Skye Cree 02: The Bones Will Tell Page 13

  Frank was still standing down the street from Betty’s house when a patrol car pulled up at the curb. It pissed him off. How dare her call the cops. After all, he hadn’t taken anything. He’d show Betty. He’d come back. Even though she was too old, too chunky, and didn’t fit his target range, he’d come back. He’d pay her another visit when Betty Triplett least expected it.

  The woman didn’t need to know he’d gone in there to check out her fifteen-year-old daughter. Of course, he hadn’t known at the time the girl was so young. When he’d first spotted her at the mall she’d looked eighteen. So he’d followed her home. And now the cops were planted inside taking some kind of report—about him.

  The whole thing had him considering changing who he marked. Maybe it was time to go for the younger crowd and teach them something about life before they became bitter old hags like Betty. He’d use this period to reflect, to open up his mind to newer and better prospects. Maybe increase his surveillance to include a wider range. The drawback, and there was always a downside, is that the younger teens wouldn’t provide much of a challenge. They were too submissive, too eager to please.

  If he were getting bored now, it was his own fault. How did he feel about taking all the same risks but get so little in return?

  He could hardly rest on his laurels. He had to take it up a notch some way, somehow.

  And he thought he knew just the place to start.

  Chapter Thirteen

  If it were true that their serial killer had moved on, then it meant they could both sit back and finally enjoy going out to the night’s celebration when the Warrior Society would add one new member to its roster.

  This evening Skye would take her place among the all-male leaders of her tribe in an event designed to showcase the woman who had taken centuries-old traditions and turned them upside down. A female warrior among an all-male cast was change in any society. In the Native culture it was the equivalent of shattering the glass ceiling.

  As they got ready to attend the formal sit-down dinner that also promised a host of local celebrities, Josh stood at the mirror in the bedroom looping his black tie around his neck. But when he caught sight of Skye behind him coming out of the walk-in closet, he let the ends dangle as he turned to gape.

  His eyes lit on the long legs, perused upward, beginning first with the five-inch Sergio Rossi open-toed mermaid pumps on her feet. The champagne dress set off her cinnamon skin and left little to the imagination. With the wrap-style top, the classic V-neckline, and the form-fitting pleats at the waist, it all came together to give her a red-carpet, sophisticated look.

  Skye Cree might be a woman who routinely wore military-style boots on her nightly rounds but tonight’s outfit showed she could rock an evening gown when the situation called for it.

  She’d left her hair down to drape at her shoulders in that straight angled cut he loved.

  “Holy Christ, you look good enough to eat.”

  She tilted her head. “I’m pretty sure you did that already. About an hour ago as a matter of fact.”

  “So I did.” With one finger he motioned for her to twirl around so he could get a look at her bare back. He laid a hand on his heart. “You take my breath away, Skye. You look amazing.”

  “It isn’t too much, is it? I feel kinda silly. But Lena suggested I should go for classy. She and Zoe helped me pick it out at this store in mall that specializes in evening wear. I picked this one out because the three-quarter sleeves were perfect so I wouldn’t have to mess with a jacket or a wrap tonight.”

  That brought a laugh from him. “The sleeves? Oh yeah, the dress has sleeves. I see them now. Trust me, baby, no one will be looking at the sleeves.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs as she gathered up some of the skirt in her fist and lifted it off the floor. “There’s more fabric here than I know what to do with. I hope I don’t trip on the long gown.”

  “I’ve seen you wear a dress, Skye. You won’t trip. By any chance are you nervous?”

  “A little. Okay, a lot. But I have to make a speech. Everyone gets nervous when they have to get up in front of a lot of people. I don’t like being the center of attention, especially when they’re all staring at me. Why do you suppose they decided to let in a woman at this late date?”

  He turned back to the mirror to finish the knot on his tie. “You’re a smart woman. Think about this for a minute. Do you really think they did this without someone prodding them into it?” From his reflection he watched her eyes grow wide before her shoulders slumped.

  “Travis. I should’ve known. With everything going on, I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “It isn’t too late to call him, Skye.”

  She thought about that for a minute and went another way. “There’s a roomful of local people expecting me or I’d back out of this whole thing right now.”

  Josh recognized the tactic and knew which buttons would get her going. “No need to back out. All the press involved will be good for the foundation. What’s good for the foundation helps every kid who has the misfortune to go missing.”

  “That’s just it. I’m doing this because of the foundation. I don’t need to actually belong to this warrior thing to make an impact. And I don’t need Travis to put in an appearance,” she finally snapped out with some heat. “Now let’s get a move on. We don’t want to be late.”

  As they boarded the elevator, a thought occurred to Josh. Just because Skye didn’t want to speak to Travis didn’t mean there wasn’t a solution. Josh could and would act as a go-between. In his mind, it was bad enough for two longtime friends to be on the outs with each other, but when that “friend” had morphed into “family,” it was a sad state. Not only that, but it left Josh squarely in the middle of the mess. And he didn’t like it.

  That’s why as they headed toward the Belmont Hotel hosting the event, Josh decided to use his formidable powers of reasoning, the same he’d used to get banks to loan him seed money when they had to be convinced a game was a good return on their money. After all, he was a business man who persuaded people to do things five days a week. With that thought at the forefront, he stepped his toe into icy water. “I know you still care about Travis, right?”

  “Of course, I do. But…that’s beside the point.”

  “No, not really. That is the point. It’s the basic element of your tribe, its history, where you came from. I did my homework, remember? Family has always been a huge part of the Nez Perce. They care what happens to their own. How often will this event take place, Skye? Think about it. Once. Skye Cree won’t be up there on that stage becoming a part of the elder council ever again after tonight. Do you really want Travis to miss out on this? Can you live with that if the answer is yes?”

  He took his eyes off the road a split second to glance at her face, to see if his words had made any type of impact. He thought he knew Skye and the woman was big on doing the right thing. When he saw his opening, he offered, “How about this? I make the call. You don’t even have to talk to the man. I’ll take care of everything.”

  Skye chewed at her bottom lip. “It might be awkward. You know, seeing him there,” she finally said while checking the digital clock on the car’s dash. “And look at the time. He couldn’t possibly get dressed and make it from Everett to the hotel.”

  Josh wouldn’t want to bet against Travis Nakota making the trip in record time. Seeing the opening he wanted, Josh handed his cell phone to Skye. “Scroll through my contacts and hit the screen for me, will you?”

  She sighed. “Just because you invite him does not mean I’ve forgiven him. Make sure you point that out. I don’t want him to think that—”

  “Skye?”

  “What?”

  “It’s the right thing to do whether you’ve forgiven him or not.”

  “I know.”

  When she’d hit send, she handed it back to Josh, who took it and waited for Travis Nakota to pick up.

  In a ceremony that promised to last no more than
two hours, it was a good thing it dragged in places. When the elders on the council took turns patting each other on the back for having the good sense to finally include a woman, it got bogged down with long-winded accolades.

  After speech number five, Josh looked up from the dais to see Travis Nakota standing in the back. His bow tie hung loose, untied.

  Josh grinned at the man in spite of the anxious woman fidgeting with her napkin in the seat next to him. He leaned over to Skye’s ear and whispered, “Look at the people in the audience. Tonight they don’t just adore you. That’s respect you see in their eyes. You did that Skye. No need to be nervous. Besides, you look really hot in that dress.”

  About that time, the elder at the podium finished his intro. The minute Skye got to her feet, applause broke out across the packed event room from its two hundred or so invited guests. The clapping soon turned into a standing ovation.

  A little self-conscious at the attention, she turned back once to glance at Josh. He gave her a quick wink, right before putting two fingers to his mouth and letting go with a loud whistle through his teeth. At that moment, no one could have been prouder of her than the man who planned to talk her into eventually marrying him.

  Once she reached the microphone, Skye had to take a long, deep breath and exhale before she could speak.

  “This is a great honor for me tonight. You’ve made me a member of a society that even history recognizes as strong, independent, and fierce. Even though up to this point, males have dominated within your ranks, I will not let my fellow warriors down. I pledge tonight that you will always be able to count on me. To defend those in our tribe, as well as those outside this realm who cannot take care of themselves, I will be there.

  “Our forefathers sang about the hunters and the warriors of old. But tonight, we take those timeworn songs and make room for change as we move into a bold, new era. As I stand before you, I proudly claim my Nez Perce heritage, for I am both hunter and warrior. I will honor the rituals of my people and its customs. I will honor long-held traditions. But know this. I will also break them just as I have by your acceptance of me here tonight. I know that some were against letting me stand here among you as an equal. I want you to know there are no hard feelings in my heart for those individuals. It just means I’ll have to try harder to show those who voted to keep me out that my war is against all those who prey on children, or the vulnerable, or the ones who cannot defend themselves. And that isn’t going to change.”

  As the speech wore on, Frank De Palo sat at a table in the back with seven other local mini VIPs. He’d finagled an invitation through his Mixed Martial Arts promoter. The promoter happened to have connections with all the city council members. Because one in particular was a fan of the sport, Frank had found his way as a guest.

  He watched as the beautiful woman took center stage. He listened as she articulated her thoughts and feelings about becoming a member of the Nez Perce Warrior Society.

  He’d obviously underestimated her intellect.

  Now, as he sat there hanging on her every word, he realized there were two sides to the woman who had saved Kelly Donahue. One was the savvy street fighter he’d seen at York’s. The other was this stunning beauty capable of winning over an all-male club that usually had barred the opposite sex from participating in anything of value other than birthing babies. But with her clever acceptance speech, the smart woman had them eating out of the palm of her hand.

  None of it went unnoticed by Frank.

  He appreciated what he considered her manipulation factor. It had been his experience that every woman possessed that side in large quantities. But he had to give it to Skye Cree. She hid hers better than most. She would make an excellent opponent. Finally, someone worthy of his talents and skill set who he could go up against head-to-head—and defeat.

  He knew she shared Josh Ander’s bed, had for the last several months. But he also knew she kept her own little studio apartment where she’d lived for years before the gamer had ever appeared on the scene. It was a crappy rat hole, but he’d already made up his mind to get inside it tonight. He might even spend the night there, sleep in her bed.

  Because Frank De Palo knew it was time to get back on the horse. He’d taken his supposed “cooling off” period as the experts wanted to call it. He’d relished seeing the media use those two words to describe what he knew to be false.

  But now it was time to get back to work.

  That’s why after leaving the Belmont Hotel early, Frank had stopped at his place to change clothes and put on his all-black outfit.

  A few minutes after midnight he made his way to Skye’s fourth-floor walk-up where he picked the lock to get into the trashy little place.

  As he swung the door open, he noticed the squeak first before ever setting foot inside. He took out his penlight to shine into the one-room interior. His eyes perused the four walls to make sure he was alone before striding to what appeared to be the bathroom. After checking that out, he located the light switch. He got his first look at the layout, the arrangement of the furniture.

  He removed a small bottle of lubricant from the pocket of the hoodie he wore and went back over to the door. Placing a few drops of the oil on each of the three hinges, he tried the door until he was satisfied he’d taken care of the offending creak.

  Since the walls of the dump were paper-thin and so was the flooring, he made sure to keep his footsteps light as he scanned the tiny five-hundred-square-foot studio. The only place to walk was a narrow slice of pathway that led from the front door and continued past a small loveseat and back to the full-size bed in the corner. A couple of homemade quilts reminded him people of Skye Cree’s station in life set value on such outdated, ordinary accessories.

  Checking out the rest of the shabby chic furniture made him wince. Someone as beautiful as Skye Cree needed to spend her time in more elegant living conditions, not some hole-in-the-wall tenement.

  Which made him wonder why she would insist on keeping this tiny flat when she had access to Ander’s loft on a regular basis? A definite chink in her armor, Frank decided. Maybe she didn’t plan on staying with the man for the long term. That might explain her reluctance to give up this miniature-sized crib in the bowery section of Seattle.

  He made his way around the wall–to-wall furniture arrangement to the thin strip of kitchen. Colorful dishes took up one open shelf and another held what his mother had always called useless knick-knacks. When his eyes landed on her bookshelf he went over, picked up a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Why would a smart woman read such useless drivel? he wondered. After checking out the titles, she didn’t own a single book he’d even consider adding to his to-be-read list.

  When a dozen intricate stained-glass designs decorating the walls caught his eye, he thought back to whether or not he’d seen an artistic side to the warrior. He decided she didn’t possess any particular tendencies toward creativity.

  Although tonight she’d shown excellent tastes in her evening attire, the classy dress had set off the woman’s toned figure. He had to admit, her in that gown she’d looked like a model, someone he would consider fucking. He hadn’t even thought that possible because of the military get-up she usually wore. Now, her sense of flair had to enter into the equation.

  He stared at all the plants she had lined up neatly in front of a sliding glass door. He wasn’t sure that counted in the creativity column. But a second scan had him doing a mental calculation in his head. There had to be at least fifty containers holding a variety of herbs and other types of foliage. She did seem to have a green thumb when it came to growing things. Then he remembered a day last week when he’d followed her here. From street level he’d noticed the balcony full of greenery. If given the dirt and space the damn woman could probably grow her own forest full of flowers.

  Okay, so her artistic side included a bit of gardening. He didn’t like that. It reminded him too much of someone else.

  About that time, Frank heard the whimsical t
inkling of wind chimes coming from outside. It was then he realized this Martha Stewart side hovered at Skye’s outer edges. He would exploit that as a weakness.

  But as he continued to go through her things, it became obvious she did show a wide range of interests. He pulled out a spiral notebook buried under all the hardcover books, and then found another. Apparently his Skye Cree liked to jot down interesting side notes about people. As he flipped through the pages, he became fascinated with her meticulous details about the various sexual predators she’d tracked over the years. So she liked to keep notes on people just as he often did on his potential targets. An interesting similarity, he decided. Maybe they had more in common than he’d originally thought.

  But for some reason Frank kept coming back to the only other space in the little rat-hole to store anything—under the old iron bed. He decided to see what had migrated underneath with the dust bunnies. Getting down on his knees, he scanned the area—and hit the mother lode. He slid out a laptop computer from its hiding place and realized he’d just found something that would keep him occupied for the rest of the night. The bonus would be getting inside the mind of another hunter.

  And what a mind it was.

  Tonight he would do without sleep as he made himself comfortable here. He’d soak up everything he could since he couldn’t very well take the laptop. She would surely miss that and know someone had been here. That someone she would no doubt blame on him.

  He pondered whether or not he really cared about her knowing. He decided to play it safe. So he pulled out his phone and snapped photos of her little sanctuary. He took screenshots of her notebooks and anything else he could think of that might come in handy for later. He even laid out each piece of her underwear and photographed that as well.