Bet kept herself in strong physical condition. Even with her height, her strength couldn’t match that of some men, but her endurance made her competitive in these kinds of situations. She climbed the stairs as fast as she could and, once she reached the top, broke into a respectable jog. She easily retraced their steps, and it wasn’t long before she could see a paler area in front of her, signifying the outside entrance to the cave.
Picking up speed, she flew out of the mouth of the tunnel and started to scramble down the hillside toward the trail to civilization. The moon stood near full and blanketed the area with the surreal luminescence of a pearl. While the trees remained dark, lighter objects stood out as bright as bones against the background of dark evergreens.
Bet caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and her instincts kicked in. She dropped to the ground mere seconds before the hiss of a bullet sliced the air above her head. The round pinged against the granite hillside, ricocheted off a large rock, and continued its trajectory away from her.
Rolling down the incline, Bet pulled her own weapon and returned fire. She heard a startled cry, then silence.
“If you’re injured, I can help you,” Bet called out, before she settled into the trees a safe distance from Figure and listened. Figure had his ears up, his focus intent on a spot in the trees, but she couldn’t hear anyone moving nearby. She pulled her cell phone out, hoping for a few bars.
Useless. She stuffed her cell phone back in her pocket, picked up a rock, and tossed it as far away from her as she could. It hit a tree trunk some distance away, sounding almost as loud as the gunfire had, but no one shot again.
Figure relaxed again, looking at her quizzically, as if expecting her to mount up and ride him out of there. She hoped that was a sign no one else stood nearby.
Seeley Lander needed immediate medical attention. That was her priority. She wasn’t sure if it was safe to move, but she couldn’t stand there forever.
Don’t let fear paralyze you, she remembered her father telling her more than once. You get paralyzed and all your decisions become someone else’s.
He was right.
Bet started down the trail, checking her cell phone periodically for service. Once a few bars appeared, she stopped and called Randall Vogel. Luckily for Bet, the Vogels had already flown two injured people to Seattle from a wreck on Interstate 90 and were back at the hanger refueling.
She explained the situation and how challenging it would be to get Seeley out of the cave.
“I’ll drop Paul down with the rescue litter to take into the cave,” Vogel said. “It will be easier to haul the boy out in that.”
Bet described someone taking a shot at her as she exited the cave. “It’s possible the shooter is still around.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone took shots at us,” Vogel said. “Don’t worry, we can handle it.”
Ending the call with Vogel, Bet contacted Clayton, hoping he wasn’t in Cle Elum. She wanted him to fly out with Seeley. Luckily, she caught him still in town. She asked him to call Dale and request that he meet her at Rob Collier’s house and bring a padlock and chain. Then Clayton would follow her directions to the cave entrance, wearing his bulletproof vest. Bet raced back to the tunnel. She knew it wouldn’t take long for the Vogels to arrive on the scene. She reached the open area in front of the cave entrance and waited, ears straining for someone skulking around in the woods.
She stood with her flashlight off, waiting for the sound of rotors. No sense giving her spot away to anyone hiding in the trees. But other than Figure shifting his weight, the forest lay still. She wondered how the horse would react to the helicopter, but Rob hadn’t seemed worried about leaving him alone.
As she waited by herself in the dark, peering into the trees, images from her dream rose in her mind. The man she saw on the lake in the dark, struggling under the weight of a canvas-wrapped figure. The hole he bored through the frozen lake. The long hair visible out of the top of the bundle before it slid, silently, through the ice.
Her heart rate pounded. This wasn’t just the fragmented pieces of dreams anymore. She knew these images were memories, if only she had external evidence to prove it. Why had she gone out into the cold? Why was she alone by the lake? She let her mind go where it wanted.
Another memory surfaced. A dare. Trek to the lake alone. Dylan laughing and holding out a coffee cup. “Bring back water so I know you went all the way.” The feel of the three-wheeler Eric taught her to drive, speeding alone through town. Everyone knew the lake water tasted different, the tang of a copper penny. Where was Eric? Why did she only remember Dylan?
Just when she thought she couldn’t handle one more minute in the dark, she heard the sound of the helicopter above her.
She turned on her flashlight and signaled. Despite its small size, the Vogels should see the light against the dark trees.
While Randall Vogel hovered, Paul came down with the litter. Vogel’s son had spent a few years training in the military before returning to the area to work with his parents. With medical experience like his mother and pilot training like his father, he planned to run the business one day.
Bet helped him unclip the litter from the cable. Paul wore a light on his helmet to keep his hands free. Bet could carry the front of the empty litter with one hand, her flashlight in the other.
“You okay with this?” she asked Paul, just before they plunged into the darkness of the tunnel.
He gave her a thumbs-up, his boyish grin backing up his confidence. The two sped through the tunnel, the route starting to feel familiar to Bet. They soon arrived at the top of the stairs. She called down to Rob, who clicked on his light in response.
At least the man hadn’t fled.
“I brought reinforcements,” Bet said, as she and Paul reached the bottom with the litter. “How’s he doing?”
“He hasn’t regained consciousness, but he hasn’t stopped breathing either.”
Nor had Rob finished off Seeley while the two were alone in the dark. Bet wished she had more insight into Collier’s motivations. Was he a Good Samaritan? Or a bold killer inserting himself in her investigation?
Paul did a quick check of Seeley’s airway before the three lifted him onto the rescue litter and Paul strapped him in.
“Had a little excitement,” Bet told Rob as Paul worked.
“What was that?”
“Somebody shot at me.”
“What? Where?”
“As I came out of the cave.”
“Figure okay?”
“He’s fine. Wasn’t even bothered by the helicopter circling overhead.”
“He’s spent a fair amount of time in urban settings. Did you shoot back?”
“I did. Just wanted you to know what we might be walking into when we head outside.”
“Let’s get going,” Paul said with a final adjustment to Seeley. “The sooner we get him out of here, the sooner Mom and I can start tending to him.”
“I’m a little taller,” Rob said to Paul as he reached for the foot of the litter. The men lifted the backboard and Bet fell in behind them, her light all Rob had to see by. The climb up the stairs was slow but steady. Once they were on mostly level ground, it didn’t take long to reach the mouth of the cave.
“I’m going out first to see if anyone makes me a target,” Bet said.
She edged her way around the men and the litter and stepped outside. If anyone lay in wait, they would see her dark shape against the light-colored stone of the mountainside. She walked a few paces from the mouth of the tunnel.
When nothing happened, she went back in and waved for the guys to follow and signaled Penny to drop the cable.
Paul hooked the cable to the litter while Bet stood guard. The litter rose up to the helicopter and disappeared as Penny swung the boom inside. At the same time, Clayton arrived on a dirt bike. A moment later, Penny dropped the cable over and Paul helped Clayton into the rigging.
She and Rob stood guard while Penny hauled Paul up last. Paul gave Bet an all-clear signal, which Bet returned, before the helicopter tilted away.
Bet moved over to Clayton’s dirt bike, pulling on the helmet he’d left behind. Rob walked over to Figure, who appeared remarkably calm despite all the commotion.
“I’ll lead. Don’t follow too close,” was all Rob said as he swung into the saddle and started up the trail.
Bet stayed a safe distance behind, but it didn’t take long before the big house of the Collier estate rose in front of them and she parked in the driveway.
Dale stood near his truck waiting for them, an ATV on a small trailer behind his vehicle.
“Tell me about this mine entrance,” Dale said by way of greeting.
Bet described the events of the night. “I think someone shot Seeley in the cave,” she said, after she’d filled him in. “And I’m betting our Jane Doe died down there too.”
“Think Seeley shot Jane Doe with the gun you found?” Dale asked.
“I don’t know right now. But we know there’s more than just the two kids involved, since a third person shot at me.”
Rob stood nearby, and Dale turned to give him a look that was hard to read. Bet thought he might be questioning why she’d let a civilian participate in hauling Seeley out of the tunnel.
“I used the people I had at hand,” she said, with a nod toward Rob, though she didn’t owe Dale an explanation.
“What now?” Dale asked.
“We have to get back down into that cave soon and do a more thorough search. But no one goes down there alone. It’s too dangerous.”
“We need a few more deputies,” Dale said.
“Too bad the budget only covers you and Clayton,” Bet said. “For now, just hide yourself nearby and watch the entrance. If anyone else is down there, I don’t think they have another way out.”
She described the road back and how to find the cave. Dale agreed, letting her know he brought the lock and chain she’d requested should they decide to bar the entrance and leave it unattended.
“Good,” Bet said. “Though the killer could be the person who shot at me, which means they’re aboveground. Unless they snuck back in after we left, they might be halfway to Canada by now.”
“What about the Ranger?” Dale asked.
“It’s not going anywhere. Seeley probably has the key with him. We’ll deal with that later.”
“So Seeley might be guilty of killing Jane Doe,” Dale said. “But he’s also a victim, probably of the guy who shot at you.”
“That’s what it looks like,” Bet said. “Though Jane Doe could have shot him first, then ran, and he shot her in the back. We can’t assume the shooter tonight was involved until we have proof.”
Dale nodded. “You sound like your dad.”
Bet took that as a compliment.
“If Seeley pulls through, he should be able to ID Jane Doe for us. She used his phone, and she bought two coffees from Sandy. There’s two cups in the truck with her logo on them. He’ll have a tough time denying he interacted with her. For now, we just need to protect the crime scene in the cave and see if whoever shot at me left any evidence or tracks behind.”
Dale left for the cave entrance, and Bet gave Rob a long, appraising look. He returned her gaze without expression.
“I don’t want to leave Dale without his vehicle here or use the dirt bike to go to the station. Can I borrow your Bronco?”
Rob handed over his keys. “You know where to find me.”
Exhausted but wired from the night’s activities, Bet drove over to the office, where she found Alma and Schweitzer waiting for her.
“You look like crap,” Alma said, eyeing Bet as she came through the front door.
“I missed you too, Schweitzer,” Bet greeted the dog. He bounced around a few times at her appearance. His obvious pleasure at seeing her filled her with an emotion she couldn’t name.
Alma snorted and handed Bet a stack of messages. The top one was from Eric.
“I told him business tied you up,” Alma said, referencing Bet’s forgotten dinner date.
“Thanks,” Bet said, as she pulled on a pair of gloves and retrieved two evidence bags before she took the vintage revolver out of the backpack. Labeling the evidence bags, she put the weapon in one and the cartridges in another.
“Where’d you get the antique?” Alma had an affinity for vintage weapons.
“Found it on Seeley. What is it?” Bet handed the revolver over to Alma in its clear plastic bag. Alma pulled her desk lamp closer to get a better look. She peered at the weapon through its protective cover, turning it over under the light.
“Looks like a Remington number three, five-shot revolver.”
“Valuable?”
“Not nearly as valuable as a number one or number two; a lot more of these were made. Maybe seven or eight hundred dollars.”
“Strange gun for a kid to have. When were these manufactured?”
“Late 1800s. I’ll have to check the exact dates. Could have been something the first Seeley Lander owned.”
Bet nodded; the age of the revolver made that a reasonable guess. She gave Alma the lantern to look at too. They set it on a table in the back of the room to pass on to George.
“I’m going to take Schweitzer home and get some food,” Bet said, the dog hopping to his feet at the word food, but the ring of her cell phone interrupted her. Clayton’s number showed on the screen. Bet answered, getting an earful of noise from the rotors of the helicopter.
“How’s Seeley?”
“What?” Clayton yelled.
Bet repeated herself louder and just barely made out his response.
“Still alive.”
“What’s up?” Bet yelled again.
“Seeley came to …” Bet lost Clayton in the noise, but she made out the rest. “He said, ‘What about Katie?’”
“Katie? That must be our Jane Doe.”
“Not Jane Doe,” Bet made out. “‘Emma’s dead. I … kill her, but what about Katie?’”
Jane Doe was Emma? And Seeley had killed Emma? Had it been with that revolver? Without a bullet to match, there were no ballistics to compare.
“Emma is our dead girl? Then who is Katie?”
“What?” Clayton yelled back.
“Who is Katie!”
Bet heard his next line loud and clear.
“I think there’s another girl down in that cave.”