Shadow Bones (2 page)

Jake took it and signed the lease with a flourish. “Thank your mother for her willingness to advance science.”

“So you've won,” she said, her voice clipped.

Jake shrugged, and Skye felt her temper rise.

“I'd like to think we'll all win,” Jake said, with a disarming smile. “I'm not your enemy. Your mom makes a little money, and we might all discover something to benefit mankind.”

“What benefit is a bunch of bones?” She knew she was being argumentative, but the man's confidence needed shaking up.

“What benefit are garnets?”

“Are you always so condescending?” Skye couldn't hold back the words.

Becca gave a nervous chuckle. “Jake, be nice.”

Jake gave his sister a wounded look. “I'm being nice. But how are gems worth more than the history of life on earth?”

With Jake's gaze on her, Skye couldn't muster a single one of the arguments she'd thought of on the way out here. For the first time, she questioned the value of her determination to find diamonds in her mine. At the end of life, they really would be worthless. Was she chasing something that held no real value?

But even Jake's vaunted scientific discovery would be nothing when standing before God's throne. And her motives weren't about money anyway.

She pressed her lips together and stuffed her copy of the lease back into her purse and handed Jake the other copy. “It looks like I have no choice.”

The petite, dark-haired woman smiled and held out her hand. “No one seems disposed to introduce us. I'm
Wynne Baxter. Becca was a Baxter before she married, but it seems we're still stuck with Jake. Kidding aside, he is actually very conscious of the environment when he works a dig. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how little he'll disturb the area.”

The knot in Skye's stomach uncoiled a bit by the young woman's friendly manner. In different circumstances they might be friends. “I find that hard to believe.”

Wynne fell into step beside her, and they walked toward Skye's truck. “It's going to be okay, Skye. Jake will be careful. You'll see.”

Skye felt near tears and wasn't sure why. She felt as if Jake had made her appear to be a willful child. “Why did he have to pick this spot?” She didn't want to see the beauty of her favorite meadow destroyed.

“He saw some rock shapes he thought might mean something. I doubt it will take long for him to move on to another place. By the end of the summer, he'll be out of your hair.” Wynne opened the door of Skye's truck for her.

Skye managed a smile. “Thanks, Wynne. I'll try to ignore him.”

“I think you and Jake could be friends.”

“I doubt that,” Skye said as Wynne turned to rejoin her siblings.

 

Jake squinted in the bright sunshine. He stood at the top of the slope and looked out on the green swell of forest. Below him was the entrance to the mine, and behind him he could see Turtle Town, ten miles distant.

He'd always wanted to dig on this island. Something about it called to him, a siren song that whispered of secrets and treasures too vast and unusual to imagine. And finding these rocks with the intriguing shapes added to his hunch.

Such fancies haunted his dreams and drove him on in his profession as a paleontologist. There was no telling where or when the earth might yield the next discovery, revealing new knowledge, new horizons. The oddly shaped rocks in this area just might mean a dinosaur nursery, which could wipe away his earlier failure.

Too bad Skye Blackbird was so opposed to his presence here. Jake had a feeling she could show him parts of the island no one else had ever seen.

“This looks like a good spot to get started,” he said. An ocean of wildflowers swam in his vision. Daisies, poppies, black-eyed Susans. He wondered how even God painted with such a palette of colors.

“Mary said we could set up camp anywhere we wanted,” Becca said.

“How about at Windigo Manor?” Wynne asked hopefully. “I'm tired of roughing it. Jake, you should be, too. I don't know what possessed you to suggest camping. Don't you get enough of that on a dig?”

“I hardly know how to sleep in a real bed anymore,” Jake said. “I like to sleep out under the stars.” His heavy work boots crushed the pine needles strewn along the path, and he inhaled the fresh scent with gusto. While he'd enjoyed his stint in Montserrat, there was no place like Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Eagle Island, just off
the shore of the Keweenaw Peninsula was the place he loved best. He relished the thought of finally being able to explore this island.

He shook his head at his sisters. “You know we'll have to deal with security issues. That's easier if I'm staying on site.”

Wynne rolled her eyes. “Who would bother things on this tiny island? I think you're worrying unnecessarily.”

Newly married Becca stopped to pick a wild rose growing along the path. He grinned at the dreamy expression on her face. Jake had gotten a charge out of watching his sister with her new husband. The normally reticent Becca had bloomed under Max's love and care.

Wynne nodded at Becca. “True love is beautiful. It's your turn next, Jake.”

“Yeah, right. No woman alive would put up with me and my schedule.”

“Maybe it's time you thought about staying in one place, settling down.”

“That's no way to make a name in my field.”

“That's not the real reason, is it?” Wynne said gently. “You still feel you have to prove yourself. When will you stop beating yourself up over that earlier discovery? It wasn't your fault.”

“Any graduate student should have recognized that find as a fraud, Wynne. You're not the one who sees interest change to amusement when people hear my name.” He still felt sick when he remembered dating
what he'd thought was a huge find and then discovering it was a hoax perpetrated by three teenagers in England.

Wynne patted his arm. “We all make mistakes, Jake.”

“Well, I want to wipe this one away,” he said grimly. He forced a smile. “And you have no room to talk about settling down. You're just as bad. Where was it you were last—Italy?”

“So?” Wynne shrugged her slim shoulders. “Maybe I'm holding out for someone in my own field who will travel with me. I'm not as competitive as you.”

That was a pipe dream. She'd never find someone like that, Jake thought.

“What a beautiful spot.” Wynne paused in a clearing dusted with wildflowers. A steep slope rose behind the clearing, and from here he could see the opening to the mine. “What's that place called?” Jake asked his youngest sister.

“Turtle Mountain.” Becca stopped and plucked a Shasta daisy.

“I'd like to tour the mine sometime,” Wynne said. “I've never seen a garnet mine.”

“Skye seems to think she's going to run into diamonds any day now.” Becca seemed serious.

Jake laughed. “Diamonds in the UP? Is she nuts?” She hadn't looked crazy. Skye Blackbird had a cool, elegant look that intrigued him. He supposed any man would wonder what made her tick. She was beautiful in a Sleeping Beauty kind of way. Her high Ojibwa cheekbones were sharp enough to draw blood from a
man's heart. He didn't intend to let her close enough to see if she could hurt him.

“In her defense, there are some signs it could be possible.”

“Oh?”

“Her stepfather, Peter Metis, has been pouring money into the mine and even hired an assayer a couple of weeks ago. He's pretty savvy, so I doubt he'd be doing that without a good reason.”

“Have I met him?”

“Not unless you've taken out a loan lately. He is the president at the bank in Turtle Town.”

“He's Ojibwa, too?”

Becca nodded. “According to town scuttlebutt, he took over the bank—and the Blackbird women—when Harry deserted his family.”

“Skye's father?” Wynne's voice was full of sympathy.

“Skye was pretty broken up about it, from what I hear. She hasn't trusted a man since then.” Becca cast a slanting glance up into Jake's face. “You could show her all men aren't beasts.”

“I doubt I'll get close enough to get the chance,” he said shortly. “And I don't want to.”

J
ake had thought to find something by now. He wiped his forehead with a bandana that had seen better days. Wynne wrinkled her nose. “All you're doing is smearing the dirt around,” she said.

Jake ignored her comment as he squatted over the dig. “A week into this, and nothing.” He'd had a hunch about this place, but he was beginning to wonder if he'd been seduced by the island's beauty.

“Did you expect to find something this fast?”

“You know me—I always expect the best.”

“And seldom get it,” she pointed out.

Jake grinned and stood. “How about some lunch?”

“Sounds good.” Wynne trotted to the cooler they'd parked under a nearby rock.

The rumble of a car engine drew Jake's attention. He squinted in the brilliant sun. A blue pickup rolled to a stop in the road. A woman got out of the passenger side. Jake's stomach tightened as a familiar figure got out the driver side.

“Cameron Reynolds,” he muttered.

“You're kidding!” Wynne went to Jake's side and looked down the slope to the road. “What's he doing here?” Her voice was tight.

“I'd say we're about to find out.” Jake took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “I'll give him fifteen minutes, then I'm throwing him off the site.”

Cameron wore immaculate khaki trousers and a light blue shirt. His blond hair formed a pale cap around his angular face. Cameron was the type of man Jake despised most: a dabbling pretty boy who thought their field of study existed to amuse him. He liked to flash his money around, too—another thing that put Jake's back up after scrabbling for sponsors all his life.

Cameron was the very antithesis of a real paleontologist.

Cameron came up the slope toward them. He didn't bother to help the woman trailing him. Jake didn't trust the genial smile on the man's face. “What are you doing here, Reynolds?”

Cameron put his hand up as if to ward off the hostility in Jake's voice. “Whoa, Jake, I come in peace.” He chuckled at his own joke.

Jake didn't find it funny. “Don't make any Native American jokes around here, or the owner will toss you off the reservation on your ear. On second thought, go right ahead. She'll save me the bother.”

“Hey, come on, guy. We can at least be civil.”

“Why? The last time you showed up, you horned in
on my dig and took the credit for the T-Rex fossils I found.” Jake folded his arms over his chest.

“I mentioned your name in the article. Besides, you need my respectability.” He tossed Jake a smirk then jerked his head toward the woman. “This is my assistant, Brook Sawyer.”

She was in her twenties, Jake judged. She nodded at them then looked down at the ground and didn't speak. Jake nodded back then started pointedly at Cameron. “Don't throw me any bones.” He jerked his head toward his dig. “I suppose you want to cut in on the action here. No way.”

“I figure if you're wasting your whole summer here, you've got a really good reason.” Cameron looked around, his face alive with curiosity.

“My family is here. I'm just killing time while I visit with them.”

Cameron chuckled. “Forgive me if I don't believe that.” He slanted a glance toward Wynne. “You're just as beautiful as ever, Wynne.”

Wynne smiled but there was no warmth in the expression. “Hello, Cameron. Just as smarmy as ever, I see.”

“Smarmy? That was a sincere compliment. How about dinner one night?” Cameron's smile never dimmed.

“Don't you think you'd better scope out the other possibilities first?” Wynne's eyes were hostile.

Jake was glad to see she hadn't forgotten the way Cameron had wined and dined her then dropped her when a more ripe candidate had come along.

“Come on, forgive and forget, Wynne. You can show me the sights.” He took her hand.

“I'd be more apt to tip you over a cliff into Superior.” Wynne pulled her hand free. “I'd better get lunch ready.” She turned and walked away from the men.

Jake grinned at the way she put Cameron in his place. “How did you figure out where I was?”

“A little birdie told me,” Cameron said, his eyes still on Wynne. He sighed then walked to the dig and squatted.

“Careful, you might wrinkle your pants.” Jake was suddenly tired of the sparring.

“We were partners a long time, Jake. I think it's time you got over the personal stuff.”

“I don't trust you, Reynolds. This is my dig. I don't need your help.”

Cameron flicked a paper out of his pocket. “The owner says differently.”

Jake's face tightened as he read the lease from Mary Metis. She'd granted Reynolds permission to dig out here, too, but farther out from this site. “How'd you get around her? Did you tell her we were partners once?”

“Something like that.”

Jake wanted to wipe the smug grin off Cameron's face. “You stay out of my dig, Reynolds. Go poke around on your own side of the slope. This spot's mine.”

“We'd be better off to pool our resources,” Cameron suggested. He glanced around. “I know what you're onto here.”

Jake's stomach tightened. He had to get rid of Cameron before he saw anything more. “Not going to
happen.” Jake glanced at his watch. “I need to get back to work. You can find your own way off my site.”

“If this really is a baby dinosaur nest, you need my help.”

“I'm perfectly capable of making any discoveries on my own,” Jake said. He stared at Cameron until he shrugged and turned toward the path down to the truck. His assistant followed him. Jake joined his sister.

“Is this going to be trouble?” Wynne asked. She handed him a sandwich. “It's peanut butter. There's milk in the Thermos.”

Jake unwrapped it. “Might be. It's a good thing I'm sleeping out here.”

“Is he that desperate?”

“That's how he's climbing the ladder—on the backs of other paleontologists. One of these days someone is going to kill him over it.”

Wynne shuddered. “Don't talk like that.”

“It's the truth. He's a barracuda.”

“But a cute one,” Wynne noted.

Jake wrinkled his nose. “I thought you were over him.”

“I am, but I'm not blind, either.” Wynne laughed and took a bite of her sandwich. “Maybe I should do a little hobnobbing with the enemy and see what he's up to.”

“I don't want you within ten feet of that snake.” Jake looked in her face and saw the wheels turning. “No way, Wynne! Don't even think about it. You're not in the same league with him. He already discarded you once.”

Wynne sniffed. “I can handle myself. I'm not a little girl, Jake.”

“You won't have time to waste on the likes of Reynolds.” Jake knew he'd get nowhere by ordering Wynne around. She'd always been the independent type. “Let's get back to work.”

She downed the last swallow of milk and crumpled the paper cup in her hand, then tossed it in the plastic trash bag. “Okay, lead on, fearless one.”

Jake just hoped she'd forget about Cameron Reynolds.

They worked all afternoon in the hot sun. The breeze they'd enjoyed earlier in the week seemed to have evaporated like Superior's morning mist. The drone of insects and the scraping of their tools had a lulling effect on him, and he had to fight to keep his attention on the task at hand.

About four, he hit something. Using his fingers, he carefully began to clean the spot away. The task was painstaking and tedious in the hard clay dirt. The hole widened. A few more minutes and he'd have the object free. By five, a large egg-shaped rock lay exposed. Jake tried to still the flutters of excitement in his belly as he saw other possible eggs under the top one. The find confirmed his hunch about the rounded shapes in the stones around him.

“I think we've done it,” he said, settling in to dig up more and make sure.

 

The bell tinkled on the door to The Sleeping Turtle. From her position on a ladder with herbs in her hands,
Skye couldn't see the customer. “I'll be with you in just a minute,” she called.

She heard quick steps and glanced around. Before she could tell who had come in, the ladder began to shake. Skye grabbed hold and hung on.

“You'll pay for what you've done!”

Skye craned her neck and looked down. Tallulah Levenger, a frequent customer, gripped the ladder rails with both hands. Her brows drawn together, she looked savage. Her salt-and-pepper hair hung in strings around her face, and she was still dressed in her nightgown.

Skye clung to the ladder with both hands. She felt dizzy and disoriented from the shaking. For a moment, she thought Tallulah would toss the ladder onto its side with Skye still attached. Poised on her right leg, Skye let go and leaped for the floor. Better to choose her own landing.

She slammed to the wooden floor with a force that buckled her legs. Her knees stung from the impact with the hard wood, and a wave of pain radiated from her left knee. She groaned as she heard cursing behind her. She needed to get up and face whatever had caused this, but she found it hard to move, hard to think.

She grabbed hold of a nearby table and staggered to her feet, wincing at the pain in her left knee. Holding out her hands in a placating manner, she tried to calm Tallulah. “Tallulah, what's wrong?”

The veins stood out in Tallulah's neck. Her eyes were narrowed to slits. She advanced toward Skye. “You killed him!” She came at Skye's neck with hands curled
into claws, then leaped onto her, and they both tumbled to the floor.

Skye could smell the unwashed odor that emanated from Tallulah. The woman's breath stank as she grappled with Skye on the wooden floor. Tallulah's hands tightened on Skye's throat.

The pressure made Skye gag, and she fought to catch her breath. She tried to pry the fingers loose, but Tallulah just pressed harder. Dark spots danced in Skye's vision, and she gasped for air. She finally managed to pry one finger loose and bent it back until the woman released her.

Skye rolled away and sprang to her feet. She put a table display of painted stones between them.

Tallulah stood with her hands clenched. Her chest rose and fell in heaves. “Murderer! Witch! Those herbs you gave me didn't work.” She started toward Skye again.

Skye backed away. “Are you talking about Robert?” Her stomach roiled. Robert was dead? She shuddered. The teenager was one of her favorites, and she remembered the listless air he'd had when his mother brought him in. His coloring had been pasty as well.

“You killed him.” Tears rolled down Tallulah's face, and she covered her face with her hands.

Skye wanted to comfort her, but she didn't dare get too close. “Did you take him to the doctor like I told you? The herbs just enhance health, they won't cure someone who is that sick.”

“I don't hold with doctors. If you'd given me the right herbs, he'd still be alive.” The bereaved mother wept and pulled on her hair. “It's all your fault.” She started toward Skye, who moved to keep the table between them.

“I gave you what you asked for, but I told you to take him to the doctor. What happened?”

“A ruptured appendix, they say.” Tallulah's face twisted with grief. “Then gangrene.”

“Oh, no. I told you I thought it was his appendix.” Skye's knees threatened to buckle. Could she have done more to save the boy? She'd begged Tallulah to take the teen to the hospital. Maybe she should have called someone.

“Don't try to blame me. It's your fault. And I'm going to make sure you pay.” Tallulah bared her teeth, then turned and plunged down an aisle toward the door.

Skye drew a deep breath when she heard the door slam. She reached out and grabbed the side of the table with shaking hands. Everyone in town talked about Tallulah, but this had been her first experience with the woman's uglier side.

She rubbed her throat. The sheriff should be told about this, but she didn't have the heart to get the other woman in trouble. She'd lost her son, and anyone would be a little unhinged.

Shaken more than she wanted to admit, she fixed a cup of chamomile tea and went to the window seat that looked out on her back garden. She sipped it until her nerves settled. Good thing her mother hadn't been here. Mother would have fainted.

Glancing at her watch, she realized she had just enough time to check in with the mine's manager, James Manomen. She drove out to the mine and parked beside Jake's SUV.

She had tried to avoid the place until she adjusted to the thought of what the paleontologist was doing out here, yet being present caused a physical ache. She turned her gaze away from the sight of Jake working with Wynne and two other men.

The mine opening yawned in the side of the wildflower-covered hillside. She stepped to the entrance. Inside, lights strung along the sloping sides illuminated the tunnel she walked down. She felt cold, as cold as the water dripping along the floor of the mine, and wished she'd brought a jacket. Inside the mine, it was always around fifty-five degrees, and the damp had a way of permeating one's bones.

Her manager crouched over a massive drill. Her cousin, Michael Blackbird, stood over him holding a light, and the drill operator stood off to one side.

“Problems, Pop?” she asked.

A big Ojibwa, the manager James Manomen wore his black hair in a single long braid down his back. In his forties, he'd been like another father to Skye for more years than she could count. Calling him Pop helped fill a void in her life.

James shook his head. “I've repaired it.” He straightened and punched the button to restart the drill. The engine rumbled to life, and the noise was near deafening.

“Let's go to my office,” Skye shouted.

James and Michael nodded and followed her down the corridor to the office. Michael shut the rusting metal door behind him. The door muffled the sound of the drill down to a dull roar. “I have high hopes for this tube,” he said.