CHAPTER 57 Cross
Cross
ALEX CROSS SITS IN the office of Dr. Reuben Chase, head of UNC’s department of psychology.
The space is luxuriously decorated with fine furniture and bookcases filled with leather volumes.
Chase is a slim man, wearing a crisp dark gray suit, white shirt, red tie.
He has a spare white beard and the kind of expression that gives nothing away.
“How can I help you, Mr. Cross?”
Alex smiles. “Dr. Cross.”
“Of course, my apologies. Dr. Cross.”
“I assume you know that my son Damon is missing.”
“Of course. The faculty is sick about it. Any new information?”
“Nothing that I can share right now.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Alex leans forward. “Yes. You can help me figure out why nobody here seems concerned that Professor Darius Lucas and one of his grad students, Amy Tyne, have also disappeared.”
Chase rocks back in his chair and folds his hands over his vest. “The two of them aren’t missing, Dr. Cross. They’re undertaking important research in their field of study.”
“Private research?”
“Sensitive research.”
“Then they should have been more careful with their cover story.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“One of the other teaching assistants told my son and some other students that Lucas and Tyne were investigating an abandoned cemetery for enslaved people in Tennessee.”
“And?”
“That story is bogus, Dr. Chase. You know it’s not true. That’s not where they are.”
Cross can see that he’s making the professor uncomfortable. Which is exactly his intent.
Chase clears his throat. “Dr. Cross, you’re a man of science. You’ve been in the academic world. Surely you understand that there are times when promising new avenues of research need to be kept confidential so that there is no undue pressure or outside influence.”
“Meaning you don’t want to risk alerting your big donors until you know what the research is going to reveal.”
“The research at this point is exploratory. Professor Lucas and his assistant are unavailable but totally safe.”
“You’re in touch with them?”
“All I will say is that they’re overseas. We agreed that this project would be handled confidentially.”
“I get it,” says Alex. “No phone calls. No emails. You could at least have done a better job of pretending they were in Tennessee. That’s basic spy craft.”
Chase stands up. “We’re not spies, Dr. Cross. We’re educators. Is there anything else?”
Alex gets up from his chair. “You’re telling me that there’s absolutely no connection between whatever Lucas and Tyne are engaged in and my son’s disappearance?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m telling you. Trust me.”
“Sorry,” says Alex. “I’m running low on trust right now.”