Conspiracy of Bones

by Tracy Krauss

  Mark laughed. “I’m only human. I think I better go check on that coffee." He stole another quick kiss before standing up. He went over to the counter, found two mugs and filled them. "Take anything?"

  "No thanks," Amy said, smoothing her hair with her hand.

  Mark returned with the steaming mugs and set them down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Now if we keep these between us we should be safe," he joked.

  Amy took a sip, keeping the mug close enough to her lips to hide their trembling. Mark wasn’t fooled. He surveyed her closely, and then with deliberateness he set down his own mug and took hers from her hands, placing it beside his on the coffee table. “It’s okay. I’m not going to pressure you to sleep with me until you’re ready.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not it.”

  “Okay. What is it?” He took her hands in his and placed a kiss on each one before returning his gaze to her distraught face.

  “I’m… I feel so, so silly," she finally said with a shake of her head.

  "Silly? Why?"

  "Because you’re so… so worldly and I’m such a naïve little duck."

  Mark laughed outright at that. "A duck? Now that’s a good one."

  "I’m serious," she said. “You’ve been around the world. And you’ve probably, you know, been with lots of women. And well, I’m not like that. I believe in saving myself, I mean. But you make me want to forget about all of that."

  "I told you. I can wait."

  Amy shook her head. "Maybe my mother was right. It’s too dangerous to be in a relationship with someone who isn’t a Christian."

  Mark felt his jaw tighten. "So that’s what it’s about, is it? Religion?”

  "It’s important," Amy offered quietly.

  “For all intents and purposes, I believe the same way you do. I was raised in the church. You know that," Mark stated.

  "That’s not good enough, Mark. I want you to accept it for yourself. Accept Jesus."

  "How do you know I haven’t?" Mark countered.

  "Have you?"

  There was a telling silence.

  "I see," Amy said.

  "I don’t object to your faith, Amy. I know how important it is to you. I don’t see how it’s an issue."

  "Because you don’t know Jesus the way I know Jesus. If you did, you’d see where I’m coming from."

  "And if I agreed to your terms?"

  "It has to be for real, Mark. It has to be sincere."

  "Okay. So, say I was sincere. Then what?"

  "I still wouldn’t sleep with you."

  Mark considered this a moment. "Hm. You drive a hard bargain, you know that?" His mouth twisted up at the corner in a boyish grin.

  Amy turned away. "I think I want to go home now," she stated.

  "Sorry," Mark apologized. "Now I’ve offended you. I was only teasing. I won’t pressure you to have sex. When we make love, it will be strictly on your terms."

  "I don’t think you’ve been listening to a word I’ve said," Amy said with exasperation. "There will be no sex without marriage." She paused for a moment, her eyes welling up with tears. "Oh, I feel so absolutely stupid, now. I just want to go home. This was such a bad idea. Take me home, please." She stood abruptly, dashing at her eyes.

  "Amy, wait," Mark said, standing also. "I’ll take you home - in a minute. But I think we need to have a talk first. A real, honest conversation about what matters to us and our future."

  "I don’t see a future," she stated sullenly, but allowed Mark to push her gently back down onto the sofa.

  "Because now you’re the one who’s not listening," Mark teased. He sobered slightly, letting the smile in his eyes be replaced with an intensity of raw emotion. "Amy Walters, you may not realize this, but you are a very powerful woman."

  "Stop. If this is about sex, I don’t want to hear it. You’re making fun of me, now."

  "It’s not about sex," Mark clarified. "Well, not directly, anyway. I mean, eventually, yes, I hope it is."

  "Mark!"

  "What I’m trying to say is this. You have, quite honestly, swept me off my feet," Mark admitted. "And you keep saying how naïve and inexperienced you are! Well, let me tell you, I am so grateful for that. Because the thought of any other man, now or in the future, ever laying a hand on you - well, it puts me in a rage! When I make love to you for the first time, I want to be the only man to ever do it again."

  "There you go talking about sex again. I already told you - "

  Mark sighed, lifting a hand to silence her. "Look, this is not going at all like I had imagined it."

  "I’ll bet."

  He continued undaunted. "I was going to give you more time. Court you. Woo you. You’re young and I didn’t want you to feel rushed into anything. It’s important that you know your own feelings; that you don’t feel pressured. That you’re sure. As sure as I am already."

  "What are you saying?" Amy asked, frowning.

  "I would think it’s fairly obvious.” Mark laughed.

  Amy blinked back tears. "Don’t you dare make fun of me."

  "I’m not, honest," Mark said, stroking her cheek again. He kissed her gently on the trail made by his finger.

  "Mark, don’t," Amy pleaded. "I can’t think straight."

  "Good. Exactly how I want you when I ask you. Now, I do have to admit, I have been around a time or two. And yes, I have slept with other women - a fact I have never regretted up until this moment. But now I wish I could give you the same gift that I hope you’ll give me. You have captivated me, Amy. And if waiting for marriage is the only way I can have you all to myself, then I’m asking you. Will you marry me?"

  "Mark, you don’t know what you’re saying."

  "Stop telling me what I know and don’t know!" Mark exclaimed. "Actually, I am well aware of every word that just came out of my mouth. My Dad said it best. We Graham men are kind of slow, but when we find what we’re looking for we fall hard."

  "You talked to your Dad about us?" Amy asked, her eyes widening.

  "That a problem? By the sounds of things you’ve been talking to your Mom…”

  "But that’s different!"

  "Why?"

  "Well, it just is! Besides, we haven’t addressed the issue of your spiritual beliefs."

  "I’ll believe whatever you want me to," Mark said.

  "Mark -"

  Mark pulled her to her feet and cupped her head between his hands. "I mean it, Amy Walters. I love you. I’ve fallen hard. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it." He sealed the declaration with a kiss. "You don’t have to say yes right away," Mark said when they parted. "In fact, maybe you need time to think on it; take it all in." She opened her mouth to respond, but he quickly covered it with a finger before she could utter anything. "Actually, I don’t even want you to say anything right now. Just think on it and in the mean time, know that my intentions are honourable. Take as much time as you need. I’ll wait. And now," he said, extracting himself gently from her embrace. "I better take you home before you make a liar out of me."

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mark glanced up from his desk as Harmony walked in after only a pre-emptory rap on the door. She hadn’t waited for a response, just entered. He repositioned his cellphone to the other ear and waved her in. "Yeah, I know that, but I thought I told you to be more careful about who you talk to about our relationship.” He was talking to Anthony, again.

  He paused, looking over at his sister, who was now loitering near his desk. He stood up, speaking more quietly. "We need to be discreet. Absolutely so." He smiled tentatively at Harmony and motioned to her that he was going to slip out into the hall.

  A few minutes later, he’d managed to assuage Anthony’s fears and returned to the office. Harmony was sitting behind his desk, arms folded.

  “Making yourself comfortable, I see.” His smile faded when he noticed the distinct frown of disapproval on his sister’s face.

  “What’s that?” She pointed at the computer screen.

  “
What?” He rounded the desk and stood behind his chair. An open email was on the computer desktop. An email from Laura. “You’ve got no business reading my personal correspondence.”

  Harmony stood up and brushed past him. “By the sounds of things, you’ve got a woman in every port.”

  “That’s not true. And besides that, my personal life is none of your business.” He plunked into the office chair and minimized the email.

  “Is that who you were talking to on the phone just now?”

  “No - and again - none of your business.”

  “It is my business when my own brother is taking advantage of my best friend!” Harmony stood on the other side of the desk, arms crossed for a fight.

  Mark frowned. “Now what are you talking about?”

  “Amy really likes you. I know I encouraged her, but now I’m not so sure. For a man who just declared his undying love, you’ve been awfully stand-offish this last week.”

  Mark’s brows rose in surprise at Harmony’s words. “She told you that?”

  “We’re best friends. Duh.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “Firstly, my love life is none of your business. Second, I’ve been busy this week. If you didn’t know, I just got back from a major dig and I have a dissertation to prepare.”

  “Fine, Mr. Doctor Big Wig. You’re so busy you can’t even take an hour off for lunch with your own sister or your girlfriend."

  “Lunch?” Mark frowned.

  “I suppose you’ve got an excuse for that, too. That’s why I’m here. You were supposed to meet us for lunch and you didn’t show.”

  Mark closed his eyes, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I totally forgot. Tell Amy I’m so sorry. It’s just -”

  “You tell her. Right now she’s probably wondering what she did.” Harmony turned to leave but then stopped and faced him again. “Who’s Laura?”

  Mark’s eyes narrowed. “A former colleague. Again - none of your business.”

  “Why? Because you’re off on a rendezvous with a former girlfriend while you leave my best friend waiting by the phone in your absence?"

  "That is absolutely juvenile. You’ve been watching too many movies."

  "Well? What am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to tell Amy?"

  "Nothing," Mark clipped. “Because you’re going to keep your nose out of it. There is absolutely nothing to tell.” Harmony still stood with her arms crossed and he knew she wouldn’t be able to keep that end of the bargain. He sighed and gestured for her to sit. “Laura Sawchuk was part of my team and, yes, we were an item for a time, but that is long over and done with. Whatever else you think you heard - or read into that email - isn’t true. Please, just don’t go spoiling things with Amy. Okay?” When she didn’t respond, he sighed again. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I really do need to get back to work.”

  Without a word, Harmony rose from her seat and strode from the office.

  Mark opened the email again and read.

  “Looking forward to your visit. Very glad you reconsidered. Do I flatter myself that you might miss me after all? No hard feelings on my part. John and Anthony say hi. We’ll have a celebration party, just like old times. Love, Laura”

  No wonder Harmony had misinterpreted things, especially in light of the conversation she overheard. The fact that he couldn’t really explain any of it to either of them made it even harder to swallow. He would just have to trust that things would work themselves out in the end.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Mark leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms backward to cradle his head. He surveyed the computer screen with satisfaction. He was ready. Along with the written dissertation, which was persuasive and well researched, he had a power point presentation that contained dynamic graphics and photographs.

  But this was about far more than just empirical evidence. The real kicker was still waiting in his father’s garage - the artefacts and samples that he had smuggled off site. Nobody could dispute their existence; nobody could dispute the painstaking care he had taken in testing and identifying each one. The only problem would be the legal ramifications once their existence, and the method in which they were secured, became public knowledge. He would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. Both he and Anthony were working on an angle, but there were no guarantees.

  The tricky part was going to be crossing the US border with the cargo. He still had copies of the original documentation back when the project had started. And, under the auspices of the university, he had secured immunity to transport certain otherwise contraband items for scholarly purposes.

  The fact that the said items were not exactly as listed was another matter. He would just have to convince the guards at the border that his cargo could not be opened or tampered with in any way.

  Of course, advance permission had already been secured, which was a bit of a worry. The fewer people that knew about his plans the better. Even though it had been some time since Sangeruka’s threats, as well as the fact that he no longer seemed to have the influence that he once did, Mark couldn’t help but feel a few pangs of anxiety over the safety of his loved ones. It was one of the reasons that he had been so tight lipped about his actual itinerary, even to his father. The less anyone knew, the better off they would be.

  Mark glanced down at his watch. It was late - probably too late to call Amy, now. But he felt euphoric, somehow. He needed to share his excitement with someone. All the preliminary work was finished. All that remained was the anticipation of telling the world - and the possible danger of traveling to the appointed destination.

  "Hi, Amy," Mark said into his cell. "Did I wake you?" He kept his voice low, as if that would help somehow.

  "No, it’s okay. I couldn’t sleep anyway," she replied.

  "I finished up here," he offered, as if that explained everything.

  "Oh. That’s good news."

  "I was wondering, is it too late to meet me somewhere? For a coffee or something? I know it’s kind of late, but I was thinking, I haven’t had much time for you these past few days, and since I’ll be leaving soon…” He trailed off.

  "Um, I guess so. I’m not sure what buses are running this time of night.”

  "Of course," Mark chided himself. "How stupid of me. I’ll come by and pick you up."

  Amy came out the front door of the Walter residence as soon as Mark drove up. All the lights were off and it struck him how ridiculous it was for a man his age to be sneaking around his girlfriend’s house after hours. Like he was doing something illegal or something. Maybe he should suggest that Amy move into her own place for awhile, like Harmony. Or even move in with Harmony.

  Wait. Strike that thought. The last thing he wanted was his little sister nosing about his affairs even more than she did now.

  "Hi, you," Mark greeted as Amy slid into the passenger seat. A rush of warmth washed over him and he felt definite regret that he had not been able to spend much time with her over the past several days. "You look nice," he said simply and leaned over to kiss her.

  His lips barely touched hers before she was pulling away, busying herself with buckling the seatbelt. He frowned slightly, but brushed it off. "Where to?"

  She shrugged. “Where ever.”

  "Somewhere close, I suppose," he said, and pulled away from the curb.

  "Or we could just go down by the Forks," she suggested. The Forks, as it was called, was a large park like area in the middle of the city where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers met.

  "Forks it is.” He reached over and took her small, soft hand into his larger one. "I missed you."

  "Me, too."

  They were content to ride that way for some time, satisfied in the physical contact without the necessity of words.

  Finally Amy spoke up. “Mark?"

  "Hm?"

  "Why can’t you tell me more about what you’re doing?"

  He glanced over at her and smiled. "If I told you, it would be telling. Which I can’t." He noted the
slight furrowing of her brow. "Just trust me, okay? I’ll tell you all about it someday. I promise." He gave her hand a squeeze.

  There was silence again for a time before Amy piped up again. "Mark? Tell me about Laura. Did you love her?"

  He scowled. "You’ve been talking to my sister, again, haven’t you?" He released her hand as he turned into the parking lot near the Forks.

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up," Amy apologized timidly.

  Mark put the SUV into park with a jerk. "It’s okay. I should know better than to trust my sister to get things right." He turned to look squarely at Amy. "Whatever I had with Laura is over and done. Understand? It’s finished. Over. Kaput. I thought I made my feelings clear to you the other night."

  "Well, yes, but…”

  "And about you sharing our personal lives with everyone," he continued. "I’m a pretty private person, and I don’t appreciate being the subject of gossip."

  "I didn’t say anything to anyone," Amy replied, tears brimming. "Well, except Harmony, and then I didn’t mean to say anything."

  "Ah, but you did," he stated.

  "You know how hard it is to keep anything from her," Amy defended.

  “I felt like my personal life was being written up in some teen magazine. I’m not interested in that, so you and my sister can stop any time." The moment the words had come out of his mouth he realized exactly how hurtful they sounded.

  Amy blinked. Her nostrils flared with the effort of keeping the tears at bay.

  "Amy, I’m sorry. That was utterly uncalled for," he apologized.

  "I’ll try to act more grown up from now on," she managed to choke out, her tone sarcastic.

  "Oh man," he breathed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "I didn’t mean that the way it sounded."

  "No?"

  "No. I just don’t want people interfering. I didn’t mean anything else by it."

  "I suppose you think I’m too immature to be trusted with your secret mission, whatever it is."

  "Amy," he pleaded. "That’s just -" he was about to say childish, but stopped himself in time. "Silly," he finished.

  "Silly," she repeated. "Because I’m just a silly little girl."