by Dale Mayer
Remains lay exposed.
"What am I looking at?" Jade asked in confusion.
"Exactly the question I was hoping you'd answer for me," Stephen demanded, explaining further. "I found more skeletons. But cleaner, older, deeper in the ground than the others we've found to date. These appear to have been covered by a thick layer of dirt and rocks. As if they were in a layer below the mass grave."
Dr. Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Some of the dirt would have slid down on top of the first bodies when they were dumping the bodies. This was done in a hurry by people without the skills to do it right. Hell they might have done that deliberately if there was a break between loads of bodies. That would actually be practical. They'd have to keep the predators out somehow."
"True," Stephen pointed out smoothly. "But why would these victims dumped in here be so clean, and buried with chains?"
Chains?
The color bleached from Dr. Mike's face. He could barely get the words out. "More? Are you saying you've found more people with chains on them? This doesn't make sense."
"It does if you don't look at this simply as a pile of earthquake victims. Sorry, but what we have here is no longer simple."
Jade bent down to take a closer look. Stephen had opened a six-foot square. The remains and dirt had long married together into a brown, sandy mess. Only the white of bones showed.
Coiling away from several of the bones were rusty-linked rings ending in thick manacles.
Jade stared as Dr. Mike pointed out at least two sets of links crumpled in and over top of each other. "We'll need to treat this site carefully."
Dr. Mike nodded. "Still, chains are not definitive proof. Again, we can't let our imaginations run away from us here. There are possibilities other than foul play." He sighed heavily. "However I'm really struggling to find a good one."
"I think this should wait until Bruce returns. We'll need to treat this as a potential crime scene – just in case." Jade cringed inside. She wished there was another way.
"And how about an expert on Haitian culture? Surely there's someone we can ask about this."
Stephen snorted. "Be serious, Jade. What can we ask? This isn't exactly the type of question that you ask to start a conversation. So…" He mimicked a heavy Texan drawl as if he were asking the authorities. "Do you keep your whole family in chains – or just the women?"
"Actually…" Jade winced at the images that refused to stop prodding the back of her mind. "I had worse thoughts going through my head." She took a deep breath. "I was thinking of the sex market. What if someone kidnapped young women for the slave trade in Asia or Malaysia?"
All the men stopped and stared at her.
"Now that's not a nice concept." Wilson ran one hand through his dust-covered hair and stared at her. "Why would you even think of something so nasty?"
"Because it's a huge problem. We all want to bury our heads but just because we can't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening all around us. After a disaster like what happened in Haiti, children were being snatched off the streets and as always young women are the prime victims."
"And this is as good a place as any, to stop." Dr. Mike stepped in as the voice of reason. "There's no way to know exactly what we have here until we remove everything and analyze it."
"Just in case, we need to photograph this site and all the stages of our work here, until we have these bodies out and safely inside." Jade looked Dr. Mike in the face. "Speaking of safe, has anyone considered security on the site while we're working here?"
Stephen said, "Bruce requested more money be budgeted for security. I don't know what the end result is. Why?"
Looking around, Jade shrugged self-consciously. "I don't know if there is foul play involved here or not, but if people hear about what we've found..."
Dr. Mike clambered over several rocks. "You think that the person responsible might find out? That's highly unlikely, isn't it? Not everyone knows what we're doing."
"Sure," said Stephen. "About as likely as finding a bunch of chained women in a grave intended for victims of an earthquake disaster."
Jade stood up. She glanced back toward the trailers, barely visible through the rocks. "Bruce said he'd be here around noon today." She took a long drink. "He was hoping you'd have information on that first woman with the chains."
"Right. That's why I'm going back to work on her right now." Dr. Mike rotated his shoulders.
Closing the lid on her own bottle, Jade nodded. "And I'll photograph what we have so far here – then when Bruce arrives, we'll proceed."
Relief lit Dr. Mike's face. "Good plan."
Jade walked down with him and retrieved her camera. As soon as she returned to the gravesite, she adjusted her camera for the light and started with close-up pictures from all sides.
Stephen watched her for a few minutes. "Fine. I'm going to grab a bottle of water then. The dust here fills my lungs and dries my throat."
"Grab me one while you're there, please." Jade focused and shot, changed her position and did it all over again. She tried not to think about the poor people in front of her. But her mind twisted through the endless possibilities. How did they end up in chains?
The stillness around her settled in. Jade felt as if she were being watched. She glanced around wondering how long Stephen had been gone.
Weird. She continued to photograph their findings. Then, because she couldn't get the feeling out of her mind, she refocused her camera and started taking pictures of the surrounding woods. Just a nice series of shots showing that there was no one there. By the time she turned back around again, Stephen stood beside her grinning.
"And you are doing what?"
She smiled. "Sightseeing."
***
Jade studied their new room and immediately laid claim to a small portable table where she set about creating a workspace beside the window that overlooked the gardens. This space was a hell of an improvement. It was twice as large as the space they had before, boasted big bay windows that let in lots of natural light and came with several large tables. Bruce had decided that they needed a more secure area at the hotel for work. This had been the perfect solution. Nice.
Now if only there was an answer to the on-site security issue.
Knowing she needed as much computer time as possible, she focused on her charts as the others moved around her.
"Couldn't find yourself any better spot to be in the way, huh?" Bruce grinned at her as the bookshelf went on the wall behind her.
"Nope. Figured this offered optimal irritation."
"You're probably right." Stephen came over and dumped a large box of binders destined for the bookcase behind her on the floor. "When you get a chance you can put these on those." He patted her gently on the shoulder before disappearing again.
She shook her head and entered the information Dr. Mike had added to Rose's file. Holding the chart in her hand, she puzzled over the handwritten notes. Dr. Mike's writing was damn near impossible to read. He also didn't do computers well. But according to all accounts he was a hell of a doctor.
"Hello, Jade. How are you?"
Surprised by the strange voice calling out to her, Jade glanced around and frowned. Tony. She should have expected to see him at some point. Still, his arrival on their moving day was a surprise – just not a good one. Though their relationship had been civil so far, she hadn't been at her best during their first meeting and he hadn't been enthusiastic about her joining the team. He'd been desperate to complete the team quickly and with Duncan's urging, had finally agreed to give her the position – with a warning he'd be keeping an eye on how she handled the job.
Still she was here. And that made him her boss. "Hello, Tony. I didn't know you were coming."
"I'll be in and out several times over the next few months."
She smiled politely. That made sense. A
lot of money was being piped into this recovery. "To be expected."
"How are you handling your job?"
Was there something off in his voice? She studied his face, looking for anything other than general interest. "I'm doing well, thank you. The job is interesting and once we get properly set up, I can see we'll make a lot of headway."
"Are you finding it difficult to be here?"
Raising one eyebrow, Jade shook her head slightly. "Not at all. Haiti has moved forward – plus the job is very different – not many similarities between the two experiences at all." She shrugged her shoulders. "Things are good."
He appeared to be about to speak then thought better of it – and left. She stared at the empty doorway for a long time.
Had he told anyone about their first meeting? Maybe not all of it, but someone must know to keep an eye on her.
She would appreciate it if her problems stayed private. But then Tony had a job to do too. Did he consider her a liability? Or was he just checking in on his investment?
Retrieving the chart again, she held it under the light to try and decipher Dr. Mike's notes.
It took almost as long to do the charts as to process each body. But when didn't paperwork take longer? She searched through her downloaded picture folder to locate the ones for Rose's case file. Jade attached over forty, wanting to be thorough in case the police followed up. She finally turned to the last file.
Where had everyone gone?
"Are you done yet?" Dressed in a long, brightly colored cotton dress, Meg looked so relaxed, so beautiful, Jade sighed. She wished she could wear dresses like that. But she was so short, they only made her look shorter.
Then her eye caught sight of the wonderful ice cream and banana concoction in Meg's hands. Jade straightened, her stomach growling. "Is that for me?"
"Hell, no." Meg laughed and took another bite. "Go get your own."
"Where? Are you guys eating without letting me know? I've been working hard in here."
"Huh? It was lunchtime a good half hour ago. Your stomach always lets you know."
Jade checked her computer. "Shit. I almost missed it." She bolted to the dining room, followed by the sound of Meg's laughter. The rest of the team sat eating and talking around tables. The only spare chair was Meg's.
Jade heaped her plate with something that looked like fish again and grabbed Meg's spot. No one had made a new place for Tony, so he'd picked her chair. Of course.
Shrugging it off, Jade focused on the food in front of her.
"Hungry?" Tony asked curiously, watching her eat.
She couldn't be eating that much more than everyone else, surely? It only looked bad because she was the only one with food on her plate. She nodded and ate several more bites. She had taken rather a lot.
"Jade has a healthy appetite." Bruce smirked. "I think she eats more than me. And where she puts it I don't know."
That started off a major joking fest – with Jade being the brunt of it. She took it good-naturedly. As it was, even with all she'd been eating, she could swear she was losing more weight, or her shorts had stretched. Not good. The weight loss might be because of the high temperatures here. She didn't know.
And as long as she didn't get sick, she didn't really care.
"I think she has worms."
Shocked, fork halfway to her mouth, Jade stared at Stephen in astonishment.
"What? That would be the first thing I'd have checked." He grinned at her. Then forked a large bite into his mouth.
She gasped mockingly, "Are you implying I'm a bitch?"
"Well…."
Snatching up her napkin, she crumpled it into a ball and threw it at him. "Be nice."
He held out his hands. "Mercy. I wouldn't think such a thing, honest."
Jade rolled her eyes at him again and finished the food on her plate. Replete, she pushed the empty plate back and sighed happily. Then she finally clued in to the conversation around her. Bruce had stopped in to speak to the authorities.
"What did they say?"
"In short, they don't want to hear about supposition. If we have any proof of a crime then we're to contact them, but otherwise don't bother them. I'm not surprised, actually. They're swamped with more pressing problems."
Dr. Mike interjected. "I think their resources are stretched to the max. They have their hands full dealing with current crimes instead of possible crimes from a year ago – if not longer."
Bruce agreed. "Exactly. They did say that chains are not part of any Haitian burial tradition – to their knowledge."
Surprise lit Susan's face. "Here I was so sure it was an after-death ritual."
"Apparently not."
"Do we proceed as if this is a crime scene?" Stephen asked, a frown creasing his forehead.
Studying him, Jade realized she'd enjoyed Stephen's company these past weeks. He was her age, and unlike Bruce and Dr. Mike who were her superiors, he was easy to talk to. She could see a nice friendship developing here.
"Why is one way different than another way?" Tony interjected, not at all happy with the situation. "We're not here to solve crimes. We're here to find the remains of this man's family members and take them home. Quick and simple."
Jade had been on the verge of saying something but closed her mouth. She didn't want to rock the boat. Tony was right. CSI personnel they weren't – and he paid the bills. She winced. True, they couldn't justify spending more time on the manacled bodies than on the others, but if they didn't, who would?
"Someone needs to consider these people." Wilson lounged back in his chair, his face a study of exasperation and anger. He glared at Tony. "We understand that you and your clients are footing the bills for this job, but from the first, our understanding was that we'd do what we could for the others in the grave as well. Surely, being as meticulous as possible isn't beyond the scope of our job? Reporting a crime scene and possible victims shouldn't be either." A small tic played at the corner of his mouth. Jade held her breath, waiting.
"As long as they are given the same consideration as everyone else and not costing additional monies to process, then there is no problem," Tony said stiffly.
"And if a little more money is required to properly process these people, then what?" Wilson challenged.
Jade winced at the aggression but agreed with her team member.
"I can't okay any expenses that aren't within the parameters we first set out," Tony responded primly. "Bruce knows exactly what those are. I expect him to enforce those limits."
Bruce grimaced. "Thanks for passing the buck."
Tony stood up. "I have no intention in doing that. Just make sure you don't either. You are all here to do a job for my client. That is all. Nothing more and nothing less. The other people in that grave are to be processed, entered into a database and reburied in the same grave if no one claims them. Finished."
He strode out of the room, leaving the rest of them to stare uncomfortably at each other.
Wilson snorted. "That went well, didn't it?"
Dr. Mike shook his head. "Or not."
***
No lights. No guards. No brains. So much gear and equipment left for the taking. He knew many men that would have cleaned out the trailers in no time. Although, if he told them about the dead bodies, he wasn't sure anyone would touch a thing. His people had respect for the dead.
The hills cast long shadows though the moon offered him lots of light for walking the clearing. Not that he needed it. He'd spent his life here. The darkness held no secrets from him.
Avoiding the big reefer truck, he wandered to the lab trailer, quickly picking the lock as he had the night before. The women fascinated him. He'd never had a white woman. Their skin was so silvery, and looked so soft. In the sun, they almost glowed. At first he'd checked out the little blonde more closely, but decided to back off – figure
d one woman for the boss and one for him was good enough.
Besides the bigger one would offer more fight. She was older, more experienced and a little less likely to be controlled… and that was fine with him. He wasn't his old man.
As his boss didn't like fighting, the quiet one would suit him. He always walked away when Tasha and John got into it. Tasha was not going to let a day go by without letting everyone around know exactly how she felt. She'd always been like that. Easy and fast on opinions and bossy to boot – only she was family. There was only so much he could do to change her attitude.
He wandered around the inside of the trailer, intrigued and repelled at the same time. How could they do what they did? They didn't see it as wrong – he understood that. But to stand there day after day and touch dead people? No, that just wasn't right. He walked over the entrance to stand on the small porch.
He couldn't understand the women working in here.
Tasha would never touch a corpse. Then she did only what she wanted to anyway. Their father had tried to rein her in a long time ago, but with the death of their mother, she'd gained the upper hand and look at his father now. Christ, Emile rather jump off a cliff than finish like his old man. Speaking of which… He stared off in the direction of Peppe's cabin. Chances were the old man hadn't had anything to eat all day. Damn Tasha for passing that job to him.
He hated having to deal with his father. Sure Tasha was pregnant, but women had been having babies since time began and other women managed to get their work done. Why couldn't she?
Because she refused.
Well, he straightened – enlightened. Then so would he refuse. Damn weakling, John could do it. He never refused Tasha anything. He could take care of Peppe too.
Grimacing, he remembered Peppe from last night. The old man had been sitting in soiled clothes. Emile had thrown down the food and walked out. He wasn't going to clean the old man's ass again. Once had been too much for him.
