The Lost Bones by Kendra Elliot

11

Cate gave Michelle and Selina an encouraging nod as they returned to the clearing, crossing her fingers that the two could talk a little sense into their husbands. They’d agreed to tell their husbands that Leigh was in labor and was showing signs of severe health complications. To convince the women, Cate had emphasized what could happen if Leigh’s headache and exhaustion weren’t addressed. All the husbands needed to do was to get Rich to go fishing, like he had already planned for that day.

Once Rich was off the island, Cate was getting Ashlee on the plane.

No one will stop me.

She would use her weapon if needed.

The husbands didn’t need to know that part of the plan. Michelle and Selina were to tell them that Rich needed to be out of the way so Leigh could receive a simple exam.

Cate joined Henry as he examined the man with the swollen leg.

“He needs IV antibiotics,” muttered Henry to Cate. “I’ve given him an oral loading dose, but he needs a more aggressive treatment.”

Cate looked away from the red swollen calf. It looked like it’d burst if touched with something sharp.

“I can go tomorrow,” the injured man said. “Jim said he’d loan me his boat.”

“We can take you back with us today,” said Cate.

“I’m not getting on that itty-bitty plane.” The infected man shuddered. “Hell no. Tomorrow is good enough.”

Cate glanced over her shoulder and saw Selina and Michelle deep in conversation with two men. Selina’s husband was emphatically shaking his head, but Michelle’s appeared to be listening. Cate tugged Henry on the arm and led him a few steps away.

“I found her,” she whispered. “But she’s hugely pregnant and having contractions.”

Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Will she leave?”

“Rich was there,” said Cate. “He swears she’s fine and that he can handle a birth. Henry, she’s complaining of a massive headache and her back hurting. Is that normal?”

“The back pain could be from simply carrying a baby, but it could also be a sign of labor. I don’t like the headache. Did she say how long it’s been going on?”

“No.”

“Swollen hands or feet?”

Cate pictured Ashlee’s hands as she had reached for the package. “I think so. Hard to say.”

Henry touched the stethoscope shoved in his shirt pocket. “I need to take her blood pressure. Could be preeclampsia.”

Cate’s heart skipped a beat. She knew the condition could be deadly to both mom and baby. “Rich isn’t going to let you anywhere near her. Selina and Michelle are trying to convince their husbands to take him fishing, telling them that Ashlee desperately needs an exam. If he leaves, we need to get her off the island today.”

“Definitely.” Henry looked around at the group. The men were trading among themselves with the supplies Henry had given them. “I’ve done what I can here. Let’s head back toward the plane, make them think we’re finished.”

Cate caught Michelle’s gaze. The woman and her husband were leaving, taking the path toward Rich’s tent. Michelle flashed her a subtle thumbs-up.

“Looks like one of the men has agreed to get Rich out of the way,” she told Henry.

Henry reaffirmed that the man with the swollen calf would come for medical care, and then he and Cate headed out the way they’d come. Their two previous escorts ignored them, still intent on bartering with the new supplies.

“I hope the people who need it get the right stuff,” said Henry. “I didn’t mean to create a new form of currency.”

“Bringing what we did was the right thing,” said Cate. “Even if we had an ulterior motive.”

“They need better access to care,” he said firmly.

Cate put her hand on his shoulder, amused at the furrow between his brows. Henry was a doctor through and through. “They have access. You. It’s just a bit of a long boat ride.”

“Trent told me he thought I’d turn him away if he’d come to town with that leg infection.”

“Well, now he knows you won’t. And he’ll convince the rest to ask for help when they need it.”

“Hope so.”

Several minutes later they emerged onto the rocky beach near the old dock and their plane. The strong smell of marijuana swamped them.

“Dammit!” Cate spun around, looking for their pilot, and found him sitting under a tree thirty feet away, a joint in his hand. “Adam! What the hell?”

The young man jumped to his feet and put out his joint. “I thought you were going to be a lot longer. I haven’t had much.”

“He’s had enough to stink up the entire beach,” said Henry.

“I’m not flying with a stoned pilot,” said Cate.

“I’m fine,” said Adam as he approached. His eyes were bloodshot.

Cate was furious. “What if we’d had to get off the island fast? You saw the guys with rifles. We didn’t know what we were walking into.”

Adam shrugged. “You’re armed. You could have handled it.”

“Idiot.” Henry looked livid. “Do you always smoke pot when you’re working?”

“Of course not.”

Cate pressed her lips together and walked away, pulling out the satellite phone Tessa had issued her. She called the deputy, who answered immediately.

“We found Ashlee and Rich,” Cate told Tessa. “But our pilot is now stoned. We’re not going anywhere for a while.” She updated Tessa on their plan to get Rich away from Ashlee and get her off the island.

“We finished on Elias Island a bit ago,” said Tessa. “We’ll head your way instead of to the other survivor island. Give us about a half hour. Don’t let him fly.”

“I won’t.” Cate glanced back at Adam, who had returned to sitting in the shade of the tree and closed his eyes. Henry stood a few feet away, his arms crossed in annoyance.

She ended the call and approached Henry. “Tessa and Logan are coming. If we can get Ashlee away from Rich, we can take her on the sheriff’s department boat.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when she heard voices in the woods. But they weren’t coming in their direction. She met Henry’s gaze. He nodded, and together they silently moved into the woods. She followed the sounds of arguing, keeping herself hidden behind tree trunks and thick bushes. The voices continued to move away, and she and Henry moved faster through the woods. Finally two men came into sight.

Rich.

He had a large plastic case and a bulging garbage bag with him as he argued with the second man. The two of them were on a path that took many minutes to lead out of the woods and into a cove. Cate and Henry reached the edge of the trees and watched the two men approach one of the boats on the “marina” dock that Cate had seen from the air. The second man carried two fishing poles and another garbage bag in his hands.

Michelle’s husband.

“He’s leaving,” Cate whispered to Henry. She couldn’t hear what the men were quarreling about and didn’t care. She just wanted Rich as far away as possible when they went to get Ashlee.

The two men loaded their things into the little boat as Cate and Henry hid behind trees. Rich jumped in and fussed around with the engine while the other man waited on the dock, watching.

Cate wanted to tell them to hurry up and leave, but she and Henry had no way off the island with Ashlee until Tessa arrived. Rich’s lingering with the boat was probably in their favor.

Rich got out of the boat and raised his arms as he continued arguing with Michelle’s husband. The second man kept pointing back at the boat and shaking his head.

Just leave.

Rich stomped by Michelle’s husband and headed back up the beach toward the woods.

Shit.

She and Henry scrambled to hide behind a huge dense rhododendron bush and held their breath as they heard Rich pass. Jogging footsteps sounded, and the second man ran after him.

“Is there something wrong with the boat?” Cate whispered.

“I don’t know,” said Henry. “But he left the fishing poles and tackle, so I assume he’s coming back.”

“Good point.” She shifted into a more comfortable position to wait. “I want to strangle Adam.”

“Get in line.”

“Earlier I was so pleased that he seemed on his best behavior today.”

“I think this is his best behavior.”

“What if we’d needed to leave in a hurry?” she fumed. “I trusted him.”

“He’s a good pilot . . . he’s pretty much the only pilot. Maybe next time search him for pot before riding with him.”

“I’m sure he’d find some other way to disappoint me.”

Henry took her hand and squeezed it. “Forget him. As soon as Tessa gets here, we’ll get Ashlee off the island. You did good today. Probably saved her life.”

“The medical supplies were your idea. I don’t know what I was thinking—that I would just show up looking for a pregnant woman?”

“You would have figured something out.”

“I still want Rich,” Cate stated. “He’s so close. He’s right within my grasp. And he’s going to answer for what he did to Jade.”

“He will. But Ashlee needs to come first.”

“Yes.”

Several minutes passed, and then Cate heard something. “Listen.”

“They’re coming back,” said Henry.

Cate listened harder. “That’s a woman. And she’s upset.”

Moments later Rich crossed Cate’s line of vision, and she caught her breath.

No.

He had Ashlee’s hand in his and was yanking her along the trail. Ashlee stumbled after him, her other hand under her huge belly. She was crying, begging him to slow down. Michelle’s husband followed several feet behind, also telling Rich to slow down.

Rich halted and spun around. He pointed at Michelle’s husband. “Do not tell me what to do with my wife.”

The man stopped and held up his hands. “You’re hurting her, man.”

“Mind your own business! She’s just seeing me off.” He gave Ashlee’s arm a shake and stepped close, putting his face close to hers. “Just like any good wife should do when her husband is leaving.” His cocky grin made Cate want to hit him.

Ashlee looked ready to collapse. Cate caught her breath as a ripple across Ashlee’s belly showed through her shirt, and the woman winced in pain.

“Jesus,” Henry muttered. “We’ve got to get her.”

Cate weighed her decisions. She was armed. She could order Rich to stop and release Ashlee. What she didn’t know was how he’d react. This wasn’t a man who listened to law enforcement orders. He did as he pleased. There was a good chance he was also armed, and based on how he’d treated Kori and Jade in the past, Cate worried for Ashlee’s safety.

Cate had no doubts he would hurt or even kill Ashlee to save himself.

“He’ll hurt her,” Cate whispered. “We stay back until he takes off.”

Henry nodded.

Rich pulled Ashlee across the beach and onto the dock. Michelle’s husband followed them. He was silent, but Ashlee continued to plead with her husband to slow down or let go. “The baby’s coming,” she begged. “I need to lie down.”

“Shut. Up.” Rich pulled her along the flimsy dock.

“He’s going to put her on the boat!” Henry said.

Shit.

Rich shoved Ashlee into the boat, and she nearly toppled into the water. He jumped in and started the engine.

Cate stepped out from the woods and started to sprint across the beach, Henry close behind her.

Rich threw off the lines as the engine sputtered and gave off a loud whine before continuing. Rich stepped back to the wheel. The boat roared and lurched away from the dock.

Cate leaped up the steps to the dock, but Michelle’s husband put out his arms, stopping her.

“He doesn’t want his wife to see a doctor,” he told her.

“I’m not a fucking doctor,” Cate yelled at him, furious that he was defending Rich. She watched Rich’s boat speed farther and farther away. He looked back, and even though he was too far away to make eye contact, Cate felt his stare burn through her.

Then he flipped her off.

Does he know who I am?

“I need one of these boats!” Two boats were still tied to the dock. They’d seen better days, but Cate would risk it over flying with a stoned pilot.

He shook his head. “A man has the right to do what he wants.”

Cate got in his face. “Give me the keys to another boat!”

“His wife is in labor,” Henry told Michelle’s husband. “There’s a chance she and the baby might not survive.”

“He’ll take care of her.”

“No, he won’t!” Cate was ready to push the man into the water. “Did you know he’s wanted by the FBI for kidnapping? And possibly murder?”

Michelle’s husband took a step back, looking from Cate to Henry, disbelief on his face. “Is that true?” he asked Henry.

“I’m not making it up,” snapped Cate. “Do you have boat keys or not?”

“True,” said Henry. “Where are the keys?”

“No keys.” He shrugged. “You’ll have to ask someone else. Rich was furious that we let strangers on the island who saw his wife.”

“Dammit.” Cate could barely make out Rich’s boat now. He was speeding east, where she knew there were several other empty islands.

We’ve lost him.

A faint rumble sounded, and she turned.

It was a boat entering the cove. The sheriff’s boat with Tessa and Logan.

Cate ran to the end of the dock and waved her hands, resisting the urge to jump up and down. Tessa gunned the engine, closing the distance between them. With a series of deft maneuvers, she slowed and edged close to the dock. Logan held out a hand, and Cate leaped across several feet of water.

“Your timing is almost perfect,” she said to her brother as they stepped out of the way so Henry could do the same.

“Almost?” Logan asked.

“Head east,” Cate told Tessa. “Open it up. Rich took Ashlee, and I don’t think he plans to return.”

“We saw a piece of crap boat leave the cove,” said Tessa as she accelerated.

“That was them.”

“They’re no match for our power. We’ll catch up in a few minutes.”

Only if we can see them.

The sheriff’s boat left the cove, and Cate scanned the horizon. To the east she could make out four more islands. One closer and the others quite far. To her knowledge, the islands were empty. Logan used binoculars, searching the horizon.

“There!” Henry pointed.

Cate turned. The boat hadn’t gotten as far as she had expected and was running parallel to the shore on the closest island. She could clearly see two people, one with a long ponytail. “Is he looking for a dock?”

“There’re no docks on that island,” said Logan. “He’ll have to run it up onto the beach.”

“Why would he pick the closest island?” asked Henry. “I’d think he’d want to get as far away as possible.”

“His engine sounded like crap,” said Cate. “Maybe it’s worse now.” She couldn’t hear anything over the roar of Tessa’s boat.

But she heard the sudden crack of the gunshot.

The four of them dropped low, all keeping an eye on the boat ahead of them.

“Was that aimed at us?” Henry asked.

“Yes.” Logan continued to watch through his binoculars. “Shit. Now she’s fighting with him.”

“She’s going to have a baby on the damned boat,” said Cate, tension filling her spine. “Get us closer.”

“Working on it,” said Tessa. “But we’re not bulletproof.”

“She’s pulling on his arm,” said Logan. “He can’t drive, shoot, and hold her back at the same time.”

They were close enough that Cate could clearly see the fight on the other boat. Ashlee and Rich were in a close struggle. The boat weaved and jerked as she wrestled with him and he tried to steer.

She’s a brave girl.

Their boat hit a bunch of chop as they moved closer to the island, and Cate’s teeth snapped with every rough bounce. Tessa was focused, her gaze locked on the boat several hundred yards ahead. Henry was rigid, one hand on a rail for balance and the other on Cate’s shoulder. They drew closer to the little boat, its struggling engine no match for the county’s powerful boat.

Rich looked behind him, and Cate read the panic in his eyes.

He turned back to the wheel and suddenly jerked hard. The front end of his boat hit something and left the water. Cate caught her breath. Rich’s boat launched into the air and landed on its side, flinging its passengers into the air.

A log.

The long gray wood culprit crested a wave, moving closer to the island, unaware that it’d been hit full speed by a boat. The boat righted itself and slowed, its engine suddenly silent.

Rich and Ashlee were in the water, but Cate could see only Rich. Keeping her eyes locked on the man, she slipped off her shoes. Beside her Henry did the same. Ashlee’s head suddenly bobbed up in the rough waves, and Rich lunged for her, pushing her back under the water.

Cate stared, stunned by the man’s brutality toward his pregnant wife.

“How . . .” Henry couldn’t finish, his gaze also locked on the struggling couple as Tessa sped in their direction.

“He’s going to kill her,” Cate stated, fear filling her. Both boats were now within a hundred feet of the shore. She stepped up on the edge of the boat and balanced, letting her body move with the up-and-down motion of the water, gripping the post to the boat’s canopy. Tessa slowed the boat, turning it so Cate’s side would soon be close to the couple in the water. Cate was a strong swimmer, but the Pacific Ocean was icy cold year round. Its chill would take her breath away.

Ashlee came up for air, terror on her face, and Rich dived at her again, shoving her out of sight. Cate held her breath, mentally begging Tessa to get the boat closer. Henry slipped a life jacket over Cate’s free arm, pulling it up to her shoulder. She maneuvered her other arm into it, never taking her eyes off Ashlee, who had bobbed to the surface, as he zipped it up.

“Be careful,” Henry said. He already wore a life jacket, and Logan was putting one on. Cate nodded.

Ten more seconds, and we’ll be in position.

Henry grabbed a life preserver and flung it at Ashlee. A wave immediately carried it out of her reach. Rich dived under the water in her direction, and suddenly Ashlee was yanked straight down; her head and waving hands vanished.

Cate searched the waves.

There she is.

Ashlee had surfaced a few yards away from Rich, who was now thrashing in the water, spinning in a circle, trying to spot his wife.

Henry threw another life preserver, and again the ocean interfered. He cursed and dug a life jacket out from under a cushion and flung it at the woman. Rescue pole in hand, Logan leaned over the edge, ready for the moment Ashlee was in reach.

Ashlee stretched and got one hand on the thick floating jacket. Determination filled her face as she pulled the jacket to her chest. She rolled onto her back, her stomach rising out of the water as she gasped for air. A wave had further separated her from Rich, but now he swam toward her with a powerful stroke.

Two seconds.

Cate wanted to leap in as close to Ashlee as possible.

Rich got there first and grabbed one of his wife’s feet. Ashlee jerked it out of his grasp, rolled to her side, and kicked him with her other foot. The toe of her shoe connected with his jaw in front of his ear, knocking his head to the side. Rich sank underwater, and Cate jumped.

The slap of cold water thrust the air out of her lungs, and Cate struggled to catch her breath as salty waves slapped her in the face. She grabbed for Ashlee and caught the edge of the life jacket that Ashlee clung to and pulled her close. Henry jumped in the water far to the left of the two women. He disappeared between the waves as Cate realized he’d removed his life jacket.

What is he doing?

“You okay?” Cate asked as Tessa cut the engine. Ashlee was soaking wet and nodded, her eyes wide. Something hit Cate in the head, and she turned, expecting to see Rich, but it was Logan’s rescue pole. Cate grabbed it and hooked it to the life jacket that Ashlee held in a death grip. Logan pulled, guiding Ashlee to the rear of the boat, where he could help her in.

“Can you see Henry?” Cate asked as Logan and Tessa helped Ashlee onto the low step at the back of the boat. Cate kept her head above the water, spinning in circles, trying to spot Henry or Rich.

Henry’s not wearing a life jacket.

“He went after Rich,” said Logan. “He sank. I think Ashlee hit him hard with that kick to the jaw.”

“Good.” Ashlee’s teeth chattered as she forced out the word. “Asshole.”

“Are you okay, Ashlee?” Tessa asked as she wrapped a blanket around the woman. “Is the baby okay?”

With someone else looking after Ashlee, Cate continued to search for the men still in the water. A few dozen feet closer to the shoreline, Henry’s head broke through the surface, and he sucked in a deep breath.

Thank God.

“Henry! Where’s Rich?” Cate shouted across the water.

He shook his head at her and ducked under again.

Shit.

Cate swam toward where Henry had vanished, her life jacket making her strokes awkward and clumsy.

At least I’m moving with the waves now.

Henry surfaced again. He had Rich in a rescue hold, and the man’s head lolled against Henry, his eyes closed. Henry looked at the boat and then at the shoreline. The shore was slightly closer, and he broke into a sidestroke, towing Rich alongside him. Cate swam after them, alarmed at Rich’s passive state.

It’ll be easier to do CPR on shore.

A minute later Henry stumbled up the shore, pulling Rich by his arms. Cate felt ground under her feet and stood, her wet clothes weighing a thousand pounds. She pushed out of the water and caught up with Henry. She grabbed one of the unconscious man’s arms and helped drag him out of reach of the waves.

“Is he breathing?” she asked, panting hard herself.

Henry didn’t answer. Water ran down his face, dripping from his hair as he focused on his patient. He shook Rich, shouting his name, and felt for a pulse at his neck. Cate pressed her fingers against the other side. She felt nothing.

Henry tilted Rich’s head, lifted his jaw, and administered two rescue breaths. Cate watched the prone man’s chest rise from the force of Henry’s breaths. Henry paused, his gaze locked on Rich’s chest as they both waited for it to rise on its own. Cate’s brain spun as she tried to remember the proper steps for CPR. Her mind was blank.

“Thirty chest compressions,” said Henry, moving to position his arms over Rich’s chest. “Then two breaths.” He started compressions, and Cate supported Rich’s jaw, readying herself to give the breaths. She glanced back at the boat. Ashlee was sitting upright, and Tessa stood beside her, one hand on the pregnant woman’s shoulder.

It doesn’t look like she’s in active labor.

Logan was speaking into the boat’s communication system and had a cell phone at his ear. Tessa gave Cate a thumbs-up. Cate raised a hand, uncertain of what she was acknowledging.

Ashlee must be okay.

“Now,” ordered Henry, pulling her attention from the boat.

Cate gave two breaths. Rich’s lips were cold, the temperature of the ocean.

Henry resumed compressions, and Cate stared at the unconscious man’s face, willing him to give some sign of recovery. She saw nothing, his body jolting in time with Henry’s hands.

How long will we have to do this?

Raw determination filled Henry’s face as he pumped Rich’s chest.

Cate held her breath, dread curling in her stomach. She knew Henry wouldn’t stop until he physically couldn’t go on. And then she would take over.

I don’t think it’s going to help.

It didn’t.