Shadow Bones

by Colleen Rhoads

  Skye licked her dry lips. “You’re sure it was a man.”

  “He was tall. Big as a house. Big like Spider Woman.”

  Skye suppressed a sigh. Wilson was rambling.

  “I want to go home now,” Wilson announced. “I saw your daddy, Skye.”

  Her heart kicked. “When, Wilson?”

  “When he came here.” He waved toward the mountain.

  “Lately?”

  Wilson took a step back. “I need to sleep now.” His expression took on a stubborn cast as he settled beneath the tree and pulled his hat over his eyes.

  Frustration rose in her chest. “Now what?” She was afraid to hope he knew what he was talking about. Could her father have come back?

  “Maybe he’ll talk more later. We should take him to town for the sheriff to talk to him.” He gave her a kind look. “Don’t go getting your hopes up that your father has come back. Time is murky for Wilson. He was likely talking about sometime in the past before your father went away.”

  “Probably,” Skye admitted. “But what if Wilson saw him recently?”

  “Don’t go there.” He squeezed her shoulder. “We need to let the sheriff handle Wilson.”

  “You think you can carry him for half a mile through heavy forest?” She nodded to the big man lying on the ground.

  “We’ll get the sheriff out here.” He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the screen. “No signal.”

  “I’m not surprised. What if one of us goes for the sheriff, and the other one stays here to watch Wilson.” She knew what he would say before he answered. Typical male.

  “You go.”

  “No, I’d better stay here with Wilson. He’ll be scared if he wakes up and sees you.”

  “Like the sheriff would listen to me.”

  He had a point. “Maybe you’re right.” She glanced at Wilson again. “He might sleep until I get back.”

  “You might be able to get a signal at the road and just call the sheriff. Then you could come right back here to wait on him.”

  “Okay. Try not to scare him if he wakes up.”

  Jake touched her hand. “Be careful. I think you need these.” He tossed her the keys to the SUV.

  She caught it midair. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  The hum of the bees through the wildflowers in the meadow made Jake wish he could take a nap himself. He settled on a rock and waited. As he jiggled his foot, he kept glancing at the opening. If only he could make himself go in there to look. He stood and walked closer.

  The opening was only about four feet in diameter. No way could he crawl in there. He wished there was someway to get over this paralyzing fear. Skye said God didn’t give a spirit of fear, but of power and a sound mind. He puzzled over what she meant. He’d been watching her, and if God was what made her different from most women he met, that extra something was intriguing. It made him long for something unnamed, something that almost frightened him.

  A total reliance on God.

  His chest squeezed at the thought. He knew he was God’s child, but Jake liked control. Giving it up to someone else, even God, was too difficult.

  But maybe it was necessary for true happiness. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Are you listening, God?” he said the words tentatively, as if the Creator might actually answer.

  Out here in the wilderness, he could almost feel the Lord nearby. He was probably just tired today, or he wouldn’t be thinking like this. He hadn’t been to bed last night at all. He heard the sound of someone tromping through the woods and turned to look. Kimball Washington batted a branch out of the way and stepped into the clearing.

  “What are you doing out here?” Jake asked, going to meet him.

  “I ran into Skye on her way to find the sheriff, and she asked me to come keep you company.”

  “She couldn’t get him on the cell?”

  Kimball shook his head. “Her cell phone was dead.”

  “I should have given her mine.”

  “She said she’d be back as soon as she could.” Kimball looked toward Wilson, still sleeping beneath the tree. “Maybe we should take another crack at asking him questions. Skye told me what was going on.”

  “Let’s leave it until the sheriff gets here.”

  Kimball raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping Jake’s face. “You look done in. Why don’t you take a nap yourself?”

  “I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink. Not knowing those eggs may be in that tunnel.” He pointed out the spot to Kimball.

  “I’m not going in there. God gives us common sense for a reason.”

  Jake arched his eyebrows. He’d never heard Kimball talk about God before. “I never knew you were a Christian.”

  “Last time we met I wasn’t.” Kimball settled on the rock beside Jake. “I finally ‘saw the light,’ as they say.” He grinned.

  “I have to say I’m surprised.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re a man of science. Some say they don’t go together.”

  Kimball’s smile widened. “Do you believe in dinosaurs, Jake?”

  “Of course.” Jake wondered if Kimball had been in the sun too long.

  “Why?”

  “I’ve found their fossils.” Where was Kimball going with all this? Jake moved impatiently.

  “But you’ve never seen one.”

  “I’ve seen the evidence they existed.”

  “And the evidence God exists is all around us. You believe in dinosaurs because you see the bones, but how do you explain the way all the stars maintain their orbits, the way the ocean tides move in and out. And what about the beauty all around us? There is an Intelligent Designer, Jake. There has to be.”

  “Hmm, I’ve never really thought about that. I believe in God because I believe. It’s that simple and that hard. I hadn’t thought about hard evidence.” What Kimball said made sense. Jake looked around with new eyes. Every word the man said strengthened Jake’s sleeping faith.

  Kimball went on. “Science says it’s survival of the fittest. Man is defenseless, yet he rules the world. Does that make sense?”

  “I guess not.” Jake stretched his legs out in the sun. “Didn’t it feel weird to give up control to God? I’ve never done that, despite my faith. I’ve always held on to that last little piece.”

  “Yeah, it felt a little weird. But you know what—it was a relief, too. I sure wasn’t doing that great a job running my own life. I figured I didn’t have anything to lose by letting God have a shot at it. You might give it a try.”

  Jake tried to stifle the longing in his heart, but it came back in a resurging wave. He’d always admired Kimball more than any other man. And Wynne and Becca had that same sense of peace that Skye had. That contentment was missing from Jake’s life. What Kimball was saying made a lot of sense. But no, not yet.

  His chest closed up. “Not now. I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll go to church with the family on Sunday.” It was all very well and good to say he wanted to give God control, but he didn’t see how he could do it. What if God asked him to give up paleontology?

  “Don’t wait too long,” Kimball warned. “When the Holy Spirit is calling to a course of action, it’s never wise to turn away.”

  He didn’t want to be a nut about it. Did he? Maybe he did. He hadn’t done a great job of running his own life. Sure, he’d had success in his career, but it hadn’t erased the emptiness in his heart.

  “You’ve gone off the deep end,” Jake said, forcing a laugh.

  “The water’s refreshing here,” Kimball said with a cheeky grin. He clapped his hand on Jake’s arm. “I’ll be praying for you, buddy.”

  “I appreciate it.” Jake stood and stretched his legs. “The sheriff and Skye should be back anytime.”

  Kimball cocked his head. “I thought I heard something.”

  A distant rustle came to Jake’s ears. “Me, too.” Unease touched him. The sounds seemed stealthy. Skye and the sheriff wouldn’t be trying to mask the
ir steps.

  Something whistled by Jake’s head and plowed into the ground by Wilson. “Get down!” He threw himself to the ground. “Someone’s shooting at us.”

  Another bullet plowed into the tree above Wilson’s head. The big man jumped to his feet and crashed into the forest. “The Spider Woman!” Running as if a swarm of bees were after him, he disappeared into the thick brush.

  Jake started to get up to go after him, but another bullet zinged by overhead. “Where’s the sheriff when you need him?”

  “I’ll circle around and try to catch him. Keep him occupied.” Kimball belly-crawled toward a downed tree.

  “Be careful!” Jake hissed. He jumped to his feet and ran toward a boulder, then hit the dirt as another bullet flew past his head. The guy seemed to be coming closer. Jake couldn’t quite tell what position the shooter held.

  Picking up a rock, he tossed it into a rocky outcropping. Nothing. Crouching, he ran toward a nearby tree. He felt a burning on his left arm and looked down to see a thin trickle of blood on his forearm where a bullet had nicked him, probably the one that seemed to have been aimed at Wilson.

  He charged toward another rock, but no bullets greeted his movement. Where was Kimball? A roar echoed from the forest, and he squinted to see Kimball charging toward three white birch trees that grew together. Jake jumped to his feet and rushed to help.

  Kimball’s war cry had faded when the two men came face-to-face. Jake looked around. “Did you see anyone?”

  Kimball shook his head. “He was shooting from here though—look.” He pointed to bullet casings on the ground.

  Jake started to pick one up, but Kimball stopped him. “This is a job for the sheriff.”

  “At least he won’t be able to deny someone shot at us.”

  “Unless he says these are old bullets.”

  “He’ll believe you,” Jake said. “But why would someone want to shoot Wilson?”

  “Unless Wilson knew too much?”

  “We’ve got to find out what he knows,” Jake said grimly.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Not much we can do tonight.” The sheriff peered through the darkness at the ground. “The shooter is gone, and so is Wilson. I’ll see if I can track him down tomorrow.”

  “He’ll corroborate the fact we were shot at,” Jake said. He hoped the man wouldn’t talk nonsense. If he started spouting about the Spider Woman, the sheriff wouldn’t listen to a word he said.

  “You’re hurt!” Skye pointed to the dried blood on Jake’s arm.

  Reaching into her purse, she pulled out an ointment and took his arm in her hand. The touch of her fingers took the sting out of the wound. He smelled some woodsy scent in her hair from the herbal shampoo she used. Her ministrations were so typical of who she was—a nurturer through and through.

  He loved her. The realization nearly rocked him on his heels. The emotion had crept up on him when he least expected it. His life felt like it was spiraling out of control. Out of his control, at least.

  That realization made him step back from her. “I’m fine. We can look at it later.”

  Kimball fell into step beside them as they followed the sheriff’s light out of the forest. Jake knew Skye had to be tired because he was exhausted himself. It was nearly three in the morning. Maybe these feelings he had were a result of his fatigue.

  Glancing at Skye walking beside him, he knew he was kidding himself. He loved everything about her. Her intensity and courage, her caring for other people, the tiny lines between her eyes when she was determined.

  But shackling himself to this island was another story. He realized it was all about control again. If he married Skye, he wouldn’t be in control of his own life—he would have to take her needs and wants into consideration. Maybe he wasn’t ready for that any more than he was ready to give control to God.

  Skye stumbled, and Jake grabbed her arm and helped her through the underbrush. The moon was gone, and the woods were black and sinister. Good thing the sheriff had a flashlight. His own had given out.

  Skye was visibly drooping by the time they found the road. Jake opened the SUV’s passenger door for her, and she practically fell into the seat. The wound on his arm was beginning to throb.

  He told Kimball he’d see him later and rounded the back of the SUV. “We’re all worse for the wear,” he said, slinging his rangy form under the wheel. “I’ll have you home in no time. Your mom is going to kill me for putting you in danger.”

  “I think it was the other way around.” She leaned her head back against the headrest. “Besides, she thinks you can do no wrong.”

  “And what does her daughter think?” Jake would have grabbed back the words if he’d had the chance. He stared straight ahead at his headlights probing the darkness of the night. He’d never fished for a compliment before in his life.

  “She thinks you’re pretty wonderful, too,” Skye said after a long pause. “In fact, she’d like you to come to dinner tomorrow.”

  His chest expanded, and he no longer felt the sting of the bullet wound on his arm. “Good, I’ll be there.” He would have said more, but he glanced over to find her head lolling to the side and her eyes closed.

  She was asleep. The tension eased in his muscles, and he smiled. They had time to explore this new relationship, or whatever this was.

  Unless he turned tail and ran for his life.

  Skye barely remembered stumbling into the house and into her bed. The noonday sun drove shards of light behind her lids by the time she awoke. The thought of what Wilson had said about her father came back to her mind. The rational part of her mind knew she was grasping at straws but she had to check it out.

  She jumped into her clothes, then cleaned the house and did the laundry. She’d talk to her mother over dinner. Her heart gave a flutter. Jake would be there for the meal. She didn’t know how she had gotten up the nerve to invite him, but he’d seemed different last night.

  Her smile broadening, Skye grabbed her keys and headed to her truck. “Mother?” Skye stepped into the house and sniffed the aroma from down the hall. Her mother bustled around the kitchen fixing dinner. The aroma of pot roast mingled with that of the apple pie cooling on the rack. Skye should be hungry, but her stomach was too tightly clenched to feel hunger pangs. She didn’t want her mother to flip out when she heard the news.

  “Oh, Skye.” Her mother glanced at her. “Dinner won’t be ready for a bit. Are you hungry?”

  Skye glanced at her watch. Five o’clock. “No, I got up late and didn’t eat until two.”

  Her mother put down the spoon and turned to face her. She ran a worried gaze over Skye’s face and form. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine. I was just out late with Jake.” She held up her hand when she saw her mother’s countenance brighten. “Investigative work.”

  Her mother’s approving smile faded. “It must have been quite late.”

  “After three this morning.” Skye perched on a bar stool and watched her mother turn back to her preparations. “Um, Mother, I heard something last night. I don’t know if it’s true or not.” She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice, but her mother stopped stirring the gravy and looked at her with a frown between her eyes.

  “You look a little flushed. Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” She looked down at the counter. “Maybe, er, I don’t know.”

  Her mother put down the spoon again. “What is it, Skye? You’re scaring me.”

  Just what she didn’t want to do. Skye sighed. “Wilson says he saw my father.” She began breaking lettuce into salad bowls.

  “Wilson New Moon?”

  “Yes. He seemed to know what he was talking about, Mother. Do you know where Father might be hiding out?” It was all she could do to sit calmly on the stool when she wanted to be out searching for her father.

  Her mother was shaking her head even before Skye stopped talking. “Skye, this is wishful thinking on your part. Your father is never coming back.”

/>   “But what if it’s him?” Skye pressed the question. “Wilson doesn’t generally lie.”

  “I know that, but he does get confused. There have been other times in the past where you thought you saw your father. For your sake, I wish Harry would come back and face all of us, but that’s not going to happen.”

  Skye clung to her hope. Her mother was wrong. This was real. “You don’t know that.” But her heart sank anyway. She remembered Wilson’s words. He wouldn’t say he’d seen her father recently.

  “I do know it and so do you, if you’d admit it.” Her mother came to Skye and put her palms on Skye’s cheeks. “Let it go, Skye. You can’t live your life looking for your father every day. Put it behind you. We have a good life here, don’t we?”

  “Yes.” Skye tried to smile but her lips trembled.

  “Peter has taken good care of us. Don’t you realize how this hurts him—this continual and obsessive search for your father? Peter has done everything humanly possible to take Harry’s place. You keep throwing Peter’s love back in his face.”

  “I don’t mean to do that. Peter knows I love and honor him for all he’s done for us.”

  “He doesn’t do it for thanks, I don’t mean that. But it makes him feel he’ll always be second best.”

  “Mother, Peter came into our lives when I was eighteen. I grew up with a father I loved. No one can take his place. Peter knows that, and he knows he holds a special place in my life. Michael and James try, too, but no one can be a father to me now except my own.”

  Her mother sighed and her hands dropped to her side. “You’re so stubborn, Skye.”

  Skye dropped her head. Maybe she was stubborn, but if there was even a chance…“So where might I look for my dad?”

  Her mother spread out her hands. “I don’t know. Maybe the reservation. His brother might have heard from him.”

  Skye hadn’t talked to her uncle Louis in months. He was a strange man, always going off for months at a time into the deep woods to “meditate and commune with the spirits of the forest” as he put it. She’d have to track him down and see if he’d seen her father.