His Garden of Bones

by Vickie McKeehan

  Travis took out a cup from the cabinet, poured coffee, then dumped in four teaspoons of sugar. “'Those people’ are my family. How, exactly, do you intend to get to know them if you don’t make an effort?”

  “And I told you showing up at the hospital isn’t the best time to do that.”

  Travis got down a bottle of aspirin, knocked back three. He felt a headache coming on. “We’ll discuss this when I get back.”

  “You just got home. I waited all night for you. Where are you going now?”

  “While Josh is in the hospital I doubt Skye will devote much time to the foundation. So I’ve decided to step in to help. You could come with me,” he suggested, clearly hopeful she’d take the opportunity to develop an interest in Skye’s work. It wasn’t the first time he’d given her the option. But that hope evaporated when Chenoa opened her mouth.

  “When do you plan on spending time with me? I have a lot on my plate right now. The horse show is in two weeks. We were planning a trip to Savannah. What about that? Right now, I don’t have time for anything but that.”

  He’d heard the same lame excuse for two years. “This isn’t about you or me. Skye and Josh are on the trail of a man who doesn’t mind kidnapping babies or mutilating young women. The killer’s getting so desperate he tried to run down Josh. For me, this is a lot more important than your horse show.”

  “Since when? You love watching me compete.”

  He used to. “No one loves horses more than I do. But I’ll say it again. This is my family we’re talking about. Skye and Josh do important work that’s vital for the very survival of some of these kids. They need my help and I’m not walking away from them to see a horse show. I take care of my own. If you don’t know that by now you obviously don’t know me well at all.”

  He started for the bedroom to change clothes but stopped. “So does this mean you won’t come to the foundation today with me at all? Because I want to be clear here.”

  “No. I have no intentions of sitting around stuffing envelopes all day inside some boring office when I could be spending time with my horses. If you think I’d be happy going through the names of missing or murdered women, you don’t know me very well.”

  Travis sighed. “I see. You know what? I should’ve realized before this minute how selfish you come across. You aren’t willing to come to the hospital to visit my son-in-law. You refuse to volunteer your time at the foundation. Have I got that right?”

  “So?”

  “So I think we’ve reached an impasse.”

  “Oh, come on. Things were fine between us until you had to go and introduce me to your precious Skye. The minute you had that dinner party and found out your daughter didn’t like me, things changed between us.”

  “You’re right. I’m embarrassed to admit it but I thought it was Skye’s problem. I even went to see her and called her on it. We had words, an argument if you will. But yesterday when I got the call that Josh had been hurt, seriously injured—the kind of situation that draws families together in times of crisis—you refused to come with me to the hospital. I should’ve known it then. While I sat there waiting for the elders to show up, I began to think back over the last two years. I didn’t like what I remembered about us. I didn’t like our relationship very much. Not just that but I didn’t like myself very much for putting up with you for so long.”

  “Why, you ungrateful jerk! Why don’t you admit it, Travis? You just don’t want to get married.”

  “I can’t argue with that. Not to you anyway. It’s over between us, Chenoa. Whatever you have in my house, you have until this time tomorrow morning to remove everything you’ve brought here.”

  “And what happens if I don’t pick up my stuff?”

  “Then you’ll find a stack of boxes sitting by the gate. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to feed my horses, take a shower, get dressed, and head back to Seattle. I’d appreciate it if you’d lock up before you go.”

  Travis was still fuming from the confrontation when he walked into the Artemis Foundation.

  Chenoa’s refusal to rush to Harborview with him and check on Josh had been the tipping point. There had been other times during their relationship when she’d used stall tactics to avoid meeting Skye. That’s why it had taken him two years to get them together. The fact that he’d always made excuses was clear to him now.

  Chenoa had never seemed to understand his devotion to family. But refusing to help out when Josh was laid up was pure selfishness on Chenoa’s part.

  “What kind of woman does that?” Travis said to Atka as he started for the kitchen, only to see Lena Bowers and Zoe already there. They’d stopped to get fast food and had spread their breakfast out on the table to share with each other.

  “Does what?” Lena wanted to know as she withdrew Styrofoam containers from a plastic sack. “Want half of the omelets? We have plenty.” As an added inducement, she added, “It’s from Country Kitchen. Velma bagged it herself.”

  “It does look good and I am starving.”

  “Then pull up a chair,” Zoe said, stuffing her mouth with a bite of cheesy egg.

  “How come you aren’t in school?” Travis asked Zoe.

  “Uh, because I was up all night,” she reminded him. “I told Lena I wanted to stay at the hospital and make sure Josh was okay. I couldn’t have concentrated anyway knowing he was hurt. And it’s almost Christmas break. We aren’t doing much.”

  “How did you guys beat me here?”

  “When we left you were still inside with Skye. And besides, we live closer to the foundation than you do,” Zoe pointed out. “Then there’s the fact that Lena has a tendency to lead-foot it wherever we go.”

  “I do not. I was well within the forty-five-mile-per-hour limit coming from Harborview to the parking garage.”

  Zoe guffawed with teenage laughter. “You were racing down Ninth Avenue doing fifty-five and you know it. Even a new driver like me knows that’s begging for a ticket.”

  Lena rolled her eyes and tossed Travis a grin. “Ever since she got her learner’s permit she’s convinced she’s an expert.” Lena pointed a finger at Zoe. “Keep giving me a hard time and I shouldn’t plan on letting you behind the wheel to practice any time soon.”

  “Okay, okay. You weren’t speeding.” Zoe snickered and added, “Even though she was.”

  Travis sat back, sipped his coffee, amused at the bickering.

  “Any leads yet on this serial killer Josh and Skye are after?” Lena asked.

  “They think the houseboat owner, John Stockman, might be involved.”

  Lena’s face showed surprise. “Wait a minute. He’s the man who owned the houseboat? Could that be the same guy who owns Dandelion Eatery, the fancy restaurant four blocks from here?”

  “That’s the one. You know him, too. I know him because he’s one of the members of the restaurant association I belong to. I don’t know him well, but I do know John.”

  “Everyone knows John. I can’t believe he’d be involved with kidnapping a mother and a baby. That’s not the man I know.”

  “The thing is he claims he hasn’t used the house in weeks and that someone must’ve broken in after the kidnapping. Skye’s not buying his story. Then there’s the female accomplice Ashley Kendrow saw. How the mysterious woman plays into this mix is still part of the puzzle. It might mean a couple pulled off the abduction. At this point, no one really knows anything for certain.”

  Zoe’s radar zeroed in on the gossip and speculation. She decided to toss out a few helpful hints. “Maybe the kidnapper doesn’t have an accomplice and acted alone. Maybe it isn’t a man at all but a woman who wanted a baby.”

  Travis cocked his head, stared at the teen. He knew one day Zoe wanted to be just like Skye. He took out his phone. “Hmm, I wonder if Skye’s considered that. I’ll text her and offer that up.”

  Lena picked up her mug, held it up to her lips. “Knowing Skye like I do, I’m sure she’s already thought of that. And she’s rarely wrong. But I’v
e known John Stockman since he was the line chef at Baker’s Grill. It’s difficult for me to think he could be a party to anything like that. Do they plan to pick him up anytime soon?”

  “I don’t think he has anything to worry about there. They’ve questioned him but there’s just one problem. The houseboat is in pieces. The cops have picked the rubble apart looking for anything that ties John to the abduction. So far they’ve found no probable cause to arrest him for anything.”

  “Then I guess Skye will have to bide her time before she gets the opportunity to talk to him and clear this whole matter up.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about this case. If anyone is able to find out what this guy’s up to, it’s Skye and Josh,” Zoe emphasized, obvious hero-worship in each word. “I hope this case is over soon and Josh is okay by the holidays. They promised they’d take me skiing with them to Mt. Baker the day after Christmas. Josh said he’d teach me how to do a double cork.”

  Travis needed a translation. “A what?”

  Lena laughed at the confused look on his face. “Josh promised they’d go snowboarding and he’d show her how to do a double flip.”

  “Ah. That makes sense but—”

  Lena sent her daughter a wry smile. “I think Travis would have to agree with me that you probably need to give Josh a few more days to recover before expecting him to attempt snowboarding or skiing.”

  Travis winked at Zoe. “Lena’s right. Remember, the last time we saw Josh, he was in no shape to ‘double cork.’ But I’m sure he’ll make it up to you after the first of the year as soon as he’s feeling a hundred percent.”

  Tears formed in Zoe’s eyes. “Josh will recover, right? I mean, he’ll wake up, won’t he? His coma’s just temporary, right?”

  Travis reached over, put his hand on top of Zoe’s. “Why don’t you text Skye and ask? I bet you’ll be surprised to learn his condition is already greatly improved.”

  Zoe jumped up, took out her cell phone, keyed in the question all in one energetic motion. As soon as Skye replied, the girl promptly wrapped her arms around Travis’s neck in a hug. “I knew those guys who showed up could do it. You guys are awesome!”

  Travis grinned and hugged Zoe back. “Sometimes when it works, we are indeed awesome.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Wednesday morning after the latest MRI, Skye checked Josh out of the hospital. Even though he limped wherever he went, Josh refused to head home to Bainbridge to take it easy.

  “It’s a mistake not to go home and rest.”

  “Do you want to get this guy off the streets as soon as possible or not?”

  “Of course I do but that’s beside the point. I need you at a hundred percent.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Today let’s focus on talking to Ashley and getting everything we can out of Stockman.”

  “Then explore the possibility that we’re dealing with a woman as our killer.”

  “There you go. A full agenda. I feel better already.”

  Skye swerved to the curb in front of the Kendrows’ colonial brick with something else on her mind. “Remember when Emmett mentioned this unsub might have several different personalities? I’m wondering if we need to slant the questions to Ashley with that in mind.”

  “What you’re really saying is that you think this guy has at least one personality inside him that’s female.”

  Skye raised a brow. “Not that I’m actually buying into the whole split personality thing but let’s float that on the water long enough to see what Ashley remembers. At the very least we might be dealing with a cross-dresser.”

  “It’s weird how we’re so often on the same page.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Skye stared at her husband trying to determine the amount of pain he was in. “Do you need help getting out of the car?”

  He shook his head, eased himself out of the passenger seat leaning on the car door for support. His ribs might be hurting and bruised but he could do this. He tried to breathe air in deeply, but got considerable pain for his effort. “I’m already feeling much better.”

  Skye sent him an amused look. “Good to see the bump on the head didn’t crack the stubbornness out of you.”

  Minutes later, they were ushered into the living room by a grateful George and Marion.

  “How can we ever thank the two of you for bringing us our girls back?” George gushed. He aimed a gaze at Josh, tapped him on the back with care. “And you got yourself run over in the process. I’m sorry for that.”

  “But I’m bouncing back,” Josh said with a grin.

  “We got lucky,” Skye deemed, eyeing what looked like a check in Marion’s hand. “I can’t accept that unless it’s made out to the foundation.”

  Marion placed her hand on Skye’s arm. “George said you’d say that so that’s exactly what we did. It’s drawn on George’s plumbing company account. You ever need help again, all you have to do is let us know. You hear about this kind of thing happening to other people, but we never thought it would ever hit this close to home.”

  “Now we know it happens to ordinary people,” George finished. “Ashley’s still a bit dazed by it all.”

  “How about something to drink?” Marion asked.

  “We’re fine, thanks,” Skye said, looking past Marion over at Ashley sitting on the sofa while Kiki played nearby with a set of blocks.

  Skye stepped closer to the couch, lowered her voice. “I’m sorry we have to be here right now. I know you’re still reeling from what happened to you. We know you’ve talked to the police in depth but Josh and I need to jog your memory for anything else you might remember, anything at all.”

  Skye looked back at Ashley’s parents. “Is it okay if we talk to your daughter alone without a lot of distractions? Is there any way you could take the baby in the other room for a few minutes?”

  “Sure thing,” George said scooping up his granddaughter. “Marion and I will fix Kiki some mac and cheese for lunch. How’s that?”

  “That would be great. Thanks. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re done.” Skye went over and sat down next to Ashley on the sofa and clasped the girl’s hand in hers. Ashley still hadn’t said a word or looked up at them. Gentling her voice even more than before, she suggested, “Let’s step back for a minute and try to go back to that Saturday night. Do you think you could do that for me?”

  Ashley covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know how helpful I’ll be because I was drugged. I don’t remember all that much.”

  Skye nodded knowing she’d have to prod Ashley along. “You’d be surprised what the subconscious picks up. Just relax, close your eyes if you have to. It’s critical to go over everything you heard, anything you saw, to the point of recalling smells and then how you felt at the time you caught the aroma.”

  Ashley bit her lip while tears filled her eyes. “If you guys hadn’t gone looking for me when you did and busted in when you did, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

  Skye wrapped her arms around the girl. “Josh and I know exactly how you feel. But we aren’t here for thanks. One thing that’s been bothering us… You’re absolutely certain it was a female who followed you up the stairs that night? You’re positive it was a female who followed you from where you parked your car in the lot to your building? Was it a female who came through the door behind you? You actually heard heels on the pavement as this person followed you inside?”

  Ashley considered that. “Heels?”

  “Heels, like a woman would have on if she were coming in from a Saturday night out.”

  “Ah, let me think.” The teen mom closed her eyes, but then shook her head. “Honestly? No. I’m not sure of anything. The entire thing is so fuzzy. I’m sorry.”

  “Rohypnol tends to do that to a person. It’s known on the street as ‘the forget me pill’ for that reason,” Josh said as he slid into the chair across from Ashley.

  “Is that what was in the shot she gave me?”

  Skye sat up stra
ighter. “Now see, right there you used ‘she’ instead of using the word ‘he’ to describe the person. That tells me your first impression, your gut reaction, was that it was indeed a woman.”

  Ashley thought about that. “That makes sense. Now that I think about it, she did have long brunette hair with a red band running across the top. You know, like the kind that tries to hide the fact that you’re wearing a wig or extensions but you know it anyway.”

  “That’s excellent detail,” Skye told her. “You’re doing great. What about her hands? Were her nails painted, manicured? Did she have on rings, jewelry of any kind?”

  Again, Ashley thought back. “Ah, I remember her long, sparkly red earrings because they dangled down from her ears at about neck level.”

  Josh waited a beat. “Do you think you could relay that description to a sketch artist?”

  “Detective Drummond asked me that at the hospital. My mind was too cluttered to be of much help. But now that I’ve had a couple days to recoup and get back home, I’m thinking, yes.”

  “Great,” Josh said in optimistic fashion before prompting Ashley for more. “Anything else? What about the woman’s skin tone? Was it light or dark or something in between?”

  “Well, she’d done a decent job on her makeup. She had good skin. But I guess if I had to say, her skin leaned to something in between light and olive. So what was it, Rohypnol in the shot?”

  Now that the teen mom was beginning to open up and felt more comfortable doing so, Josh filled in this part. “We think the Rohypnol came first. It was in the needle that night, although the hospital did find a cocktail of drugs in your system. One of them was Rohypnol, traces of etorphine were also discovered. But for the long haul, it looks like what she used to keep you out of it most of the time was sevoflurane, a type of ether.” He held his hand in front of his nose. “Do you remember having a cloth mask on your face at any time?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I did have trouble breathing at some point. At times, it felt like I was drowning.”