The Thirteenth Skull

by Bonnie Ramthun

  “A loud one,” Eileen panted, still shuddering. “I never actually screamed before.”

  “I shall make you scream every night,” Joe said, his eyes half-closed in satisfaction, his arms caressing her bare back. “My wife.”

  “We should get dressed,” she said sensibly, but she didn’t move from him. “Mosquitoes won’t stay away forever now that the wind has died down.”

  “I know,” Joe said lazily. “But you are so beautiful naked. I’d like to—”

  He broke off and they both turned their heads. There was a car engine sound coming from the track behind them.

  “Someone’s coming,” Eileen hissed. “They shouldn’t—”

  Joe was already scrambling for his trousers and shirt. She grabbed her bra and tank top and spent frantic seconds getting the clasp of her bra closed. She whipped the tank top over her head and pulled her skirt over her hips, then snatched her holster and gun from the dash. She snapped the holster to her skirt band. Joe, his trousers on, was trying to button ’Berto’s silky shirt. Car headlights swept over them as Eileen adjusted her skirt and Joe finished buttoning.

  “My panties,” Eileen hissed. Joe grabbed them from the seat and started to give them to her when bright revolving lights lit them both. Joe crushed the panties into a ball and closed his fist around them. Eileen turned and squinted at the revolving lights, feeling her fear and embarrassment give way to anger. The revolving lights meant police, and there was only one policeman in the county.

  “Sheriff King,” Joe said, as Richard King got out of his car and approached Joe’s side of the car.

  “Eileen,” King said with loathsome satisfaction. “And John, right?”

  “Joe,” Joe said pleasantly. “What’s up, officer?”

  “Richard, what are you doing here?” Eileen said. “You know about –”

  “It’s Sheriff King, now, Eileen,” King said. He stood outside Joe’s door with his hand on his holster, the way all cops are trained when they approach a vehicle, but it still burned Eileen’s blood. She was a fellow cop. Cops treat each other differently.

  “Sheriff, then,” she said. “Why did you come up here? I put the boot on the gate.”

  “We’ve had a murder in the county,” King said with condescending patience. “Remember? We’ve got a curfew right now, and we don’t need any couples parking in the woods. Is that what you were doing? Parking?”

  “Just looking at the scenery, sir,” Joe said. Eileen could see the line of Joe’s shoulders and he was tense. King was like a man made of stiff wire.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “Richard – I mean, sheriff,” Eileen said. “We were doing a little sightseeing and making out. Give me a break.”

  “And doing what? Smoking dope? Doing cocaine? One of those big city things you picked up in all your travels?”

  Eileen was getting more than angry now. She was getting nervous. King was not acting right.

  “Of course not,” she said. “What’s going on?”

  “What’s in your hand, then?” King asked Joe. “You’ve got something in that hand, and I’d like to see it. Now.”

  “It’s nothing, really, just some –” Joe started to say.

  “Now, please,” King said in a near whisper. He moved his hand on his holster and Joe slowly raised his hand. The panties tumbled out and dangled by one delicate strap from his finger. He grinned ruefully at King and shrugged.

  “Couldn’t get them back on in time,” he said. “Sorry, dude.”

  For endless seconds King stared at Eileen’s panties, his jaw clenched so tight Eileen thought his teeth would splinter. She had her hands ready to reach her own hidden gun and wondered if she could outdraw him. There was real murder in his eyes.

  Then something died away in him. He shifted on his feet and looked away and the moment was gone. Eileen realized her spine was running with hot sweat.

  “Get home,” he said roughly. “I’m trying to keep this county safe. Just get on home.”

  He turned without another word and stumbled back to his car. A few moments later the revolving lights clicked off and the engine roared as he backed down the road. Eileen let her head fall against Joe’s shoulder. He blew out a deep breath and put his arms around her.

  “That was scary as hell,” he said. “I thought for sure he was going to try and kill me.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to explain about Richard,” Eileen said quickly. “I never—”

  “Oh, I already know. You never dated him, but he sure wanted to date you.”

  “How did you know? Did Lucy—”

  “I’m a man, hon. Everything about that weird little exchange told me what King wanted to be to you. If you two had been together there would have been a whole different conversation. He would have said something nasty about the kind of underwear you wore in high school, or how he broke you in for me.”

  Eileen shuddered. “I didn’t –”

  “I know. Let’s forget about him. We’ve got ice cream to get, right? Don’t let him spoil our date.” He hugged her close, but Eileen could smell the strong odor of anxious sweat coming from him. She loved him, smelling that scent, loved him so fiercely she felt tears prickle to her eyes. He’d been afraid, but he was still trying to protect her. Her own damp back told her how afraid she had been. Richard King was a very dangerous man, and his anger was aimed directly at her.

  La Creperie, Colorado Springs, Colorado

  “Tell me something good,” Rene said, after swallowing a delicious morsel of crepe. They were seated in a small restaurant in the center of downtown Colorado Springs, a French restaurant that was actually quite high-quality, even by Rene’s standards. Ken ate his broccoli and chicken crepe without enthusiasm, but Rene relished every bite of his burgundy beef wrapped in layers of perfect, succulent crepe. A good wine sat in front of them, another difference between them. Ken preferred beer, the common rice-brewed beers like Busch or Miller Lite. His tastes were simply horrible, it couldn’t be denied. Rene drew the glass to his lips and took a mouthful of rich, dark Merlot. The taste of the beef, the earthy tones of the Merlot, the delicious feeling of being well-rested, filled Rene’s heart with contentment. Best of all, there was going to be killing done. Perhaps a lot of it.

  “I’ve got something we might want to use,” Ken said. “I swear I could drive around northeastern Wyoming with my eyes closed right now. I know all about Devils Tower, too. That’s the big tourist draw up there, just in case we need to travel up there. It’s July, so there’s lots of tourists. We won’t stand out. So I found –”

  “I believe we do have to go up there,” Rene said with a small shrug. “Time to take care of this business, and best to do it quickly.”

  Ken sat for a moment, thinking, and then nodded his head. He took a drink of wine and a bite of chicken crepe, undoubtedly longing for a big greasy burger and a fat glass of beer. “Okay, then, I might have something for us,” he said. “Remember the matron-of-honor girl, Lucy? The one with the little boy?”

  “Yes,” Rene said, thinking of the girl’s picture. She was very pretty, with a great head of curly black hair. Something about the small, secret smile she had was very alluring. He liked to kill beautiful women, he had realized long ago. The prettier, the better. It satisfied him. Killing children didn’t bother him much, but he took no pleasure in it. Killing men gave him a different sort of satisfaction. A beautiful woman was like wine, a man like a hearty meal. To kill an entire houseful would be an interesting buffet. And the dessert, of course, would be the engaged couple. Joe Tanner and Eileen Reed. What a pleasure this would be.

  “Okay, I called her home number and pretended that the dress shop had lost the measurements. I needed her phone number so I could call her and get new measurements taken for the alterations.”

  “Very nice,” Rene said. He took a bite of food and waved Ken to go on.

  “Her husband is named Ted and he was packing to go on a trip to meet her. I gave him the number
here. So when he calls, we can get directions—”

  Rene wiped at his mouth with the napkin. “Did he say the airport he was flying into?”

  “I didn’t ask,” Ken said. “Why?”

  “Let’s go,” Rene said. He frowned. There was a delicious dessert that he really didn’t want to miss, a chocolate confection also wrapped in crepe. Ah, well, when he returned. He swallowed the last of his wine and stood up from the table. Ken waved the waiter over and paid quickly. Rene didn’t say another word until they were in his Lexus and he’d pulled out his laptop. “He has to fly to a connecting place somewhere. Passenger planes don’t fly to Devils Tower. That means someone has to pick him up and take him back to the – what did you call it? The Reed Ranch. And that means –”

  “That means we can intercept them at the airport,” Ken said, chagrined. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “No, Ken,” Rene said. “You were unaware how urgent the job had become. Your plan was brilliant. His name is Ted, Ted Giometti? Let’s see what we can do.”

  Rene, among other identities, was a licensed travel agent under the name Victor Blanch. As Blanch he had access to plane reservations information across the country. Just another tool in his assassin’s box.

  “There he is,” Ken said, finding the name first in the flight list. “Rapid City, South Dakota. He’s flying in tomorrow morning.”

  “There are seven empty seats on this plane,” Rene said with satisfaction. “Looks like we’ve got a flight to catch tomorrow.”

  Highway 24, Devils Tower, Wyoming

  “We should finish this before we get home, you know,” Eileen said, taking another spoonful of chocolate chip ice cream and feeding it to Joe. “Everyone will be jealous we didn’t bring home the gourmet stuff for them.” He took the ice cream in his mouth, relishing the smoothness and sweetness on his tongue. The air blew through the car as he drove in the darkness. The headlights, giant old Detroit monsters, lit the road for miles ahead of them. Joe kept a close eye for deer. The small grocery was closed when they got to Hulett so they bought two quarts of ice cream at the Conoco gas station. Plus a pint of gourmet chocolate chip ice cream, Joe’s favorite.

  “I could eat the whole pint,” Joe said. “Then I could eat you.”

  “Mmm, mmm,” Eileen said, her mouth full of ice cream. He stole a quick glance and saw that lovely satisfied look on her face, the look that he gave her. He smiled and let the breeze blow through his hair. Life was good, in this moment and at this time. Whatever blood and pain and joy the future held, that was in the future. Now was what mattered.

  “I was thinking that we could take Lucy and Hank to Rapid City tomorrow,” Joe said. “I’ve never seen Mount Rushmore. It would be a fun road trip.”

  “Actually, I was going to ask you if you would take Lucy and Hank. I shouldn’t leave the ranch. I’m supposed to be helping Mom and Dad catch the murderer, and I haven’t got a clue yet.”

  “Yeah, but you found the skull and the crown – er, necklace thing,” Joe said. “You’re making progress. Do you have anybody in mind?”

  He saw Eileen wriggle her shoulders into ’Berto’s comfortable seats. The spoon was in her mouth. She rested her other arm against the outside door of the Mustang. She looked at the road ahead of them and took the spoon from her mouth. She was ready to talk.

  “Look at the list of suspects. First, my parents.”

  “You have to include them, I suppose,” Joe said, accepting another bite of ice cream after she dug into the pint in her lap.

  “Right, but they have no motive. If Dr. McBride was trying to rape my mom, maybe, but then Dad would have shot him and then called the police right away. He’s not the sneaky type. And my mom? She has everything she wants.”

  “Except grandchildren,” Joe said serenely.

  “Yeah,” Eileen said, and poked him in the ribs. “Stop teasing me. So then we have the hunting crew. Howie, Jimmy his brother-in-law, Nolan the comedian, and Mark the Texas software tycoon. All of them wealthy, happy, uninterested in Aztec priests and Atlantis legends.”

  “Then there’s our two University types,” Joe added, as Eileen took a bite of ice cream. “Jorie, the pretty and very mean little blonde piece, and Beryl the older and very sweet anthropologist.”

  “Jorie could have killed him, maybe he made a rape attempt. She doesn’t like men. Remember she told Nolan she was a lesbian.”

  “She acts strange,” Joe said. “I’d swear she was trying to flirt with me, even though her mouth was whining continuously. Creepy.”

  “Creepy,” Eileen said with obvious satisfaction.

  “Jealous,” Joe said. “My girlfriend’s jealous.”

  “Your fiancé is jealous. Keep away from my husband, says Eileen,” Eileen said. “Last bite of ice cream.” Joe took the last bite from her spoon and spoke through a mouthful.

  “So maybe Dr. McBride was raping Jorie and Beryl comes along and pow, stabs him with the knife.”

  “Then they call the sheriff and get off the hook through self-defense,” Eileen said. “This seemed much more sneaky than that. More planned. More enraged.”

  “Somebody else, then, Mr. X. What about all those desserts that keep disappearing?” Joe asked.

  Eileen stopped moving abruptly. Joe saw this from the corner of his eye. He watched the ribbon of road unspool in front of him. Fairly soon they’d reach the ranch boundaries. Eileen would have to direct him to the gate. It was far too easy to miss.

  “I thought the hunters were eating the extra desserts,” she said. “But maybe it’s someone else.”

  “Whoever it is knows Zilla, though,” Joe said. “Or she’d raise the roof. My vote is for Sheriff King. He seems angry enough to kill someone. Anyone.”

  “I guess I’d have to include him,” Eileen said reluctantly. “Although then I’d have to include Butch at the Conoco station as well. Maybe I’ll head into Hulett tomorrow and ask around. Someone local might have a story that could open this up.”

  “While I’m driving Lucy to the airport. You’ll just have to promise me after this is all over to take me to Mount Rushmore.”

  “Sure,” Eileen said absently. “The gate’s coming up, about a mile now.”

  Joe stopped at the gate as she directed him. He let her unlatch the chain. He wondered where the trails were going to lead. He felt cold and unhappy suddenly, because he could not find in his heart the idea that he and Eileen would ever be a contented, carefree couple driving up to see Mount Rushmore. He felt something rushing upon them, and it was as bad as the crocodile thing he’d seen in his vision, or dream, or whatever it was. He would be ready, he promised himself, as Eileen got back in the car and they headed down the road to the ranch. He would be ready.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Spearfish, South Dakota

  The early morning was already breathlessly hot. Joe pulled off Interstate 90 and stopped at a Texaco station. Hank, who had fallen asleep in the back, stirred and then settled back into his car seat again, his dark little head drooping forward. The top was up on the Mustang and the air conditioning kept the car nicely chilled for the little boy. Stepping out from the car felt like stepping into an oven, even at nine in the morning.

  “Whoa, it’s hot,” Lucy said. “I’m going to visit the girl’s room, then get myself something cold. You want anything?”

  “Bottle of water. Distilled, not that spring stuff. God, I sound just like Detective Rosen, Eileen’s partner. He’s corrupted me with his pure water obsession.”

  “I’m getting a diet Coke,” Lucy said. “Which means I’ll have to pee again in an hour, but we should be there by then, right?”

  “Yep,” Joe said. “That’s the plan. Let me fill this hog and we’ll be on our way. We won’t miss Ted’s flight.”

  Lucy grinned and gave a little wave at him as she trotted off to the restroom. Eileen had given her an abbreviated, whispered report on the previous night’s adventure before Lucy and Hank and Joe had left. By the time Eileen ha
d finished with the part about the panties, Lucy had been heaving with laughter, hands plastered over her face. Eileen, who had looked pinched and concerned, was at first upset by Lucy’s reaction. Then she grudgingly shrugged.

  “Okay, it is kind of funny,” she admitted.

  “God, it’s a riot,” Lucy whispered. They were in the hallway between the kitchen and the family room, trying to swap information before Lucy had to leave. Eileen was planning on taking her Jeep into town and asking some of the locals about Dr. Jon McBride. She was also planning to do a bit of quiet investigation of Sheriff Richard King. “Eileen, I don’t think Rick is a bad guy. He’s just got an enormous chip on his shoulder about you. I think maybe seeing your panties in Joe’s hands was enough to knock some sense into him. You’re not eighteen anymore, and neither is he. People move on, you know.”

  “I hope so,” Eileen said.

  “And what panties, anyway, right?” Lucy giggled. “I mean, if you want anybody to see your panties those would have to be the ones, wouldn’t they? The thong with the hearts and all?”

  “And the gold trim,” Eileen sighed and rolled her eyes. Then her solemn mouth twitched. She blinked, and then they were laughing, hands over their mouths, and that was where Eileen’s mom caught them and shooed Lucy out the door where Hank and Joe were waiting.

  Lucy found Joe’s distilled water and got a soda for herself. She resisted the urge to buy a big package of nacho cheese Doritos. The last thing she needed was to kiss Ted with Dorito breath. Joe was at the counter when she got there, paying for gas with a wad of cash that Eileen had produced for him. Lucy nodded at the cash and paid for her own small purchases with cash as well. Best not to leave any sort of credit trail for the fat man and his friends to follow. She and Joe had spent much of the drive discussing the missile defense murders. Lucy ached to know the fat man’s name, or where he was from. She thought that there was a possibility that he might be the author of the entire list of dead scientists that had plagued the program since its very beginning.