Shadow Bones (9 page)

W
ynne's usual high spirits over the next few days brought Jake relief. He skipped church to be with her, but not even a broken leg was able to keep her down for long, and he was able to concentrate on his dig during the first part of the week and prepare to meet Kimball Washington.

Wednesday brought clear, sunny skies, and Jake waited at the dock for the ferry. Kimball was standing at the railing. Dressed in a tweed suit and cap, he looked every bit the college professor. His chocolate-colored skin glowed with health, and his dark eyes brightened at the sight of Jake waving to him.

He stepped off the ferry and grasped Jake's hand then pulled him into a brief hug. “Jake, you're a sight for sore eyes.” He fell into step beside Jake and tugged his rolling suitcase along. “I'm eager to see this site of yours.”

“I can't wait to show you.” He introduced Kimball
to Max, who shook the professor's hand, then took the luggage from him.

“I'm sure you two have plenty of work to do. I told Jake I'd take your luggage on home so you can get out to the site.”

“Excellent. Give me a minute to change my clothes.” Kimball's voice was eager.

“Lovely island,” Kimball remarked as Jake drove along the rocky coastline out to the dig.

“Yes, it is.” Jake parked the SUV. “I'm glad you're here, Kimball. I need all the help I can get.” As they walked up the path to the dig, he told him what had been going on and the eggs he'd found.

“Paleontology can be a cutthroat business,” Kimball said. “The sooner it's announced, the better. We can get a team together to fully excavate the site, set up security and manage what goes on.”

“That's what I thought.” Jake stepped to his eggs and pointed. “There they are.”

Kimball rubbed his hands together. “Let's hatch one of these babies. That will rocket the discovery to the front page of the newspapers.” He set down his satchel and pulled out two tiny microscopes as well as several small chisels. “If we can confirm what dinosaur we're dealing with, this could get exciting. These are the largest eggs I've seen.”

The eggs were nearly twenty inches long, and Jake had been eager to learn what he had here. He knelt beside Kimball, and they began to work on freeing the largest egg from the cluster where it had been found.

Within an hour, the egg was loose. “Help me lift it. We'll put it on that rock ledge so we don't have to stoop to work on it.” Kimball nodded his head toward a nearby flat ledge.

Grunting, Jake helped him carry the heavy egg to the rock. It was the perfect height for further work. “How long do think it will take?” He knew the chipping away of rock to “hatch” what was inside was painstaking work.

“At least a month,” Kimball said.

Jake winced. “We have to protect this for a month? Maybe we should move to Windigo Manor, where it's more able to be watched.”

“Might be a good idea,” Kimball agreed. “But let's work a little longer today and see what we can chip loose.”

Several times as they worked over the egg, Jake felt the back of his neck prickle as though he was being watched. He looked around occasionally but saw nothing, but his unease continued as the sun cast long shadows over the site.

Around six he looked at his watch. “Let's quit for supper. We can take the egg with us to town.”

“What about the others?”

“It's getting dark enough that I don't think anyone can chisel them loose.”

“I don't think you realize what you've got here,” Kimball said.

“What are you thinking?” Jake hoped his friend would concur with his own speculations.

“As big as the eggs are, I suspect it might be a Sauro
poseidon or something even larger. The wonders we might find at this site boggle my mind.”

The eagerness in his friend's voice told Jake this find might be truly monumental. His own excitement kicked up a notch. “I'd hoped you'd say that and wasn't my own wishful thinking. When can we announce this?”

“Not until I can identify the bones in this egg. We have to be very careful not to let any leaks out until the right time.”

Jake scowled. “It's possible Reynolds might excavate the eggs he stole and announce it first.”

Kimball winced. “Then we're going to have to work faster. I'm willing to work twenty hours a day if necessary.”

“Me, too.” Jake set his jaw. There was no way he was going to let Cameron Reynolds steal this discovery, too.

 

Skye sat across the desk from Peter. The shiny, expansive surface made her feel detached from her stepfather. She hadn't often come to his office, and the distance felt disconcerting.

Peter pushed the papers across the desk to her. “Sign here.”

She scrawled her signature and tried to ignore the guilt knocking against her ribs. She should have been upfront with her stepfather about what she intended to use the money for, but he hadn't asked. If he had questioned her, she would have told him the truth.

Excitement crawled along her spine as he handed her the check with a smile. “Glad I could help.”

“You're a peach, Peter,” she said, rising from the slick, leather chair.

“Your mother wants you to stop by on your way home. She found some new items she thought you might want to order for the shop.”

“Okay.” She thought about telling him what she was going to do with the money, but decided maybe she'd better deposit the funds first. Then he couldn't do anything to stop her. But guilt wouldn't be kept quiet for long. She'd have to confess.

She exited Peter's office, stopped off at the counter, deposited the check, then hurried to her truck. James would be thrilled. He had an order ready to go for equipment to start the extraction of the Mitchell tube.

But first she'd better get her mother on board. She drove to her mother's and went inside. “Hello!” she called in the hallway.

“In here, Skye.” Her mother's voice echoed from the kitchen.

Skye sniffed and the aroma of beef pasties wafted to her nose. Her stomach rumbled at the mixed scent of beef, pie crust, potato and rutabaga. “I hope those are about ready. I'm starved,” she said, walking into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw her cousin Michael seated at the table, too.

“Hey, Skye.” He swiped the gravy from his chin.

“Help yourself.” Her mother pushed one toward her. “They're fresh from the oven.”

Skye slid one to a plate and cut into it with a fork.
The beef juice spilled out and she took a bite. “Um, delicious.” She hadn't eaten breakfast.

“You get everything taken care of with Peter?” her mother asked.

“Yep.” Skye took another bite.

“Good. I have some things I want to order for the shop.”

“You might wait on that just yet. I have some other plans for the money.”

“Oh?”

“James and I have been talking about that Mitchell tube. We're both convinced if there are diamonds at the mine, they are down that tube.” She sent Michael a warning glance.

“Peter says it's dangerous. And what does that have to do with the money you got from the bank?”

Michael cleared his throat. “We really think we can extract a small sample without any danger. If we can find a few diamonds, we can get some investors and shore up the tube to fully extract it.”

Skye nodded. “And I want to use this money to run a sample extraction.”

Her mother's eyes widened. “Did you tell Peter?”

“No, I wanted to talk to you about it first. It's your mine.” Skye leaned forward. “I have to do this, Mother. Until we check out that tube, I can't let go of it. Daddy would have pressed forward and found out for sure. We have to have the courage to do the same.”

“Your father is gone, Skye. It's time you realized that.”

“I know. But if we find diamonds, it would be tremen
dously beneficial for our tribe. We could hire a lot of other Ojibwa to work it and really make a difference here.”

“That's true.” Her mother looked thoughtful. “Peter won't like it.”

Michael jumped in again. “I promise it won't be dangerous. James will make sure of that.”

“I don't know.” Her mother seemed unconvinced. “Maybe it's time we closed the mine. I know Peter would like to see it continue, but maybe it's time.”

“You'd be firing a lot of good men if you did that,” Michael pointed out. “And there aren't many places for them to find other jobs. Let's not give up yet.”

Her mother looked suddenly decisive. “Okay, we'll try it.” She glanced from Michael to Skye. “But you have to promise that if you find nothing after the money is gone, you'll give it up. There's no sense in beating a dead horse.”

“I promise.” Skye felt it safe to make that promise. She had a feeling in her bones that things were about to change at the mine.

“You got it.” Michael got up from the table. “I have to run. Thanks for the pasty, Aunt Mary.” He kissed her on the cheek and waved at Skye, then went out the back door.

Her mother turned back to Skye. “Becca ordered a welcome basket for a guest. Would you mind taking it to Windigo Manor?”

The innocence on her mother's face didn't fool Skye. “Mother, you're matchmaking again. There can never be anything between me and Jake Baxter.”

Her mother made no pretense of denying the accusation. “He's a fine man, Skye. I don't understand your attitude.”

“I don't want to leave Eagle Island, and Jake isn't the type to settle down in one place. Besides, I'm not sure about his beliefs.”

“He has come to church with the rest of the family.”

“And that's all. Church attendance doesn't mean he's a believer.”

“You need to find out,” her mother declared. “And there's no better time than the present. Besides, much as I'd miss you, you need to get out and see the world.”

“I love my home here.” Skye heard the defensiveness in her voice.

“But your attachment isn't healthy. It's almost as if you're afraid to leave. You think one day your father is going to walk back through that door, and you want to be here when he does. That's right, isn't it?” Her mother's voice was gentle.

A bulge formed in Skye's throat. “Maybe. Is that so wrong? He's out there somewhere, Mother. Someday maybe he'll miss us enough to come back.”

Her mother sighed. “Oh, Skye, it's never going to happen. Your father has a new life somewhere. He's forgotten all about us. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but you have to face facts. He walked away and never looked back.”

“But
why?
I've never understood that.”

“Neither have I. But things were rocky between him and me. It wasn't your fault, but mine.”

“Then why did he never call me? No birthday card, nothing.” Skye blinked rapidly. She would not humiliate herself by crying now.

Her mother shrugged. “Your father always walked a different path. He was a dreamer. There was always another pot of gold waiting for him under a new rainbow.”

“He seemed happy enough here. And he was excited about the mine. He really believed he'd find diamonds there someday.”

“Maybe he finally woke up about that mine. You have to do the same.”

Skye rose. “Not until I explore the Mitchell tube.”

“Fine. If that's what it takes to make you face reality, you have my blessing.” Her mother handed her the basket filled with Ojibwa handicrafts. “Don't forget to drop this off at Windigo Manor on your way.”

Skye took the basket and hurried to her truck. No matter what her mother said, she wasn't giving up just yet.

She hadn't seen Jake since the day her shop was broken into, and she felt jittery as she drove the truck to the Manor. Silly really. Jake would likely be at the dig. She turned into the driveway and caught her breath. Jake's SUV sat in front of the house. She glanced at her watch. Wonder what he was doing home in the middle of the afternoon? His friend and mentor had arrived a few days ago, and she'd assumed they'd spend every waking hour at work.

She almost turned tail to run. It would be so easy to whip the truck around and hightail it out of there before
anyone saw her, but her mother would know if she didn't get the basket delivered. Maybe she could just drop it off with the housekeeper and get out before anyone noticed her.

She parked behind Jake's vehicle and grabbed the basket. Her chest felt tight and hard as she went up the brick walk to the front door. The imposing mansion seemed to jeer at her. She could never be part of a family like this even if Jake was willing to settle down here. Her roots went to Ojibwa hogans and long treks in the forest.

Her heart thumping against her ribs, she pressed the doorbell and waited. Becca opened the door, and her welcoming smile was like balm on Skye's soul.

“Skye, I was just talking about you. Come in.” Becca didn't wait for a response but took Skye's arm and pulled her inside. “Hey, everyone, look who's here.” She tugged on Skye's arm and led her to the living room.

Skye followed reluctantly. She should have insisted her mother bring the stupid basket.

Her gaze connected with Jake's as she entered the room. He stood beside a handsome African-American man whose eyes widened appreciatively when he saw Skye. Was that a welcoming smile on Jake's face or a grimace? She couldn't tell.

Standing uneasily in the doorway, she shifted her basket to the other hand. “Mother asked me to drop this basket off,” she said.

“Oh, that's for Kimball.” Becca took the basket from Skye. “Kimball, this is Skye Blackbird. She's Ojibwa
royalty and can tell you all about the native culture on the island. She owns The Sleeping Turtle and makes wonderful dreamcatchers.” She turned to Skye. “Kimball is a professor at the University of Chicago. He's helping Jake with the dig.”