In Cold Pursuit Read Online Free

wrong, that much was now certain. Her stomach felt like it was full of sand.
    The man closed the door behind them. “Have a seat,” he said.
    Valena sat, clutching her flight lunch. What was his name? During the in-brief, he had been introduced as the National Science Foundation’s top representative here in McMurdo,
el jefe
, the man in charge of all of the scientists, but had used up copious amounts of his welcoming message trying to persuade everyone that they should not believe or spread rumors. She now watched him acutely as he paced slowly across the room, searching his stiff posture for clues about what he was about to say. Had Emmett been injured? Was he sick? Where
was
he?
    The man reached the far wall of the room, turned, started back. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at the floor. That was bad.
    “Is something the matter?” she asked, feeling like she was reading from a poorly written script. This was not how it was supposed to be. She was in Antarctica. She had worked hard, had excelled in science, had moved heaven and earth to get into the Antarctic program, and now…where in hell was Emmett Vanderzee?
    “I’m George Bellamy,” the man said. “Well, you know that; I was just introduced to all of you right outside that door.” He stopped pacing, his face twisting with discomfort. “Well, uh … I have some bad news for you. Uh, very sad, um … well, your PI—uh, the principal investigator of your project, Emmett Vanderzee?—uh, well, he I am sure meant to be here to greet you, but, ah … well…” He crimped his face into an unfunny smile, as if he’d just been stung by a bee on one cheek.
    “Well then, um … where is he?”
    “He’s on an LC-130 Hercules,” he said.
    “An LC-130. Oh, I see. He’s been delayed coming in from checking his field locations, then … or whatever it was he had to do before I got here.”
    Bellamy blinked. “He—no, no, he’s been redeployed.”
    “Redeployed?”
    “He’s going
north,”
Bellamy snapped, as if speaking to a student who had been caught daydreaming.
    “North.” Valena quickly computed the implications and permutations of the word.
Okay, this man is speaking in present tense, so that means that Emmett is not dead, but why would he be heading to New Zealand? “
Has Dr. Vanderzee been injured?” she asked.
    Bellamy shook his head vigorously. “No. No …” He began to pace again.
    Valena tracked his movement.
Well, if Emmett’s not dead, and he’s not sick or injured, and whatever is wrong with him is making this man really, truly uncomfortable, then what exactly is the problem?
She cleared her throat. Waited. Spoke. “And he’s on a plane going north because…?”
    “Hm. Well, I can’t tell you that, exactly. In fact, I am not sure, myself. And the less said about this, the better.” He let out an uncomfortable laugh. “McMurdo is a rumor mill. We must be careful not to feed it!”
    “Rumor?”
    “Now, as regards your status here, I’m sorry to say that we can’t get you on a plane until at least Tuesday.”
    Valena jumped to her feet, dropping her sack lunch on the floor. “Wait! Isn’t Emmett coming back?”
    “Well, that is to be determined, I suppose.” He presented her with a dismissive smile, a man done with an awkward duty. Stepping behind his desk, he said, “Now, you must be tired, so you’ll want to get situated in your dorm room, and—”
    Valena raised her hands in entreaty. “But I’m here to do research for my master’s degree!”
    Bellamy shook his head sadly. “I know this must be a terrible disappointment. We should have caught you in Christchurch this morning and saved you the flight, but wedid reach the other student on your project—Taha Hesan? He hadn’t left Reno yet, so we were able to put him on hold. But, well, now you’re here, so … well, as I say, we can get you out in a few days. I’ll just need you to be discreet.”
    Valena’s self-control began to slip. “He’s not