His Garden of Bones (Skye Cree Book 4) (8 page)

Skye wasn’t ready to buy into that. “You mean because Carrie and Taylor didn’t get pregnant? That theory doesn’t work for me. Namely because they all three ended up tossed out like garbage. So what’s the incentive? Lisa gives birth but she meets the same fate as the other two. No, that just doesn’t play. These three girls were originally abducted by a sexual predator, who also happens to be a trafficker. Then they’re turned around and sold to the highest bidder. These girls were destined for whatever perverse life for the specific purpose of filling said pervert’s urges. My guess is that for whatever reason these three girls were cast off, maybe even returned.”

“Returned? That’s a new one,” Josh said.

“That almost sounds a little too fantastical,” Harry added.

“Not so new and not so fantastical when you stop and think about it. The girls are destined to be used for whatever perversion it happens to be, then they’re returned to the seller for whatever reason. Maybe the buyer grows tired of their whining, or no longer likes the way they look, or maybe they become ill.” Skye held up a hand. “Not saying Carrie, Taylor or Lisa got sick and that’s what triggered their disposal. Just thinking out loud here. Anyway, when the seller gets his hands back on the merchandise, he either makes the decision to keep them around for resell while making more profit on his original investment, or he chooses to end the cycle. For some reason, this killer opted to waive the flow of cash and torture these three in an almost identical manner to the bitter end.”

Josh stopped pacing as if he’d just thought of something. “You remember mentioning the profiler, Emmett Cannavale?”

“Sure, we were looking for Jason Berkenshaw at the time. We could still make a point of reaching out to him. He frequents Seattle because he has family ties in the area.”

“Cannavale’s specialty happens to be sexual sadists. I picked up his book last summer, read the thing cover to cover. Doesn’t make me an expert by any means, but Cannavale does say that these particular types are known for their meticulous planning before a crime. Based on that, I’d say the guy we’re looking for is leading us down the path he wants us to follow. Why else would he deliver the flowers personally right to our back door?”

“Another level of psychological fear and manipulation without all the pain,” Skye said in agreement. “Not a bad strategy on his part. He lets me know from the get-go he knows I’m involved in the case. I get rattled because he knows where I live, it gives him the edge.”

Harry scratched his head. “It still doesn’t tell us much about our killer.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for a height and weight description,” Josh kidded. Then he turned serious. “Count on me installing security cameras around this place by the end of the week. I could kick myself for not doing it before now.”

“Never underestimate the seedier side of life,” Harry said with a grim expression. “If you have a box handy I’d like to take those flowers back with me to the lab. They might be able to determine where they came from.”

“Let’s hope so. Then you’ll want the card too just in case,” Skye offered. “You think he’ll come back out here again?”

“I have no idea. But we’ll be better prepared next time he does,” Josh promised.

A
s soon as Harry left, Josh reached out to stroke Skye’s hair, then yanked her into his chest. Impatience had his hands roaming down her body. When his lips crushed over hers it set the mood. They both went under, a sense of urgency floating between them.

“I flew all the way back early and I want my homecoming present,” he mumbled as he moved to nibble her earlobe.

His eagerness tugged at her heart knowing there’d been a time when she couldn’t tease about such things. “Since when did you become so demanding?”

“Since I haven’t had my hands on you in almost a week.” He captured her around the waist, began to nibble her ear while taking her by the hand, leading her upstairs.

The drizzle had cleared and slivers of afternoon sunlight drifted through the bedroom windows in a buoyant display of wintry triumph.

The room’s tasteful décor—mahogany and lace—came together to usher in a big dose of lived-in comfort. Unlike the furniture at the loft, they’d selected pieces that gave the farmhouse its homey feel, that sense of “crawl in between the sheets and stay awhile.”  The design was a reminder they’d blended old with new, modern with traditional and made it all come together to offer the perfect laidback sanctuary away from the hustle of the city.

Josh hit the remote for the stereo. Bono’s voice sailed out in a soulful rendition of
I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You
.

“I missed you,” he declared before covering her mouth in an eager kiss.

Warmth ratcheted up. This is what she’d missed.

“I didn’t even have time to spruce up for you. I still have the street smell on me from before. If you’d called to let me know…”

The wolf inside him sniffed at her throat and hair. “There’s no way you could smell any better to me than you do right this minute. You give off an aura that says home to me.”

Love and pleasure brimmed from the inside out. She grabbed at his pants, began the process of getting him out of them. Clothing peeled over hips and along arms as tops and bottoms flew to the floor.

In a show of haste and hunger, he fastened his mouth to hers. They circled to the bed, naked bodies filled with heat and want.

With a seductive bent she strained against him while his hands roamed over smooth skin. Little fires ignited, moved through every cell like bolts of electricity. When he ran the tip of his tongue over one breast, then took it into his mouth, she all but floated in flight.

As the tune changed to Bach, as the first trumpets blared in unison, as violin strings soared, his fingers glided lower, seeking the moist heat.

His touch brought sensations shivering through her, slamming together in a rippling force of pleasure.

He tasted, savored, and gave more. In answer, she arched up, twisted and bucked till she took him into her. Locked together, they sailed through spirals going up and up toward that one lofty goal. Layer by satiny layer, the little tremors built until finally leveling off to aftershocks. They glided over feathery clouds, dropped down to earth again as sunlight washed over the bed.

Naked bodies still entwined, they lay winded and sweaty.

He buried his face in her hair until he could move. Once he rolled off, they lay nestled in each other’s arms. Wrapped up, she ran a hand across his bare chest. “It feels right having you back home.”

Josh burst out a laugh and kissed her forehead. “I sure hope so.” He grabbed hold of her chin, met her eyes. “If I didn’t know you better I’d think you actually missed me this trip.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I confess that this big house seemed too quiet while you were gone, too empty without you here to bug me, and what do I get in return? A hard time about it just because...”

He covered her mouth for a long kiss putting a stop to the objection. When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes. “Mind telling me why this trip was so different than all the others?”

She puffed out a breath. “I don’t know, it just…maybe my unease increased when Harry brought me in on the first two victims and now the third. I’ve seen some terrible things over the years but…the mutilation to those bodies was beyond anything I’d encountered before. Then…”

“He shows up here. I get it.”

She burrowed closer into his body. “In the old days I would’ve found a way to deal with this kind of brutality by myself.”

“There’s no need for that now.”

“Maybe so, but it takes a self-realization to get there, to come as far as I have. I’ve grown accustomed to having you to lean on and now when you’re gone...”

“I feel the same way when I’m on the road.” He pressed his lips to her forehead in a tender gesture. “I’m starving. Why don’t we order from that French place in town that delivers?”

“The new place? Sure. Beats the cheesy chicken nachos I had planned to throw together in a pinch.”

Josh crawled out of bed to call in the food.

Forty-five minutes later they were feasting on pork tenderloin and an assortment of fresh veggies as they sprawled in front of the TV.

While the lighthearted comedy
Love Actually
—a movie they’d seen many times before—droned in the background, they talked about the old motel they’d bought and were in the middle of revamping. At the project’s completion it would provide individual studio apartments to homeless families.

“Right now I have to crack the whip on the most recent contractor I hired and fire his ass for not showing up to the job site while I was in New York.”

“At all? What is that, the third contractor since we started this remodel? We don’t seem to be able to find anyone who knows what they’re doing or wants to stick it out for the duration.”

“I’m disappointed to say the least.”

“Why did you hire him in the first place?”

“Tate recommended this guy personally.”

In a playful gesture, she reached over and mussed up his hair. “You’re such a loyal guy to family. It’s such a good thing you do to keep Annabelle’s brother in your life. I love that about you. Tate practically worships you.”

“I wouldn’t say that. But he was just a kid when Annabelle and I got together, just a kid when I married his sister.”

“So let me guess, when Tate recommended this contractor you didn’t have the heart to say no to either of them.”

“That’s about right. His name’s Hank Fielding. Hank worked hard for ten days or so, ripped out the guts of some of the rooms but then when I went out of town, for some reason he stopped showing up. No phone call, no email, no notice.”

“Hmm, here’s a thought. Why not see if Travis could recommend someone reliable? We plan on seeing him on Sunday, right? He knows a slew of people. If nothing else, he’ll be able to point us toward a reliable company that specializes in getting the job done right.”

“I guess that’s what I’m afraid of, I’ll find someone who’ll want us to tear the entire place down and rebuild from scratch.”

“Would that be so terrible? The building itself needs work, the foundation is crumbling, the interior is in shambles, the plumbing shot. Maybe the best thing is to tear it down and start from the ground up. The contractors we’ve hired so far seem to work for a week or two then go onto another project of their choosing. What have they gotten done other than cause your blood pressure to jump and get you frustrated?”

“Point taken. Okay, I’ll solicit a little advice from Travis and see what happens. But that doesn’t change the fact I still have to can the current contractor. I sent him an email.”

“Want me to do it?”

“Fire the guy? You? Really?”

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“Sure. It’s just… Why would you want to? This guy’s a bit of a strange bird.”

“What’s that mean? Is he dangerous? Unsavory? How strange?”

“No, not dangerous. At least I didn’t pick up on anything like that. Tate said Hank was a gamer, said the guy picks up extra money now and then doing construction. I thought I’d do a nice thing, you know. I took everything at face value. But after Hank stopped showing up, I’m sitting in my hotel room and I decided to check out his references.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. I discovered Hank’s company is a complete sham online. His entire Internet presence is a fabrication. He does have a contractor’s license but no recent real experience to speak of.”

Skye didn’t like the sound of that and made a face. “So Tate doesn’t know that his so-called friend basically conned both of you about who he is and what he does for a living. That’s a major red flag.”

“Yeah, it’s one reason I’m steamed about the whole thing. I’m tired of hiring contractors who lie and don’t deliver.”

“Okay, so what if we both confront him together? If you want to take the lead, I’ll be there to have your back. Why not send him an email? You may not even get a reply. Maybe he’s already moved on to a better-paying gig.”

“Sounds like a plan. Do you plan to go out tonight?”

“No. I was out all day yesterday and part of last night. I’m taking your suggestion and doing more delegating at the foundation, patrolling more during the day. Although the trend shows the scum seems to crawl out at night.”

“It just seems that way.”

“I suppose so.”

They were just finishing up dinner when the kitchen phone rang. It was Harry. Skye put the phone on speaker so Josh could listen in.

“Just so you know, not surprisingly, the lab didn’t find a single print on the container holding the flowers.”

“So the guy wasn’t sloppy,” Josh said.

Skye chewed her lip. “Typical. I’d go door to door and quiz the neighbors to see if they saw a delivery but the nearest house isn’t all that close. We’re fairly remote out here.”

“All the more reason to take precautions,” Harry warned.

“Which reminds me to call a security company,” Josh said, moving to his cell phone on the kitchen counter.