Page 15 of Ghost Tour (Haunted Souls Book 19)

14Cope

After returning from the trip to the Snake Museum, toy bags stuffed to bursting, the kids all changed into their bathing suits. Fitz and Ronan handled sunblock and lifeguard duties while Jace and Ten got started on dinner. Jude sat at the kitchen table, going over the case files of the missing women. Cope sat in the living room, trying to reach out to the spirits who’d contacted him the other night.

The only spirit he could connect with was a man named Sid Bart, who’d been the owner of the house back in the 1980s. “How can I help you, Sid? Is there someone you want me to pass along a message to?”

The older man shook his head and held up his blackened right hand. “Just wanted to make sure your little ones knew not to mess with rattlesnakes.”

“Is that how you died?” Cope was horrified by the effects of the bite.

“Sure the hell was. I called 911 and used my belt as a tourniquet to keep the venom from spreading. There’d been some kind of an accident out on Route 17, which delayed the ambulance. I died right there on the kitchen floor.”

Cope turned toward Jace, who was chopping green and red peppers, before turning back to the spirit. “I’m so sorry you lost your life. Do you want me to help you cross over to the other side? Your wife, Kitty, is waiting for you.”

“Does she look angry?” Sid asked. “We were fighting the day I died, and I never got the chance to tell her how sorry I was.”

“Kitty’s not angry. She looks excited to see you.” As Cope spoke, the white light appeared behind Sid.

The light caught Sid’s attention. “Kitty, I’ll be damned! You’re just as beautiful as the day we met.”

Cope could see the spirit open her arms wide to her husband.

“Make sure you watch for snakes, you hear?” Sid asked before running into his wife’s arms.

“I promise,” Cope said as the light faded and vanished.

“You promise what?” Jude asked.

Cope smiled and pressed a kiss to Jude’s cheek when he sat down. “I was talking to the spirit of the man who used to own this house. He died from the effects of a rattlesnake bite and wanted to make sure we kept an eye out for the kids.”

“That’s grim.” Jude shivered in the warm room.

“You’re telling me. His skin was all black and bloated where he’d been bitten.” Cope didn’t think he’d ever be able to get that image out of his mind. “I was able to reunite him with his wife, so there’s that, at least.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t been back in touch with the spirits of the missing women.” It wasn’t a question.

“Right. I’ve been trying to reach out but haven’t had any success.” Cope knew time was of the essence. “Maybe we should drive out to the Navajo Nation border and see if that helps me.”

“I’ll grab the keys and let everyone know where we’re going.” Jude got off the couch and headed for the patio, where the kids were splashing Ronan and Fitz in the pool.

“I’m coming with you,” Tennyson said. “Two heads might be better than one in this case.”

“I was hoping you’d say that but didn’t want to ask.” Cope felt guilty enough about Jude and himself taking time away from Wolf; the last thing he wanted was for Ten to miss precious time with his kids.

“Why not?” Ten asked.

“This is your vacation. I don’t want to take time away from your kids to…”

“To what? Help people? Get answers for the families of those missing women?” Ten grinned at Cope.

“Something like that,” Cope said as Jude came back into the house.

“Everly wants to come with us,” Jude said, nibbling his bottom lip. “I told her I’d talk to you.”

From where Cope was standing, he could see his niece climb out of the pool and grab her towel, wrapping it around herself before she came into the house. “I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” She hurried past Cope and Ten and rushed up the stairs.

“Good talk,” Ten said to his daughter’s retreating back.

“To be honest,” Cope began. “I was hoping Everly would come too. Not that I want her to subject herself to women who were kidnapped and horribly murdered. It’s just that her gift is so much stronger.”

“I know that,” Ten said, heading for the kitchen, where he put bottles of water and juice pouches into a bag along with some snacks.

Everly charged down the stairs. “Ready to go.” She was dressed in shorts and her Reptile Museum shirt, which surprised Cope. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled into a hasty ponytail at the top of her head.

“What time will dinner be ready, Jace?” Jude asked.

“In about two hours. Do you want me to delay it longer than that?”

Cope shook his head. “It takes twenty minutes to get there and twenty to come back, which will give us a bit more than an hour to make contact. We’ll call if we’re going to be late for dinner.”

“Good luck,” Jace said before turning back to cutting onions.

“We’re going to need it,” Cope mumbled, following Jude out the door to the van.

Jude got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. He turned the air-conditioning on full blast as Cope climbed into the passenger seat. Ten and Everly settled themselves in the second row of seats. Instead of sitting out back with her headphones and a movie, she sat next to her father, looking ready to work.

“Have you been able to speak to any of the missing women?” Ten asked Everly, who shook her head no.

“The only ghost I’ve seen since we got here was Sid. He’s part of the reason I didn’t want to meet any of the snakes at the museum.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Did he show you his hand?” Cope asked, shivering.

Everly nodded. “He told me to be careful in the yard, to always listen for the rattle, and not to be a dumbass like he was.”

Jude snorted. “Why was he a dumbass?”

“Sid tried to pick up the snake with a shovel to move him out of his yard, and the snake bit his hand. He said rattlesnakes move faster than shit through a goose.” Everly grimaced as if she were picturing a goose in her mind.

Ten burst out laughing. “Did he cross over, or is Sid still around to teach you more colorful expressions?”

“Uncle Cope crossed him over.” Everly set a hand on Cope’s shoulder. “You did a good job. He didn’t want to leave until he knew we were out of danger.”

“Sounds like he’s been watching over the house for a long time,” Jude said from the driver’s seat.

“Things have been so busy on this trip that I haven’t had a chance to ask you about reuniting with your old bullies.” Cope had been meaning to talk to Jude since the family reunion but hadn’t had much alone time with his husband.

“When we came out here, I promised myself that I’d give everyone a second chance, even people who’d been absolute…” Jude paused, his eyes flicking up to Everly in the back seat, as if he were trying to search for the right word.

“Poop heads?” Cope asked with a snicker.

“Yeah, that. I have to admit all three men surprised me.” To be honest, Jude was still waiting for the other shoe to drop and for John, Nathan, and Trevor to show their true colors, or at least the ones he was used to dealing with when they were kids.

“They were all teenagers when you left home, right?” Ten asked.

“Right,” Jude agreed. “They made my life hell for the five years I lived with Eagle. He thinks they were jealous of me, but I have a hard time believing that was the case. I was an orphan. A child of two worlds who was looked down upon by everyone with the exception of Eagle.”

“Aside from your parents being gone, you had so many adventures that those boys could never had dreamed of having. You lived free in Albuquerque. None of the BS on the reservation touched you there. Even when you came to live with Eagle, you didn’t follow their rules; you followed your own,” Ten said from the back seat. “The feeling I got from that day was a sense of awe toward you because not only did you leave, but you thrived off reservation.”

“Huh,” Jude said softly. “I hadn’t thought about it that way. I’ve had such a chip on my shoulder that I just assumed everyone hated me.”

“That’s not true, Uncle Jude. People respect you. A couple people think Uncle Cope is a hottie with his juicy ass.” Everly giggled.

“With his what?” Jude sputtered.

“His juicy—” Everly’s next word was cut off by Ten putting his hand over her mouth.

“We heard you the first time, honey.” Ten sighed. “This trip is becoming more educational by the second.”

“Do I have a juicy ass?” Cope whispered. He’d never looked at himself that way, at least not since Wolf came into his life. There were more important things to tend to than his backside.

Jude nodded. “Uh, yeah. Why do you think I’m always…”

“Don’t you dare,” Cope cautioned. “Everly’s already learned enough colorful words on this trip.”

“You have no faith in me. Do you think I would say something borderline offensive in front of my sweet little niece?”

“Yes!” Cope, Ten, and Everly said in unison.

“With friends like you, who needs enemies,” Jude mumbled to himself.

Cope reached out to set a comforting hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Since we’re almost there, why don’t we take a few minutes to clear our minds and breathe?”

“Good idea, Uncle Cope,” Everly said. She reached for Ten’s hand before her bright blue eyes slid shut.

Once again, Cope was struck by how hard it must be on such a young child to have these extraordinary gifts. When he was six years old, Cope’s only worry was how to avoid eating broccoli at the dinner table.

Closing his own eyes, Cope focused on his breathing and reached out to the three women who’d called out to him before. All he could do was calm his mind and hope the women would be able to speak with him again.

“Here’s the line,” Jude said quietly.

Cope prepared himself for a jolt of blinding light that didn’t come. Nothing happened at all as they crossed onto Navajo Nation. He held his tongue while Jude pulled the van to the side of the road and shut off the engine.

“Rainbow, can you hear me?” Cope asked. Silence was his answer. “Sky, are you here?” There was no response. “Dancing Leaf, we’re here to help you. Can you let us know if you’re with us?” Again, there was no reply.

“You can’t help me,” a disembodied voice said angrily.

“I can.” Everly sat up straighter in her seat. “My name is Everly. This is my Daddy Tennyson and my Uncles Jude and Cope.”

“Jude is one of us. I remember him from before. He’s of two worlds,” the voice scoffed.

“He is, Miss Rainbow, but Jude is here to help.” Everly unhooked her harness and climbed out of her seat. She sat next to Cope.

“You are so small. How can you possibly help?” Rainbow sounded as if there truly was no helping her.

“I’m tiny but mighty,” Everly said, flexing her muscles. “Someone is hurting girls, Miss Rainbow. We need to stop him before he hurts Prairie Moon. She’s your friend, right?”

Rainbow gasped. “How did you know that?”

“Told ya. Tiny but mighty.” Everly grinned. “My other father and Uncle Jude work on cold cases. They can help find the person who hurt you.”

“I do not know who the man was.” Rainbow paused for several seconds before speaking again. “They don’t look for us, to lay our bleached bones to rest.”

“We’re all looking for you,” Cope said.

“Is there anything you can tell me about the night you were kidnapped?” Jude asked. He had a pen in his hand and his notebook open on his right thigh.

“I was at an AA meeting,” Rainbow said. “I’d just gotten my six-month chip. I hadn’t been sober for that long in years. My mother said I could come home if I got my chip. I was determined to do right by her. She has lung cancer and doesn’t have long left. I promised her I would take care of her like she’s taken care of me for all these years, but…” Rainbow began to cry softly.

“But there was someone waiting for you at the meeting?” Jude asked.

“Yes. I’d called an Uber, and there was a car waiting for me in the parking lot. I got in, and that’s when the doors locked. I panicked and couldn’t get out again. There was a partition between the front seat and the back, so I couldn’t get to the driver or honk the horn. I begged for him to let me go. He laughed and drove away.”

“Do you know what kind of car or the color?” Jude asked.

“No. I was so excited to go home and call my mother. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What happened next?” Cope asked, finally realizing Jude could hear what Rainbow was saying. He made a mental note to ask his husband about that later.

“We drove for about fifteen minutes. North. I remember seeing the Burger King sign. The car turned onto a rural road after a few more minutes. He parked and shut off the engine. I figured that was my chance to escape, but the doors were still locked. The man came around to my door and yanked me out, throwing me to the ground. I tried to get away, but he hit me in the face. Everything went dark. When I woke up again, he was on top of me.” Rainbow began to cry. “I’m sorry you have to hear this, little one.”

Everly sniffled and straightened her spine. “I’m sorry he hurt you.” She reached out for Tennyson, clinging to his arm.

“Is there anything you can tell us about him? Height? Weight? Race?” Jude asked.

“He was a big man. Well over six feet. It was too dark to see the color of his skin or eyes, and I kept my eyes shut, wishing it would be over. When it was, he pulled his pants up and unsheathed a knife. Before he strangled me, he said, ‘You’ll never walk away from me again, bitch.’”

Cope felt sick to his stomach. In Rainbow’s voice, he could hear her anguish and pain. All he wanted to do was help her, but in order to do that, he was going to cause her more pain. “Was there anyone you’d been dating or seeing? Someone you’d broken up with or refused to go out with?”

Rainbow sighed as if what she was about to say were weighing her down. “Before I went to rehab that last time, I’d been working in a motel, if you catch my meaning. A lot of the men who used my services wanted to come back around when I got out, but I refused them all. I finally knew my worth and wasn’t going to give myself to men to use and throw away. Some of them were kind and wished me well. Others were cruel, saying you can’t turn a, well, you know, into a housewife. Some threatened to hurt me.”

“Jesus,” Jude muttered. “You didn’t call the tribal police, did you?”

“No. We both know no one would have helped me.” Rainbow sniffled, sounding as if she were about to cry.

“I know,” Jude said. “Rainbow, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I promise that I’m going to do everything in my power to find the man who killed you and to lay you to rest.”

“One last question,” Cope said. “Do you see a white light?”

“Yes. I’ve seen it twice before, and I see it now.” Rainbow sounded curious about what she was seeing.

“Walk into the light, Bow,” Cope urged. “You’ll find peace and love waiting for you. I promise. We’ll take things from here. You’re free.”

“Bye, Miss Rainbow.” Everly waved.

“Did she cross over?” Jude asked.

“She did,” Ten said. “Are you okay, honey?” he asked Everly.

“I am, Daddy. Miss Rainbow is too. Her mommy will join her soon.” Everly climbed into Ten’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I hate to ask, but could you see what happened to Rainbow as she told the story?” Jude asked.

“No, I could just hear her voice.” Everly buried her face in Ten’s shirt.

“Let’s go home and see what Uncle Jace is cooking up for dinner.” When Everly was buckled into her seat, Jude started the van and banged a U-turn, heading back in the direction they’d come from.

“How come you could hear Rainbow?” Cope asked softly.

Jude found a small smile. “It didn’t even cross my mind that I could hear her. I guess it must be like with Crow. I can hear and see him. Must be my Navajo blood or something.”

Cope had assumed the same thing. “Is there anything she said that can help you find her remains?”

“Rainbow mentioned going north. The only road that goes in that direction out of Flagstaff is Route 89, and the HPC is out that way.”

“What’s that?” Ten asked.

“The Hazardous Products Center. It’s a place where you can dispose of hazardous materials, like old paint or other items that are corrosive, flammable, or toxic to the environment. They’re put in a special landfill that is set up to keep the products from leeching into the groundwater.”

“Do you think that’s where she is?” Cope asked, his horror growing.

Jude nodded. “It would be easy enough for a police officer to drop off waste without anyone batting an eye at him.”

“A police officer?” Ten asked. “Rainbow didn’t say anything about her abductor being a police officer.”

Jude shook his head. “She said there was a partition between the front and back seat of the car. The only vehicles I know like that are a police cruiser or a New York City taxi cab, and we’re not in NYC, Toto.”

“That certainly changes things.” Cope had missed that crucial part of Rainbow’s statement.

“We’re going to have to be very careful tomorrow when we talk to the tribal police and the guy from the FBI. I hate to jump to conclusions, but we could very well be after one of our own.”

Cope thought back to the way Nathan and John had welcomed Jude home while Trevor, on the other hand, had been almost hostile. He knew Jude assumed Trevor’s cold reception had to do with their dislike of each other in childhood, but Cope couldn’t help but wonder if Trevor had been upset that Jude had brought two trained cold case officers to Navajo Nation.

If that was the case, the killer’s bullseye might have shifted from defenseless women to the man Cope loved.