The Fourth Woman: Chapter 8

“Lovelock, Nev. (AP) – Search for missing Reno woman resumes after jewelry found. Woman’s husband being held for questioning, possible suspect in disappearance.”

Marilyn’s husband of two-years, Robert Denault was beside himself. He had asked authorities several times if he could help in the search. Each time was met with a resounding “no.”

Now that the search had been suspended, Robert felt he didn’t need to ask permission and instead hopped on his motorcycle and sped his way to the rock outcrops. “They’re bigger than I imagined,” he said as he pulled his helmet from his head.

He wandered up and down the face of the sandy bowl that lay between the many rocks and caves. Using a flashlight, Robert slowly worked his way into the labyrinth of caves that had been ‘discovered’ only 80-years ago by so-called ‘bat guano miners.’

The caves interiors held a dank coolness and a slightly putrefied odor of rotted bat feces. Still he pushed on until he found he could go further, besides by then the batteries in his flashlight had begun to fade, taking with it the light Robert needed to see by.

Once back in the daylight, Robert decided to hike up to the crest of the formation. He hoped to be able to see something, anything really, that might serve as a clue to the disappearance of Marilyn.

Slowly he made his way up between the boulders and outcroppings to the peak of the formation. Looking down he saw nothing but a rock and sage strewn landscape.

However as he looked across the gap between formations, about half a mile away, he saw the figure of a man accompanied by a dog, looking back at him.

“Hey!” Robert shouted as the man turned and disappeared below the ridge-line.

Angered that he’d been ignored, Robert walked over the edge and looked down, hoping to find a quicker way off the rocky formation. There wasn’t, however he did catch a metallic glint between the crags below.

Slowly he lowered himself down to where he’d seen the refection of metal. Finally, he had to lay on his stomach and reach into a fissure in a rock to retrieve the item.

The crack between the fractured rock grew tighter the further he forced his hand and arm into it. Robert nearly gave up, but with a final effort, he thrust his arm clear up to his shoulder and wiggled whatever it was onto his middle finger, pulled it out of the recess in the rock.

Instantly he recognized it, “Marilyn’s watch!” one he’d given her the Christmas before. It had stopped working, the hands pointing to noontime.

Robert hurried down the back side of the cave system. In his rush, he tripped and fell, scraping up his elbow and skinning face.

Knowing he’d never catch up with the man on hill, Robert quickly got on his motorcycle and sped back to Interstate 80, into Lovelock and to the sheriff’s office. There he asked to see the detectives working on his missing wife’s case.

He was not met with happiness. “What the hell were you doing out there?” the older one shouted at Robert. “You were told to stay away!”

“I know,” Robert returned, “But you’ve call off the search, so figured it would be okay for me to go have a look around for myself. Besides,” pointing at Marilyn’s watch, “you missed evidence out there that…”

“Or you planted it!” the detective pointed out. “What – were you out there re-hiding Marilyn’s body – I mean you’re covered in dirt and all scratched up?”

“What? You think I had something to do with her disappearance and now you’re saying I killed her?”

“That’s what it looks like from this side of the table,” the younger detective shot back.

“Well, I didn’t,” Robert responded. “Plus I saw a man standing the ridge across from me. He was watching me and when I hollered at him, he turned and walked down the backside of the hill.”

The two detectives looked at one another. “Do you think he saw you?”

“I know he did.”

The older detective looked at the younger one and said, “We need to find out who that was. That makes three unknown people in this case.”

As they left the interrogation room, the younger detective told the officer outside the door, “Lock him up.”