His Garden of Bones (Skye Cree Book 4) (19 page)

B
ut before the elders could get underway with the ceremony they had to wait for Phyllis and Doug Ander to leave Josh’s room.

For three hours Skye stalled for time. Standing beside Josh’s bed, nervously hoping his parents would eventually feel comfortable enough to leave their son in her care, she wanted to get the show on the road. But noting the worried look on their faces, she didn’t blame the Anders for sticking around well past the witching hour. After all, their son had been comatose for more than six hours now.

“I don’t understand why he doesn’t wake up,” Phyllis wondered.

Doug touched his son’s cheek, felt his forehead and then searched Skye’s face for answers. “It’s as if something else is at play here. Is there a reason there’s a roomful of Nez Perce elders lined up outside the nurse’s station hoping the way will soon be clear when we leave?”

Skye looked over at Phyllis then back at Doug and decided to level with them. “Okay, you deserve the truth. Here’s the deal. At the risk of sounding completely off the charts and you thinking I’m nuttier than peanut butter, Travis and I think the killer we’re after is utilizing some kind of ancient curse to keep Josh sick and out of it. There, I said it.”

Doug looked stressed and baffled until the light bulb went off. “So that explains why there are a bunch of elders—I haven’t seen since the wedding—sitting out in the waiting room. If this ancient curse is a factor then why have you wasted all this time? Let’s get the tribe in here and try making him better. For God’s sake, help Josh come back to us.”

“Right,” Skye said. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” She angled her head toward Travis. “You round up the medicine men while I distract the nurses.”

Doug waved her off. “Don’t worry about the nurses. You get this thing started and Phyllis and I will take care of them. Just see to it that my boy gets better.”

“You heard the man,” Skye said to Travis. “I’ll set the stage with everything we need. You think it’ll work without being physically inside the lodge?”

“That’s the next thing we’ll try if this fails, but it is mid-winter, the perfect season to bring about the healing power of the wéyekin.”

To the Nez Perce the wéyekin ceremony was the backbone of their spiritual culture where powerful medicine could be found in a quest for their guardian spirit, the spirit that resided in the peopleless land. Since children from seven to thirteen went in search of their Power, wéyekin offered protection throughout their lifetime. During illness or hardship they called on their wéyekin for help. Even though Josh had come late to the party, this was one of those times. He might not be Nez Perce by blood but his adopted people believed he was a full member of the tribe. So, the elders had come to call, to appeal to his spirit guide, the wolf, for healing.

Standing beside his bed, Skye had a hard time dealing with how gray Josh looked. Since the hit and run, he seemed to be going downhill faster. Taking his hand in hers, she placed a kiss on his brow before stepping back so the tribe could work their magic.

The elders entered the room in order of tribal hierarchy. They began to utter in their Native tongue, chanting for the spirit of their ancestors to heal and protect. Two lit candles while two more began playing their flutes. The beat of drums sounded as the scent of cedar and sage wafted on the air, replacing the sickly hospital disinfectant odor.

The shaman directed the tribe to stand in a circle surrounding Josh’s bed. They took up the same refrain. “Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Tonight we call this room our lodge. We call to the peopleless land to use its forces of nature, its powerful energy, to enter here tonight where we meet and heal our young friend, Josh Ander. We ask the land to help in driving out the source of the evil spirits causing the sickness to befall our friend. We ask that Josh Ander regain dominion over his own human spirit. We call to the warrior wolf spirit inside him to fight strong once again and be with us again the way he was before. We call to his wolf spirit to chase away whatever evil keeps him sleeping. Heal like the strong wolf you are, Josh Ander. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Let the light shine in your eyes once again. Let your strength return tenfold. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay.”

The singing continued until the first rays of sunlight peeked through the vertical blinds.

If the roomful of people thought anything physical would change in Josh right away, they were greatly disappointed. Skye knew it might take a while for the healing powers of the Great Spirit. But Phyllis and Doug and Lena and Zoe were disheartened at the lack of response in Josh.

Skye looked around at the faces of their friends. “I’m glad all of you came. I’m not sure what I would’ve done tonight if you guys hadn’t been here with me to see me through the night.”

“What happens now?” Phyllis asked.

“We wait. Until then you guys get out of here and get some sleep. Lena, I need you at the foundation for the next couple days heading up things. In fact, any of you who are able to spare the time, it’d be great if you could check in with Lena for specific assignments. Travis, if you could take Atka home with you, I’d really appreciate it. Last trip out to the car for the dog was at three a.m. I’m sure she needs to go out again.”

“Don’t worry about Atka. You just take care of yourself. Try to catch a nap if you can.”

A nurse came into the room, looked around at the standing-room-only crowd and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been patient up to now. But there’s a shift change due in thirty minutes. Be out of here before the day shift goes on the clock. That means anyone who isn’t immediate family gets the boot.”

“They’re all family,” Skye returned with a smile. “And I love all of you for coming.”

Once they’d all drifted out to the elevators, Skye sat down by Josh’s bedside and held his hand. Tears streamed down her face. She’d walked down alleyways and faced child molesters and every kind of murderer, but she was never as scared as she was right at that moment.

Harry found her like that.

“You look like you could drop. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, not really. But thanks for asking. Thanks for coming. What are you doing here so early?”

“I thought you’d like to know that the lab picked up useable DNA from Ashley’s and Kiki’s clothing.”

“Touch DNA? So we’ll know pretty quick if it came from two donors, if it’s male or female, or if it matches anyone in the system.”

“You know the drill. It’s more than we had two days ago.”

“Okay. Then as soon as Josh is able to walk out of this place, we’ll want to talk to Ashley, delve a little deeper into her ordeal, find out what she remembers.”

“He’ll be okay, Skye.”

She stared down at Josh. “You bet he will.”

Several hours after
the cleansing ceremony had ended and Harry had left her alone, Josh’s eyes fluttered open.

His first clear picture was of Skye, head resting near his chest, asleep. He feared if he moved, he’d wake her so he remained perfectly still just watching her. Instincts though were back in full throttle. He laid his hand on her hair in a gentle, light touch.

As if sensing he was awake, Skye lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

“You have beautiful eyes,” he murmured. “Have I told you that lately?”

“No, I don’t believe you have.” She ran a hand over the bruises on his forehead. “Would you like some ice chips? You still feel feverish to me.”

She scooped up the plastic hospital pitcher, clinked ice into a cup, and then spooned the pieces up to his mouth. “How do you feel?”

“Like a truck hit me.”

She pursed her lips in a grin. “You have a concussion from where you met up with a block of concrete called a curb. Your head is so hard the concrete lost. And the city plans to bill you for forcing them to send out a repair crew on a weekend.”

Josh tried to laugh and was immediately reminded of the pain in his left side.

“That’s from a set of cracked ribs,” Skye explained. “Looks like you’ll be sidelined for a few weeks.”

“Nonsense. I’m already healing. I feel my body regenerating already. Don’t look at me like that. It’s Kiya’s influence. You of all people know it is.”

“I’m not denying it. I’m delighted you’re on the mend.”

Her brave front didn’t fool Josh. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Comes with the territory.”  But when she pressed her lips to his, there was urgency there. Truth. A connection of spirit. “Fact is I was terrified when I saw you lying on the pavement crumpled and hurt like that. There have been times over the years when what we do weighs heavily on me and I wonder if it’s the right path. Today was one of those times.”

“We don’t let evil stop us, though. You know that.”

“Yes, but it took a lot out of me seeing you injured.”

“It should motivate us more to catch this bastard.”

She kissed his forehead, worked her way slowly down to his lips. “Oh, it does. Count on it.”

I
n Everett, an exhausted Travis unlocked the front door to his ranch house a little after seven in the morning with Atka leading the way into the foyer. Travis unhooked the malamute’s leash, watched the dog head straight for the couch to curl up for a nap.

“Great idea,” he muttered to the canine. “But I’ve got too many things to do. Might as well start a pot of coffee to stay awake.” When he reached the kitchen, no one was more surprised than he was when he rounded the corner and found Chenoa already up and pouring creamer into her coffee mug.

“Where have you been?” Chenoa demanded.

Right at the moment, Travis wasn’t in the mood for one of her infamous inquisitions. “Why ask? You know where I was. The question should be where were you? I called and told you the elders were performing the cleansing ceremony to help Josh wake up. It took a little longer than we’d planned.”

“How long does it take to say a few words over a guy who can’t even hear you?”

Travis’s forehead knitted into a scowl. After being up all night those words nicked him a little too deep. “Since you’re Native I’d think you’d respect the traditions of our forefathers a little more than you do.”

Chenoa waved a hand in the air. “I told you upfront that I’m not really into all that. I still don’t understand why it took all night. You should’ve been home hours ago. I really don’t get it.”

“I know you don’t. But it was a little more detailed than we originally thought. Besides, things got complicated at the hospital. And I had to come up with excuses for your absence. At the very least you could’ve made an effort to stop by for a visit.”

“Why would I do that? I just met those people the other day. It isn’t like I actually know any of them, or that they know me. It would’ve been an uncomfortable situation for me.”

Travis took out a cup from the cabinet, poured coffee, then dumped in four teaspoons of sugar. “'Those people’ are my family. How, exactly, do you intend to get to know them if you don’t make an effort?”

“And I told you showing up at the hospital isn’t the best time to do that.”

Travis got down a bottle of aspirin, knocked back three. He felt a headache coming on. “We’ll discuss this when I get back.”

“You just got home. I waited all night for you. Where are you going now?”

“While Josh is in the hospital I doubt Skye will devote much time to the foundation. So I’ve decided to step in to help. You could come with me,” he suggested, clearly hopeful she’d take the opportunity to develop an interest in Skye’s work. It wasn’t the first time he’d given her the option. But that hope evaporated when Chenoa opened her mouth.

“When do you plan on spending time with me? I have a lot on my plate right now. The horse show is in two weeks. We were planning a trip to Savannah. What about that? Right now, I don’t have time for anything but that.”

He’d heard the same lame excuse for two years. “This isn’t about you or me. Skye and Josh are on the trail of a man who doesn’t mind kidnapping babies or mutilating young women. The killer’s getting so desperate he tried to run down Josh. For me, this is a lot more important than your horse show.”

“Since when? You love watching me compete.”

He used to. “No one loves horses more than I do. But I’ll say it again. This is my family we’re talking about. Skye and Josh do important work that’s vital for the very survival of some of these kids. They need my help and I’m not walking away from them to see a horse show. I take care of my own. If you don’t know that by now you obviously don’t know me well at all.”

He started for the bedroom to change clothes but stopped. “So does this mean you won’t come to the foundation today with me at all? Because I want to be clear here.”

“No. I have no intentions of sitting around stuffing envelopes all day inside some boring office when I could be spending time with my horses. If you think I’d be happy going through the names of missing or murdered women, you don’t know
me
very well.”

Travis sighed. “I see. You know what? I should’ve realized before this minute how selfish you come across. You aren’t willing to come to the hospital to visit my son-in-law. You refuse to volunteer your time at the foundation. Have I got that right?”

“So?”

“So I think we’ve reached an impasse.”

“Oh, come on. Things were fine between us until you had to go and introduce me to your precious Skye. The minute you had that dinner party and found out your daughter didn’t like me, things changed between us.”

“You’re right. I’m embarrassed to admit it but I thought it was Skye’s problem. I even went to see her and called her on it. We had words, an argument if you will. But yesterday when I got the call that Josh had been hurt, seriously injured—the kind of situation that draws families together in times of crisis—you refused to come with me to the hospital. I should’ve known it then. While I sat there waiting for the elders to show up, I began to think back over the last two years. I didn’t like what I remembered about us. I didn’t like our relationship very much. Not just that but I didn’t like myself very much for putting up with you for so long.”

“Why, you ungrateful jerk! Why don’t you admit it, Travis? You just don’t want to get married.”

“I can’t argue with that. Not to you anyway. It’s over between us, Chenoa. Whatever you have in my house, you have until this time tomorrow morning to remove everything you’ve brought here.”

“And what happens if I don’t pick up my stuff?”

“Then you’ll find a stack of boxes sitting by the gate. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to feed my horses, take a shower, get dressed, and head back to Seattle. I’d appreciate it if you’d lock up before you go.”

Travis was still
fuming from the confrontation when he walked into the Artemis Foundation.

Chenoa’s refusal to rush to Harborview with him and check on Josh had been the tipping point. There had been other times during their relationship when she’d used stall tactics to avoid meeting Skye. That’s why it had taken him two years to get them together. The fact that he’d always made excuses was clear to him now.

Chenoa had never seemed to understand his devotion to family. But refusing to help out when Josh was laid up was pure selfishness on Chenoa’s part.

“What kind of woman does that?” Travis said to Atka as he started for the kitchen, only to see Lena Bowers and Zoe already there. They’d stopped to get fast food and had spread their breakfast out on the table to share with each other.

“Does what?” Lena wanted to know as she withdrew Styrofoam containers from a plastic sack. “Want half of the omelets? We have plenty.” As an added inducement, she added, “It’s from Country Kitchen. Velma bagged it herself.”

“It does look good and I am starving.”

“Then pull up a chair,” Zoe said, stuffing her mouth with a bite of cheesy egg.

“How come you aren’t in school?” Travis asked Zoe.

“Uh, because I was up all night,” she reminded him. “I told Lena I wanted to stay at the hospital and make sure Josh was okay. I couldn’t have concentrated anyway knowing he was hurt. And it’s almost Christmas break. We aren’t doing much.”

“How did you guys beat me here?”

“When we left you were still inside with Skye. And besides, we live closer to the foundation than you do,” Zoe pointed out. “Then there’s the fact that Lena has a tendency to lead-foot it wherever we go.”

“I do not. I was well within the forty-five-mile-per-hour limit coming from Harborview to the parking garage.”

Zoe guffawed with teenage laughter. “You were racing down Ninth Avenue doing fifty-five and you know it. Even a new driver like me knows that’s begging for a ticket.”

Lena rolled her eyes and tossed Travis a grin. “Ever since she got her learner’s permit she’s convinced she’s an expert.” Lena pointed a finger at Zoe. “Keep giving me a hard time and I shouldn’t plan on letting you behind the wheel to practice any time soon.”

“Okay, okay. You weren’t speeding.” Zoe snickered and added, “Even though she was.”

Travis sat back, sipped his coffee, amused at the bickering.

“Any leads yet on this serial killer Josh and Skye are after?” Lena asked.

“They think the houseboat owner, John Stockman, might be involved.”

Lena’s face showed surprise. “Wait a minute. He’s the man who owned the houseboat? Could that be the same guy who owns Dandelion Eatery, the fancy restaurant four blocks from here?”

“That’s the one. You know him, too. I know him because he’s one of the members of the restaurant association I belong to. I don’t know him well, but I do know John.”

“Everyone knows John. I can’t believe he’d be involved with kidnapping a mother and a baby. That’s not the man I know.”

“The thing is he claims he hasn’t used the house in weeks and that someone must’ve broken in after the kidnapping. Skye’s not buying his story. Then there’s the female accomplice Ashley Kendrow saw. How the mysterious woman plays into this mix is still part of the puzzle. It might mean a couple pulled off the abduction. At this point, no one really knows anything for certain.”

Zoe’s radar zeroed in on the gossip and speculation. She decided to toss out a few helpful hints. “Maybe the kidnapper doesn’t have an accomplice and acted alone. Maybe it isn’t a man at all but a woman who wanted a baby.”

Travis cocked his head, stared at the teen. He knew one day Zoe wanted to be just like Skye. He took out his phone. “Hmm, I wonder if Skye’s considered that. I’ll text her and offer that up.”

Lena picked up her mug, held it up to her lips. “Knowing Skye like I do, I’m sure she’s already thought of that. And she’s rarely wrong. But I’ve known John Stockman since he was the line chef at Baker’s Grill. It’s difficult for me to think he could be a party to anything like that. Do they plan to pick him up anytime soon?”

“I don’t think he has anything to worry about there. They’ve questioned him but there’s just one problem. The houseboat is in pieces. The cops have picked the rubble apart looking for anything that ties John to the abduction. So far they’ve found no probable cause to arrest him for anything.”

“Then I guess Skye will have to bide her time before she gets the opportunity to talk to him and clear this whole matter up.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about this case. If anyone is able to find out what this guy’s up to, it’s Skye and Josh,” Zoe emphasized, obvious hero-worship in each word. “I hope this case is over soon and Josh is okay by the holidays. They promised they’d take me skiing with them to Mt. Baker the day after Christmas. Josh said he’d teach me how to do a double cork.”

Travis needed a translation. “A what?”

Lena laughed at the confused look on his face. “Josh promised they’d go snowboarding and he’d show her how to do a double flip.”

“Ah. That makes sense but—”

Lena sent her daughter a wry smile. “I think Travis would have to agree with me that you probably need to give Josh a few more days to recover before expecting him to attempt snowboarding or skiing.”

Travis winked at Zoe. “Lena’s right. Remember, the last time we saw Josh, he was in no shape to ‘double cork.’ But I’m sure he’ll make it up to you after the first of the year as soon as he’s feeling a hundred percent.”

Tears formed in Zoe’s eyes. “Josh will recover, right? I mean, he’ll wake up, won’t he? His coma’s just temporary, right?”

Travis reached over, put his hand on top of Zoe’s. “Why don’t you text Skye and ask? I bet you’ll be surprised to learn his condition is already greatly improved.”

Zoe jumped up, took out her cell phone, keyed in the question all in one energetic motion. As soon as Skye replied, the girl promptly wrapped her arms around Travis’s neck in a hug. “I knew those guys who showed up could do it. You guys are awesome!”

Travis grinned and hugged Zoe back. “Sometimes when it works, we are indeed awesome.”