“Really?” Eve shook her head. “Just look at her, Nalchek. Anyone could see Margaret is no threat.”
“Because she looks like a college kid? The woman in Afghanistan had a baby in her arms when she blew herself up.” He gestured dismissively. “And I don’t need to make any judgment about her if I don’t accept her value to my investigation.”
“She will have value.” Eve turned to Margaret. “I’m sure you haven’t had much time, but can you help me?”
“Maybe. He let me look around a little after he called you.” She suddenly smiled. “I don’t know if it was because he was curious or that he wanted me to have enough rope to hang myself. Maybe a little of both?”
“I’d say you managed to give me plenty of ammunition. As a woods expert, you leave much to be desired,” Nalchek said dryly. “Did you know she eats dirt, Eve?”
“No, I don’t recall hearing that,” Eve said. “But I’m sure she has a good reason.” She glanced at Margaret. “Do you?”
“Not what he’d consider good.” She took another drink of coffee. “It’s just my way of analyzing trace evidence. And I didn’t eat it, I merely tasted it.”
“That makes all the difference,” Eve said solemnly.
“Yes, it does.” She chuckled. “Though I would have eaten it if it had been necessary. It turned out that it wasn’t.”
“I’m through here,” Nalchek said shortly. “And so is she. I might have accepted your expert if you could have proved she would contribute but I’m not wasting my time.”
“Proof.” Margaret’s smile faded. “That’s difficult for Eve. She has no firsthand information about me or what I can do. She has to trust her daughter, Jane, and a few other friends who have put their trust in me.”
“But I wouldn’t have asked you to come if I hadn’t believed in you,” Eve said. “Jane told me that your knowledge of those wolves in the forests of Colorado helped to save me.”
“Wolves?” Nalchek was frowning. “What the hell—”
“Another time. Not important now,” Margaret said quickly. “It would just get in the way.” She finished her coffee. “And this has nothing to do with a wolf.” She frowned. “Or maybe it does. I’m not really clear on it. I didn’t have much time before you got here, Eve.”
“Enough to kneel by that grave like a ghoul communing with a demon,” Nalchek said grimly.
“A demon?” Margaret broke out laughing. “You don’t really believe that. You’re just uneasy and trying to get a handle on what makes me tick and why a smart woman like Eve would be taken in by me.” She got to her feet and moved toward the grave. “No demons.” She fell to her knees as she reached the taped-off area. “Actually, it may be the opposite.”
Eve had followed her and was gazing down at the grave. “This is Jenny’s grave?” She blinked back tears. “All those years she was here, Nalchek?”
He nodded. “So the medical examiner says. He says that she was killed in these woods and buried. She wasn’t transported from any other place.”
“Jenny?” Margaret repeated. “Jane told me that you named all the skulls you work on, Eve. You call her Jenny?”
Eve nodded.
“It’s a pretty name.” She tilted her head. “It has a sort of … cadence. Musical.”
Eve stiffened. “What? It’s a nice name, but I never thought it was particularly musical.”
Margaret shrugged. “Everything strikes people differently.”
Eve was silent. “Yes, it does. So what did you mean about the opposite of demons?”
“I believe the grave might have been protected.”
“What?” Nalchek said roughly. “Why would you think that? She was in that grave for eight years until we took her out of it. It was left to the elements and buried so deep, we might never have found it if there hadn’t been flash floods in the area that eroded the dirt so that some Boy Scouts eventually found her.”
“That doesn’t mean that the grave wasn’t protected.” Margaret made a face. “I guess I have to explain. You’re not ready, but then, no one is really ready for me.” She shot a wary look at Eve. “I could have avoided this if I hadn’t come here tonight. Mistake?”
“No, if anyone made a mistake, it was me,” Eve said quietly. “I asked you to come. But it wasn’t a mistake. By all means, explain to the sheriff that you may be weird, but not anything like what he faced with that crazy woman in Afghanistan.”
“I can hardly wait,” Nalchek said sarcastically.
Margaret nodded. “Okay, here goes. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been able to communicate with animals. I can kind of merge and read them.”
Silence. “Read them?” Nalchek repeated. “Read their minds?”
“No, not usually. Oh, sometimes. It depends on the species. I have real trouble with serpents. Of course, that might be my fault because I have problems with their lack of—”
“Wait.” He held up his hand. “This is bullshit.”
“No, it’s true. I found out that I had the knack when I was just a little kid. My father didn’t believe me, and I was beaten whenever I tried to tell anyone I was communicating with their dog or cat or whatever. Later, it got pretty bad, and I ran away from home and lived in the woods for a couple years.” She met his eyes. “I learned a lot while I was there.”
“A real nature girl.”
She ignored the sarcasm. “Something like that. But it was mainly survival, just like it was at home. Survival and learning to adapt and come out on top.” She stared him in the eye. “You know about survival, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I never claimed to learn it from a wolf or not-wolf, or whatever.”
“There are all kinds of wolves in the world. All kinds of animals. And the worst is the one who put that little girl in that grave. I think maybe you believe that, too.”
“And what about your precious balance of nature?”
“Sometimes it becomes unbalanced when a rogue comes along.”
“He’s not believing you, Margaret,” Eve said impatiently. “Drop it. I need to know your impressions.”
“I’ll give it to you. It was just easier to face the obstacle than avoid it.”
“And I’m the obstacle,” Nalchek said mockingly. “Of course I am. But by all means proceed.”
“Because you’re curious,” Eve said. “And you want all the help you can get, or you would never have sent me Jenny’s skull.” She asked Margaret, “Who was protecting the grave and how do you know?”
“I’m not sure.” She frowned. “I keep getting flashes of a dog or wolf or … something. But I don’t think that it was either one. But he’s near, he’s close, he thinks he has to stay close.”
“Why?”
“He needs to protect the grave. Even though the bones are gone. He still has to do it. Though I don’t believe he knows why.”
“Why would any animal feel obligated to—”
“I don’t know. I’m only getting flashes of what he’s feeling in connection with the grave. But it’s very strong. I felt it the minute I came near the grave. He’s been here all along. Since the night she was put in that grave, he’s been standing guard over it.”
“Guard?”
“I know. I know. But that’s what he’s feeling. He doesn’t like it, but he thinks he has to do it.” She grimaced. “That’s all I know right now. Maybe when I get closer to him.”
“Or he comes closer to the grave?” Eve asked.
“Possibly.”
“How do you know he was protecting the grave?” Nalchek asked bluntly. “Maybe he wanted to devour the remains.”
Margaret shook her head. “That was my first thought. It would be a natural reaction for most wild animals. But not for this one, not in this case. He has memories of chasing off predators who were digging at the grave. He was definitely on guard all these years.”
“That’s the most unbelievable part of your entire ‘impression,’” Nalchek said. “And makes any other aspect of the story suspect.”
“Yes, and you didn’t have to go very far to discover reasons to discount it,” Margaret said. “You’re both cynical and suspicious because of your profession and your background. I know that what I do and what I’m telling you is hard to comprehend for anyone. I’ve faced that all my life. It would be incredible if you believed my story with no proof.” She thought about it. “And I can’t give you proof, but I might give you cause to question.”