Shadow Bones (5 page)

Jake tackled him and bore Cameron to the ground. “What did you do with my eggs?” he shouted.

“There were never eggs here,” Cameron panted, trying to break Jake's hold on him.

The reporters were milling around and shouting questions. Jake was barely aware of them until one of them grabbed his arm and tried to pull him off Cameron. Jake wanted to pummel the paleontologist into the ground, but he realized how it looked to the reporters.

He forced himself to release Cameron and stand up. His blood pumped through his veins in a hard rush. He took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. He forced his hands to unclench. The reporters were staring at them with avid faces. He needed to regain control of the situation.

“Talk to my sister. She saw the eggs, too.”

Just past the crowd of reporters, he saw Skye running up the path toward him. She reached the top, and her eyes widened as she took in the situation. “What's going on?”

“Lover boy here has stolen my eggs,” Jake said bitterly.

Cameron got up and brushed the dirt from his slacks. “It's a plot he hatched with his sister to get publicity,” he told the reporters.

“Look around you,” Jake said. “See the egg shapes
in the rocks? They're dinosaur eggs embedded in the stones.”

“Just looks like round rocks to me,” the head reporter responded. “I think we're going to have more proof than this to run a story.”

“There were eggs here,” Skye said.

Jake whipped his head around to look at her and saw Cameron do the same. Why would she help? It was to her benefit to keep this under wraps for a while.

“I saw them,” she said.

“Who are you?” the older reporter asked.

“Skye Blackbird, the manager of the mine here. Someone has tampered with the evidence.” Her gaze was on Cameron, and he flushed but said nothing.

The reporter shook his head. “There isn't much to go on here.” He glanced around at the site. “Call us again when you have more proof.”

“I'll get you proof,” Jake said tightly. “I have some experts I can call to help me excavate more eggs. And next time I'll call people who won't be misled by a saboteur.” He gave Cameron a long look.

He stomped down the path to the SUV. He should have stayed to thank Skye but he was thinking only of setting things right. Once he accompanied the ferry riders' car back to town, he'd find his eggs. But first he'd make a call to Kimball Washington. Kimball had been his mentor for many years. He'd know what to do.

S
kye had been as shocked to hear herself speak up to the reporters as Jake had been, but the thought of the slimy Cameron Reynolds getting away with his ploy was enough to make her speak before she thought. At least the media wouldn't be descending just yet.

She watched the vehicles disappear around the bend in a cloud of dust then went inside the mine. The workers had left for the day, and the place was eerily quiet. She'd told her mother she'd be late and what she was going to do. Though her mother had said nothing, she knew she thought it was time to put the past away, too.

She could hear the drip of water from somewhere. The dank smell of earth followed her down the corridor to her office. Skye's office often felt like a haven to her.

Here she could see the things her father had left behind. She could open his humidor and sniff the last faint scent of his Cuban cigars, though they were stale
by now. Still, it seemed he could walk in the door at any moment. She liked it best when the mine was empty, and she could close her eyes and go back eight years in time. Silly, she knew. It was time she grew up.

She sat at the battered metal desk and put her head in her hands. Events seemed to be spiraling out of her control. This old garnet mine had served its purpose of getting her past the grief of her father's abandonment. She was twenty-four now, a grown woman. It was time she left childish things behind.

It was time to pack up all her father's possessions. The thought made her feel as though she were having a panic attack, even though she'd come here intending to pack. Skye took a few deep breaths.
In and out, in and out
. Once the constriction eased in her chest, she found a box from the closet and opened the drawers.

She began to pack away the things, forcing herself not to linger over each one. It wasn't as though she were throwing them away. She could still take them from her closet at home and look at them if she felt the need.

Once the desk was clean, she put the box under her arm and went down the corridor toward the exit. Halfway there, she glanced to the left corridor where the Mitchell tube was located. If only Peter would agree to helping them shore it up and search there.

She set the box on the floor and stepped into the branching corridor. The floor was uneven and damp. Rock crumbled from the sides. She knew it was unsafe, but she had a hunch about this tube. She walked along
the narrowing tunnel as far as she could, though she began to feel claustrophobic as the ceiling lowered and the walls grew narrower. She heard a sound and froze. “Hello?” There was nothing to be frightened of. It was likely a worker who had forgotten something, or maybe even James.

“Pop? Are you there?” When there was no answer, she began to move again. She touched the dank walls at the dead end. Time to go back. Her dream was as boxed off as the end of this tunnel where the last rockfall had taken place two years ago.

As she reached the main corridor, she heard another sound and started to turn. Something hit her out of nowhere. She saw a bright flash of stars, then darkness claimed her.

 

Jake bade farewell to the reporters then drove back out to the mine. He glowered at Cameron as he passed the other man in town. Cameron smiled back, a smirk that made Jake want to stop his SUV and pounce on him again. But he set his lips in a firm line and drove on. Cameron would lose the battle.

Once in the parking lot of the Turtle Mine, he grabbed his cell phone and fished out his address book from his satchel in the tent. Kimball Washington should be done with classes by now. He punched in the number and pressed Send.

Kimball's gravelly voice answered. “Washington here.”

“Hey, Kimball, it's Jake Baxter.”

“Jake! What are you up to these days? Great work you did on your last dig. I've been looking over your notes.”

“I have something even more important I need you to help me with.”

The African-American professor of paleontology had been Jake's mentor ever since he took Kimball's class his freshmen year at the University of Chicago. Jake relied on him in more ways than he could count. He explained the problem, and Kimball promised to come up to the island and have a look.

Jake clicked off his phone with a decisive punch of his index finger.
Take that, Cameron Reynolds
. The media wouldn't be able to ignore his find once the highly respected Kimball Washington had his say.

If he could just find his missing eggs.

Jake scowled again at the thought of Cameron's perfidy. Those eggs were priceless. Where could he have stashed them?

He went to his SUV, smiling as he noticed Skye's truck. She was always so carefully put together, it seemed strange to think of her driving that dilapidated vehicle. She was a bundle of contradictions. Just like today when she'd jumped to his defense in spite of her own opposition to having the dig expanded.

He should thank her.

Jake paused at the door to his SUV, then shrugged and went to the mine entrance. The doorknob turned easily. She really should keep it locked when she was in there alone. While crime wasn't a major problem on
the island, she was a young, beautiful woman alone in a remote place.

He stepped into the mine. Lights had been strung up along the corridor, but the illumination didn't push the gloom back very far. His throat closed. He didn't like it here. It was too close, too tight.

He'd gotten lost in some caves when he was ten, and he still didn't like them. Luckily, most of his digs didn't involve caves. He'd get back under the stars once he did his duty. “Skye? Where are you?”

The steady drip of water nearby was the only sound in the shadowy corridor. It felt as if his nerves were on fire. Places like this made him clench his teeth and force himself not to run.

Beginning to sweat in spite of the dank cold inside the mine, he trod along the corridor to a place where it terminated in another hall. Another minute and he would bolt out of here.

The panic began to surge even more and he turned to leave. He almost didn't see the form on the floor in the dim light from the lone bulb above his head.

“Skye?” He knelt beside her and touched her face. His own panic eased as he looked her over. A trickle of blood ran from a cut on her head. The pulse in her neck beat strongly against his fingers. Good. He rolled her gently on her back and checked for any broken bones. His cell phone was in his pocket fortunately, and he pulled it out. No signal underground. He'd have to go outside to place the call.

Did he dare to leave her alone? “Skye,” he said.
“Wake up.” The canteen attached to his belt still held a bit of water. He unscrewed the cap and upended the container over Skye's face. Splatters of water hit her face. She murmured and moved her head from side to side. Then she sputtered, and her eyes opened.

“What'd you do that for?” She tried to sit up, batting his helping hands away. “I'm fine.”

“At least you've still got your spunk,” he said dryly. He slipped his arm around her back in spite of her protest. “What happened?”

The walls felt like they were closing in on him. He had to get her on her feet and get out of here. His heart pounded against his chest as though it would beat him out of the mine.

She groaned and held her head. “Someone hit me.”

Jake caught his breath. “Did you see who it was?”

“No, it came from behind me.” She looked at the canteen in his hand. “Any water left?”

“Here.” He handed her the canteen, and she took a swig then grimaced. “Tastes like metal.”

“That critical spirit is going to get you in trouble.” He tried to smile, but the panic was building by the second.

Her lips turned up a bit. “Sorry, I didn't mean it. Thanks for the water.” She handed him the canteen then groaned again when she tried to get up. “My head's killing me.”

“We need to have a doctor look at you. You could have a concussion.”

“I'm fine.” But she didn't shrug his arm away when he helped her to her feet. She swayed a bit then stood firmer.

He wished he could see better. “Are you feeling stronger?”

“I think so. My head still hurts though.” She touched her head. “Feels like a goose egg up there.”

“Let's get out where I can see it.” He led her toward the door, but she stumbled. A light shone over head, so he made himself stop and probe her thick hair. “It's cut a little, too. We need to get you to town.”

And get him out of this mine before he puked.

Skye shivered. “My mom will take care of me. Can you drive me?”

“That's a dumb question.” He helped her outside, trying not to hurry her too much, though he wanted to bolt. The air never felt so good. Breathing in the fresh air greedily, he felt the tension ease from his shoulders.

He helped her to the SUV and got her into the passenger side, then got under the steering wheel. “Should I lock up the mine?”

She shook her head. “We never lock it.”

“So anyone can come in and tamper with the machinery?”

She bit her lip. “I never thought about it like that. We don't even have a key for the place.” She shrugged. “I don't guess it matters, since we're going to shut it down.” Her face changed. “Oh, I forgot my box! Would you mind going back after it?”

He'd rather eat raw fish. He swallowed hard. “Where is it?”

“On the floor near where you found me.”

His manhood wouldn't let him tell her he feared
going back inside. Setting his jaw, he nodded. “Lock the doors while I'm gone.” He didn't know if her attacker was still in the area, but he wasn't about to take any chances.

She nodded and punched the power button to lock all the doors. His mouth went dry as he started back toward the mine. He took a deep breath, ducked inside and dashed to the spot where he'd found Skye. He scooped up the box and ran back to the exit as if a wildcat were on his tail.

As he reached the door, he thought he heard something. Hesitating in the corridor, he started in that direction, then stopped. He couldn't make himself take another step. Besides, Skye needed medical attention, he told himself.

Relief made him feel light-headed as he went back outside into the falling twilight. He approached the SUV. Several steps from the vehicle, something zinged by his head and slammed into the driver's window. It shattered.

“Hit the floor!” he shouted to Skye. He dove to the ground and crawled forward.

Two more rocks zipped by him. He needed to get to the SUV and get them both out of danger. As he neared the vehicle, the door swung open and he looked into Skye's strained face where she lay on the seat.

“Get in!” She crawled back to her own side and slid to the floor.

He got to his hands and knees and dove in, then slammed the door behind him. The vehicle was already
running. Crouching as low as he could, he tromped on the accelerator.

Only when they were a mile down the road did he breathe easier. He glanced at Skye as she crawled back into her seat. “Got any idea who might be lobbing rocks at us?”

Skye shuddered. “I can't imagine who it would be. Unless—” she broke off.

“Unless?” he prompted.

She hesitated again and pulled her long black braid over her shoulder, worrying it with her fingers. “There's a disgruntled customer who tried to shake me off the ladder last week.”

“What? Did you call the sheriff?”

She shook her head. “I didn't want to get her in trouble. She's grieving her son. She came to the store for some herbs. When she explained what was wrong with him, I told her to take him to the doctor because I thought it might be appendicitis. She insisted on buying the herbs anyway. I guess she never took him and he died. She blames me for not giving her the right herbs now.”

“That's crazy!”

“Yeah, well, Tallulah Levenger has always been a little different.”

“Where does she live? Maybe if I go put a little fear in her she'll leave us alone.”

Skye's eyes were shadowed. “She was probably just deranged with grief when she came to the shop last week.”

“So you think she trailed you to the mind, knocked you out, then lobbed rocks at you?” Skye was too soft and wanted to believe the best of people. He knew any person was capable of just about any action. It wouldn't be wise to discount the woman.

“It wouldn't hurt to have the sheriff check her out,” he told her.

“I suppose.” Skye rubbed her forehead.

“Your head still aching?”

“I don't suppose you have any of the willow bark with you, do you?”

“As a matter of fact, it's in my backpack.” He pulled to the side of the road in order to reach behind the seat with one hand. He grabbed it, then tossed it in her lap.

She rummaged through it and found the herb and swallowed it. “That should help.”

Jake suddenly realized he was feeling better himself. “You might have something there,” he said. “My muscle aches are much better even though it has to have worn off by now. It must have fixed me.”

“You sound surprised.” Her lips curved into a smile.

“I am. I thought it was a lot of hokum.”

“We all have prejudices to overcome,” she said, a full-fledged grin breaking forth.

Jake made a noncommittal sound. He grabbed his cell phone. “I about forgot to call the sheriff. I'll have him meet us at your mom's.”

“I hate all this.” She sounded near tears. “It's sobering to think someone hates me enough to want to attack me like that.”

“Maybe I was the target and not you.”

“Tallulah wouldn't have any beef with you,” she reminded him.

“Maybe it wasn't Tallulah,” he said, thinking of Cameron.

But she didn't hear him. Her head was back against the headrest, and her eyes were closed. She needed to be looked at. He dropped the SUV's gear into Drive and took off toward town again.