Dance of the Bones

Gabe tried to shift his position, wanting to turn his face in the direction of the sound, but he couldn’t. There was an unyielding barrier just above him. In the dark and through his clothing he couldn’t tell if the low ceiling was made of wood or metal. Whatever it was, it didn’t move, and it was low enough that it didn’t allow him to turn over on his side. He could lie flat, staring up into the darkness, and that was it.

Then it occurred to him that perhaps the other person was crying because he or she had no idea anyone else was there in the darkness. It took real effort, but eventually Gabe was able to scoot his body over the few inches of floorboard between them. When he touched the form next to him, the sobbing ceased abruptly. Soon the other person moved as well, coming closer until their two bodies lay side by side.

As they lay there huddled together for comfort, it took some time for Gabe to grasp that they were almost the same size and bound in the same way. With effort, they were just able to touch fingers. When that happened, Gabe’s heart filled with inexplicable joy. Some sense he couldn’t explain told him who his companion was—-Timmy José.

His friend wasn’t dead. He was there in the darkness right along with Gabe. They were both trapped, but at least they were together. Tim José wasn’t dead and neither was Gabe—-at least not yet.

Then, whether it was the darkness, the movement of the vehicle, an aftereffect from whatever had been in the syringe, or a combination of all three, Gabe’s eyes closed and he drifted off again.

WHEN LANI AND LEO WALKED into the Ortiz house, there was no sign of Gabe, and Delia was putting away groceries. She was also in a snit. “Your son is in big trouble,” she said, turning angrily on her husband.

“Why?” Leo asked. “What did he do now?”

“I grounded him for running off from Lani the way he did,” Delia said, “but what do you think happened? I had to work for an hour or so and get some groceries. When I came home, he was gone. I told him he was grounded, and he took off anyway!”

Leo reached for his phone. “Don’t bother,” Delia said. “I already tried calling him. He didn’t take his phone along with him. It’s in the bedroom.”

Leo stared at her for a moment, then he turned abruptly on his heel and marched down the hall to Gabe’s bedroom. When he returned, his face was somber, and he was carrying a paper bag. He put the bag on the table, then he walked over to Delia and took her in his arms.

“I’m afraid it’s worse trouble than his just being grounded,” Leo said quietly.

“What?” Delia asked anxiously, pushing herself away. “What’s going on? What’s happened?”

“You know those two dead men out by Rattlesnake Skull charco?”

Delia nodded. “You told me. What about them?”

“They’ve been identified,” Leo answered. “The dead men are Carlos and Paul José.”

Delia put her hand to her mouth and sat down heavily on a nearby kitchen chair. “When you told me about it, I thought they were illegals.”

“So did everybody else, but Lani and I both thought we recognized the vehicle as belonging to the Josés,” Leo told her. “The problem is, from the way they were gunned down, they must have been into something bad. Gabe may be involved as well.”

“Are you serious?” Delia demanded. “How’s that even possible?”

“See for yourself,” Leo said, pushing a paper bag across the table to his wife. “I found this in one of Gabe’s dresser drawers. Look at the note inside.”

Delia plucked out the note and read it. When she finished, the slip of paper fluttered away from her fingers and fell to the floor. Leo picked it up and handed it to Lani so she could read it as well.

“The Josés are all involved in some kind of smuggling thing, and now they’ve pulled Gabe into it, too?”

“That’s how it sounds,” Leo agreed.

Lani looked at the bag but didn’t touch it. “That bag is possibly critical evidence,” she said. “Whatever used to be in it probably explains why Carlos and Paul were killed. That means we’re going to have to turn the bag over to the FBI.”