Skeletons Among Us: Legends of Treasure Book 2 Read online

  —www.phoenixnewtimes.com. Martine Cizmar, Apr 22, 2010.

  MARIA WALKED INTO ROD’S hospital room just as he walked out of its small corner bathroom, pulling his IV pole behind him. His hair glistened, and the air smelled of cheap shampoo. He jumped when he saw her and flung his arm around to his backside, closing the gown that was about to precariously swing open.

  “Wow, you look fantastic!”

  “Thank you,” said Rod, sporting a genuine smile. “I actually feel pretty fantastic. It’s amazing what even a hospital shower can do. I feel almost human again. I even trimmed off that horrible scraggly beard thing that was going on.”

  He really did look so much better. Maria literally stared at him for a good ten seconds before realizing what she was doing. His face was almost back to that full, chiseled Roman god look. No more sunken cheeks and sags under his eyes. What she wanted to do was rush over and wrap herself around him, holding him safe and sound in her arms.

  A few, okay a large number of kisses would be nice too.

  Instead, she held her ground and warmly smiled. “One of the best memories of my life was my first shower after getting home from Tehran. It was unbelievably amazing.”

  “I tell you what,” said Rod, sitting down on the bed and swinging his legs onto the mattress. “As soon as I get back to Kanab I’m taking a bath in my jetted tub and I’m not getting out until I have to go to work. I want to wash all of this … hospital off me.”

  Maria felt a growing sense of joy. Rod’s mood was so much more improved than it had been in the past several days. His perky, upbeat attitude was making a comeback at last.

  “That sounds like a brilliant idea. Just think. One more day and you’re out of this place. Good riddance,” said Maria, easing a few steps his direction.

  “I know. You’ve got to be so glad to get out of here and back to your police business, too. Some class reunion, eh?”

  The corner of Maria’s mouth twitched. The back and forth banter felt wonderful. Whether it was the antibiotic or the aftermath of all of the sedatives Rod had been on, he hadn’t been himself. Today was definitely looking up. “Yeah, I’ve got to admit, I highly doubt I’m going to my high school’s fifteenth. It’s in three years. Can you believe that?”

  Maria was a foot from his bed now. It was time for her to find a chair to sit in. She wondered if he’d try to at least hold her hand today. So far, he hadn’t initiated much physical contact. It was literally painful for Maria to sit in the same room with him and pretend like she didn’t want to snuggle up to his side and find her comfy spot. But she held back. Gave him the space he needed.

  She knew it was normal. To be expected. The man had found his wife, ex-wife actually, that he’d been pining over for six years. Granted, the woman had been trying to swindle him from day one, but that was neither here nor there. The fact was Rod had loved Dakota deeply.

  All of the old emotions of abandonment had clearly resurfaced in Rod. He’d been withdrawn and despondent since the moment Dakota had left his hospital room with the police. It had been an awkward situation—alone with Rod, she watched him plummet into the stages of grief. The denial. The anger. He seemed to experience them all at once.

  Over the last few days Rod and Maria had talked some—mostly she’d explained as much as she could about the case. She told Rod about the switched contact solutions. She also admitted that for a while she’d thought it was Amy who had done it, but understood now Amy was a pawn, just another woman Brian had played.

  Maria also had told Rod about Brian’s breakdown during questioning. He hadn’t admitted to everything, but he did confess to attempted blackmail after Dakota’s disappearance. He’d stopped when he realized it was too dangerous. He also admitted to planting the fake evidence by Sofia’s skeleton, but he claimed it was all Dakota’s idea. He said Dakota was even the one who’d purchased fresh meat to rub over the skeletal remains to make sure Clyde would pick up on the scent and find the evidence once the old classmates got close to the area.

  Today, however, Maria promised herself she wouldn’t talk about the case at all. It was going to be nothing but happiness and positivity. She planned on spending her time reliving old memories with Rod.

  “Hey,” she began, “do you remember the time that you and I—”

  Rod reached over and picked up the television remote, switching it on. A weather man rattled off the forecast for the day which, not surprisingly, was going to be hot.

  Maria wasn’t sure if Rod had interrupted her on purpose or on accident. She waited to see what he would do next.

  Methodically, he stirred his vanilla pudding, scooping up a spoonful and shoveling it in his mouth. “If I ever have to eat anymore of this stuff, I’m seriously going to get my stomach pumped.”

  “It’s not that bad,” said Maria. ‘But you should have gotten the chocolate. It’s much better.”

  “What is it with you women and your chocolate, anyway?” Rod turned to look at her. A grin spread on his face. “It’s almost like you think you could put wheels and a steering wheel on a chocolate bar and drive it around. Now a car … that’s something I could get excited about.”

  “Speaking of,” said Maria, pulling something out of her backpack, “look what I brought for you.” She handed him the latest issue of Road and Track.

  Rod’s face lit up. “Sanity at last.” He accepted the gift and started immediately flipping through the pages. As he did so, he rubbed his temple with his index finger.

  “Headache?” Maria asked.

  “Yes. Constantly it seems.”

  “Did you take something for it?’ Maria remembered the migraines she suffered from for a long time after Tehran.

  “Just some Tylenol. I don’t want anything stronger. I’m not a big fan of drugs. Besides, they don’t work. It’s like my brain won’t shut down. It keeps replaying all of the horrible things that seemed so real during my craziness. It’s exhausting have hallucinations.”

  “I know,” said Maria. And she did. If there was anyone who could understand Rod it was her.

  “I know you do.” Slowly, Rod reached out and slid his fingers in between hers.

  They felt warm. Strong. Amazing. Exhilaration shot through Maria like a bolt of electricity.

  He was holding her hand. He’d done it. He’d reached out to her. He still felt something—even in his pain and confusion he wanted her near.

  She gently rubbed her thumb back and forth a few times on his recently washed and dried hand.

  “I have a trick for headaches that involves no medication whatsoever. Interested?”

  Rod raised an eyebrow. “Does it involve chocolate?”

  Maria laughed. “It most certainly could, but we can do without in a pinch. It would involve me joining you on the bed—I’d need a few inches.”

  “Oh, is that right?” said Rod, keeping his tone light and joking, but his eyes showed reservation.

  “No funny business involved. This is a hospital, and I do have a reputation of police chief to keep up.”

  “You say it will get rid of my headache?”

  “No, but it might get rid of your headache, and it would definitely be better than listening to the news.” Maria pushed the off button on the remote.

  “Okay, I guess,” said Rod, a tired edge to his voice.

  His response was less eager than Maria had hoped, but he hadn’t flat out said “no.” That was progress.

  Rod scooted over on the bed to make a spot for Maria. She gingerly sat next to him but didn’t cozy up as she would have done two weeks ago.

  “First you need to close your eyes.” Maria waited for him to follow her instructions.

  Rod glanced around the room before allowing his head to lean back and his eyelids droop.

  “Breathe deeply, taking in air all the way to your abdomen.”

  Rod opened his mouth and inhaled. A few moments later he exhaled, releasing the air in a long “swoosh.”

  “Feel the mattress below your
legs, supporting your back, holding you firm. Recognize the areas where it touches your body. Focus on that sensation.” The more Maria talked, the more relaxed Rod became. Maria watched as his fists unclenched and shoulders slouched inward. His body sunk deeper into the bed, visibly calmer.

  “Picture yourself walking down a pebbled pathway.” Maria reached out and as softly as a dandelion seed ran the very tip of one finger across Rod’s brow, right above the eyebrows.

  Rod breathed in deeply and sighed.

  “As you walk, you hear the crunch of the rocks beneath your feet, and you feel a slight breeze on your arms, causing goosebumps to form on your skin.”

  Maria tenderly stroked down the bridge of his nose, over his lips, and onto his chin. Goosebumps burst onto his forearms.

  Maria continued to lightly touch his face, passing by his temples and hairline. She leaned in closer, dropping the level of her voice to a whisper. “The sun’s rays break free from a cloud and fall directly on you, warming every inch of your body. The top of your head. The back of your neck. Your shoulders. Your arms.”

  His goosebumps disappeared.

  Rod was a quick study in relaxation. His chest rose up and down in a regular rhythm. His jaw had loosened, allowing his mouth to be slightly ajar, freely letting air into his lungs.

  Maria continued to take Rod down the pebbled path, now lined with green bushes that got taller and taller. Ahead of him, he saw an old fashioned wooden door with its brass hinges and skeleton keyhole. It called to him. Softy. A gentle coaxing to come inside and leave the world behind.

  Maria delicately touched the outer edge of his ear, and traced one lobe, then the other. “Take the key hanging around your neck and use it to unlock the weathered door. You hear a click, and the hinges creak softly as it opens. Take another deep breath and …”

  All of a sudden, Rod’s hand was in her hair, pulling her toward him. Her face was next to his, so close that each time he exhaled hot air warmed her skin. He hesitated for a moment.

  Maria’s breath caught. What would he do?

  And then, with his eyes still closed, he found her lips and caressed them gently with his own, as softly as she had been touching his face earlier.

  Maria’s stomach felt like it might tear in two from the pent up desire she’d been keeping down inside of her. She hadn’t wanted to rush him. She still didn’t. But this was all him. And she let him take the lead.

  Rod’s other hand found the middle of Maria’s back. Pulling her to him, he brought her whole body closer. His lips pressed firmly against hers, and a deep kiss followed, one that reminded Maria of what she loved so much about the way he made her feel.

  The room could have been a football stadium full of roaring fans and Maria wouldn’t have noticed. She relished every sensation she felt in Rod’s arms. He kissed her again, just as deeply and this time longer. While it was not nearly as insistent as the kiss the morning of the beautiful sunrise in the Superstitions, it held passion.

  Maria responded eagerly.

  After too short of a time, Rod released her twisted hair from his fingers. His hand dropped to her shoulder where he gave a slight push upward, ending the kiss. Maria reluctantly lifted her face to look Rod in the eyes.

  An impish grin formed on his face. “Thanks,” he said, “my headache is definitely much better.”

  “You’re welcome.” Maria smiled and sat back up.

  Rod closed his eyes again and resumed his rested, tranquil position, keeping one hand on Maria’s leg. Maria didn’t leave the bed but stayed next to his side, watching over him until he fell asleep.

  Yes, Rod had hesitated.

  Yes, he’d held back some.

  Yes, their moment together was shorter than Maria had hoped.

  But at least there had been a moment—one of tenderness. Of wanting. He still had feelings for her. That much she knew.

  For a long while Maria watched as Rod’s chest rose up and down with each breath. His face for the moment was serene. Peaceful.

  Everything she didn’t feel. Something had been building up inside of her with volcanic force. If she didn’t let it out on her own terms, it might explode from within.

  “Rod?” she whispered.

  He didn’t stir.

  “Rod?” she asked again, this time a little louder.

  Nothing.

  Marie moved closer. A sharp pain lanced its way through her insides.

  She could barely swallow around the large mass of fear gathering in her throat.

  Hands shaking. Eye muscles twitching. She might as well have been about to jump off a one hundred foot cliff.

  No. That would be much easier than this.

  “Rod,” she said again, her voice halting and raspy. “I want you to know that I—”

  She stopped, took another deep breath, and squeezed her fists together. By sheer determination she forced the words out of her mouth.

  “Rod, I love you.”

  She didn’t know what to expect. She’d never said those words to anyone except her parents. One worry was that vulnerability would result in an eruption of panic, embarrassment, and weakness. Instead, the dread and anxiety that had been plaguing her lifted. She exhaled slowly and released her fingers which had dug deep imprints of her nails into the soft flesh of her palms.

  Rod didn’t respond. He didn’t even stir. Her words had fallen on exhausted ears.

  But the universe knew.

  More importantly, Maria knew.

  And for today …

  For now …

  It was enough.

  -END—

  Riddles that Kill, the third book in the Legend of Treasures series, will be available Fall 2017. If you enjoyed Skeletons Among Us, please consider leaving a review on the site where you downloaded the ebook or on Goodreads. Even just a short sentence about what you liked goes a long to help my efforts as an author. Thank you!

  -Lois

  About Lois D. Brown

  Lois Brown’s love of all things fantastical began at an early age when her five older brothers made her watch television shows such as “Dr. Who” and “Lost in Space.” (Yes, the originals.) Her passion for fiction continued when, at age 12, she spent an entire summer buying “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” collector cards. As an adult, she has appeared on television shows such as “Myth Hunters: The Curse of Montezuma’s Gold” and “American Unearthed” discussing North American mythology. If you’d like updates on Lois’s adventures, please SUBSCRIBE to her newsletter and receive a FREE Legends of Treasure short story.

  Other novels by Lois can be found on her website www.loisdbrown.com and include: