Bone Secrets 03 - Buried

a chain reaction.
    The chain would never connect to him. He flicked a speck off his jacket shoulder and straightened his tie, lifting his chin. Never. He’d prepared too well. He’d taken every precaution, and the chain would end right where he wanted it to. He’d picked the perfect scapegoat.
    Empowered, he stepped over to his desk and hit a button on the phone.
    “Sir?” The voice was tinny through the speaker.
    “In my office, please. We’ve got a situation.”
    “Right away, sir.”

    The old man gazed at Chris with shrewd eyes that nearly glowed in the dark of the evening. “This the real thing or another practice run?”
    Chris shook his head. “Don’t know,” he lied. “Doesn’t matter. Same rules apply.”
    Dark eyes held his for a second and then looked to the boy wrestling with the rangy yellow dog in the feeble light from a single light bulb. “The room’s ready.”
    Chris nodded. “I appreciate it.” He sucked in a deep breath, gaze automatically checking the shadows of the shop. Juan’s bakery was ancient. The equipment had been old when Juan’s father opened up shop. He kept the place spotless. No dust dared spendany time on his floor or shelves. This time of night the single room was still, but the smell of fresh bread lingered heavily in the air. His mouth watered.
    A cackle answered him. “You’ve paid me well. Wouldn’t be able to keep the shop open without your rent.” He snorted. “Rent for a room that you never use.”
    “We’ve been there a time or two.” Chris handed over some bills. The money didn’t matter to him. It was like payment on an insurance policy. He was purchasing peace of mind.
    He could watch the cameras positioned around his home from his computer. And wait. See who would come looking for him. See whom the stories shook out of the brush, moved to action. No one knew he rented the room. Juan lived alone and had been sworn to secrecy. Chris had noticed the window above the shop four years ago and had convinced the old man to let him borrow the space. It was a win-win situation. Juan kept his shop, and Chris felt safe.
    The question was, how hard would he be looked for? If he put the old man in danger, he’d never forgive himself. The dog splayed his front legs and bent low to the ground, giving a playful growl. His son gave a high-pitched giggle and growled back. Chris silently watched.
    He’d die before danger touched his son.
    He’d figured he had two or three days after Jamie’s call before he had to make his move. The news had finally hit the Internet, his Google alerts filling his inbox.
Oregon school bus. Missing children. Kidnapping.
    The names of his schoolmates.
    Each one had burned in his brain for twenty years. Their names and their faces. It’d been a shock to see their old school pictures online. And his own picture from that year. Short hair,innocent smile, so trusting. He’d avoided school picture day when he returned, citing his scars, telling his parents that he didn’t want anyone to see pictures of him.
    Over the last twenty-four hours, he’d been glued to the Internet, reading every word he could find on the grisly discoveries. He’d shed tears over the descriptions of the tiny skulls, picturing them as the friends he’d once played with. Kendall with her long black hair and lisp. Jeremy with the lopsided grin and mass of freckles.
    Why was he the one still alive?
    Memories had spilled over as he studied the pictures. And he was there. In the hellhole again. Reliving it all. The man’s lifeless pale eyes, the skin so white Chris could almost see through it. The Ghostman had released the youngest girls first. The other kids had cried and begged to be next. He’d seen Kendall leaving with her hand clasped in the Ghostman’s, a wide smile on her face as they climbed the ladder out of the stinking hole. Had it been a gift that they never knew each other’s fate?
    His stomach heaved, and he felt sweat start at his temples. Breathe. In. Out. In.
Damn it.
This was a certain sign there’d be nightmares tonight. Fine. He simply wouldn’t sleep. Laughter pealed as Brian was knocked over by the dog and it vigorously licked him in the face.
    Old Juan cricked his neck to look at the two tussling on the ground. “That’s a good boy you’ve got there.” Brown eyes cannily read Chris’s face. “Parents do anything for their kids, yes?”
    Chris nodded and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Anything.”

    “Yes!