What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 4)

by Selena Kitt

  “Because our moneyman is here on the spot. It’s easier to deal with them when they are a long way away. But when they are here, they’re all about control, power…and saving money.”

  “And because they pay our salaries we are all about compliance?” She frowned. “Part of the reason I was interested in coming was the good we’d be doing. It’s hard to see that come down to number crunching.”

  He studied her face. “I understand how you feel and I think this is only temporary. Once Tony goes back home, that negativity will ease back as everything returns to normal.” He dropped his bag on the counter. “I’m going up to the gravesite. Are you coming?”

  “Absolutely.” The walk only took ten minutes but they went from the large clearing, down a path to an opening that showed the valley. It was gorgeous country. Add in the sunshine and the easy-to-tolerate temperatures and it was no wonder Haiti was a popular tourist destination. At least it had been. The earthquake had made a dent in that.

  Stephen met them at the spot where he’d found the remains in chains. He’d taken the tarps off the exposed area and had moved some more of the rocks that surrounded the bones. They stood and studied the big job in front of them.

  “Is Tony coming here? This morning?” He should see this himself, but Jade doubted anyone was ready to bring him in on this issue.

  Bruce laughed. “Not likely. Not willingly.”

  He looked from her to the grave and back again. “He’s not going to know the difference between these or any other set of bones. I suggest we excavate very carefully – and tell the authorities if our suspicions are confirmed. If and only if, we have forensic evidence of foul play, it will be our duty to bring someone official in on this.”

  Stephen nodded. “I don’t see how we can’t. I can’t just ignore this. If what we see here is what we think it is, I will tell someone. Then if the authorities need help dealing with these bones, they’ll have my free labor.”

  Jade had to agree with that. “We’ll process this as we would any of the bodies. That won’t take any more time or money than the others. Once processed, the information is there to turn over to the police, if necessary.”

  As Bruce went to open his mouth, she added, “Or I will process them on my own time in the evening. I’ll volunteer my labor, just like Stephen suggested.”

  “Okay, before we go a little nuts on this, why don’t we start the processing and see how long it takes us to do these few bodies? We’ll measure that against the time it takes to do the same number of other bodies.” Bruce suggested, “If this takes longer, we’ll all stay one night and work together to make up the time.”

  Stephen and Jade looked at each other. Jade smiled and added, “Works for me.”

  “Good, then let’s get started.”

  Jade ran to the lab to retrieve her camera while Bruce grabbed the closest shovel. Two bodies. At least that’s all they’d found today. Tomorrow, unfortunately, could be a whole different story.

  When lunch arrived, in the form of Meg and brown bags, Jade was more than happy to head back to the hotel and her paperwork.

  She called her brother later that night and dumped the story on him. Jade sat in their new office space with windows open. A cool breeze wafted in, circling around and bowing back out again.

  His stunned silence sat heavy on the phone line. “Shit. This was supposed take your mind off your own problems.”

  She laughed. “Well, it did that.”

  “Sure. As much as I’d love to see you find justice for these victims, remember they are dead and you are not. Don’t do anything that will put you in danger.”

  “I won’t.” But she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to follow through. There were too many unanswered questions. Who knew where this would lead?

  “What’s the matter? What’s happened? Are you in danger now?” His sharp voice snapped through the phone lines pulling her back to the conversation

  She rushed to reassure him. Her poor brother had done enough worrying over her lately. “No. Of course not. No. I’m fine. Everything here is fine. Honest. Don’t worry about me.”

  A doubtful silence filled the lines. “You know, I held off coming to Haiti to give you some time. I’m thinking it might be time to come over…”

  “Now, don’t you go off on in panic,” Jade said. “Come for a visit if you want, just not because of this. I’m okay.”

  “And you damn well better stay that way.”

  She grinned. “I will. I love you too.”

  “Good. That’s the first time you’ve said that since you were in Haiti last time.”

  She went quiet inside. How sad. Just another example of how self-absorbed she’d been. Damn her selfish soul. After a moment, she said softly, “I’m sorry. I’ve given you a lot of grief and worry recently, haven’t I?”

  His voice warmed. “No. Don’t ever think that. You have been through a lot. You’re entitled.”

  And she had been. But that time was over. This Haiti trip had been good for her. She hadn’t expected these results. Certainly, not the sense of things being back to normal. Not this fast. She knew there’d be relapses, particularly when she returned home, but this trip had forced a paradigm shift and she’d grown with it.

  His joyous laugh came through so clear and sharp, she leaned back and closed her eyes. She missed this. Missed him. Her brother had been such a mainstay in her life, a stalwart support. She was blessed. And had so forgotten to see and appreciate the gold in her life because she was locked in her self-imposed prison of pain and misery.

  Instead of walking away, he’d been shining at her side for so long and so consistently that she’d become accustomed to it. She’d forgotten to be grateful for his presence.

  Not anymore.

  “You are the best brother anyone could have and I am so appreciative that you don’t belong to anyone else but me.” Tears collected in the corners of her eyes and despite her best attempts, she sniffled.

  “Jesus Jade. You’re killing me here.”

  Smiling through her tears, she said, “Sorry, I know you don’t like emotionalism, but I just needed to say that.”

  “And needed to say it at a time that I can’t wrap you in my arms and hug you.” His voice deepened with emotion. “You know I love you, kitten. I don’t know what’s going on over there. If anything happens to you, I’ll be heartbroken – you know that, right?”

  “Yeah I do.” She sniffled harder. “I didn’t mean to get into this right now, but all those dead women…”

  “I know.” He sighed heavily. “Wish I could help. I’d do anything to stop you from ever being traumatized again.”

  “I would too. And we don’t know for sure that our theories are correct. Yet. We need to find out the truth. Or what we can while working here. That’s on the table for tomorrow.”

  “Then you call me tomorrow. When you get back to the hotel give me a quick call. Just a ‘Hi Duncan, had a great day, love ya’ kind of call. So I know you’re okay.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she insisted. She stood and wandered the window, loving the cool night air and the sultry darkness that was so distinctive to this part of the world. If the phone cord reached, she’d have sat out on the patio surrounded by the gardens. She’d been truly blessed to have the chance to come back here. Maybe she could think more charitably of Tony for granting her this opportunity.

  “Good. Glad to hear that. But I won’t be. Not unless you call.”

  “You’re an idiot.” She smiled, then chuckled. “But I will do as you ask.”

  “Good, and remember this idiot loves you.” His voice changed, became more teasing. “Speaking of love, any men over there making your hormones sing?”

  She gasped, caught by surprise at the sudden topic change. Even though he couldn’t see her, she shook her head. “No one. Don’t be an idiot.”

  Okay, so there was Dane – did he count?

  “I’m not convinced. Your voice says something different. Someone has caught your
attention. And I for one couldn’t be happier.”

  Sighing, she added, “No there isn’t, but believe what you will.”

  “I will. Don’t worry. I will.”

  She could see his grin in her mind. “Idiot,” She said affectionately. “I’m going to bed now. Have a good tomorrow.”

  “I will, just make sure you call me. I’ll be waiting.”

  “Got it. Now good-bye.”

  They rang off, leaving her sitting there with a silly smile on her face.

  She really did miss that big teddy bear. He was a good man.

  “Now, that is a lovely smile on your face.” Bruce and Stephen walked into the office. “What are you doing working at this hour?”

  She held up the hotel phone. “I’m not working. Just calling my brother.” She grinned. “Or you could say I’m doing as he requested and checking in with my brother.”

  Bruce sat down in the chair beside her. “Oh he’s protective, is he? That’s probably a wise thing.”

  “There’re just the two of us, so protective comes naturally to him.” And she missed him.

  “What does he do?” Stephen sat down at the computer next to her.

  She stretched her back and rotated her neck. Something about bending over the tables in the lab had kinked her back. The table was probably at the wrong height. “He’s a counselor for kids at risk.”

  Stephen turned to look at her. “Wow. Good for him. That can’t be an easy job.”

  “No, it isn’t. Still he’s very good at it.”

  Bruce added in, “That’s no surprise. You’re also very good at what you do.”

  The compliment, out of the blue, surprised her. “Thanks,” she said, a squeak of surprise in voice.

  He looked taken aback. “You’re welcome. It’s true. And what I expect from every team member here.” He lifted a sheaf of papers and walked out after saying goodnight.

  Stephen rolled his eyes as Bruce left. “Yeah, we’re all just one big happy family.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Head down, Jade shifted the camera lens as she detailed the story of the next set of bones on her table. She had no idea how many pictures she’d taken so far. Dr. Mike had been working at the second table all morning.

  Something was wrong. He’d been muttering for hours as he pored over his worktable. That couldn’t be good.

  Dr. Mike’s face had gone stiff and cold within minutes of starting on the first of the manacled bodies. Jade had been too concerned to bother him. He’d tell her soon enough. Ten minutes ago, the two of them had returned one set of remains to the reefer and brought the next one out. He never said a word except to ask for her help to make the switch.

  Bending lower, she snapped several more pictures of the small breastbone, all but pulverized. She moved around, taking as many pictures as necessary, enjoying the calm silence of the room despite the job she had to do.

  She moved to the far side of the body bag and put her camera down. Time to move onto the next step. She charted the injuries as she found them and took out her measuring tape. She didn’t think this boy could have been more than five or six years old. His bones had a stick-thin look to them.

  Her heart ached for him. At least he’d have died quickly. Not like the last one she’d processed.

  The day’s work hadn’t been too bad; still they had a long road ahead of them. Susan was helping Bruce at the clinics two mornings a week. So far only one person had shown up looking for their loved ones. Matching families to bodies would take time.

  Dr. Mike sighed heavily.

  Jade straightened, and stretched her arms over her head. “Problems?” she asked him gently. She glanced yet again at the open windows. Without a breeze the air hung heavy and hot.

  He glanced at her and nodded. “Oh, I think maybe.”

  She walked over to his table to see what he was working on. “What is it?”

  “She was in the ground longer than the earthquake victims. Much longer. Possibly even as long as a decade.” He pointed to the skeleton in front of him. “She died from blunt force trauma to the head.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I don’t know. Everyone that we’ve found in that mass grave had something in common. Especially their estimated time of death. All died within a short window and of course we’re using the earthquake to help to determine that time. Then come these other remains.” He shrugged. “All we can do is record the differences. Maybe there was an earlier grave under the mass grave. The countryside is full of small cemeteries. It could be a coincidence – not out of the realm of possibility.

  “So one possibility is that these victims were from an earlier calamity and it was easier to just bury more on top. We’d been told a cave had collapsed, creating a natural depression. That cave-in could have been an old grave splitting open instead.”

  He groaned slightly as he shifted his position. “Another possibility is the earthquake could have opened another grave somewhere else and the responders used the mass grave as a place to dispose of bodies that needed a new home. Again, not something that is necessarily a crime.”

  “And if it’s all guesswork, then we still don’t have any evidence to bring to the authorities, do we?”

  “I can only compile the information and present it to them. Will they care?” He raised his shoulders in a tired shrug. “I highly doubt it.”

  “Have you been able to examine all of the women? Did they all have the same cause of death?”

  Dr. Mike stretched his arms. “These two died of blunt force trauma to the head.” He stood and walked around, shaking out his arms. “But the first one we found was strangled.”

  “The first one we found died more recently than the others, right?” Jade frowned, beyond confused. “So the chain is similar yet the cause of death is different? Over a ten years period? I wonder why? Different killers?”

  Jade paced the small trailer, trying to find a reasonable explanation, but the pieces weren’t adding up to anything other than criminal activity. “Of all the things that I keep coming back to, it was the absolute chaos and panic I saw when I was here right after the big earthquake. People were left to die, slowly and painfully. The dead were sometimes cut up in order to move them out of the way. In other cases, it was easier to kill trapped victims quickly than watch them die slowly. Chaos ruled. People were also being killed to gain food and blankets. Brother killed brother – out of compassion and for sheer survival.”

  Dr. Mike pulled at his beard in a movement she’d come to equate with slow, thoughtful thinking. “Except in this case, there were no missing limbs.”

  Jade agreed. “I’ve found enough crushed limbs to confirm there are plenty in the mix.”

  “So for a moment, we have a mystery. Not a crime, but a mystery.” He took off his gloves and put them into the garbage can. “I need a drink of water and some fresh air. There is a little too much death in here for the moment.”

  “Are you done? Do you want to move the body back over to the reefer?”

  “No, I’m not quite finished.” He motioned toward her stretcher. “If yours is, can you process this one while I take a break?”

  “I’ll need another half an hour at least to finish this one.” Jade stopped, looked at her watch, and frowned. “I think Meg will be arriving soon with our lunch. Normally we switch at this time, however if you’d like, I can stay and process yours this afternoon.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it. Although, if Tony finds out…”

  Uh oh. “I thought he left this morning?”

  “He and Bruce were going over personnel files.”

  Jade grimaced. Great. She wasn’t sure Tony was happy with his decision to have her here. She understood his reluctance… Initially, she might have agreed with his decision; not now. Now she had a vested interest in finishing this job. They’d been here almost three weeks. They could see the end of the job within three months. She wanted to see it through.

  Oddly enough, the more involved
in these deaths she became, the more accepting she was of the loss of her own child.

  At least she felt she was. Time did wonders for healing the pain. And closure here could bring her more closure once she returned home.

  Dane had tapped every idea he could come up with and still did not have a decent excuse for going home at noon. And then he drove right past John and Tasha’s driveway instead of going home. He left a trail of dust floating toward John’s small house. Dust. Another thing that was sure to be pissing Tasha off. Not that he could blame her. For years there’d been minimal traffic on this road. Now there were several vehicles a day.

  Coming here was stupid because Jade had probably left already. She’d said something about switching off with Meg in the afternoons now. He parked, surprised to see two SUVs there. He checked his watch, after 2:00 pm.

  She’d be gone.

  He strode over to poke his head into the lab.

  “Hey Dane,” Meg called out cheerfully. “Haven’t seen you in a few days. How have you been?”

  “I’m doing all right. Just stopping in to see how things are doing here. To see if you need the heavy equipment back again.” He hoped not; it was off doing a job on the other side of town and couldn’t get back here any time soon. Peering into the back, he was surprised to see as many people as there were. Tight quarters.

  Meg turned to the back. “Hey Dr. Mike. Dane’s here. Any idea if you need the loader back today or tomorrow?”

  Dane walked up the stairs and went in, surprised to see Jade working down at the far end. “Hi Jade, didn’t expect to see you here.”

  She lifted her head from whatever she’d been working on so intently and smiled. “Don’t suppose you brought coffee, did you?”

  He laughed. With her hair back in a clip, she looked like a teenager. “Sorry. If I’d known you’d be here, then I’d have stopped and picked up some. I thought you’d be at the hotel sipping your own brew by now.”

  “Should be,” she said cheerfully. “Dr. Mike asked me to stay and help out.”