“Sure. Give us ten minutes and we’ll have him in a room by then up on the eighth floor.”
Skye took advantage of the time to make the call she’d been dreading to Josh’s parents.
She spent the next ten minutes reassuring Phyllis and Douglas Ander as best she could that Josh was receiving the best care possible. She’d see to it. Knowing the couple wouldn’t understand Native customs or ritual cleansing ceremonies, she encouraged them to get to the hospital now to see their son, hoping they might be gone by midnight. It wouldn’t do for them to cross paths with a group of Nez Perce shamans, let alone go into an account of what Josh had kept hidden from them for two years. In Skye’s mind it was hardly the time to disclose what had happened to their son that day in the woods—a metal pipe to the head tended to do irreparable damage.
She doubted the Anders would put much faith in legends, spirit guides, or Kiya’s role in the whole transformation process. Instead of full disclosure, Skye bypassed all that. “You don’t have to spend the night with him because I’m staying put until he wakes up. They’re taking him up to a room on the eighth floor now so we’ll meet me up there.”
When Doug questioned her over the phone about the hit and run she confirmed what had happened. “But don’t worry. I intend to find the son of a bitch who did this to him.”
After ending the call and heading back to the waiting room, Skye bumped into Harry in the hallway. “I hope Ashley gave you enough of a detailed description to get a decent composite.”
“Ashley didn’t see much, Skye. How’s Josh doing?”
“Unconscious. They’re moving him upstairs. How are Ashley and the little girl?”
“Will he be okay?”
“I hope so. I’m not leaving him alone until I know he’s okay.”
“I know you have your hands full right now and I don’t want to monopolize your time but… I need to talk to you about Ashley’s ordeal.”
“Let’s hear it,” she said wearily.
Harry took her through the teen’s version of what happened. “When she reached her apartment and got out of the car, Ashley was followed up the stairs by a female with long dark hair.”
“What? This guy has an accomplice?” Skye shook her head. “I’m beginning to think this isn’t the same guy who mutilated the others.”
“Maybe not but I learned just now that the doctor took a rape kit. The results were negative. She was drugged for most of the time he had her, I doubt she’d remember it anyway if she had been.”
Skye aimed a disbelieving look in Harry’s direction. “This might be a first. Why kidnap her if not for sex? To sell her for later? That’s the only thing that makes sense. I don’t get it, Harry.” She marched off a few steps and then turned back. “What about Kiki? Did they complete a rape kit on the baby?”
Harry nodded. “Results turned out the same, negative.”
“So if this wasn’t about rape, then what? Our guy keeps both mom and baby at this houseboat for almost twenty hours, but doesn’t beat her, mutilate her in anyway, or take advantage of her. He leaves them alive all that time. Come to think of it, the lab didn’t find any semen on the other victims either. Why is that?”
“Maybe this guy’s impotent.”
“Maybe. But then why go to the trouble to abduct young women if he doesn’t plan to use them sexually? Sex trafficking would be a good reason to do that. Maybe twenty hours wasn’t enough time to complete the transaction.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“How about Kiki, how is she doing through all this?”
“Kiki checks out fine… Medically. Emotionally she seems terrified and traumatized.”
“Bastard,” Skye muttered. “Hopefully, Kiki will get back home to the Kendrows and her mommy soon and life will smooth out some. At some point, both of them will eventually forget what happened altogether. Okay, so maybe that’s optimistic.”
“We have survivors. I’d say that’s more than reason for optimism.”
Skye rocked back on her heels, beginning to feel better. “So let’s move on to the owner of that houseboat.”
“Some guy named John Stockman. He says someone must’ve picked the lock and broken in, and must’ve brought the girl and baby in there to hide out. Stockman says he doesn’t use the houseboat all that often, mostly for entertaining. It’s a second home for him. The last time he was there was about two weeks ago.”
“Hmm, and you believe him?”
“So far his alibi checks. He’s a local businessman with ties to the city council and mayor.”
“Yeah? Well, so far I’ve got a husband who’s losing ground by the hour, no answers as to who ran him down, a houseboat that blew up with us within feet of it, and I’m not real happy about any of it. So, I’m sure you won’t mind if I choose to remain skeptical at this point about a guy with ‘political ties’ when two kidnapped victims are found in a house he owns.”
“I’m right there with you. How about we keep tabs on Stockman? He might have a connection to our unknown subject.”
“Or subjects. Fine. You keep an eye on him because as you can see, for the next couple days, I’ve got my hands full. Josh is staying put until he wakes up. And I’m not budging until he does.”
“He’s in a coma?”
Skye stabbed a finger in the detective’s chest. “Do not use that word.”
Just then, Lena and Zoe hurried up to them. The stylishly dressed woman wrapped Skye up in a bear hug, swaying back and forth. “I’m here now, honey. It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”
Skye stared at the woman, she’d known for years. Lena wore a pair of black pants with a teal blouse under a festive red jacket. Skye noted she’d lopped off her dark brown hair into a spikey cut that made her look far younger than her fiftyish years. “What are you doing here?”
“Travis alerted us to what’s going on. Zoe and I got here as soon as we could. How’s Josh?”
“We were just getting to that,” Harry said.
They all four turned to stare when Travis appeared with a band of Skye’s fellow tribesmen trailing behind him. Travis pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “They’ll wait for as long as it takes until the coast is clear to get access to Josh’s room. Whenever you say the word, we’re ready to go.”
Lena looked confused. “Why do all these people need to get into Josh’s room?”
Skye explained the situation, and hopefully, the solution.
After listening to the reasoning, instead of doubting Skye’s judgment or the ritual itself, Lena simply replied, “Zoe and I want to be in there for support.”
Skye smiled at the lady she considered a substitute mom. “We could be planning an exorcism for all you know and you want in?”
Lena grinned back. “If there’s a chance it might make Josh better, absolutely. I mean what could it hurt to send healing vibes out into his space?”
“My sentiments exactly. Besides, I don’t like it that the asshole we’re chasing is using Josh like this. So let’s do this thing.”
Chapter Fifteen
But before the elders could get underway with the ceremony they had to wait for Phyllis and Doug Ander to leave Josh’s room.
For three hours Skye stalled for time. Standing beside Josh’s bed, nervously hoping his parents would eventually feel comfortable enough to leave their son in her care, she wanted to get the show on the road. But noting the worried look on their faces, she didn’t blame the Anders for sticking around well past the witching hour. After all, their son had been comatose for more than six hours now.
“I don’t understand why he doesn’t wake up,” Phyllis wondered.
Doug touched his son’s cheek, felt his forehead and then searched Skye’s face for answers. “It’s as if something else is at play here. Is there a reason there’s a roomful of Nez Perce elders lined up outside the nurse’s station hoping the way will soon be clear when we leave?”
Skye looked over at Phyllis then back at Doug and decided to level w
ith them. “Okay, you deserve the truth. Here’s the deal. At the risk of sounding completely off the charts and you thinking I’m nuttier than peanut butter, Travis and I think the killer we’re after is utilizing some kind of ancient curse to keep Josh sick and out of it. There, I said it.”
Doug looked stressed and baffled until the light bulb went off. “So that explains why there are a bunch of elders—I haven’t seen since the wedding—sitting out in the waiting room. If this ancient curse is a factor then why have you wasted all this time? Let’s get the tribe in here and try making him better. For God’s sake, help Josh come back to us.”
“Right,” Skye said. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” She angled her head toward Travis. “You round up the medicine men while I distract the nurses.”
Doug waved her off. “Don’t worry about the nurses. You get this thing started and Phyllis and I will take care of them. Just see to it that my boy gets better.”
“You heard the man,” Skye said to Travis. “I’ll set the stage with everything we need. You think it’ll work without being physically inside the lodge?”
“That’s the next thing we’ll try if this fails, but it is mid-winter, the perfect season to bring about the healing power of the wéyekin.”
To the Nez Perce the wéyekin ceremony was the backbone of their spiritual culture where powerful medicine could be found in a quest for their guardian spirit, the spirit that resided in the peopleless land. Since children from seven to thirteen went in search of their Power, wéyekin offered protection throughout their lifetime. During illness or hardship they called on their wéyekin for help. Even though Josh had come late to the party, this was one of those times. He might not be Nez Perce by blood but his adopted people believed he was a full member of the tribe. So, the elders had come to call, to appeal to his spirit guide, the wolf, for healing.
Standing beside his bed, Skye had a hard time dealing with how gray Josh looked. Since the hit and run, he seemed to be going downhill faster. Taking his hand in hers, she placed a kiss on his brow before stepping back so the tribe could work their magic.
The elders entered the room in order of tribal hierarchy. They began to utter in their Native tongue, chanting for the spirit of their ancestors to heal and protect. Two lit candles while two more began playing their flutes. The beat of drums sounded as the scent of cedar and sage wafted on the air, replacing the sickly hospital disinfectant odor.
The shaman directed the tribe to stand in a circle surrounding Josh’s bed. They took up the same refrain. “Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Tonight we call this room our lodge. We call to the peopleless land to use its forces of nature, its powerful energy, to enter here tonight where we meet and heal our young friend, Josh Ander. We ask the land to help in driving out the source of the evil spirits causing the sickness to befall our friend. We ask that Josh Ander regain dominion over his own human spirit. We call to the warrior wolf spirit inside him to fight strong once again and be with us again the way he was before. We call to his wolf spirit to chase away whatever evil keeps him sleeping. Heal like the strong wolf you are, Josh Ander. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay. Let the light shine in your eyes once again. Let your strength return tenfold. Ee ah hay, ee ah hay, ee ah, ee ah hay.”
The singing continued until the first rays of sunlight peeked through the vertical blinds.
If the roomful of people thought anything physical would change in Josh right away, they were greatly disappointed. Skye knew it might take a while for the healing powers of the Great Spirit. But Phyllis and Doug and Lena and Zoe were disheartened at the lack of response in Josh.
Skye looked around at the faces of their friends. “I’m glad all of you came. I’m not sure what I would’ve done tonight if you guys hadn’t been here with me to see me through the night.”
“What happens now?” Phyllis asked.
“We wait. Until then you guys get out of here and get some sleep. Lena, I need you at the foundation for the next couple days heading up things. In fact, any of you who are able to spare the time, it’d be great if you could check in with Lena for specific assignments. Travis, if you could take Atka home with you, I’d really appreciate it. Last trip out to the car for the dog was at three a.m. I’m sure she needs to go out again.”
“Don’t worry about Atka. You just take care of yourself. Try to catch a nap if you can.”
A nurse came into the room, looked around at the standing-room-only crowd and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been patient up to now. But there’s a shift change due in thirty minutes. Be out of here before the day shift goes on the clock. That means anyone who isn’t immediate family gets the boot.”
“They’re all family,” Skye returned with a smile. “And I love all of you for coming.”
Once they’d all drifted out to the elevators, Skye sat down by Josh’s bedside and held his hand. Tears streamed down her face. She’d walked down alleyways and faced child molesters and every kind of murderer, but she was never as scared as she was right at that moment.
Harry found her like that.
“You look like you could drop. Is there anything I can do?”
“No, not really. But thanks for asking. Thanks for coming. What are you doing here so early?”
“I thought you’d like to know that the lab picked up useable DNA from Ashley’s and Kiki’s clothing.”
“Touch DNA? So we’ll know pretty quick if it came from two donors, if it’s male or female, or if it matches anyone in the system.”
“You know the drill. It’s more than we had two days ago.”
“Okay. Then as soon as Josh is able to walk out of this place, we’ll want to talk to Ashley, delve a little deeper into her ordeal, find out what she remembers.”
“He’ll be okay, Skye.”
She stared down at Josh. “You bet he will.”
Several hours after the cleansing ceremony had ended and Harry had left her alone, Josh’s eyes fluttered open.
His first clear picture was of Skye, head resting near his chest, asleep. He feared if he moved, he’d wake her so he remained perfectly still just watching her. Instincts though were back in full throttle. He laid his hand on her hair in a gentle, light touch.
As if sensing he was awake, Skye lifted her head, meeting his gaze.
“You have beautiful eyes,” he murmured. “Have I told you that lately?”
“No, I don’t believe you have.” She ran a hand over the bruises on his forehead. “Would you like some ice chips? You still feel feverish to me.”
She scooped up the plastic hospital pitcher, clinked ice into a cup, and then spooned the pieces up to his mouth. “How do you feel?”
“Like a truck hit me.”
She pursed her lips in a grin. “You have a concussion from where you met up with a block of concrete called a curb. Your head is so hard the concrete lost. And the city plans to bill you for forcing them to send out a repair crew on a weekend.”
Josh tried to laugh and was immediately reminded of the pain in his left side.
“That’s from a set of cracked ribs,” Skye explained. “Looks like you’ll be sidelined for a few weeks.”
“Nonsense. I’m already healing. I feel my body regenerating already. Don’t look at me like that. It’s Kiya’s influence. You of all people know it is.”
“I’m not denying it. I’m delighted you’re on the mend.”
Her brave front didn’t fool Josh. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Comes with the territory.” But when she pressed her lips to his, there was urgency there. Truth. A connection of spirit. “Fact is I was terrified when I saw you lying on the pavement crumpled and hurt like that. There have been times over the years when what we do weighs heavily on me and I wonder if it’s the right path. Today was one of those times.”
“We don’t let evil stop us, though. You know that.”
“Yes, but it took a lot out of me seeing you injured.”
“It should motivate us mo
re to catch this bastard.”
She kissed his forehead, worked her way slowly down to his lips. “Oh, it does. Count on it.”
Chapter Sixteen
In Everett, an exhausted Travis unlocked the front door to his ranch house a little after seven in the morning with Atka leading the way into the foyer. Travis unhooked the malamute’s leash, watched the dog head straight for the couch to curl up for a nap.
“Great idea,” he muttered to the canine. “But I’ve got too many things to do. Might as well start a pot of coffee to stay awake.” When he reached the kitchen, no one was more surprised than he was when he rounded the corner and found Chenoa already up and pouring creamer into her coffee mug.
“Where have you been?” Chenoa demanded.
Right at the moment, Travis wasn’t in the mood for one of her infamous inquisitions. “Why ask? You know where I was. The question should be where were you? I called and told you the elders were performing the cleansing ceremony to help Josh wake up. It took a little longer than we’d planned.”
“How long does it take to say a few words over a guy who can’t even hear you?”
Travis’s forehead knitted into a scowl. After being up all night those words nicked him a little too deep. “Since you’re Native I’d think you’d respect the traditions of our forefathers a little more than you do.”
Chenoa waved a hand in the air. “I told you upfront that I’m not really into all that. I still don’t understand why it took all night. You should’ve been home hours ago. I really don’t get it.”
“I know you don’t. But it was a little more detailed than we originally thought. Besides, things got complicated at the hospital. And I had to come up with excuses for your absence. At the very least you could’ve made an effort to stop by for a visit.”
“Why would I do that? I just met those people the other day. It isn’t like I actually know any of them, or that they know me. It would’ve been an uncomfortable situation for me.”
His Garden of Bones Page 16
