Free Skye Cree 02: The Bones Will Tell by Vickie McKeehan Page B

rolled to his side to grab for the noisy device, he knew who was on the other end and why they were calling. 
    Skye stirred beside him and grumbled, “It’s only seven-forty.”
    Josh wasn’t quite coherent when he fumbled the pickup and snapped, “Hello.”
    “How soon can you and Skye get to Ballard?”
    Josh blinked at Harry Drummond’s all business-like voice. He sucked in a breath, ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Give me the address.”
    In his ear, he heard Harry rattle off a location he already knew was in Ballard. It didn’t surprise him when Harry added the warning, “And if I were you, I wouldn’t eat breakfast first.”
    Josh had known it wasn’t all a dream. But hearing Harry’s warning had him turning to Skye. “Harry has a double murder. Two women this time, same house.”
    More awake now, she pushed her hair from her face. “You tossed and turned all night, Josh. Does that have anything to do with the fact we’re crawling out of bed to go to another crime scene?”
    “I’ll tell you about it in the car. Let’s not waste time. With rush-hour traffic, we need to move.”
     

     
    By the time Josh and Skye reached Ballard it was almost nine o’clock. They had no trouble picking out the right house because cop cars lined the curbs. And Harry waited for them at the curb alongside a string of yellow crime scene tape.
    “I’m telling you right now, both of you are going to want to prepare yourself for what’s inside that house. In all my years in homicide this is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. This time, there are two victims.”
    Skye and Josh traded glances. On the ride over, Josh had already given her a vivid replay of the night before.
    “What he did to Tracy Lewis—” Harry stopped talking, tried to regain his composure. He glanced up at Josh and for the first time noticed the sickened look on the other man’s face. “If you’re that green now, you won’t last five minutes in there,” Harry admonished.
    Skye took hold of Harry’s arm. “I think it’s a little too late for that.”
    Harry didn’t ask what she meant. Instead he studied Josh’s face again, this time longer, buying all three of them some time. But to Skye, it seemed as if Harry had already decided there was something else going on here which was a good thing.
    “Why do I get this feeling that Josh here has already somehow seen the carnage firsthand?” Harry asked.
    But Skye simply shook her head.
    “Well, let’s give this a try then. Follow me.” Harry grabbed two pairs of latex gloves from a crime scene investigator and handed them off. “Just because you have those on, doesn’t mean you can touch anything. In fact, I’d prefer you didn’t.”
    Josh removed his sunglasses before turning to Skye. “Will you be okay in here?”
    “Don’t worry about me. I did this before, remember?”
    Josh had done his best to prepare her on the drive here for what she’d likely see. But stepping into the house, his sense of readiness plunged. He wasn’t sure he could follow through. He already knew what was down that hallway and wished like hell that Skye did not have to witness it.
    As they moved through the doorway, the unmistakable smell of death hung in the fetid air.
    While Harry directed them to the first bedroom where Julie’s body lay on the bed, Skye trailed behind. But Josh hung back even farther. Finally she walked into the room behind Harry. This time, the killer had not left an orderly murder scene behind.
    Julie Freeman’s space had been violated much like her body had. Bruises were already starting to form along the throat and around her breasts just as it had with Sylvia Waterston.
    But the battering and wounds were far worse this time around, Skye decided. The rage more pronounced. “Who found the bodies?” Skye wanted to know.
    “Tracy’s boyfriend, a man by the name of Kyle Mattingly. Tracy spent the early part of last night with him and left her cell phone behind at his