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Jessica sighed loudly as she looked up from her book and over at him. She shot him a look as though to ask what he was staring at so he turned slightly and refocused his attention out his window.
As he watched the landscape change from farmland to drier desert-looking plains and back again, and he wondered how much further they had yet to go. He checked his watch and considered that it shouldn’t be long now. He needed to get out of this car, but more importantly, he needed to get back home and follow up on his lead. This was it he’d assured himself. He had a feeling about this one. It both pissed him off and broke his heart that he was here, instead of where he should be, dealing with his own skeletons.
The car pulled off the road into a camp, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The camp was lined with a dozen or so massive tents along two rows, and a metal building had been erected at the center. The car slowed to a stop and Jessica finally spoke. “I can’t believe this is somewhere that Spencer, my Spencer, would ever want to stay.”
Myles glanced in her direction and then quietly opened the passenger side door. Jess took his extended hand, stepped out in her expensive cocktail dress and pumps. He smiled to himself at how she’d so clearly missed the memo that they were in the middle of the desert in one of the poorest countries on the planet. He leaned back against the car and watched her, half amused, half concerned about how she would fare in those shoes.
She cocked her head to the side and studied his face. “You’re not coming?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll wait here. Go to the main building and ask for him. I can see you from here.”
She started to say something then stopped. Myles watched her start toward the building, unable to walk properly in the heels, no doubt in part due to the terrain, but most likely due to her injuries. He opened the car door and reached into his bag before calling for her. “Hey, Clemens.”
She turned. He jogged to catch up and to close the small amount of distance between them. “Here.” He held out a pair of women’s flip-flops. “We’re in Africa. No one cares about fashion here.”
Her face gave way to a wide smile as she took them from his hands. As she moved to kick off her heels and Myles took hold of her elbow to steady her. He held up a finger. “Here, let me,” he said taking the shoes from her hands and bending down to slip them on her feet. She raised her brow. “You’re like a regular ol’ boy scout. All prepared and everything. ”
Myles glanced up and saw the way she was looking at him, a surprised expression upon her face. “Something like that.”
He stood and smoothed her dress a little. “But, honey, you’re no Cinderella.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
She regained her balance and her face softened even further. “Hey, Myles?”
He waited.
“I think I need you to come with me. Please. It would really mean a lot.”
Myles swallowed, pressed his hand to the small of her back, and let her believe she was leading the way.
Jessica sat in the center of the tent at a table where one of the attendants had placed her. She meticulously studied her hands. It was a surprisingly ritzy setup, once inside the tents. Certainly not what one would expect to find in the middle of the Serengeti.
Myles stood at the edge of the tent and unsure what to do with himself, pulled a chair out and powered on his cell phone. He checked his email. Still nothing.
He and Jess held an on and off, unofficial staring contest until finally, sometime later, a man who Myles guessed to be Spencer Clemens simply by photos he’d seen around the estate, appeared and cautiously yet urgently, made his way over to Jessica.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, alarm written across his face.
He kissed both her cheeks, embraced her, pulled back, and waited.
“We need to talk.” She motioned for him to sit down.
Spencer stared at the table then sat down opposite his wife. He glanced at Myles, who stared at his phone.
“You came all this way to talk… Who is he?”
Jess looked at Myles, who met her eye and then back at her husband. “He’s from the agency. Addison hired him.”
Spencer looked his way once more and then back at his wife. “I bet she did.”
“Why did you cancel my credit cards?” she started.
“I…I…well, because, darling… anyone can see that you’ve not been yourself lately.”
She furrowed her brow. “And?”
“And because I felt it was for the best.”
