Bone Secrets 03 - Buried

leave Demming.

    It was four in the morning, and no one was at Chris’s home.
    Gerald had easily found the small house. A double-wide trailer surrounded by a swatch of tall firs standing alone on a small rocky plateau. He’d left his vehicle a half mile away in another group of trees and brush. He hadn’t seen another car since he left the town.
    Talk about rolling up the sidewalks. The small town had shut off every light in the “city” area by eight p.m. Even the gas station had closed by seven. Last evening, he’d kept a distant view of Michael and Jamie as they’d eaten dinner at the diner. After that, they’d gone to a bed-and-breakfast and not come out. Apparently, they were waiting until the following day to meet up with her brother.
    By the pale light of the moon, Gerald went through the drawers, pulling out everything. He figured if Chris wasn’t home by now, he wouldn’t be coming home at all tonight. Clothes piled at his feet as he ran his hand under and around each drawer. He was beginning to wonder if he had the right house. He wasn’t finding any sign that Chris Jacobs lived here.
    He steamed. He’d had a plan, an expectation. And it was all going to hell. Every ounce of him wanted to put an end to the man who’d eluded him for years. And it looked like he’d slipped away again. His hands and psyche were aching for blood.
    He stalked to the small kitchen and did the same number on the drawers in there. No scraps of mail, no bills, nothing with Jacobs’s name. There weren’t any photographs either. The only things hanging on the walls were the artwork of a child. Looking at the toys and clothes, it was a young boy. Younger than ten. Gerald bent over and started on the cupboards. Pots, pans, bowls. Nothing that indicated who lived in the house.
    He opened the fridge. He’d seen those fake bottles before that people hid important papers or money in. He checked the small amount of condiments and found them all to be legit. He grabbed the carton of milk and peered at the date. It didn’t expire for another seven days, so someone had been here recently.
    Would Jacobs have a child? He hadn’t found any women’s clothing or women’s touches around the house. The bathroom only held male toiletries. Where was the child’s mother? Divorced? Again, Gerald wondered if he had the right house.
    He pulled the cushions off the couch, unzipped them, and ripped the covers off. Nothing.
    Damn it!
    There was no landline, no computer, but there was a desk that looked like it was missing a laptop. A printer sat close by, and there were several bookshelves full of computer programming books. He marched back to the main bedroom and stared, letting his eyes travel the room. What had he missed?
    He scanned the blank walls. Whoever lived here, lived like they’d never settled in.
    He froze as the thought hit him. Or lived like they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice, without leaving a trail.
    No papers, no pictures.
    Satisfaction flowed through him; he was definitely standing in the right house.
    This was the house of a shadowman. Who now had a son to hide.

    Within fifteen minutes of seeing the Ghostman on his laptop, his heart racing, Chris had Brian packed in the truck. The sleepyboy leaned against the side rest of his booster, unable to keep his eyes open. He hadn’t asked a single question about being awakened in the middle of the night. Chris was always ready to travel light. Every item he owned had a mentally attached tag of “take” or “leave” on it. Everything he’d ever bought, he’d considered whether it’d be something he needed to abandon if he had to leave town fast or if the item was light and necessary to pack.
    He didn’t say good-bye to Juan. The old man was a light sleeper and had surely heard them leave. Years ago, he’d briefly told Juan that someday, someone might come looking for him, but he kept details to a minimum. The old man easily read between the lines, and he knew Chris would run without stopping if he thought Brian was in danger.
    Through numerous mental dry runs and the occasional real one, Chris had packing and vanishing down to a science. And now it was paying off. He and Brian had made long car trips south into Mexico, and he knew exactly where he wanted to go. There was a tiny, sleepy town on the western coast of Mexico. Life was slow, and the people seemed kind and not nosy. Not like here. The town gossips tried to stick their noses in his life every