Shadow Bones Read Online Free PDF Page A

turned her gaze away from the sight of Jake working with Wynne and two other men.
    The mine opening yawned in the side of the wildflower-covered hillside. She stepped to the entrance. Inside, lights strung along the sloping sides illuminated the tunnel she walked down. She felt cold, as cold as the water dripping along the floor of the mine, and wished she’d brought a jacket. Inside the mine, it was always around fifty-five degrees, and the damp had a way of permeating one’s bones.
    Her manager crouched over a massive drill. Her cousin, Michael Blackbird, stood over him holding a light, and the drill operator stood off to one side.
    â€œProblems, Pop?” she asked.
    A big Ojibwa, the manager James Manomen wore his black hair in a single long braid down his back. In his forties, he’d been like another father to Skye for more years than she could count. Calling him Pop helped fill a void in her life.
    James shook his head. “I’ve repaired it.” He straightened and punched the button to restart the drill. The engine rumbled to life, and the noise was near deafening.
    â€œLet’s go to my office,” Skye shouted.
    James and Michael nodded and followed her down the corridor to the office. Michael shut the rusting metal door behind him. The door muffled the sound of the drill down to a dull roar. “I have high hopes for this tube,” he said.
    Her cousin’s face was grimy with grease. He reminded her of her father with a white wing of gray hair on the right side of his black hair. About forty, he was the only son of Skye’s Uncle Louis and was the only other member of the family to work at the mine. She’d never been close to him since he was so much older.
    Skye’s fingers tightened on the coffee cup in her hand. “You really think this could be it?”
    He nodded. “You’re the first one who noticed the kimberlites. Surely, you’re not losing hope now.”
    â€œThe kimberlites don’t always mean diamonds.” She didn’t want to admit how discouraged she felt today. The kimberlites were special rocks that were often found in conjunction with diamonds. She could only hope and pray that was the case here.
    â€œNo, but you’ve never lost faith that the stones are here,” James put in.
    â€œWe’ve been searching for two years, James.” Her voice sounded weary, even to herself. “We’re running out of money.”
    â€œAsk Peter for more. He’ll do anything for you,” Michael said.
    â€œI can’t keep taking handouts from him. At some point, I’m either going to have to find the diamonds or admit defeat. The assayer he hired a couple of weeksago found nothing.” She handed him a cup of coffee then poured one for James.
    James’s eyes widened as he took the coffee she offered him. “I’ve never heard you talk like this. What’s wrong?”
    She plopped into the old chair at the metal desk. “Am I fooling myself, guys? I’ve been chasing this dream so long I’m not sure anymore. Sometimes a dream is just that. I might have to face reality.”
    Michael sat in one of the chairs. Her cousin was the only one of her father’s relatives her mother still had contact with. His father, Louis Blackbird, never worked more than a couple of months out of any year, and he blamed Mary for the way his brother had run off. A big man weighing nearly two hundred and seventy pounds, Michael’s sturdy strength was a constant source of support for Skye.
    He propped his feet up on the desk. “Has someone been talking to you?”
    Skye hesitated. “Mother is ready to shut down the mine.”
    â€œIt still produces garnets,” he pointed out. “This is our livelihood, Skye.”
    â€œYes, but we’re losing money. We can’t continue at this rate. I see her point.” James took a sip of coffee and grimaced. “I think this must have been made