Page 49 of Won't Back Down
At her words, I realized this was the same stallion who’d been leading the herd since we were kids. While he’d once been coal black, his coat was now more of a pewter gray.
The stallion let Willa scratch for another couple of minutes before bobbing his head and stepping back. The two curious mares came next, and they went through the whole process over again. I didn’t step out, and she didn’t invite me. The herd was clearly used to her, and I didn’t want to unnecessarily stress them and potentially upset this delicate balance.
Once the mares had satisfied their curiosity, Willa slowly circled the entire herd, presumably looking for any obvious injuries. When she made it back around to where I stood, I shook my head. “Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. Did you see what you needed to see?”
“Yeah. They’re safe here, with plenty of water and grass. Later, we’ll probably need to bring in some supplemental food, but I don’t think they’re stuck. We can head on back.”
“I suggest we try a different route. I think if we cut across here, it shouldn’t be that far to the beach as the crow flies. It’ll be a little longer maybe, but easier going.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
We were maybe half a mile from the beach where I’d fished her out of the ocean all those years ago, but I didn’t mention that. If she didn’t realize where we were, hopefully, she wouldn’t have the kind of reaction she had in the car the other day.
We worked our way toward the Atlantic side of the island, discussing next steps for back at the house. In all likelihood, it would be a couple of days before we could get out. But we were well stocked, and with the generator, we’d be good for at least a few days.
As the path widened out a little, I took Willa’s hand, wanting the connection. “You seem lighter today.”
She swung our joined hands companionably between us. “I feel lighter. The house survived, and so did the horses. It feels like maybe the worst is over and this will be the last major excitement for a bit. We could use some dull.”
“I’m all for that.” I wanted the chance to get back to what was supposed to be our honeymoon period. And if that was because I was starting to consider an actual honeymoon with my wife, well… I was still coming to terms with what that might mean.
Well ahead, I could see the end of the treeline and the hint of beach beyond.
Willa grinned up at me.
“First one to the treeline gets dibs on the first shower.” She took off without waiting for my reply.
“Hey!” I bolted after her.
Laughing, she danced and dodged over limbs. With my longer legs, I was closing the distance. Willa glanced back, and I caught the flash of her smile just before her foot snagged on something and she went flying, crashing headlong into the dirt.
“Oh, shit! Are you okay?” I rushed to her.
She shoved up partway, spitting sand out of her mouth. “I—” Abruptly, she froze, then scrambled back on a scream.
“What is it?” Reaching her side, my gaze caught on something white inches away, peeking out of the earth.
There, wedged into the sand, was a human skull with a round hole right between the empty eye sockets.
CHAPTER 23
WILLA
Officer Cory Teague stumbled out of the woods and was promptly sick right at the edge of the beach. At least I wasn’t the only one shaken up by our gruesome find. As Sawyer came out after him, I clutched the insulating foil blanket tighter around myself, but it didn’t help. I still shook as if we were sitting on a glacier in Antarctica instead of on a North Carolina beach in humid, high summer. Shock was like that. Roy pressed into me, lending warmth as well as comfort, and I clung to him because I was one wrong thought away from descending back into a panic attack.
The faint sound of radio chatter carried on the breeze as Cory reported in, confirming that we had, indeed, found human remains. Chief Carson was no doubt tied up with post-hurricane triage, along with all other emergency personnel on the island, so he’d sent one of his junior officers. He’d probably thought—or hoped, at least—that I’d been hysterical and mistaken. That it was animal bones or a rock or some other benign thing that had been uncovered by the storm. Because we didn’t have things like murder on Hatterwick.
But I wasn’t mistaken. There wasn’t really any other explanation for the round hole just above the empty eye sockets. Not when it appeared the remains had been buried. I suspected I’d be seeing that horrible vision in my nightmares for years to come.
My chest tightened again.
No. Nope. Not going there. Not right now.
Five things I can see. Ocean. Beach. Roy. Sea birds. Driftwood.
Four things I can feel. Sand beneath me. The wind in my hair. Sweat drying on my skin. Blister on my foot.
Three things I can hear. The surf. Gulls. Wind in the trees.