There is an element of mystery involved, and Dustin Moseley is hoping for a happy ending — soon.

The pain in his neck, running down into his right elbow, has kept the Angels’ versatile right-hander idle since he pitched in a camp game in Arizona on May 13. It initially surfaced as he was on the track back to the pitching staff, having been shut down on April 18 after right forearm tightness surfaced in a start against the Twins in Minnesota.

With two high-caliber starts against the A’s and Red Sox to open the season, Moseley (1-0, 4.30 ERA) was settling in, believing the lingering discomfort following elbow surgery in October 2007 had lifted.

Now he is preparing to head back to Arizona for more evaluations, hoping to get some positive answers.

“We’ve had MRIs, X-rays . . . and they don’t see anything that looks serious,” Moseley said. “There’s always wear and tear on your body, so I’m hoping for the best. We should know a little more by next week.

“I threw two bullpens and felt great, and made two starts in camp games — 20 pitches, 45. I felt great, my velocity was good. That afternoon, after my last start, I started getting a tingling in my hand again and pain in my elbow.

“The pain sticks around, goes away. I don’t know. They don’t know.”

They are the Angels, who have spent the first two months of the season sifting through all sorts of pitching issues.

“They’re probably as frustrated as I am,” Moseley said. “Maybe it just needs rest.”

Moseley looks like a guy who won’t get much rest until his elbow tells him it’s sound, and he can go back to doing his work in whatever role the Angels have for him.