Conspiracy of Bones Page 16

  He’d been looking into his Bible a lot lately, trying to line up some of the questions he had with the scientific evidence. Naturally, he had begun to research the whole creation theory quite extensively. There was a lot of information out there that was not making it into regular scientific journals.

  Questions about astrophysics and time travel were just some of the latest items to cross his path. The theory that time sped up when traveling at the speed of light was nothing new - it had been estimated that a person traveling at the speed of light for only a few weeks would actually arrive back to earth hundreds of years later. So it made sense that the stars could be a lot younger than most scientists were willing to admit. Then there was the problem with current radiometric dating techniques. A scientist from the states had been studying microscopic halos left from radioactive material in granite. In order for the halos to form, it had to be crystallized within three minutes of formation, not the millions of years assumed by most scientists.

  Mark sat pouring over this most recent batch of information he had unearthed. How could the scientific community choose to overlook such a large volume of documented evidence? He was astounded that someone, somewhere, didn’t blow the whistle on this tightly guarded club. Well, maybe he was the man to do it.

  There was a knock on his office door. He looked up as the receptionist popped her head inside. "Excuse me, Dr. Graham, but there’s a woman outside who seems especially insistent on seeing you."

  "Who is she?" he asked absently, still perusing the documents before him.

  "She says she’s your sister.”

  Mark smiled and nodded. "Send her in.” It was just like Harmony to interrupt whenever the whim overtook her. Oh well. He had some things to share he was sure she’d be interested in. This stuff was right up her alley.

  He carefully marked his place with a sticky note as he heard the door opening and looked up. The ready greeting that was on his lips stayed right where it was.

  "Uh… hello," he offered tentatively. "Maybe you have the wrong office. The receptionist told me my sister was here to see me."

  "Oh.” The young woman laughed nervously. "Dr. Mark Graham, right?"

  "Yes," he replied, waiting.

  She stepped further into the room and shut the door behind her. She reached forward and stretched out her hand. "Hi. Sorry to just barge in on you, like this. My name is Charlene Howard."

  He half stood and barely touched her finger tips in a pseudo handshake before sitting back down.

  "May I?" she asked, gesturing to a chair on the opposite side of his desk.

  "Go ahead."

  She perched on the edge of the seat, obviously nervous about something. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties; pretty and blonde, and was wearing a trendy yet tasteful outfit. Probably a student wanting advice about something but afraid she wouldn’t gain admittance without an excuse.

  "Can I help you with something?" he prompted.

  She looked down at her hands, which she was twisting in her lap. "I’m a lot more nervous than I expected," she admitted with a little laugh.

  “Um, okay…”

  "I mean it’s not every day I get to meet thee Dr. Mark Graham."

  He frowned, suspicion birthed after so many weeks of tension, now rising to the forefront. "Oh?"

  "Oh dear," she muttered to herself. She looked up with pleading in her eyes. "You see, you are… or rather, I am… actually we’re brother and sister," she finally blurted.

  Mark’s eyebrows rose. ”Pardon me?”

  "We have the same mother," Charlene explained. "Miranda Riley?"

  Mark felt like he had been gut punched - again. He couldn’t seem to find any words as he tried to digest the information.

  "I’m sorry," Charlene offered. "It came as quite a shock to us, too."

  "Us?" he finally managed.

  Charlene nodded. "Me and my younger brother Scott. We had no idea we had an older brother or that our mom had been married before she met Dad. She’d kept it all secret."

  Mark didn’t know how he felt about that bit of information. The little boy that still resided within him somewhere was suddenly very hurt. "I see. So how did you find out?"

  "Mom secretly kept a scrapbook full of all kinds of articles about this famous archaeologist named Dr. Mark Graham. I was helping her pack after she and Dad split up a few months ago, and I found it. When I asked her about it, she wasn’t going to tell me anything. But I could tell there was something up, so she finally broke down and told me everything. About her first marriage and how when her husband got custody she just decided to up and start a new life altogether."

  Not exactly the way he’d heard it, Mark mused blackly. And what was up with everybody keeping a scrapbook?

  "I can see this is quite a shock for you," she said again.

  "Yes. To put it mildly."

  "I was really choked at first, you know? Like I felt betrayed or something," Charlene said. Mark knew the feeling. "But then I started thinking I wanted to meet this famous brother of mine. And so, after I did a little more research of my own, I flew out here and here I am."

  "Just like that," Mark stated.

  "Um, yeah. I guess I could have called first, but I didn’t know if you’d see me.”

  "No, it’s… fine." Mark cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "So you flew here. From where?"

  "Calgary," Charlene replied. "That’s where I live with my husband, Tom. Mom and Dad still live there, too. And Scott." She hesitated. "Um, you want to see some pictures?"

  She didn’t wait for a response but began digging in her handbag.

  An unreasonable fear clutched Mark’s heart. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see any pictures, but Charlene already had them out of her purse and was handing them over as she pulled her own chair in closer to the desk. He willed himself to look down.

  "This one was taken about a month ago at my son’s birthday party. See, there’s my husband Tom, and that’s your nephew Cade. He’s two." She smiled proudly.

  Mark just blinked. He had a nephew.

  Charlene continued, "And this next one shows my - I mean our brother Scott holding Cade on his knee. Scott’s twenty-one. Cade was born on his birthday."

  The same age as Harmony. "How nice," was all that came out of Mark’s mouth.

  "Yep. He’s a pretty proud uncle."

  "And how old are you?" Mark asked.

  "Me? I’m twenty five."

  "I see." So he was just eight years old when she was born, he calculated. Still a boy wondering why he didn’t get cards and gifts like the other kids he knew whose parents had split up.

  "Here we all are watching Cade and Scott blow out the candles," she went on, referring to the next photograph. She waited for him to peruse the picture before adding, "Oh, and that’s Mom there on the right."

  Mark swallowed hard, his eyes feeling suspiciously prickly. She was a nice looking woman for her age. She was probably in her early fifties with auburn brown hair done up in a fashionable style.

  Mark cleared his throat and handed the pictures back to Charlene. "Yes. Well, thank you for showing me."

  "I can send you some more if you’d like. Online?” Charlene offered.

  "I don’t really do ‘Online’,” Mark said.

  "Oh." There was an awkward silence as Charlene looked down at her hands.

  “Perhaps the old fashioned way?” Mark added quickly, seeing her distress.

  Charlene nodded. "Okay."

  "So…” Mark looked down at his watch. More awkward silence. The minutes seemed to stretch on and on.

  "She’s not really a bad person," Charlene finally whispered. "Whatever her reasons for giving you up, I’m sure she’s thought lots about you judging from the scrapbook she kept. And she was a good mother to Scott and me."

  "That’s… that’s fine.” Mark nodded mechanically.

  "I’ll be in town for a few days," Charlene said. "Tom and Cade came along for moral support. We’re staying downtown at
the Ramada."

  Mark wasn’t sure what she expected. "Oh. I see."

  Charlene persisted doggedly. "I thought maybe you’d like to meet them. Especially the baby."

  "Um…” He looked down at the stack of papers on his desk. How was he supposed to concentrate on work when he’d just been thrown a bomb?

  "I know you’re probably a very busy man," Charlene went on breathlessly, "but we’re only in town for a few days…” She trailed off. She looked as if she might cry.

  "Of course," Mark said quickly. "I’m still just in shock, that’s all. But I would love to meet your husband and son."

  Charlene smiled with relief. "Oh, good. I was pretty scared there for a minute. Like you might just kick me out or something."

  "No, no. I wouldn’t do that."

  "Um, and you probably have other family in town. You can bring them along if you like. A wife, kids?"

  "I’m not married.”

  "Oh," Charlene said.

  There seemed to be nothing more to say other than to pick the time and location for their next rendezvous.

  "So where should we meet?" Charlene asked tentatively.

  "You pick," Mark said.

  "I don’t really know Winnipeg that well," she said hesitantly.

  "How about the hotel dining room at, say, seven?" Mark suggested.

  "Okay, but…”

  "That’s probably too late for Cade," Mark said.

  "No, it’s not so much that as…”

  "What?"

  "The dining room at the hotel is awfully fancy. Maybe somewhere a little more family friendly? You know how two year olds can be."

  Actually, he didn’t but he smiled anyway and nodded. "There’s a good pancake house on Main that serves kids meals," he suggested.

  "Perfect," Charlene agreed with a grateful smile.

  "Alright then. See you there at seven."

  Charlene rose from her chair. "Thanks for being so… I don’t know. Down to earth, I guess. You’re nothing like I was afraid you’d be after reading all those articles about you. I felt pretty intimidated because you sound like such a genius."

  Mark just shrugged. "I’m just a plain ordinary man like everybody else." Just an ordinary man with too many problems to count on both hands right at the moment.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  "I’m with another group," Mark informed the restaurant hostess after he arrived at the pancake house. He could see Charlene and her family sitting at a booth across the room and gestured in their general direction.

  “Thank goodness!” Charlene said when she saw Mark approaching. "I thought maybe you decided not to come."

  "Of course not," Mark assured stoically. He nodded at the man he presumed to be Charlene’s husband.

  "This is my husband Tom," Charlene introduced. "And this is Cade." She smiled indulgently at the two year old, who was presently stuffing crackers into his mouth.

  The two men shook hands and Mark sat down. He had one side of the booth to himself, since Cade's high chair was at the end of the table in the isle.

  "I had some last minute calls to take care of," Mark explained. "Sorry I’m a bit late." More like last minute excuses, he thought.

  "That’s okay," Charlene said. "I’m sure you’re awfully busy. Cade was getting kind of hungry, though. Hope you don’t mind that we already ordered."

  "Of course not.” Mark surveyed his own menu and made a quick decision, ready to catch the next waitress that went by. "So, Tom," Mark ventured conversationally. "What do you do for a living?"

  "Electrician. In the patch," Tom answered. He not quite overweight, but not skinny either, with closely cropped brown hair and glasses.

  "Oil industry’s still busy these days?" Mark asked.

  “Busy enough.”

  “Good, good.”

  Mark wasn’t sure what else to ask but Charlene came to the rescue. “Tell us more about what you’re doing.”

  "Oh, research. Always lots of research," Mark replied noncommittally.

  "You’ve sure been to some fascinating places," Charlene said. "I was shocked when I read all the articles Mom’s been keeping."

  There was an awkward moment of silence. "Um… yes."

  Charlene looked down at her hands. "I’m sorry. This must be especially - uncomfortable for you. I mean, we know all kinds of things about you and you had no idea we even existed."

  Cade started to fuss and Charlene’s attention was momentarily drawn elsewhere. Mark was glad for the timely distraction. Of course he was uncomfortable. Uncomfortable didn’t even come close to what he was feeling. Shock, betrayal, anger - all mingled together into one indescribable emotion.

  "Our, uh… our mother. Does she have other relatives close by?" Mark asked.

  "Grandma and Grandpa - her parents - both passed away. They used to live in Winnipeg, I think, but they moved out to the west coast before I was born. We have an uncle out there, too. In Vancouver."

  Mark nodded. "I see."

  "I should have brought pictures of them, too," Charlene apologized.

  "No, that’s fine," Mark said with a shake of his head. Knowing he had other siblings was enough. Too much, in fact.

  "So, you said you weren’t married, but do you have other family? Did your Dad remarry or anything?"

  "Yes. Yes he did. I have one other sister."

  "Oh. That’s nice."

  There was more awkward silence. Mark was glad when the food finally arrived and they had something to occupy themselves besides straining for conversation.

  "Hey, bro! Fancy meeting you here." It was Harmony.

  "Harmony." Mark looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

  "I’m meeting Cory, but he’s late as usual," Harmony shrugged. "Mind if I join you for a sec?"

  "Go ahead.” Harmony was already sliding in beside him. "Charlene, Tom, this is my sister, Harmony. Harmony - Charlene and Tom. They’re… from Calgary," he finished lamely.

  "Hi," Harmony greeted with a friendly smile. She was her usual bubbly self and didn’t seem to notice the tension her arrival had caused. "So, I was actually going to call you later. I’m moving into my own place on the weekend and I need your help. Mom and Dad are going out of town."

  "You’re moving out?" Mark asked. "Why?"

  "I am twenty one," Harmony reminded. "Don’t you think it’s time I got my own place? Besides, you moved out by the time you were my age."

  "True, but I was going on to graduate work in the States. It makes more sense to stay home and save the rent money until you’re finished school."

  "I was thinking of quitting anyway.” Harmony shrugged. "I mean, I’ve wasted enough of the parents’ money as it is and I still don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I think I just need some time off. Some space to try and get my act together, so to speak. That and some privacy for a change."

  "Because of Cory," Mark noted with a disapproving scowl.

  "Oh please!" Harmony laughed. "You’re one to talk! Besides, I’m a Christian remember? I don’t believe in sex before marriage, so just chill, okay? Big brothers," she said sarcastically to Charlene and Tom. "Hey, I see him. I gotta go. Nice meeting you two, and I’ll call you to remind you about the weekend." She planted a quick kiss on Mark’s cheek and was up out of the seat and heading toward the entrance where her boyfriend was surveying the crowd expectantly. Mark watched as they embraced before following the hostess to a seat.

  "You’re a Christian, too?" Charlene asked enthusiastically. "So are we. Wait till I tell Mom!"

  Mark almost choked on his water. He shook his head while he tried to clear his throat.

  The smile faded on Charlene’s lips. "I just assumed… I mean, your sister, she said…”

  “Not to worry. I didn’t say I wasn’t a Christian, but to be truthful, I’m in a bit of a questioning phase.”

  “I hope I haven’t offended you?

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure my stepmother would say that God is just trying to get my attention.�
�

  "We’re kind of new to this Christian thing ourselves," Charlene explained. "We all got saved together. Me, Tom and Mom."

  "Then I guess I’m the only hold out on both sides of the family," Mark said.

  "I suppose you two are really close," Charlene said off hand, fiddling with her spoon.

  Mark frowned. "You mean me and Harmony?"

  "Yes.” She nodded.

  “We did grow up together. She’s twenty-one. Same age as your - our - brother Scott, right?"

  "Scott would really like to meet you, too, sometime. But he couldn’t get time off work." Charlene’s face brightened. “Maybe sometime you could come out to see us?"

  Mark blinked, not sure how to respond. Sudden attachment for an unknown sister was not something he could just manufacture. And as for some kind of family reunion - that was beyond what his current state of mental health could even fathom.

  "Hey, honey, let’s not jump the gun," Tom put in quietly. It was probably the first sentence he’d put together the whole time.

  "Look, it has been really nice," Mark said. "Surprising, yes, and a bit disconcerting, too. But I can see you two are good people. You just need to know that I am really, really busy right now. I might not have time.”

  "You don’t need to say any more," Charlene said.

  "I’m not trying to put you off," Mark said. "I am seriously busy on a dissertation from my last dig. In Africa,” he added for good measure.

  "Look at you!" Charlene exclaimed suddenly, turning her attention to her son, Cade. "Mommy better take you to the washroom and clean you up. What a mess!" She fiddled with the safety strap on the high chair for a moment and then scooped Cade up into her arms. Mark and Tom both watched her retreating figure as she scurried away.

  "I’m not trying to hurt anyone," Mark stated in a low voice. "It'd just -"

  "She’ll be alright," Tom answered. "I’m just glad you agreed to meet us in the first place. It would have crushed her if you hadn’t."

  "I wouldn’t have done that."

  "I was worried about this meeting from the moment she got it into her head," Tom admitted. "I’m just glad you turned out to be half decent."