Touched by Death

by Dale Mayer

  Dr. Mike spoke up. "Their lack of interest and caring suggests we should only remove the remains if they meet our search criteria and leave the others be. Not test the others at all. So few family members have come forward at the clinic… And with the pressure from Tony… And if all our efforts focused in the lab trailers we'd be done that much faster."

  "Have you turned anyone away? Anyone approach you about disturbing the spirits? Anyone give you any kind of suspicious or unsettling reaction. What about more break-ins?"

  Dr. Mike glanced from one face to the next, then turned to stare at Dane. "There's been one minor one at the clinic, but nothing was taken. There's been no more here at the hotel that we know of. And as much as I hate to say it, the only one particularly bothered was Tasha, your sister-in-law."

  "Great. Well she's not capable of kidnapping Jade." He pulled out his phone. "As far as I know, she is safe and sound at the hospital."

  "Did you ever check with John to see if there was anything new on Tasha?" Meg asked. "I'm thinking about what Magrim said."

  He grimaced. "Right. She said Tasha was dead."

  "What?" Stephen leaned forward. "Did she die?"

  "I don't believe so." Dane let Meg tell the others about Magrim's prophecy. He dialed John. "John? What's the matter? You don't sound very good."

  "I just called the hospital. Tasha passed away during her nap this afternoon. Just after you and I left her. I've been wandering around town in a daze ever since."

  Dane closed his eyes and slumped against the wall. His brother just couldn't catch a break. "Shit. I am sorry John. I didn't see that one coming."

  "Neither did I. Now I have no reason to stay, do I? Except for Peppe, my entire Haitian family has been wiped out," he said bitterly. Dane walked away from the others. "I'm sorry John. I know now much you were looking forward to the baby and having Tasha back to normal."

  John's unsteady voice was hard to decipher. "Instead I have another funeral to arrange. I wonder if the baby can go in the coffin with her. I think she'd like that."

  Dane's heart broke. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

  Silence filled the phone.

  "What did you call about?"

  Dane straightened. "We're looking for one of the team members; Jade, the tiny blonde. I wondered if you'd seen her?"

  "Seen her? No. Why would you think I had?" John's voice was devoid of curiosity. Devoid of anything for that matter.

  Dane winced. "Sorry for bothering you. When I called, I knew it was a long shot but I'm desperate to find her. I left her for a few minutes and when I came back she was gone."

  "I don't know why you'd be calling me. It's not like I know her."

  Dane clenched the phone tighter at the petulant sound in his brother's voice. "I'm calling everyone. Keep an eye out for her will you, please? By the way, did you ever find Peppe?"

  "No. No idea where he is. He might be dead too. Lord knows everyone else is," John said, his voice gloomy and without energy.

  Damn. His brother had been through so much. "I'm not. I've been here for you all along. I can't bring them back. I wish I could, but that's just not possible."

  "Yeah. I know. But I would like to know why your life is so easy and clean…and why mine is just plain fucked up."

  The phone went click.

  Dane stared down at it and groaned softly. He didn't know how to get John through this. It had been hard last time. This could be much worse.

  "Dane?"

  He spun around to find the group staring at him. "Hey. Sorry. Tasha passed away this afternoon after John and I visited her."

  Meg gasped, her hand going to her throat. "So Magrim was right? At least about Tasha. Although we don't know about Peppe… Is he still missing?"

  "Apparently." He stared down at the phone. "John's in a bad way."

  "Of course he is." Wilson stared at him. "He's lost his wife and unborn child."

  "That would be tough on anyone." Bruce winced, exchanging glances with Dr. Mike.

  "And worse when it happens twice." Dane looked and sighed. "He lost his first wife in a car accident. John didn't know she was pregnant until the doctor told him afterwards."

  Shocked silence filled the room.

  Dane frowned. He studied the uncomfortable look on Dr. Mike's face. Bruce cleared his throat. "Twice. That's an awful coincidence."

  "What do you mean?"

  "The chances of that happening twice in one man's life are pretty slim."

  Stephen and Wilson slid sideways glances to the other two scientists. "Right, Dr. Mike?"

  Dr. Mike and Bruce were having a silent conversation. As if coming to an agreement, Dr. Mike nodded. "It's not impossible. Some people seem to be plagued by bad luck. If there had been a police investigation in the first incident, the second would definitely warrant a closer look. Particularly if there had been anything else in his history. However both deaths were unrelated and by came about by different methods, so it could be very bad luck."

  It took a moment for Dane to digest what he was really saying. "No. Oh no." He shook his head violently. "Don't even think that. There. Is. No Way."

  Silence filled the room. "Besides maybe Tasha caused her own death, accidentally or intentionally." Angry, he stood with his hands on his hips, his phone still open in his hand.

  Meg spoke up, "I don't see Tasha having done something. She's been catatonic since she went into the hospital. Did John say how she died?"

  Dane stared at her, trying to sort out how everything had suddenly twisted upside down. Finally, he said, "I didn't ask. John didn't volunteer."

  The others exchanged sober looks.

  Dane could feel insidious doubt twisting in the back of his mind. No. It wasn't possible. Not John. "Better you consider the missing Peppe. I don't know when I last saw him, but in his mental condition he could have killed Tasha, too.

  "Not John. John wanted his family. He lived for them. Besides, we're jumping to conclusions here. For all we know, Tasha died from complications of the surgery." He pulled out his cell phone. "We could call and find out for sure."

  Bruce interjected. "They won't have definitive results from an autopsy yet."

  "Easy. We're not accusing John of anything. Honestly, the prime issue is to find Jade."

  Meg cleared her throat. The others turned to stare at her. "I know this isn't going to be popular, but honestly, there aren't too many people to consider. So we have to look at everyone, including ourselves." She took a deep breath. "And John. Is there any reason that John may have wanted to talk to Jade? Would he have taken her for coffee? Anything?"

  Anger twisted inside him. She was actually suggesting his brother might have had something to do with Jade's disappearance. Red filled his mind. "There is no way. Don't take the suspicion from one bad scenario and make it fit another. John didn't kill either of his wives. Nor did he 'take' Jade anywhere. He hasn't seen her. I just asked him." He stood up, barely holding back the anger threatening to explode. "I will start looking further afield."

  "Didn't Magrim also say Peppe was dead?"

  "I don't give a rat's ass what that old bitch said." Bitter and angry, confused and – dare he admit it – slightly afraid, he headed toward the parking lot.

  "Dane."

  He stopped short and turned back. "What?"

  "Be careful."

  He shot them a look of disbelief and walked away.

  ***

  Jade had scrunched up to keep warm. Her mind raced from idea to idea…and always slammed into the same blank wall. Her ankle was truly locked in the manacle and the chain was truly bolted to the wall. She wasn't going anywhere and she didn't know where she was. Except that she figured it was some kind of basement. There were no windows or doors and just the one set of stairs. The mustiness seemed to be growing stronger…maybe there was something dead down here.

&n
bsp; The reality of her situation added to the chill in the place and sent shivers down her small frame. Cold and hungry, she waited for her captor. Surely, he'd come back soon?

  Her mind kept returning to the poor victims from the grave. She had no doubt she was in their shoes right now. She just didn't understand why.

  Or how?

  She had no recollection of being snatched or the journey to this place. The only clue was the dried blood in her hair and that damn booming headache. Her eyes focused further into the dim space… There was something in the far corner, hidden by the dark and didn't move. Some lumber leaned against the wall; something else was stacked on the floor. Once again she regretted not having a cell phone.

  Why her? Had someone looked for her specifically? Or had it been a crime of opportunity? Was her imprisonment related to the excavation of the gravesite? Her stomach heaved. She might never get out. She might end up in a nameless grave like the other women. Unmarked and unknown. Duncan would go mad. He'd blame himself for talking her into coming to Haiti for the second time.

  She buried her head in her arms.

  She didn't want to die.

  She'd just returned to the land of the living.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Meg said, "I'm presuming that's not the way to gain Dane's cooperation."

  "Do we really think that John may have killed Tasha?" Stephen shook his head. "That's crazy."

  "Better ask Dr. Mike that question." Meg turned to look at Dr. Mike.

  "It's a possibility. A probability? Who can say?" Dr. Mike cleared his throat. "We don't know the details on his first wife and know almost nothing about Tasha's death yet."

  Bruce joined in. "I will say that the only time I've come across something like this, it was exactly that. Two pregnant wives unexpectedly dying. I agree; it sounds suspicious but without further details..."

  "Even if John did do something to his wife," Stephen's voice rose slightly. "What does that have to do with Jade? Isn't that an entirely different issue?"

  Dr. Mike spoke again. "Maybe. Maybe not. Dane appears reliable. Responsible. What's going on with John? I can't say I like the little bit that I saw, but that's just my opinion."

  Meg stepped in. "Yes. Jade said something about him having had a bad time of it before these deaths. That he struggled in his relationship with his wife…and that his business was failing."

  Dr. Mike glanced over at Bruce. "That just reinforces the profile: Failed business, failed marriage. Rather than look at himself, it's easier to blame the wife. Blame leads to the solution: get rid of the wife – get rid of the problem."

  Stephen leaned back. "That's cold, man."

  Dr. Mike's face twisted. "Murder usually is. And I've seen way too much of it."

  "Why would he get rid of the baby too? It's his child. Are there no parental feelings?" Meg gave a delicate shudder.

  Dr. Mike shook his head. "Again, not if the baby has been pinpointed as the cause of a problem."

  Wilson jumped in. "And what if he had nothing to do with the baby's death but blamed Tasha for the death of his baby?"

  "Even if he did, what does that have to do with Jade? Let's focus on her and leave the dead for later." Meg stood and paced the area nervously. "We have to find her."

  "Do we want to try talking to John? Call in the authorities? You said wait until we'd search. Well we have – now what."

  "Not to mention, this is only sheer conjecture," Stephen said, groaning. "I think Jade's imagination is getting to all of us."

  "Well she came up that damn hill to find me. I'm not going to bed tonight until we find her." Dr. Mike glared at his crutches. "However, I am a little handicapped. I can stay here and run command central or I can be a passenger as we drive around looking. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

  "Was she so unnerved at that old lady's words that she might go for a walk? Go to the beach, maybe? If so, someone should go and drive that area, check out her familiar haunts, her places to walk…on the off chance. Do we know if there's a vehicle missing? Oh Right. Bruce, you checked that didn't you?"

  Bruce agreed. "They're all here."

  "Magrim said she should not trust those close to her…"

  Wilson snorted. "So what – we're supposed to look at each other with suspicion?"

  Meg shook her head. "No. That's not what I meant. I'm wondering if we can trust Dane? And does John count as someone close to her – because of his connection to Dane?"

  "How about this – we assume they're both psychotic killers?" Wilson stood up. "I can't just sit here. I'm going to walk toward Magrim's booth and the little park. Otherwise, everyone stay together and keep in contact. Enough people have gone missing."

  Meg and Susan stood up. "We're coming, too."

  Bruce pushed his chair back. "I'm going to loop back through the hotel again. Talk to the staff. Maybe she's showed up since we checked with them." He disappeared into the main building, leaving the other two men alone.

  ***

  Alone in his truck, Dane pounded the steering wheel. There was no way that John would survive an accusation like this. He'd been through enough already. It would destroy him. Like it had last time.

  Last time?

  "Dear God." From the back of his mind, came one old memory he'd forgotten about. With good reason. John's old girlfriend, Celia. She'd gone missing years ago. Was it important? Or would it just throw unnecessary suspicion in the wrong direction? He needed Jade back, not wasting time doing a useless search in the wrong direction.

  His stomach clenched with bubbling acid. Did the story of Celia's disappearance have any bearing on today's? John's high school sweetheart had run away several times during high school, so when she took off for good, no one thought anything of it. Dane didn't know where or when...or if...she'd ever surfaced. She might have. It wasn't like he had kept in touch with anyone from back then. No one he could call and ask.

  If he could find out she was fine, then he could forget about any connection to John's wives. And clearing that away would help John's case. Letting Dane focus on Jade's disappearance without John distracting him.

  Then again, he just might know someone who could give him the answer he needed. His foreman back in Seattle. He pulled off to the side of the road, took a look around, hoping to see Jade walking toward him as he dialed the Seattle number. He waited impatiently for the call to get picked up.

  "Thomas? Hey, yeah it's Dane. I have an odd non-work related question. Do you remember Mark Coombes? From high school? Do you remember if his kid sister ever surfaced? Remember she ran away again just before graduation?"

  Thomas, his curiosity leaching through the phone lines, asked, "What's that about Mark's sister? Why are you asking me? I don't know. Ask your brother John, he was closest to her."

  "Was he? I couldn't remember." Except he did remember that much. Dane leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He swallowed hard. "I missed a lot of that year. I was in second year of college back then."

  "Yeah, we both were. Her brother Mark had a hard time then. She was forever saying she hated her life too. So when she went missing that last time everyone took it as normal behavior. Only she didn't come home. I was pretty hot on her back then. Unfortunately, she only had eyes for John."

  Thomas spoke in reminiscent tones without any understanding of the turmoil twisting through Dane. He cleared his throat. "I thought they'd broken up before then?"

  "They broke up and got together again, constantly. It's hard to remember anymore. Like I said, talk to John. He was the last one to see her before she disappeared."

  Dane gut clenched. "Okay, I will. Everything there all right?" Christ he hoped so. His life here had just drained to the sewer level.

  "Yeah everything's fine. I need you to go over that bid for the Stortex job. Any chance you'll get that done today?"

  Hell no.
"I'll see what I can do. I might be coming home sooner than I'd planned."

  Thomas cheered. "That's great news. We need you here. I know long distance is fine for a while but I'm not you, buddy."

  And Dane knew he needed to go home, not just for his company but for himself. But not until he'd found Jade and helped his brother get his life together. "I hear you. I'll call in a couple of days."

  "Do that. Don't forget to put that bid together."

  "Will do." Dane rang off. He dropped his head back and closed his eyes again, letting Thomas's words repeat in his mind. His stomach wanted to heave as he considered a possibility he could no longer ignore. Oh God.

  Had John done something to the women he'd loved? Even worse, could he have done something to Jade – the woman Dane loved?

  ***

  "Well I don't want to just sit here waiting until the authorities arrive. What can we do?" Dr. Mike studied the area where Jade had been sitting.

  Stephen said, "If she were sitting here, she'd have been taken out the back way." He pointed behind him. That's the most direct route. With the road right there, someone could easily have snatched her and stuffed her in a vehicle."

  Stephen got up and walked around while Dr. Mike watched. A short hedge separated the hotel's property from the side street but it was easy to step over. "It would have been too damn easy. Especially if he parked here."

  He stood where the vehicle could have parked and in ten steps reached where Jade had sat. He made a motion with his arm demonstrating a simple choke hold, bent down, tossed an imaginary Jade over his shoulder and hopped over the hedge.

  "Simple."

  With a decisive nod, Dr. Mike said, "Less than a minute. Walk up, pick her up and walk out. Done."

  Frowning, Stephen added, "And no one would have seen her abduction unless they were sitting right here."