why he couldn't come right away when Don called," interjected Colby.
"Right," seconded Megan. "Don called to ask for his help right after lunch, but Charlie couldn't get there until almost 4:30."
"I thought he might come home early," mused Alan, "but when he didn't I figured he must be feeling better."
"Didn't look too hot when he got to us," Colby said, then regretted his candor at Alan's blanch. He decided to change the subject. "When did you leave the house?"
"Around 4. My book club had planned an evening in the city. H. Ster, the author of the book we have been reading, had an appearance at a bookstore last evening. Autographing books, giving a short talk, answering questions, you know…". At the blank look on Colby's face, he added, "well, maybe you don't. Anyway, we all decided to go to dinner first. I had my cell with me the entire evening, didn't hear from anyone. I didn't get home until almost 10."
Megan checked her notes. "And there are nine people in the book club?"
"Ten, actually. We keep the group small on purpose, to give everyone a chance at participating each week…anyway, only nine went last night. That must be where you got that number."
"Who was absent?"
"Rosa Marimot. Shame, because she's the one who chose this book, I'm sure she would have enjoyed the evening."
"Do you know why she wasn't there?", Colby asked.
"I understand her brother had heart surgery yesterday. That's the scuttle I was hearing, anyway." Alan sounded slightly confused.
"You didn't believe that?"
"Oh, no," he hastened to clarify. "I know that she has a brother with heart problems. He's had surgery before. It just surprised me that she hadn't called me herself."
Megan and Colby exchanged a look. Megan lost the staring contest. "Are you two close?", she finally asked.
Alan blushed slightly. "Not like that. We've never gone out…although she expressed some interest, earlier. I told her that I wasn't ready to start dating yet, and we agreed to be friends. We probably speak on the phone once a week, besides seeing each other at the club. She's the Secretary this year, and I was just elected President a few months ago…most of our conversations are club-related. Planning this event, for example."
"So you're home at 10," Colby redirected the conversation. "Did you see Charlie then?"
"No. There were no lights on when I got home, and I didn't see his backpack downstairs anywhere. I was surprised that he started the day feeling so lousy and ended up making it such a long one. I was just about to call his cell when…" He looked at Megan. "When you called. What happened after Charlie got to the office?"
Megan sat back in the chair, crossed her arms. "I heard Don say, 'You okay, Charlie? You don't look so good.', and I looked up from the files I was working on to see him standing at Don's desk. I didn't really hear an answer."
"Probably because he didn't have much of a voice," volunteered Colby. "Don got us all back to the conference room, and was presenting the case. The few times I heard Charlie ask questions, it was obvious he was working on laryngitis."
Megan took up the tale again. "Right. He also wasn't concentrating very well. It was already almost 5, and the third time he asked Don to repeat the same thing, Don looked at the clock and stopped the briefing. He asked Charlie if he could come in early, today, before class, for an early briefing instead, and Charlie nodded, so he told us all to get a good night's rest and come in fresh this morning."
"Did Don take Charlie home, then?" wondered Alan.
"I heard him offer to," said Colby. "Well, more than an offer, I guess. He said, 'I'm taking you home, Buddy.'" Colby suddenly grinned, and both Megan and Alan looked at him quizzically. "It was kind-of funny," he said. "Charlie started to protest that he needed to get back to campus and finish writing an exam, and Don actually ripped his backpack off his shoulder, handcuffed it to the chair of his desk. He said if Charlie wanted it back in time for class today, he'd have to go home, go to bed, and show up for the early briefing."
Alan smiled. "I'm sure that went over well."
"Actually," Colby continued, "he didn't put up that big of a fight. That probably convinced Don he should take him right home more than anything else."
"At least we've got the backpack," Megan interjected. "Maybe we'll find something in it…"
Alan rose from the table stiffly, brought the coffee pot back to refill everyone's cup.
"If the SUV wasn't found until 9:00," he said, "where were they for four hours?"
"We don't know how long it was down in that ravine," Megan reminded him.
He sat down again. "Or why it was on that road to begin with. It's isolated, nowhere near here."
"But not that isolated," Colby said. "If it was just an accident, why didn't they stay near the SUV, wait for help?"
Alan lowered his face to his hands. His voice was muffled, anxious. "Where are my boys now?"