Thomas was more than two months overdue from the field ecology trip he had taken with his graduate assistant and two other students. He had assured her something like this might happen, and told her not to worry. The Amazon, he said, was not like other places. Plans frequently got fouled up, connections were missed, or wires crossed, resulting in a giant mess. She wanted to believe him, but could not help wondering if Thomas was penning a cover story which would allow him to spend more time with Emily, the cute redhead who called, texted, and emailed Thomas far more often than Kaylin thought appropriate for a professor-student relationship. Now she regretted having entertained such ideas. Andy’s message had filled her with a dark sense of foreboding.
Right on time, a carriage appeared in the distance. It belonged to one of the small, private companies that catered primarily to couples looking for a romantic ride around the old parts of the city. As it drew closer, she recognized Andy’s shock of short, dark hair, high brow, and fair complexion. The carriage came to a halt and Andy offered his hand to help her inside. His palms were sweaty and his eyes were alive with a manic energy.
“Take this, but don’t look at it until you’re somewhere safe,” he whispered, handing her a small manila envelope as the carriage rolled forward. He leaned up and whispered instructions to the driver, who nodded and began loudly describing the historical significance of the Circular Congregational Church.
“Andy, what’s going on? You said it’s about Thomas. Have you heard from him?”
“We don’t have much time.” Andy looked around as if expecting someone to leap into the carriage with them at any moment. “Before he left, Thomas gave me that.” He indicated the envelope. “He said that he might be delayed on his trip, but if I had not heard from him by sixty days after his expected return date, to get help from someone I trust, and come for him. He said I should do it without drawing unnecessary attention." Andy paused, his expression tense. "He also told me to watch my back.”
“But I’ve already contacted the authorities. They say they’ve checked the entire stretch of river where his party was to have traveled, and found nothing. Their best guess is that Thomas and the others probably went into the rainforest and their boat was stolen while they were gone. They tell me they’ll keep an eye out, but they figure Thomas will show up at one of the settlements along the river and send for help. What else are we supposed to do?”
“Thomas didn’t follow his planned path. This field ecology trip was just a front to get the university to approve an expedition into the Amazon. He’s gone after something bigger. Much bigger.”
An icy sensation of disbelief crept up Kaylin’s spine. What was Andy talking about?
“For several years now, Thomas has been working on a research project that he’s kept top secret, except to say it was a very old mystery. He said he couldn’t share it, even with the people he trusts. He seems to think knowing nothing might keep us safe, though he didn’t say from whom. In fact, he said he didn’t have all the pieces, but he thought he had enough to succeed.”
“This is nuts! Are you sure he didn’t just concoct this crazy story as a cover so he could spend more time with Emily?” She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.
Andy gave her a soft smile of understanding, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “There is nothing between him and Emily. You can take the word of his closest friend on that.”
“I’m sorry.” She buried her face in her hands. “That was so selfish of me. It’s just something that’s been bothering me for a long time. God, I feel like such an idiot. Thomas is lost, maybe in danger, and I’m acting like a jealous teenager.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. Thomas needs your help, not your regrets. Now listen carefully. I can’t be the one to do this. I’m an English Lit professor, not an explorer, and I don’t have any friends who are. Thomas specifically wanted me to tell you if it came to this. He seemed to think you might be able to mount a rescue mission.” Andy looked puzzled. “No offense, but you’re a Fine Arts teacher, so it seems odd to me. Maybe because of your father’s military background?”
Kaylin shrugged, too lost in thought to form a reply.
“So, do you know someone, anyone, who could go into the Amazon, find him and the students, and bring them back out alive?” He didn’t add, if they’re still alive.
Actually, Kaylin did know one person who fit that bill. She knew him quite well, in fact, but the mere thought of asking him to risk his life to save her boyfriend made her stomach churn. “I think so.” She bit her lip and stared out at the street. “But I don’t know if he’d do it.”
“Thomas swore that solving this mystery, whatever it is, would rock the world — his words, not mine. He seemed to think he was going to be rich and famous.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. He’s an academic. Even if he solved some sort of mystery in the Amazon, there’s no money in that. What would he get out of it? Mostly fame among scholars, maybe a few mentions in the media.” Closing her eyes, she took two deep, calming breaths and rubbed her temples. Before getting Andy’s message, she had convinced herself that Thomas was not truly in danger. He’d been overdue before and always returned safely. Now, her whole world had been turned upside down. She almost wished for a return to a few hours ago, when her greatest concern had been an irrational fear that her boyfriend was cheating on her. She needed to think about this calmly and logically. “Okay, so we don’t know what mystery he was working on. What do we know?”
“Nothing. I’ve looked at what’s in the envelope, and I’m baffled, though he insisted it would be sufficient to set us on his trail without giving anything away were it to fall into the wrong hands. I think you might have more luck with it than me. When you see it, you’ll understand why.”
“There’s so much about this that doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t he tell me anything? If he thought he might not come back, why didn’t he leave us a map or something? He could have written a note saying, “Look for me here,” and put it in a safe deposit box. And why did he confide in only you?” She wanted to add “and not me,” but she’d already embarrassed herself once today with her jealousy.
“In respect to the first two questions, I can only tell you that he believed someone might be after not only him, but anyone else who might know something about what he was doing. I think he was right. I’ve been on holiday for the last week, and yesterday I received a call from a colleague who told me that a man has been asking after me around the university. I called a neighbor, who said someone had come to her door asking about me as well. Now I’m afraid to go home.” He sighed. “As to the latter question, he knows I keep his secrets.”
Before Kaylin could follow up on that last cryptic comment, his head snapped up and he once again looked up and down the street before turning to face her.
“There’s no more time for talk. The Powder Magazine is coming up on the right. The carriage is not going to slow down, but he will pull as close to the curb as he can. I want you to slip out right in the middle of the tour group that’s waiting at the gate, and then get to your car as quickly as possible. I don’t know if you should go home, but you definitely need to get help. In fact, you should probably get out of town, just to be safe. I’ve gotten you involved now, and I regret it.”
“Andy I…”
Ever the professor, he hushed her with a raised index finger, as if she was a student. “I’m sorry to bring you into this, and I hope the situation is not as grave as I fear, but who really knows?” He gave her a small, sad smile. “Here’s your stop.”