twenty-eight
“It seems that the moral foundation on which society rests is like loose, unstable sand. Men are losing their morality as fast as they are gaining in the arts, invention, and science.”
~Earl Douglass
TUESDAY, JULY23
Joshua headed out to the Walker property an hour before he would normally head to work.
The air was dry after days of scorching sun. Amazing how much water could get soaked up in such a short amount of time. But the territory was normally so arid. Except for the areas right around the river, the grass turned brown after June. The cattle still munched on the dried-out vegetation, but they congregated around the banks of the river and its offshoot creeks and streams.
Anna’s sketch of the other side of the washout hadn’t been in great detail—or so she’d said—but Peter had seen somethingthat upset him. He’d asked Joshua last night to check into something.
And he wasn’t too excited about what he might find.
He dragged some scaffolding over to the side of the gulley directly below Julian Walker’s home. Once he had it built high enough, he climbed to the top and looked above the white layer of rock. Several feet of dirt were built up for the garden.
Anna had told him what Julian said he did to create the lush soil for his garden. Layers and layers of dirt. Manure. River-bottom soil...
There. A small white spot stood out against the dark earth.
Not more than a couple inches across, it was amazing that Anna had picked up on the detail in her sketch. But that was how extraordinary her eye was. Probably without even thinking about it.
Using a brush, Joshua gently wiped at the spot and around it. Hoping and praying it wasn’t what Mr. Lakeman thought it was. But the more he brushed, and the more the compacted dirt fell away, the more the round object indeed looked like...
Dirt tumbled down into the washout. Joshua drew in a breath. He didn’t want to risk collapsing any of the garden by tugging the object out, but even with it embedded in dirt, he knew what he was looking at.
He brushed gently on the left and in a little. The dirt was deep and packed down from the years. Just a little more...
Then he saw it.
The opening for a left eye socket.
Mr. Lakeman was right. It was a skull.
His heart picked up its pace and cold sweat prickled his neck and brow.
Scrambling down the scaffolding, he broke it down and rushed it back across the gulley. He put his brush away and snuck another glance to Walker’s home. No movement. Hopefullythe man wouldn’t return from Green River for another day or two.
But that didn’t calm his nerves. He checked his pocket watch. Not much time before the rest of the team arrived. Maybe he should leave a note for Anna.
He scribbled something down and left it under a rock on her table and then grabbed his horse to head to the Lakemans’. He might even pass her on the way.
What would he tell her?
It didn’t matter. He needed to see her father, and fast.
All the way there, he battled one horrific question...
Who was buried in Julian’s garden?
Pounding hooves sounded outside.
Anna rushed to the door. Who could that be at this hour? She opened it and frowned. “Joshua?” She eyed him. Questions swirled around in her mind. Was everyone all right?
He grabbed her arm and dragged her to her father’s room. “I’m glad you’re still here. We’ve got to speak with your father right now.”
“What is this about?”
