by Selena Kitt
She watched Dane bend down and read the inscription. “Interesting saying. I can ask Tasha, my sister-in-law, if she knows it. It might have special meaning to the region.”
“Better ask someone else. She might get a tad upset considering it’s on this grave.”
Dane winced. “Her brother works for me. I’ll mention it to him.”
Jade finished taking the pictures. She’d snapped her way through several hundred without even thinking about it. Chances were she’d only keep a couple dozen or crop out portions of some others. Thank heavens for the digital age.
Finished, she clambered down the rocks to where Dane and Meg were now talking. She swiped her cheeks and forehead on her sleeve. The heat would take some adjusting to. “I think that’s got it.”
“Good. Let’s get to the hotel and check in. The others left already.”
“Isn’t it lunchtime soon?” Jade complained, her stomach rumbling on cue.
“Yes, and we’ll need hours to set up and consider how we want to establish a grid. We can check in, grab lunch and come back later if need be.”
“Good. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find a small loader. At least to take a layer off the top and to open one side. That’s probably the best way to start, but––”
“That’s in an ideal circumstance – which this isn’t. A secondary grave is another option. I’ll mention it to Dr. Mike and Bruce.”
“It would be cheaper if the numbers get out of hand.”
Dane walked beside them to the SUV. “Tell Bruce, if he can’t find a loader, I can rent him one of mine for a couple days – to get started.”
Meg smiled. “Thank you. That’s very helpful.” She hopped in and closed the driver’s door. Jade walked around, giving Dane a wide berth, and opened the passenger door. As she jumped in, she realized she’d lost her lens cap. She looked back frantically as Meg started the SUV.
Dane held it out. “Here. You dropped this.”
“Thanks.” She closed her door, and reached her hand through the window.
He dropped the cap into her palm. Their fingers brushed together ever so slightly. Energy sparked, like a static shock.
Startled, she pulled her fingers back and stared at him in surprise.
He grinned. “See you later.”
Meg reversed the SUV and turned it around then headed back into town.
Jade refused to look over her shoulder at him as they drove away.
But she wanted to.
Chapter Four
“Jade? Hey, are you okay?” Meg poked Jade’s jean-clad leg as she drove the SUV away from Dane.
“I’m fine.” Jade gave her a wan smile, hating the tiredness sliding through her body. She needed her strength back fully to deal with the job ahead. And she knew stress from the thought of coming back was the root cause. Food would help. And a good night’s sleep. “I got a shock from his hand when he gave me the cap.”
Meg, her gaze back on the road, gave a half snort. “Not surprised. He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
Jade snickered. “I doubt it. He was just being polite.”
“Uh, uh. No way. That man is seriously hooked on you. His reaction was bad ass.”
“Wow.” Jade laughed, her spirits brightening. “I’d expect to hear something like that from a teenager. Sounds a little odd coming from you.”
Meg relaxed slightly, the smile on her face natural and cheerful. “That’s my inner child. Actually I can probably blame my nephews for corrupting me. They’re all of thirteen and fifteen, and are they a handful.”
Sinking deeper into the SUV cushions, Jade smirked. “Sounds about right. Kids are good for your soul.”
“True enough. I’m just not ready to stop gallivanting around the world long enough to have any of my own. What about you?”
Jade’s heart froze. A question she hadn’t expected – but should have. Any one of the team might have asked this personal question and she should have prepared an answer.
Coughing slightly to cover her pause, she tried to joke about it. “No father to donate.”
“I hear you. Who wants to be a single mother in today’s world?” She tossed a wide grin at Jade. “I’m thinking Dane could be interested in that position.”
Shaking her head, Jade let Meg ramble into a tale about her sister’s first marriage that ended in divorce.
This area of Haiti was new to her but it resembled every other part she’d visited. The same broken buildings dotted the landscape, the same weeds crept between fallen chunks of cement and people navigated around as well as they could. The same poverty coated the country, even here. So accustomed to the devastation, most people no longer noticed the state of their lives.
Sad, but also reassuring. Life did carry on – in spite of everything. “People are resilient, aren’t they?”
Meg glanced at her curiously. “That they are. Haiti is slowly recovering.” She pointed to a group of laughing teens standing beside a broken wall. “Look at them. They’re moving forward, finding a new normal in spite of what they’ve been through.”
“Hmmm. I found it hard enough to deal with life after being here last time. I came over on a mortuary team after the big quake. I thought long and hard before taking this job.”
Meg smiled in understanding. “It would have been harder to adapt to the abrupt change from one situation to another. Staying here day in and day out, this would have quickly become ‘normal.’ For you the contrast would have been unbearably hard to deal with.”
“You have so got that right. What are you, a shrink?”
“Not really. However, understanding human psychology is paramount in my work.” Silence filled the cab for several minutes as Meg pulled the SUV into the hotel parking lot. “Coming here was probably one of the smarter things you’ve done, you know.”
Gathering her purse and camera, Jade paused to look at her. “How so?”
“Because you’ll find closure this time.” With that parting shot, she hopped out of the SUV and slammed the door.
Jade followed slowly. Closure would be good – on many fronts.
Dane struggled to like his sister-in-law. He could give her some leeway because she was pregnant. A little more leeway for being upset over the current set of events with the grave, but how much leeway did she get before she came under the heading of disgruntled witch?
He was trying, honestly he was. He’d wanted to love her, to feel secure about John’s future with her. Right now, every minute he spent with her, she grated on his nerves something awful. He should move into town, give them more space. Living in the cabin at the back of the property and having most meals with them was too close – for everyone.
Knowing Tasha and John wouldn’t notice, he grabbed his coffee and slipped out to the patio to enjoy the cooler evening air. The sounds of their argument followed him.
“I don’t care how logical it is. I don’t want you to have anything to do with it. It’s not safe. For you or for me.”
“Tasha, I’ve gone over this several times. There’s nothing dangerous in what they’re doing. It’s perfectly safe.”
“Waking the dead is dangerous. This isn’t just about you. You’re putting me and the baby at risk – not to mention Peppe and Emile.”
John, weary but so patient that Dane had to give him kudos for super human effort, said, “I’m also not helping them. Dane is going to rent them a piece of equipment. That’s all.”
“And that’s too much,” she complained.
Dane turned and strolled down to his cabin. He’d heard enough. She could argue all she wanted but he had no plans to rescind his offer to Bruce. He understood the pain and the trauma on both sides. That wasn’t going to stop the job from happening, so he might as well help so it could be completed faster. Then everyone would get what they wanted.
The deal was done.
Besides, he wanted to get to know Jade better.
Four days of running around, trips back and forth, problems and tech trouble�
�� Finally, it was the day.
Jade stood off to one side and watched as Dane navigated his smallest loader through the small spindly trees to the gravesite. He’d wanted to be the one driving, in order to minimize the environmental damage. He had a good crew working for him, however he insisted this location required his delicate touch.
It took two tries to navigate one corner to avoid having to cut down a tree. Trees were no longer an abundant resource in Haiti and every one was precious. He backed up and wiggled the large machine and as delicately as diapering a baby he maneuvered her to the right angle and swung right, onto the straight path.
Nice.
Jade watched him carefully take the machine to where the rocks met the path before shutting it down.
“Are we ready?” he asked without getting out. “Has everything been logged, photographed and removed?”
Bruce walked over and hopped onto the machine to speak to him. Heads bent together as they discussed the plan of attack. Jade knew it would take the bulk of the day to remove the top layer off this portion of the grave. At that point, Dane would open a ten-foot-wide working space from the path side, and they’d work left to right until they ran out of bodies. At which point they’d move into the hill to look for the last of them.
She knew all that but it didn’t settle her nerves at this point. Four of the team were scheduled to have the day off and no one had taken it – they’d all showed for this symbolic beginning.
Dr. Mike climbed on top of the grave, as high as he could stand against the hillside and started work on the project with a prayer. Everyone bowed their heads. Jade found herself repeating his words quietly in her head. Amen.
Dane started the loader.
It took almost an hour for him just to get a few buckets off the top. Meg wandered over to where Jade stood. “I’m going to head into town for lunch. How about joining Susan and me for a girls’ afternoon of sightseeing and shopping? There’s nothing we can do here. Not today and most likely not until late tomorrow – if then.”
It was a good idea. A little light relief before the real work started tomorrow. “Now that sounds great.”
With a wave of her hand to the men, Jade followed Meg and Susan. She could really use some lightweight work clothes. She’d forgotten how badly the heat affected her here. T-shirts and shorts were the uniform of choice; a half dozen of each would be perfect.
The women headed to the Iron Market and the few shops open along the way. The elegant mansions and townhomes spoke of days gone by. Once glorious in their regal bearing and bright colors, these buildings had taken a major knock from Mother Nature. Still, even with the damage from the earthquake, Jacmel was a tourist destination like no other. At least here, there were obvious revitalization attempts to get the city back on its feet.
The afternoon zipped by at a rapid pace – full of shopping, laughter and fun as the women ran from shop to shop and stall to stall buying a few items to make their job a little brighter and more comfortable. Jade was delighted to find several brightly colored t-shirts and cotton pants in a beige-khaki color. They would withstand a lot of wear and tear. At one brightly festooned stall, she found several hair clips big enough to hold her heavy blond hair off her neck.
If she’d had a little longer to prepare and pack, she’d have gotten a haircut. As it was, the clips would do for now. She could always get it cut here if she couldn’t stand the heat. Meg’s short curls looked perfect. And Susan’s fine black bob that stopped at her chin also looked comfortable.
“Now that has to feel better.” Meg patted Jade’s hair clip. “Nice. Now I almost wish I had long hair myself. Almost.” She grinned and picked up several clips. “I bet my sister would love a couple.”
“Later, when it’s time to go home. Too much to pack this early.”
“You’re right.” Meg put it back with a sigh. “Too bad though.”
As they headed back to the SUV Susan stopped at another brightly colored stall, one festooned with odd-looking handmade dolls. An old short and squat women – wearing so many necklaces, they almost obliterated the sight of her red blouse underneath – worked at the booth. The woman’s black gaze latched onto Jade and never let go.
Jade moved to the other side of Susan in an effort to get away from that piercing stare. And came too close to the weird-looking straw and cloth dolls. She noticed the papier-mâché looking ones painted in black with weird markings…and many other items she couldn’t begin to recognize. “What are these things?”
“Vodou paraphernalia.”
Jade shuddered and took several steps back. “Not for me, thanks.”
Susan shook her head vigorously. “No. You don’t get it. This stuff is for good luck. Used to ward off bad spirits.”
With a second shudder, Jade moved several steps back, shaking her hands in front of her. “I still don’t want one.”
Susan grinned and reached to pluck her choice off the top of the stall. “Well I do. Just what we need for the grave work.”
The transaction was done in silence. The old woman accepting the money never took her eyes off Jade. Unsettled, Jade did everything to avoid her. She wished Susan would hurry.
Finally they were done. Jade turned to leave when the old women moved off her stool so quickly, Jade never would have believed it possible if she hadn’t seen it herself. Before Jade could back away the old woman grabbed her by the arm.
“Danger stalks you. You see it but you don’t understand it. Careful. Or you will join those that have gone before.” She dropped Jade’s arm and returned to her stool beside her cart.
Jade froze. So shocked and horrified by the crone’s touch, she hardly understood what the old woman said.
Meg grabbed her arm. “Come on,” she hissed. “Forget about her. Let’s get back to the SUV.”
Susan snagged her other arm so the three walked back linked together.
“That was too weird,” Meg said. “I’m glad you got a doll, Susan. Good luck is just what we need.”
Jade had hoped the odd event would be over once they’d left the market, only Susan mentioned it at dinner that night.
“No way. She actually used those words?” Wilson stared at Jade curiously.
“Yeah,” Meg confirmed with a delicate shudder. “That so upped the freaky factor.”
“This old lady never said a word to me the whole time I was buying that thing, and she never looked at anyone except Jade,” Susan complained.
Dr. Mike looked over at Jade, his gray eyes serious. “She didn’t bother you, did she? The Haitian culture is full of various superstitions. Their belief system is littered with them.”
“It was kinda weird, although nothing I can’t handle,” Jade said casually, cutting a piece of fish, hoping her nonchalance satisfied their intense looks.
“We need to find out what that phrase means.”
Marie, the hotel night manager walked in to make sure everything was all right and to see if they needed anything. Bruce brought up the old woman and her prophecies.
After quickly crossing herself, Marie stared at Jade. “Magrim. She is very well known. She is very wise. Very accurate. Ms. Jade, you need to be careful.” Crossing herself again, she almost ran out of the dining room.
Silence filled the room. Not a person clinked a fork or spoke. Everyone stared at Jade.
She was compelled to break the uneasy silence. “Great. I always wanted to be famous. Hadn’t planned on it happening this way.”
“Well, I don’t believe in that stuff. The old woman was just trying to scare you into buying one of her dolls.”
Jade brightened at Bruce’s words. That actually sounded reasonable. Everyone knew street sellers would do anything for a sale. Everyone resumed talking at once. Thankfully several different conversations took flight and the awkward moment passed.
Dinner finished with coffee outside and an update on the day’s progress at the burial site.
“So we should be ready to get started by about ten. We h
ave one reefer trailer set up to receive bodies already. The lab trailer is to be delivered early in the morning. If the weather is cooperative, we might be able to do some work outside. I presume you’ve determined a system of some sort for working through the numbers?”
“Somewhat,” Meg answered. “Although, that’s going to be a work in progress.”
Susan asked, “What about DNA testing? I know we’d hoped to find a lab here––”
Bruce shook his head. “They can’t handle it here. We’re going to ship the samples back to Seattle for testing.”
Sinking further into her chair, Susan winced. “I’d hoped we’d get results faster than that.”
“We can only process as fast as we can, then it’s up to the lab. At least they’ll go to a private lab.”
“Does Haiti have a databank of survivors’ DNA on a database? Some way we can test the dead against the living?”
Stepping in, Dr. Mike said, “No. They don’t have that capability or the resources. Bruce asked the local authorities to put out the word that anyone interested in locating their loved ones needs to come and give samples. We’ll have them shipped to Seattle, typed and the results entered into a database, hopefully to match with that of family members.”
“If we rebury all of them before we have the results, they may have to be dug up again. That’s not good.”
Bruce nodded. “We’ll give Jade’s suggestion to give reefer trucks a try first. The decomp should have the skeletons down to just bones and teeth by now, but it’s never that clean.”
“Even then, decomp inside the bones will continue beyond a visual examination. So we’re better off with refrigeration capabilities.” Jade smiled apologetically. “As a backup, an alternative burial site would be good.” She took a sip of water, thinking. “Because we’re processing everyone in that grave, it’s going to take time. It would be much easier if we were just looking for say…an adult female and a female child. Then the others could be moved to one end of the grave as we sorted through. As we’re processing everyone, well, it’s going to be more complicated.”
