prickly bush. As the silence and emptiness around her went from beautiful to ominous, the thought struck: What’s a city girl like me doing in a place like this?
“The watcher is a watcher, nothing more,” Joaquin said. “He’s no shooter—at least, not today.”
Everyone dismounted at the bottom of the rocky incline, all too conscious of the secret observer. “There are several caves in this area, but only one big one.” Joaquin pointed about six feet up where, behind a scrub brush, the rocks seemed to form a narrow crevice.
That was the cave? Angie thought. No way was she going inside that tiny slit in the rocks.
Joaquin retrieved two flashlights from his saddlebags, handed one to Paavo, and led them up the rough ground. Up close, the crevice opening was larger than it had appeared from below. Joaquin flicked on his light, then bent slightly to enter. Paavo and Doc followed.
Curiosity overcame Angie, and she did the same, her eyes round and straining as she searched for spiders or snakes in her path. Thankfully, there were none.
The walls of the cave were wide and oddly smooth; the cave larger than she’d expected. Even Paavo could stand upright, though the ceiling lowered near the rear.
It was a blessing that Angie wasn’t claustrophobic, but the knowledge that this cave had been a tomb or possibly a murder site had her hoping their stay would be a brief one. The smell of death and decay still seemed to linger there, just past the edge of perception.
“Why would Hal have come here?” Paavo asked.
“That’s the question,” Doc replied.
“Maybe to hide something,” Joaquin suggested. “But I don’t know what.”
After a moment Paavo asked, “How did you find him?”
“These caves are on Hal Edwards’s property—it goes on for miles. I was passing through and saw Lionel nearby. I was curious about why. A few days later, I came back and noticed tracks leading to the caves. I found the body.”
“Did anyone ask Lionel what he was doing out here?” Paavo asked.
“The sheriff did,” Doc said. “Lionel claimed he was being a good manager—checking the property. He said he never went inside the caves. The sheriff believed him.”
Joaquin’s light illuminated a spot near the far wall. “That’s where Hal was. I recognized his ring and belt buckle.”
At the realization as to why the ring and belt buckle were all that Joaquin could use to identifyan old friend, Angie shuddered and backpedaled toward the entrance.
As the three men bent forward like fortune-tellers reading tea leaves to scrutinize the ground where a dead body had lain rotting, the walls closed in on Angie. Lionel’s use of the word skeleton made visions of bones dance in her head like something from a macabre Halloween celebration.
The cave was dark, chilly, and had far too many nooks and crannies to suit her. She hurried outside, needing air and sunshine.
The sun was warm, almost hot. Above the cave, the hill rose steeply to a ledge. The ledge seemed to be wide and flat; and some distance beyond it, the hill rose up again.
Buzzards circled high overhead. She wondered what they’d found. You don’t want to know, she told herself.
She studied the landscape, searching for any sign of the watcher. She didn’t like it here, not one bit, and could see why people thought the area was haunted. The warmth of the sun left her untouched.
A little ways up from where she stood, a large boulder was shaped like a chair. It seemed almost warm and inviting compared to the cave. She climbed up to the rocky bench and sat. The only good thing about this area was that it had no ostriches to bother her.
She again watched the buzzards, and wished Paavo and the others would finish up.
“What are you doing up there?” Paavo called ashort while later, one hand shading his eyes from the sun’s glare.
“I’m guarding you!” she shouted, standing. “Like a sentry. If that watcher showed up, I’d have spotted him.”
“Did
“The watcher is a watcher, nothing more,” Joaquin said. “He’s no shooter—at least, not today.”
Everyone dismounted at the bottom of the rocky incline, all too conscious of the secret observer. “There are several caves in this area, but only one big one.” Joaquin pointed about six feet up where, behind a scrub brush, the rocks seemed to form a narrow crevice.
That was the cave? Angie thought. No way was she going inside that tiny slit in the rocks.
Joaquin retrieved two flashlights from his saddlebags, handed one to Paavo, and led them up the rough ground. Up close, the crevice opening was larger than it had appeared from below. Joaquin flicked on his light, then bent slightly to enter. Paavo and Doc followed.
Curiosity overcame Angie, and she did the same, her eyes round and straining as she searched for spiders or snakes in her path. Thankfully, there were none.
The walls of the cave were wide and oddly smooth; the cave larger than she’d expected. Even Paavo could stand upright, though the ceiling lowered near the rear.
It was a blessing that Angie wasn’t claustrophobic, but the knowledge that this cave had been a tomb or possibly a murder site had her hoping their stay would be a brief one. The smell of death and decay still seemed to linger there, just past the edge of perception.
“Why would Hal have come here?” Paavo asked.
“That’s the question,” Doc replied.
“Maybe to hide something,” Joaquin suggested. “But I don’t know what.”
After a moment Paavo asked, “How did you find him?”
“These caves are on Hal Edwards’s property—it goes on for miles. I was passing through and saw Lionel nearby. I was curious about why. A few days later, I came back and noticed tracks leading to the caves. I found the body.”
“Did anyone ask Lionel what he was doing out here?” Paavo asked.
“The sheriff did,” Doc said. “Lionel claimed he was being a good manager—checking the property. He said he never went inside the caves. The sheriff believed him.”
Joaquin’s light illuminated a spot near the far wall. “That’s where Hal was. I recognized his ring and belt buckle.”
At the realization as to why the ring and belt buckle were all that Joaquin could use to identifyan old friend, Angie shuddered and backpedaled toward the entrance.
As the three men bent forward like fortune-tellers reading tea leaves to scrutinize the ground where a dead body had lain rotting, the walls closed in on Angie. Lionel’s use of the word skeleton made visions of bones dance in her head like something from a macabre Halloween celebration.
The cave was dark, chilly, and had far too many nooks and crannies to suit her. She hurried outside, needing air and sunshine.
The sun was warm, almost hot. Above the cave, the hill rose steeply to a ledge. The ledge seemed to be wide and flat; and some distance beyond it, the hill rose up again.
Buzzards circled high overhead. She wondered what they’d found. You don’t want to know, she told herself.
She studied the landscape, searching for any sign of the watcher. She didn’t like it here, not one bit, and could see why people thought the area was haunted. The warmth of the sun left her untouched.
A little ways up from where she stood, a large boulder was shaped like a chair. It seemed almost warm and inviting compared to the cave. She climbed up to the rocky bench and sat. The only good thing about this area was that it had no ostriches to bother her.
She again watched the buzzards, and wished Paavo and the others would finish up.
“What are you doing up there?” Paavo called ashort while later, one hand shading his eyes from the sun’s glare.
“I’m guarding you!” she shouted, standing. “Like a sentry. If that watcher showed up, I’d have spotted him.”
“Did
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