Time stopped. Bet’s legs went numb from the awkward stance she held on the rock.
“I’m almost across the water. How about you let me finish coming over to your side?” Bet said.
“You aren’t the sheriff.”
“I am. My name is Sheriff Rivers,” Bet said. “But you can call me Bet.”
“You’re lying. Sheriff Rivers is a man. His name is Earle.”
“That was my dad. I’m the sheriff now. Elizabeth Rivers. I have ID on me. I can come over and show it to you. Plus I’m wearing the uniform, right? Who am I talking to?”
“I’m asking the questions here.” For the first time, Bet heard hesitation. The voice wavered. She doubted this person was a hardened criminal, though that didn’t mean he couldn’t be dangerous.
Amateurs with guns are just as dangerous as career criminals, Bet. Her father’s voice cut through her fear. But you’re more likely to talk them down.
“No problem.” Bet spoke again to the voice in the dark. “I won’t ask a thing. Sure would be good to get off this rock, though.” Bet squinted her eyes against the light and looked down. Although the flashlight shined in her face, it also lit the edge of the stone in front of her.
Nothing came back but silence. Bet decided to keep going.
“I’m going to step onto the next rock. I need to get better footing.” Bet took another step forward onto a flat rock closer to the bank. “You don’t want me to fall into the river and drown.”
Step by step, she moved toward the dry land in front of her, trying to keep her gaze averted enough to keep her eyesight. She kept up her litany, hoping her voice would keep him calm.
“I think you need some help. I can get you out of this cave.”
Bet reached the edge of the water and was preparing to make the final leap when the light shining in her face fell away.
The flashlight clunked on the floor of the cave a half second before the sound of a falling body followed. Focusing her light, Bet saw an inert form sticking out from behind a group of columns.
“Hold up, Rob,” Bet called out. “I think he’s injured.” Bet flashed her light around the area, spotting no one but the unconscious figure in a heap on the ground.
Kneeling down next to him, Bet could see the young man from the photo Alma had found. The sprinkle of acne in the picture was gone, replaced by a few scars. His features were fine, a slim nose, high cheekbones, an almost feminine face to match his slight form.
Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, Bet began to assess the young man’s condition. She put her fingertips on the boy’s neck and found a pulse, faint and rapid. He undoubtedly suffered from shock and hypothermia. Taking off his backpack, she discovered a makeshift bandage fashioned from his torn shirt that covered a bloody wound on his side.
He could have been down in the cave for as long as four days. Wondering what the bandage covered, she turned him to see if she could get a better look. She felt something hard and cold underneath his body, and recovered an ancient revolver.
“Okay, Rob,” Bet called, wondering if he was still there or if he’d taken off at the sound of an armed standoff. “He was armed, but I have it now and he’s unconscious. No sign of anyone else here. We better get him out of the cave.” Bet checked the weapon and found three cartridges left from the five it carried. She unloaded the gun and tucked the ammunition into her pocket.
Did the boy shoot at Jane Doe twice? And only hit her once? Or did he fire at someone else, potentially in self-defense?
“Coming over,” Rob said. At least he hadn’t bolted. His flashlight illuminated his path across the rocks. As confident as he’d been crossing the downed tree, she didn’t doubt his steadiness.
“Think we can carry him out of here?” Bet asked as Rob arrived. “He’s injured, but I don’t dare take off the bandage to check. It might just make things worse.”
“It’ll be tough to cross the rocks, but I think I can manage. I’m not going to be able to get him up that stone staircase, though, and there isn’t enough room for both of us to try to carry him.”
“I was afraid of that.” Bet thought for a moment. “Can we at least get him to the tunnel?”
“That we can do.”
“What do you think he weighs?” Bet asked.
“No more than one hundred fifty pounds,” Rob guessed as he crouched down. “We’ll have to get him up on my back. If we pull his arms around my neck, I can hang on to him like a giant backpack.”
Bet pulled the unconscious man’s arms over Rob’s shoulders as he grabbed hold of Seeley’s forearms.
Rob stood, and they set off for the water. Bet was prepared to help Rob keep his balance, but he moved across the water surefooted as a cat on a porch rail. Once they reached the other side, Bet picked up her backpack and stuck Seeley’s almost empty backpack into her own. She hoped it had started out full of food when the boy arrived in the cave. Last, she picked up the lantern Rob had carried and stuffed it in as well.
Pulling out the compass, she took the lead back to the tunnel. “Let me know if you need me to spell you,” she said as Rob’s breathing became labored, but his trudging footsteps remained unflagging behind her. Once they reached the tunnel, Rob lowered Seeley to the ground before he and Bet pushed him carefully through the entrance.
“I need to go for help,” Bet said.
“I’m not letting you ride my horse.”
“I’ll jog until I get back into cell phone range.”
Rob looked unhappy with the arrangement, but that could be a ruse. What if he wanted her out of the way so he could finish what he’d started with Seeley? Bet could return with help only to find the young man had “succumbed” to his wounds, and it might be impossible to prove Rob had helped him along.
“Are you concerned there’s a third party down here in the cave?” she asked. Someone had shot Seeley. If it wasn’t Rob, he could be a target.
“I can take care of myself.”
Bet pictured all the places people concealed weapons. Rob might still be armed. It didn’t make her feel better to know he could have a gun. Sending Rob for help didn’t guarantee anything either. He could lock the gate behind him somehow, and she and Seeley would never be found. It would be easy enough for him to report the two of them had parted ways. Bet tried to remember if she had mentioned to Alma that Rob had found a cave, but she wasn’t sure. Regardless, it was her responsibility to get assistance for Seeley.
“I’ll be back with help as fast as I can.”
He clicked off his flashlight. “Probably best if I wait in the dark. We don’t know who else might be down here waiting for you to leave.”
Bet reconsidered her decision. Maybe she should send Rob out to get help. Situations in Los Angeles always had support nearby; she wasn’t used to being so on her own. She started to have a new respect for her father and what he’d faced as sheriff. She wondered what choice he’d make.
“I’ll be fine, Elizabeth,” Rob said, the warmth she’d come to expect returned to his voice. “Let’s get this boy out of here.”
It didn’t matter what Earle would do. Bet was in charge now.
“Just keep Seeley alive, Mr. Collier. I’m counting on you.”