Part 27 (1/2)
”You think it's one of your Indians?” he asked.
”At a glance, I couldn't tell you the ethnicity. But it's definitely modern, not ancient.” She crouched beside him and pointed to the molars. ”For one thing, there are the fillings. Also, traces of dried soft tissue, in this case ligaments. The scratches suggest animal activity, probably carrion birds, but it looks like they missed a few spots.”
Sattler stood up now and surveyed the surrounding area. The lawman was tall and bulky, and his thick silver hair contrasted sharply with his leathery brown skin. If not for the badge pinned to his chest, Kelsey would have guessed him for a cattle rancher.
”Just a jawbone, huh? Anything else?”
Kelsey stood, too. ”Nothing readily apparent, but of course you'll have to conduct a thorough search. A cadaver dog would be a huge help. Does the county have a canine unit?”
”Just the drug-sniffing kind.”
”Well, that won't work for this.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes and glanced around, hoping to see some evidence she'd missed earlier. It was that strange time of day, lightwise. Everything looked flat and gray and a bone would be easy to overlook among all these rocks.
Sattler pulled a toothpick from his breast pocket and popped it in his mouth. He didn't say anything, so Kelsey continued.
”Given the animal activity, I'd say there's a good chance the skeleton could be scattered over a wide area.” She paused and waited for a reaction. Nothing.
”Another possibility is that the remains were buried and an animal dug them up. You might find the rest of the skeleton, except for the skull, obviously, in a shallow grave nearby. You could rope off this area and use ground-penetrating radar-”
”Who could?” Sattler asked around the toothpick.
”You. Your deputies. And your medical examiner will want to-”
”Seco County doesn't have a medical examiner. Not big enough. Our justice of the peace serves as coroner around here.”
”Your JP, then.”
He nodded. ”Fella by the name of Sam Niederhauser, 'bout seventy years old. Not much on death investigating.”
Kelsey stared at him, pretty sure she knew where this was going.
”Fact, that shooting we had last week pretty much wore him out.” Sattler plucked the toothpick out and looked her in the eye. ”I hear when you're not digging up old skeletons, you work at that crime lab in San Marcos. The Delphi Center.”
”That's right. I'm scheduled to go back there in less than a week, in fact.”
”You're a forensic anthropologist. An expert on bones.” He nodded in the direction of the campsite. ”You're already out here with all your equipment, why don't you take a crack at it? See what you come up with.”
”I've got a field school to run. And I don't have jurisdiction.”
”I'm giving you jurisdiction. Thing like this, we have to get outside help anyway. You're here already, I'd just as soon get it from you.”
She gritted her teeth, irritated at being steamrolled yet again today. And the look on Sattler's face told her he knew he'd won.
Actually, he'd won even before he pitched her. Kelsey had never turned down a request for help, and she wasn't about to start now, in front of her students. Some of them could be headed for jobs like hers, and the reality was when a call came you went. Police work didn't always adhere to a convenient schedule. In Kelsey's experience, it never did.
”We sure appreciate it.” Sattler nodded. ”Tomorrow I'll send out one of my deputies to give you a hand with the search.”
”I'd rather have a cadaver dog.”
He smiled slightly. ”I'll see what I can do.”
IT WAS AFTER dusk when Gage returned from town, and he wasn't happy to see the sheriff had already left. Speedy investigation. Gage pulled up to the campsite just as Kelsey stepped out of her door, keys in hand. dusk when Gage returned from town, and he wasn't happy to see the sheriff had already left. Speedy investigation. Gage pulled up to the campsite just as Kelsey stepped out of her door, keys in hand.
He parked his truck and climbed out. ”Where you headed?”
”Nowhere.”
He walked over to the steps of the camper, and they stood there, staring at each other.
She'd cleaned up while he'd been gone. Her damp hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she wore a snug-fitting black T-s.h.i.+rt and brown cargo pants that hit her mid-calf. Something black and bulky stuck out of her pocket.
”You got a minute?” he asked. ”I need to show you something.”
She darted a glance over his shoulder, clearly worried about Robles seeing him go into her place. Evidently satisfied that the guy had turned in for the night, she opened the door behind her.
”I'm making dinner,” she said without enthusiasm. ”You're welcome to have some.”
”I'm good, thanks.” Gage ducked his head and walked through the door, then instantly regretted his words as the spicy aroma of whatever she had cooking hit him full force. He hadn't eaten all day, and the dinner he had waiting for him tonight was a cold MRE.
”It's a mess,” she said, squeezing around him.
Mess was an understatement. The camper was small and chock-full of clutter. Beside him was an eating alcove with a Formica table that had a notebook computer on top and books stacked beneath. Gage put his plastic shopping bag on the table as his gaze skimmed over the minuscule kitchen and a door that probably led to a bathroom. Beyond the kitchen, he caught sight of what looked like a fold-out bed with a sleeping bag on top. Something red and lacy was strewn across it. was an understatement. The camper was small and chock-full of clutter. Beside him was an eating alcove with a Formica table that had a notebook computer on top and books stacked beneath. Gage put his plastic shopping bag on the table as his gaze skimmed over the minuscule kitchen and a door that probably led to a bathroom. Beyond the kitchen, he caught sight of what looked like a fold-out bed with a sleeping bag on top. Something red and lacy was strewn across it.
Holy G.o.d.
”What's in the bag?”
His attention snapped back to Kelsey. ”Huh?”
”The bag?”
”It's for you,” he said. ”Your com setup here sucks.”
She peeked inside. Then she gazed up at him with those big brown eyes, and he had a flash of her in that red bra. ”My com?”
”Communications. You've got one sat phone for the entire group.”
”We're in the middle of nowhere,” she said defensively. ”The cell service is extremely patchy. That's why we have the sat phone.”
”You need something for you. On your person. I need to be able to reach you at all times.” He took out one of the radios and turned it on to demonstrate. ”See? Just press this b.u.t.ton here when you want to talk. It's got a long-life battery and a range of about five miles, which should be plenty.” He paused and waited for her to look up at him. ”Were you going to wait for me to go with you?”
”Go where?” She was doe-eyed now, innocent as h.e.l.l.
”Wherever you were going when I pulled up.”
She hesitated. ”I need to check something at the recovery site.”
He stepped closer until he was invading her personal s.p.a.ce. ”Lemme explain how this works, Kelsey. You set foot off this dig site, I'm coming with you. That's a dangerous highway and I don't want you driving around alone, especially at night.”
She crossed her arms. ”What happened to 'hand me a shovel and pretend I'm not here'?”