Touched by Death

by Dale Mayer

They worked companionably for the next hour. Finally, they opened what should be the last body bag of the day. At least she hoped it would be. She was more than ready for a hot shower and something to breathe other than the smell of death. Her back ached from the constant bending. The end of this work day couldn't come fast enough.

  Digging deeper into her reserves, she helped Bruce pack the last exposed set of bones. The two of them carefully lifted the ribcage and carried it to the waiting body bag. Straightening, she couldn't hold back a slight moan.

  "Long day, huh?"

  She offered him a tired smile. "Yes, but productive." Turning back to the grave, she lifted the left leg and it separated from the knee in her hand. "Damn."

  "It's been happening all day. Most of these at the bottom don't even have connective tissue."

  "Hmmm. I shouldn't have picked it up that way. Just tired at this point." She wiped her forehead on her sleeve, grateful for the easing of the afternoon heat. There'd been a breeze wafting through the valley earlier but that had long disappeared.

  "To be expected. I'll get the rest of this." Bruce motioned to the big rocks. "Sit and take a break."

  Jade dropped her head back and stared at the blue sky. It had to be close to six o'clock. She closed her eyes for a long moment and took several deep breaths, hoping for a second wind.

  Opening them again, she watched as Bruce carefully retrieved each tarsal and metatarsal lying loose on the ground. Almost there.

  God, she couldn't wait to leave the site. She stared down the path toward the trailers. Another fifteen, maybe twenty minutes and they would be on their way.

  "There, that should do it." She gently laid the tiny bones in the body bag and zipped it closed.

  "Hmmm. Come look at this." Bruce looked at her. "I know you're tired. Lord knows, so am I. Only... I'm not sure this is the last one."

  Bruce was bent over the gravesite, slightly to the left of where they'd plucked the last skeleton.

  "Another one?" She knew it made sense for another one to be exposed, considering how many could be in here, and she knew they couldn't leave it that way.

  "I think so. Only it's a layer down."

  An odd silence filled the air. She studied the frozen look on his face. "Bruce? What's the matter?"

  "We'll see in a minute." He stood and took a smooth stride – one she resented after the way her body was reacting – and snatched up a shovel. He gently dug into the ground near the foot. He didn't attempt to remove any dirt; instead he wobbled the tool back and forth several times and gently lifted dirt from around the foot.

  The small rocks and gravel on top fell away. The bone shifted slightly to one side in the too large, rotted sandal. She leaned closer to get a better look and realized she was blocking the light. She climbed around to the other side, taking a wide path to avoid disturbing the shifting ground. "Would they have put a layer of dirt in after they'd put in so many bodies?"

  Bruce didn't look up. "I don't know. The dirt could just as easily have fallen in on top from the sides as the loader moved back and forth with each trip." Bruce put the shovel in a new spot and wiggled the dirt again. "There. Do you see what I see?"

  Jade bent down and brushed the dirt away from the skeleton with her gloved hand – her fourth or fifth pair of gloves today.

  Bruce knelt across from her and carefully removed the dirt from his side of the foot. She did the same on her side. She gasped, leaning closer.

  "What?" she whispered. "Is that?"

  "I'm going to remove a bit more and then we'll see for sure."

  She waited and watched. Her stomach churned. She worried her bottom lip, hating the silence that had fallen. The breeze had whistled over and around the hill for most of the day. And when the wind had calmed there'd been birds or small animals rustling in the undergrowth. She stood to stretch out the kinks and glanced around. The place was deserted. Silence had fallen on the valley, a silence that only highlighted the sound of gentle scrapes of spade on rock.

  The shadows lengthened around them. Jade swallowed hard, grateful she was here with Bruce and not Meg. Something about a strong male presence made her feel better. Not that she was a wimp. However, right now, tired and worn out, she felt that way. "And?"

  "Almost." He eased away some more dirt and shifted around slightly to attack the mound from the other side. She stepped out of his way.

  "Where did everyone else go?"

  A laugh escaped him; he stared at her, his big grin splitting his dusty face. She couldn't believe he hadn't shaved off his thick red beard. That had to be hot as hell.

  "They've probably gone back to the hotel to grab all the hot water before us."

  She groaned comically, happy to have an excuse to ease the tension twisting inside. "They would too, wouldn't they?"

  "Hell yeah." His boisterous laugh rolled across the rocks. "Hold on. Almost done…and I'm sure the hotel is equipped with enough hot water for us."

  "I'm not so sure. If you're wrong, you're sacrificing your shower for me."

  He grinned. "Like hell––" His voice cut off in shock. She heard a weird jangle and dropped down beside him to peer down at the mix of bone, cloth and...

  She went down on one knee. Her breath caught. Her mind rebelled. She whispered – barely loud enough to be heard, "Dear God. What is that?"

  "Look for yourself."

  He pointed down where the tibia widened at the end. A few ligaments still connecting to the foot were now slightly askew inside the shoe. Bits of cloth clung to the ankle and footwear.

  Oh God. Her stomach heaved uncontrollable. Jade lurched off to one side where her lunch made a hasty exit.

  After a long moment, when she was sure there was no more to come, she spun around to face Bruce.

  He waited for her, a worried look on his face. "Are you going to be okay?"

  She glanced back down at the leg bone. She didn't know how to answer.

  A chain lay twisted around the lower leg of the female skeleton.

  Securely attached at the ankle was a rusted iron...manacle.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The dinner conversation rippled on around Jade as if she were a mere rock in a swiftly flowing river. That suited her. Mental exhaustion and stress had added to her physical deterioration during the day. Numbness had settled in.

  "Hey Jade, tough day? You look like you're ready for bed."

  With a wan smile in Susan's direction, she couldn't help but agree. "That's where I'm going after this."

  Dr. Mike studied her face in concern. "Don't overdo it out there. You're more valuable in the lab than doing grunt work."

  Keeping an eye on the staff was part of his job, so Jade didn't take his comments too close to heart. He was a compassionate man, all too willing to help out himself, if need be. "I hear you. We've reached the point where I'll be in the lab from now on."

  "See that you are."

  Meg gave her a curious smile. Jade didn't know if she should mention what she and Bruce had found or not. She shot a questioning look at Bruce.

  He shrugged then began to explain. "Part of the reason for her fatigue is the emotional stress caused by the last victim we found – after everyone else had left."

  Bruce directed his comments to Dr. Mike. "We left the last set of bones we found, in the ground, covered with dirt and rock. We needed to consider the situation before proceeding. I believe this is an adult female. The shoe is still there on the foot. We don't know about other clothing. We only uncovered a foot and ankle." He put his fork down and took a long drink of water.

  Watching him closely, she empathized when he swallowed heavily.

  At the site, the horror and implications of what they'd discovered had quickly overtaken them both. They'd covered what they'd found and left – silently. They'd not spoken of it on their way back and had separated at the hotel en
trance to get showered and ready for dinner.

  Jade glanced around, noticed that the room reserved for their meals had a door that could be closed. Hopping up first, she walked over. She realized no one was close enough to hear them, yet felt compelled to shut it anyway.

  Bruce waited until she'd retaken her seat. He gave her a nod of thanks and elaborated.

  "This discussion stays with us. It's possible we'll have to bring the authorities into the mix but they may also not have the manpower or the interest in pursuing our findings."

  "Like what?" Susan leaned forward. "Tell us. The suspense is killing me."

  "The woman we found had a manacle and chain attached to her ankle."

  Jade had to clarify. "She'd most likely been a prisoner at the time of her death."

  "What?"

  "Good Lord."

  Everyone sat back and stared, their gazes going from Jade to Bruce. Both nodded.

  "Now you understand the problem. We need to figure out our next step," Bruce said before taking another drink.

  "Are we thinking she was murdered?" Meg's gaze went from Jade to Bruce.

  Bruce shook his head. "We can't say that – at least at this point; and although Dr. Mike is qualified to make that determination back home, we have no authority here."

  "Besides, she could have been killed by the earthquake or infection like any of the others. She might have been a prisoner. That doesn't mean the person responsible…" Jade added an afterthought, "Killed her. She could have been chained in a basement or shed and died in the earthquake – the same as everyone else buried here."

  "Is it really possible that no one noticed the chain when she was thrown in?"

  "Definitely – and there could be several legitimate reasons for that, including the time of day she was placed in the grave, where she was found and even who found her. She might have been wrapped tight, concealing the chain." Bruce lifted his coffee cup and took a long sip. "Or no one cared. Think about it. If you have a woman chained somewhere and she dies in a natural disaster what are you going to do? You still have to dispose of the body. You still have to do it quickly, and for all we know, this person lost other people too – ones he cared about. There was essentially no law at the time, no one to care what you did."

  "God what a horrible thought." Meg shuddered. "Remember that serial killer, John Gacy? Didn't he bury a mess of boys in his basement and around the yard? What if this guy were a serial killer? What if her 'owner' was killed in the earthquake, too? Anyone finding her wouldn't have understood or known what to do. They'd have been all too happy to dispose of her body where no one would ask questions," she added with relish.

  Jade winced. "What better place than a mass grave where everyone is more concerned about expediting the burial of the rotting bodies and no one is checking to see what killed them?"

  Dr. Mike held up a hand, "Whoa. That's letting your imagination go way too far. All we know is that this woman was buried with a chain around her ankle. Now Haiti has some pretty disturbing rituals and beliefs when compared to Western ways and we can't just jump in here and assume foul play. Maybe by burying her with a chain, someone was hoping to keep her soul chained here."

  "Not that that is a great improvement, but I take your meaning. We can't assume anything at this time." After that, Jade stayed quiet and listened as the conversation rose and fell – the various hypothesis and suggestions kept them all busy.

  They might not have the facts; still Jade didn't need anyone telling her this was bad news. She already knew it was.

  Whoever that woman was, she hadn't had an easy ending to her life.

  ***

  Several days later, Dane drove up to the lab trailers and parked. He waved at Bruce who stood outside the reefer truck then walked over to see him.

  "Hey Dane. Good to see you. I wanted to thank you. Using your heavy equipment definitely lightened our load and improved the process."

  Dane smiled at Bruce – an amiable caring person doing a very difficult job. So far, Bruce had done well keeping the lid on this project. Dane had heard only minimal grumbling about this place amongst his workers. He'd actually stopped by to see how the team was progressing. And maybe check on Jade.

  He asked, "How are you guys getting along with the language?" His own French was only passable and his Creole – a gibberish mixture of Spanish, French, Portuguese and English – was just about as bad. If it weren't for his English-speaking foreman, he'd be hiring translators. Thankfully there was enough English spoken here that he could get by.

  Bruce grinned. "I'm amazed at how easy it is to understand the locals with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I'd have said I was only fluent in English except I did take French and Spanish in high school. Who'd have thought I'd remember any of it?"

  "Wish mine were better. Any trouble with the locals over the grave?"

  "Everything is quiet – just the way we like it. We're willing to help out the locals with identification and burial of these people any way we can. The DNA testing is going to take some time." Bruce shrugged. "Since when did anything like this go quickly?"

  "I can't imagine the cost, myself."

  "No but if I had the money, and one of my family was buried there, I'd understand spending it this way. I lost my sister to leukemia years ago and it gave my mother unending comfort to be able to go to her grave and visit with her. She still makes the weekly trip even though we lost my sister a dozen years ago."

  Dane walked over and sat down on the boulder beside Bruce. "Understandable."

  "Absolutely. We've pulled out over fifteen so far and are processing as fast as we can. Hopefully, families will step forward and help us identify these people and give us direction for reburial. Otherwise, the remains be reburied here." Bruce waved his hand toward the grave. "Maybe they'll erect a more formal monument although I don't know… The people here live simply and don't need the same trappings that Americans tend to feel are necessary."

  Dane studied the view in front of him. Peppe, Tasha's father, lived in the original Jacinte homestead just on the other side of the large clump of trees on the left. Dane couldn't help but wonder what the old guy thought about Bruce and his team's quest. If he even understood what was happening.

  "Haitians have strong beliefs though life here is basic. More about survival than anything else. I'm a little more sensitive to this issue as my sister-in-law is beyond distressed about this whole thing. Because she's pregnant, no one wants to upset her."

  Both men shared a commiserating glance. "Yeah, don't have any kids myself, however some women go through it just fine and then there are a few that seem to change personalities over the nine months. Easy to see something like this tipping the balance."

  "Right now, my concern is more for my brother's sake than hers. Maybe that's not fair, and I'm sorry if that comes across as harsh. Tasha's personality shift in the last week or two makes it hard to be sympathetic." Dane shook his head. Talk about an understatement. "That sounds cold and I don't mean it to be. John, he's being incredibly patient. Still, I don't know how long he can handle the tension. If it were me, I'd have said something way before this. Guess that's why I'm not married."

  Bruce chuckled. "Yeah, me too."

  Not knowing how to broach the subject, but really wanting to know the answer to the question that plagued him, Dane said, "So...are other members of the team married? Can't be too easy to do this job and leave a family behind." He bent his head to study his shoes. And waited.

  "No one is married, though having a committed relationship is a big help for individual members when it comes to dealing with this type of work. I believe the easiest way to deal with death on a regular basis is to have a way to affirm life." Bruce studied Dane's face, his grin widening. "Well just for your information, all three women are single and although Meg, the tall brunette, appears to hav
e a long-term relationship, she jumped at the chance to come here."

  Dane smiled slightly.

  Bruce continued, his voice light and tinged with humor. "Now Jade, the short blonde, appears to have a solemn attitude toward life, and I don't believe she is in a long-term relationship… And then there is Susan – our bubbly black-haired technician. She's also single."

  Dane almost winced. Damn, Bruce appeared to be really enjoying this. "Well put about Jade. Life appears to be a serious business to her."

  "Yes, she's quiet. But focused and dedicated and I love workers like that. She's determined to do right by everyone in that grave and find each of them their home."

  "Hmmm."

  "She could do with a bit of cheering, too. So if you want to stop by her trailer and say 'hi' – feel free. Isolation isn't good for her. She tends to be a loner most of the time anyway. Hard to break her out of her shell."

  Trying for a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, and knowing he'd failed, Dane gave it up. Pretense wasn't his style anyway. Besides, he really wanted to get to know Jade better. He stood. "Good. I'll stop by there after I'm loaded."

  Dane walked away, aware Bruce watched him. Bruce was just looking out for his team. Was protective of them. That was fine. Dane could handle a little scrutiny. He had nothing to hide.

  ***

  The sound of heavy machinery broke her concentration. Jade lifted her head from her workbench and frowned. Was Dane here?

  She paused to straighten, wincing as her back crackled and popped. She needed to change the height of her worktable or she'd resemble a hunchback by the end of this job.

  At the open door, she watched Dane maneuver the machine onto a trailer he kept parked there. He made it look easy as he handled the equipment. She gave him a small wave as he hopped out.

  "Hey. Didn't expect to see you here."

  He walked toward her, that long loose-limbed stride eating the distance in seconds. She watched appreciatively. "This is where you'll find me most of the time. The others will come and go from the hotel and the site. I'm likely to be a permanent fixture here."