Chapter 2
TWO
“Okay, Jimmy,” said the supervisor, looking at the grading plans. He adjusted his hard hat while balancing the paperwork. “This way.”
He guided the backhoe driver to run along the property to where a long tree line once stood.
Markers showed the exact area that was going to be part of the drainage system.
An excavator was already working the middle area, clearing remnants of overgrown branches and bushes.
The backhoe driver gave his supervisor the thumbs-up and continued in the correct direction.
The machine roared, digging through the ground.
The city council project had been in the works for almost five years.
The property had been purchased because of its location at the intersection of Old Mill and Pine Roads, on the edge of town and leading to other areas of the county.
It was the perfect place to house the new police and fire training areas, allowing the two services’ training facilities to be joined.
A larger space for emergency services was overdue, but there proved to be some stumbling blocks.
Pine Valley seemed to be divided over the project: many didn’t want the original rural property to be desecrated by large buildings and fenced-in training areas, while others supported the project to better train and protect the community.
The supervisor walked to the side and rolled out the plans on top of a truck hood. He studied them carefully. He had managed several projects this size and it would be a breeze once they had the foundation in place.
The weather had been overcast, but spring began showing its signs. Buds of new growth were among the trees and there were more birds and forest animals moving about. The heavy morning fog had burned away, but everything appeared wet, waiting for the sun to break through the clouds.
For a moment the light became darker as if nighttime were imminent, and the surrounds became quiet. The supervisor looked up and saw that the backhoe had turned off and a half-dozen workers were standing next to it and the excavator. No one moved. It seemed they were frozen in time.
“Get back to work!” he yelled. He walked toward the group, grumbling. “What are you doing?”
He stood in front of the backhoe, where a pile of dirt had been scooped up and dropped to the side. It only took a moment to realize what they were looking at.
“What the…?” He gasped and rubbed his forehead.
No one spoke.
A human skull with a gaping hole in the back rested on top of the pile.
There were sparse pieces of brown hair sticking up on it, but that wasn’t the more horrifying image.
To one side there were two skeletons: one large, the other appeared to be a child.
The remaining metacarpal bones of the skeletons’ hands were intertwined as if holding on for dear life.
As the workers all stared silently, the sun peeked through the low-lying clouds, shining directly on the skeletons and catching glints of metal. Two matching silver bracelets—each with half a heart.