by JC Ryan
Even though the pups were only eleven months old by now, wolves develop rapidly in the first year of their lives. The animals Mackenzie was used to thinking of as ‘pups’ were about eighty percent of their adult size, so the female weighed perhaps sixty pounds. It was a lot of wolf on her lap.
“Akela, what is it?” she asked.
The wolf shifted so she was sitting on her haunches in Mackenzie’s lap, echoing her mother’s stance. Her paws dug into Mackenzie’s leg, but she looked straight into Mackenzie’s eyes, staring intently. Mackenzie stilled, her leg in agony, but understanding that Akela was trying to tell her something. The pup licked her face, and then lay down, her haunches slipping off Mackenzie’s lap, but her front legs and paws still there, her head laid on them.
“Akela,” Mackenzie gasped, “Are you trying to tell me Beth is all right?”
The pup raised her head and tried to lick Mackenzie’s face again but couldn’t quite reach. Mackenzie leaned over and put both arms around Akela. “Thank you! Thank you!” Tears started flowing, and Keeva grasped Akela’s muzzle, growled a bit, and leaned into Mackenzie more. Akela submissively slipped to the ground and Keeva placed her head and one massive leg in Mackenzie’s lap.
They were telling her she was part of their pack. She’d studied the face-licking and muzzle-grasping behaviors when Carter had been concerned about them early in her relationship with the wolves. But the lap-crawling was different. She was convinced that Beth had mentally reached out to Akela, or vice-versa, and that Beth was alive. She stared at the male pup, but he was chasing a grasshopper, paying no attention to what was going on between the females and Mackenzie.
She sighed. It might have been too much to ask that the male and her son have the same spiritual connection she and Beth had with the females. Mackenzie didn’t pretend to understand it, and if someone had told her a similar story, she would have been skeptical. But she had experience with the comforting presence of her wolf friend in her mind and heart under terrifying circumstances. She knew how steadying it could be. She desperately wanted to believe that her little girl was receiving the same comfort.
She knew, too, that Liam was smart, both in intellectual ability and in survival skills. He’d had them drilled into him from early in his childhood. If any two kids were prepared for being kidnapped, hers and Carters were.
After sitting with the wolves for long enough to calm her emotions, she walked back to the house to call her loved ones again. This time, she had good news.
She was still unable to reach Carter, but she left the message on his phone. Her mother wept with her, this time in relief. There was still not much more to talk about, so once again Mackenzie ended the call after only a few minutes.
Then she went to the lab to distract herself again. The veterinarian met her a few yards outside the door.
“I was just coming to see if you would come by,” he explained. “I tried to call, but your phone was busy.”
“Yes,” she answered simply, “I was talking to my mother.” She might have gone on to tell him about her extraordinary experience with the wolves, but he was agitated about something. “What is it?”
“The young rat. The one I implanted a respirocyte generator in yesterday. He’s exhibiting the same behavior.”
“Already?” she asked, disturbed by the news.
“Virtually as soon as the anesthesia wore off. You know we don’t need that for the implantation, right? The needle is so fine, we could do it without anesthesia. I only use it to keep the rat from struggling and making me miss the mark.”
“Yes, you’ve explained that before.”
“Right. Well, he’d barely begun to regain consciousness when it was time to feed them. He was waking up, so I put him in the cage with the others, and he rallied right away. He ran to the food dish and bared his fangs at the others!”
“Fangs?” Mackenzie asked, amused.
“Well, he snarled at them. He wouldn’t let anyone else near. Even Methuselah couldn’t get near it. The young one is already faster than Methuselah, and if you can believe it, more aggressive. I think we have our answer.”
“Oh, no. We’re nowhere near an answer. We must now learn why it has that effect and figure out a way to eliminate it or at least mitigate it. We can’t unleash that on the world without trying to fix it. And I can’t avoid reporting the successes to our sponsors for long.”
34
AHAB WAS ANGRY with himself. Devereux had spotted him. He’d only looked puzzled, so Ahab reckoned he hadn’t recognized him. But he’d remember, sooner or later. Ahab should not have been walking around the town. He’d taken too big a risk, and now he was very worried about it.
He had no illusions that Carter Devereux wouldn’t put his face and his name together eventually. And then he’d remember Ahab had told him he was no longer on Crete. Once he made that connection, he’d begin to ask questions, and then the game would be over.
Ahab’s temper was never far from the surface. Now he took out his anger on the townhouse he’d rented, kicking the walls and the furniture, smashing dishes, and throwing anything he could put his hands on. Later, he’d regret it. It would also serve to call attention to him when the owners found their property wrecked after he left. His years of freedom would be over, unless he gave up his dream of making a mark on archaeology.
His only hope was to turn up the pressure on Devereux. He’d intended to pick up a newspaper with tomorrow’s date on it to use in filming his ‘proof of life’ video, then make his demand tomorrow afternoon. Now he’d need to get to the cave, make the video, and get back in time to make his demand tonight.
Gradually, he calmed himself, kicked listlessly at a pillow he’d torn in two before throwing it across the room, and resigned himself to making the swim again this afternoon. The children would be in better shape than he’d wanted them to be, but maybe their fright would be enough to convince their father.
Then, as soon as he had his Minotaur or its DNA, he’d kill the father. But he’d take his time with the children.
The thought cheered him. It would all turn out all right after all. He hadn’t intended to kill Devereux, but the idea held its own appeal. Right now, Devereux was the most sensational news in the archaeology community. With him gone, Ahab’s accomplishments would reign supreme.
A FEW HOURS later, Ahab wasn’t as confident of his success as he had been. Bruised and cut from the rain of rocks the brats had pelted him with, he was out of temper and barely able to restrain himself from damaging his hostages too soon.
He hadn’t even emerged from the water when the first rock hit him in the head. The boy was standing with his feet spread apart, throwing with uncanny accuracy and hitting Ahab with every rock he threw. The little girl had smaller stones and a less accurate throw, but still managed to do some damage when one of hers caught him just under the eye and laid open his cheek.
With a roar, he’d charged the girl and tackled her. He’d come up with her trapped in one arm, the other extended toward the boy, with his finger pointed at him. “Throw one more rock and I’ll snap her neck,” he’d shouted.
The boy had stopped immediately, but he was still defiant. “Put her down!” he’d screamed.
Ahab had smiled and set her on her feet. “With pleasure,” he’d said.
Moments later, both children were trussed like Christmas geese, the newspaper propped on the boy’s lap, and the video equipment set up.
“Tell your father he must do as I say, or I’ll hurt you,” he commanded.
“Go to hell,” the boy answered.
“You said a bad word, Liam,” the girl scolded her brother. The boy just stared at Ahab.
Ahab got an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach. It was lucky the kid was so much smaller than he. “Liam, your sister is right. That isn’t a nice way to talk. What’s her name?”
Liam was silent, but the girl spoke up. “My name is Beth. What’s your name?” she piped.
Liam kicked her.
/> “Ow!” she exclaimed. “Why did you kick me?”
“Don’t talk to him,” Liam answered.
“Now listen, you little brat,” Ahab said. “You don’t seem to understand your position. I am going to hurt your sister if you don’t do as I say.”
The girl started to cry, and Ahab could see that he’d made an impression on both of them. “Tell your father he must do as I say,” he repeated. This time, the boy was silent. Ahab turned on the recording equipment.
“Now,” he stage-whispered.
Liam straightened himself as well as he could. “Dad, we’re okay, but this asshole says you have to do as he says, or he’ll hurt us.”
Ahab turned off the camera, walked over to the children, and cuffed Beth. “Let’s try that again,” he said.
He walked back to the camera and turned it on, then he nodded.
Liam’s face was the image of outrage. “Dad, this person says you have to do as he says, or he’ll hurt us. He just hit Beth. I’m sorry I made him mad.”
Ahab considered whether he would hit the girl again and make the boy say what he wanted him to without the editorializing. Then he decided it was good, after all. Devereux would understand how serious he was, and he would comply. He turned off the mic but kept the video rolling.
“Now tell him he knows what he must do, or you die along with the dolphin.”
“What do you want?” Liam asked.
“Your father knows. He must have been willing to sacrifice the dolphin. It’s his fault you’re in this position.”
Liam knew the guy was lying. Dad would never sacrifice a friend, and he knew the dolphins were his parents’ friends. He was genuinely sorry he’d called the guy an asshole. That was why he’d hit Beth, who hadn’t said anything else since he’d hit her. Liam could hear her crying, so he knew she hadn’t been seriously harmed. He also knew he wasn’t big enough to do what he wanted to do to the man if he got free.
In fact, he thought, the whole rock idea had been a bad one. Or maybe they just didn’t have big enough rocks. Now they were tied up, and if the guy left them this way, they’d have no way to get to their water and energy bars.
He hadn’t heard the dolphin whistle in hours. For all he knew, it was dead. That made him sad, but not as sad as thinking about the bad man hitting his defenseless little sister. If he were a man, he’d kill the guy for that. His dad would, too, he was sure.
The light from the video camera was gone, now. It had damaged the adjustment he’d made to the darkness, so now he couldn’t see the guy, but he didn’t think he’d left.
Suddenly, hands on his ropes startled him.
“I’m letting you go this time, Liam. But if you hit me with rocks again next time I come, I’ll kill your sister and make you watch me do it. Understand?”
Liam nodded, unable to speak. As soon as he was loose, he went toward where he’d last seen Beth. She was still tied up.
“You can set her loose when I’m gone. I’m watching, so I want you to count to one-hundred before you untie her.”
Liam began counting as fast as he could. A splash behind him told him the guy had gone into the river, but he didn’t dare touch Beth’s ropes before he’d finished counting.
As soon as she was loose, she threw her arms around him. “I’m s-s-s-scared, Liam!”
“We’ll be okay. Dad will rescue us, I promise.”
“How will he find us?”
“I don’t know, but he will. That bastard was lying. Dad’s been looking for the dolphin. I know he has.”
“Liam?”
“What?”
“Please don’t say that word again.”
Remorse flooded him. “I won’t, Bethie. I’m sorry.”
35
CARTER WAS STILL puzzling over the Labyrinth expert’s lie when he and Sean got back to Theo’s office. They hadn’t been gone quite the hour Theo had requested, but he was ready for them anyway. He introduced his student and together they traced the underground route of the river Carter was certain was the one he’d followed from the western end.
Carter put the mystery of the Labyrinth expert aside while he attended to the lecture, for that’s what it felt like. Theo stood back proudly as his student expertly explained in English the theoretical origin of the river and traced it from the spring, closer to the western end of Crete than its center, to the exit at the tunnel Carter knew well.
He pointed out several voids along the way that might have pools big enough to keep a dolphin. “We don’t really know whether there are pools or not,” he explained. “The river could have carved a channel that’s unobstructed, or maybe not. To the best of our knowledge, there is no land-based entrance to the cave system.
“You must understand that we have not mapped the entire system. As you can see for yourself, the interior of Crete is mountainous. Ground penetrating radar is not yet sophisticated enough to reach an underground river running under a mountain.”
“What if we drilled into one of the voids you mention? And then we can explore from there,” Sean suggested.
Theo and the student tried to speak at the same time, and then the student deferred to his professor. “The geology of Crete is complex, having been formed from different forces. Among them, plate tectonics. It’s unstable. Drilling has been known to cause surface collapse. It would be dangerous to the hostages, and besides, it would require months’ worth of red tape to get permission to drill.”
The student added, “And many of them are under towns and villages. Permission to drill in those areas would be denied because of the danger of collapse or sinkholes forming.”
Carter knew his disappointment and despair was evident in his body language when the student hastened to continue.
“But there is another way in.”
Carter perked up, and noticed Sean doing the same.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it will help.”
Carter disagreed. “It has to. Our suspect somehow got a dolphin in there, which means he had to have gone in from a different entrance. No man could carry a dolphin over that cave floor without mechanical help, and the tunnel is too narrow for him to have had that. That’s what gave us the idea of another entrance in the first place.” Sean’s succinct statement seemed conclusive.
“Here’s the issue, though,” the student replied. “The other entrance is here.” He tapped the edge of a bulge in the map of Crete’s shoreline. “Here, inside a small bay, another karst spring emerges. We’re certain its origin is the same spring as this one,” he continued, tapping the entrance Carter was familiar with again.
“The distance is about twelve miles, you would say, ‘as the crow flies’. A quaint expression.” He paused, evidently thinking about the expression. Then he continued. “But the river does not flow in such a straight line.” He traced a serpentine line with the pointer. “Harder rock here, here, and here deflects its progress before it eventually comes out here. And there are several voids along these curves, as well.”
“I still don’t see why it doesn’t help us,” Sean interjected.
“Because, here and here, the channel is completely full of water. And the distance is too great to swim it without SCUBA gear.”
“We have SCUBA gear,” Sean said.
“But I’m not finished. Here,” he said, “Our measurements indicate the channel’s tunnel is so narrow that you cannot pass both a person and large enough tanks to make it through the flooded portion. Believe me, many have tried. And before it gets to that part, the passage is too narrow to turn around. We have lost more than half a dozen divers who were too stubborn to listen and unable to back out of the death trap.”
“Then how could the kidnapper have taken a dolphin in through that way?” Carter asked.
“That’s what I’m saying. I don’t think anyone could have. It’s impossible.”
“Is there any chance at all your imaging is incorrect?” Sean asked.
“It’s been calibrated using underground areas we are a
ble to measure directly,” the student answered. “I’m sorry.”
Carter nodded numbly. He’d been wrong about Carmen’s location, which meant he was probably wrong about his kids’ location, too. They were at square one again, and it probably meant Carmen’s death warrant.
Sean put his hand on Carter’s shoulder. “There has to be a way.” To the student, he said, “Is there anywhere else – any other cave system – where he could be holding the dolphin and…” he gulped and squeezed Carter’s shoulder before continuing, “my friend’s children?”
“None that I can think of. The children, yes. There are caves he could reach from the surface. But if they’re with the dolphin, there’s no other way to get to water under the surface.”
Theo stood and faced Carter, putting both hands on his shoulders. “I am so sorry. Is there anything else we can do?”
Carter and Sean looked at each other, their bleak expressions signaling defeat. Then Carter’s face changed, became harder. He stood straighter and Sean mirrored him. “We have the video of the dolphin. She’s definitely in a cave. I have to believe there’s a way in. We’re missing something. Theo, will you write down the coordinates of that second entrance? I’m going to check it out for myself.”
“Please,” the student said, “do not risk your life.” He was busy making marks on the map. “If you get to here,” he said, making a large red X, “do not go further with your tanks. You will not be able to get through right here…” another X went on the map “nor will you be able to turn around.”
“I’m a damn ex-SEAL,” Sean answered him. “You’d be surprised what I can do. But thank you for the map.”
