Shadow Bones. Colleen Rhoads

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      Shaken more than she wanted to admit, she fixed a cup of chamomile tea and went to the window seat that looked out on her back garden. She sipped it until her nerves settled. Good thing her mother hadn’t been here. Mother would have fainted.

      Glancing at her watch, she realized she had just enough time to check in with the mine’s manager, James Manomen. She drove out to the mine and parked beside Jake’s SUV.

      She had tried to avoid the place until she adjusted to the thought of what the paleontologist was doing out here, yet being present caused a physical ache. She turned her gaze away from the sight of Jake working with Wynne and two other men.

      The mine opening yawned in the side of the wildflower-covered hillside. She stepped to the entrance. Inside, lights strung along the sloping sides illuminated the tunnel she walked down. She felt cold, as cold as the water dripping along the floor of the mine, and wished she’d brought a jacket. Inside the mine, it was always around fifty-five degrees, and the damp had a way of permeating one’s bones.

      Her manager crouched over a massive drill. Her cousin, Michael Blackbird, stood over him holding a light, and the drill operator stood off to one side.

      “Problems, Pop?” she asked.

      A big Ojibwa, the manager James Manomen wore his black hair in a single long braid down his back. In his forties, he’d been like another father to Skye for more years than she could count. Calling him Pop helped fill a void in her life.

      James shook his head. “I’ve repaired it.” He straightened and punched the button to restart the drill. The engine rumbled to life, and the noise was near deafening.

      “Let’s go to my office,” Skye shouted.

      James and Michael nodded and followed her down the corridor to the office. Michael shut the rusting metal door behind him. The door muffled the sound of the drill down to a dull roar. “I have high hopes for this tube,” he said.

      Her cousin’s face was grimy with grease. He reminded her of her father with a white wing of gray hair on the right side of his black hair. About forty, he was the only son of Skye’s Uncle Louis and was the only other member of the family to work at the mine. She’d never been close to him since he was so much older.

      Skye’s fingers tightened on the coffee cup in her hand. “You really think this could be it?”

      He nodded. “You’re the first one who noticed the kimberlites. Surely, you’re not losing hope now.”

      “The kimberlites don’t always mean diamonds.” She didn’t want to admit how discouraged she felt today. The kimberlites were special rocks that were often found in conjunction with diamonds. She could only hope and pray that was the case here.

      “No, but you’ve never lost faith that the stones are here,” James put in.

      “We’ve been searching for two years, James.” Her voice sounded weary, even to herself. “We’re running out of money.”

      “Ask Peter for more. He’ll do anything for you,” Michael said.

      “I can’t keep taking handouts from him. At some point, I’m either going to have to find the diamonds or admit defeat. The assayer he hired a couple of weeks ago found nothing.” She handed him a cup of coffee then poured one for James.

      James’s eyes widened as he took the coffee she offered him. “I’ve never heard you talk like this. What’s wrong?”

      She plopped into the old chair at the metal desk. “Am I fooling myself, guys? I’ve been chasing this dream so long I’m not sure anymore. Sometimes a dream is just that. I might have to face reality.”

      Michael sat in one of the chairs. Her cousin was the only one of her father’s relatives her mother still had contact with. His father, Louis Blackbird, never worked more than a couple of months out of any year, and he blamed Mary for the way his brother had run off. A big man weighing nearly two hundred and seventy pounds, Michael’s sturdy strength was a constant source of support for Skye.

      He propped his feet up on the desk. “Has someone been talking to you?”

      Skye hesitated. “Mother is ready to shut down the mine.”

      “It still produces garnets,” he pointed out. “This is our livelihood, Skye.”

      “Yes, but we’re losing money. We can’t continue at this rate. I see her point.” James took a sip of coffee and grimaced. “I think this must have been made this morning.”

      “I want to try the Mitchell tube,” Michael said.

      “Peter doesn’t want us to go there. He says it’s too dangerous.” Skye had wanted to work in that tube for years, but her stepfather had forbidden the venture. She knew the tube wasn’t safe, but part of her longed to chance it.

      “We could shore up the walls,” James suggested.

      “It would cost too much.” She sighed and took the last swig of coffee and rose. “I have to get out of here for a while.”

      “Take tomorrow off,” Michael urged. “You’ve been working too hard at the shop, spreading yourself thin with worry. After a little rest, you’ll be your old self again.”

      “I still have to face facts,” she said. Her steps dragging, she went past James and Michael and left the office, then turned down the corridor and stepped outside into the bright sunshine. She cocked her head as the sound of distant whoops and shouts echoed from the slope to her left. Frowning, she turned to see what the commotion was about.

      Slipping and sliding on the loose rocks, she hurried along the path to the dig. At the top of the hill, she could see Jake twirling his sister around and around. They were both shouting. The other two workers were peering over the edge of the hole at something. Not good. Skye felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. She made her way to the dig.

      “What’s going on?” she demanded.

      Jake turned, and his hands dropped to his sides. The elation on his face radiated a charm she wasn’t prepared for. Skye felt an invisible wall go up. He took a step toward her, and she backed away.

      The joy on his face diminished a few watts. “Look here.” He gestured toward some egg-shaped rocks.

      “So?” She dismissed the rocks with a glance.

      “We’ve found a dinosaur nesting site.” Jake nearly chortled with glee. He rubbed his hands together.

      “What does that mean?” Skye had a dismal feeling it wouldn’t be news she wanted to hear.

      “Do you have any idea how rare a nesting site is?” His voice rose. “This is the find of the century.”

      All her worst fears rose up to smack her in the face. The media would be on this like a frog on a June bug. Damage control, she thought frantically. How did she minimize the effect this would have on her mining operation?

      “You’re not saying anything.” The СКАЧАТЬ