Raiders of the Lost Heart(68)

“We don’t know that. People do strange things when money is involved,” Corrie said, and noticed a slight awkward shift in Ford’s stance. “It could be anyone in this camp.”

“Yeah, but except for the three of us, since we have our own tents, you’d think someone might notice if one of their tentmates took off in the middle of the night,” Ethan said.

Ford’s hand brushed against Corrie’s, signaling how Ethan had no clue what had been going on in Ford’s tent last night. But now wasn’t the time for flirting.

“People get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Clearly, whoever did this didn’t succeed. They might have realized they were taking too long and went back to their bunk. For now,” Corrie pointed out.

“Okay. Then what are you saying? Since we can’t trust anyone except maybe the three of us, we send everyone else home and start fresh with a new crew?” Ethan asked.

Ford quickly snatched his hand away as he straightened up. “What? No! That would take months. We don’t have months.”

Corrie eyed Ford curiously. Sure, no one wanted to be out here longer than necessary, but starting over with a new crew really would be the only way they could guarantee that the source of the attempted theft didn’t come from within, and something about the way Ford protested seemed off.

Like he had a different timeline than everyone else.

“Okay, then, what do you think we should do?” Corrie asked.

Ford glanced between the three of them and the structure, then paced while stroking his chin. “We keep this to ourselves for now. Just the three of us. We don’t let anyone else know there might be a thief among us. But we keep watch. Note anything fishy. And if we discover the knife or any remains, we figure out a plan to keep them guarded at all times. If that means one of us sleeps with that damn knife under our bed, then so be it.”

“If that’s the plan, then we shouldn’t be loitering around here anymore. Someone might notice and get suspicious,” Corrie said.

“You’re right. Let’s head back. And remember, trust no one,” Ford said.

“We can trust each other, though, right?” Ethan asked. “I mean, I think I trust the two of you, but I’m sure we all have our own motivations for being here . . .”

Fair question. Though she could trust Ford. Whenever they weren’t in the field, they were in his bed. She would have noticed by now. Not that she wanted Ethan to know that.

And Ethan was as honest as the day was long. Like that time he’d admitted to their professor that he hadn’t done the assigned reading instead of bullshitting his way through the answer like the rest of them.

“What are you trying to say, Ethan?” Ford asked, his voice growing impatient. “I know where I was last night. Do you?”

“I’m just trying to say . . . it seems like something’s been bothering you lately. You’ve been even more irritable than usual. Is there something else going on that we should know about?”

Ford’s nostrils flared and his eyes widened. Oh no.

“Perhaps I’m irritable because of accusations like this. Or maybe I’d just like to get out of this goddamn jungle sometime before the end of this year.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything, I just—”

“Save your feigned concern. We’ve got work to do.”

Ford stormed off to the camp, leaving Corrie and a stunned Ethan in his wake. Irritable was only the half of it. Just a week and a half in and she’d seen all sorts of reactions from Ford. But none like this. Ethan had questioned his integrity, and that clearly didn’t sit well with him.

“I didn’t mean it to come off that way,” Ethan said to her once Ford was out of earshot.

“Well, what way did you mean it to come off? Because to me it sounded like you were accusing Ford of being the thief.”

“He’s still acting weird. And not in his normal Ford way. Like last night . . . again, with the calls . . .” he said, his voice trailing off.

Corrie debated revealing Ford’s confidences for a moment. On one hand, it wasn’t any of Ethan’s business. But on the other, she had to clear Ford’s name.

“It’s his mom. She’s really sick, Ethan. And he’s worried he might not make it back before she passes away. He’ll never forgive himself if that happens.”

“Oh no . . . God, I’m an asshole. Why didn’t he say anything?”

“Because you know how he is.”

“I know, but I thought he and I were friends. I mean, I know I asked you to talk to him, but I can’t believe he’d tell you all this but not me. It hurts, you know?”

She shrugged. “Maybe he feels like I already pass enough judgment on him, so what’s the difference if he reveals his insecurities to me, too.”

“Well, do you think those insecurities might cause him to do something extreme?”

“You mean break into the storage structure to steal the artifacts he’s been hired to find?” Corrie lifted her brow. “No, Ethan, I don’t.”

“But how do we know that?”

There was no way around it. Ethan needed an answer, and Corrie couldn’t lie to him.

“Because I was with him.”

“Wait . . . what?”