Breakdown

by Kathryn J. Beherns

  “Why would she do that?” asked Maddy. “Unless she had to get rid of it fast. Maybe someone was after her. Then we would have found another set of footprints, right? What dangerous thing could be after my mom but leave no footprints?”

  “I don’t know, Maddy,” replied Owen. “Maybe this will have some answers,” he said, pointing at The Atlas of Cursed Places.

  Maddy carefully opened the old book. On the first page was a map, and scattered throughout the map were skulls. Suddenly, the pages began flipping themselves! Just as suddenly, they stopped.

  Maddy and Owen looked at the page. It was the beginning of an entry titled “The Curse of Pike’s Cave.”

  Maddy read out loud to Owen:

  Pike’s Cave has existed since evil began. Just fifty paces downriver from Minnehaha Falls, this cave was carved by the angry force of the Mississippi River. Some places on Earth have healing powers for good; Pike’s Cave is the opposite. It enslaves people and steals their lives. Why it exists is unclear. Perhaps to balance out the powers of good in the world, or create chaos where there is too much order.

  WARNING: DO NOT VISIT THIS CAVE. YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF DROWNING ON YOUR WAY THERE.

  “Is that your mom’s handwriting?” Owen pointed to a number that had been written on the corner of the atlas’s page. “Looks like a phone number.”

  Maddy took out her phone and dialed the ten digits. The phone rang three times. A woman with a raspy voice picked up.

  “Hi there, sugar! Whatcha ya got shakin’?” the woman said.

  Maddy didn’t know what to say. She was afraid that if she said too much, the woman might hang up, but if Maddy said nothing, the woman would hang up for sure. “Hi, this is Maddy Connelly.”

  “Maddy. I know your mom,” said the woman.

  “How do you know her?” asked Maddy.

  “How about we meet in person. I can explain everything then,” replied the friendly woman. “Could we meet tomorrow afternoon?”

  Maddy wanted to meet right that very second. She wasn’t sure she could stand to wait until the next afternoon. But she managed to restrain herself

  “That’d be okay. How about Grounds Coffee and Pastry?”

  “Peachy. See you there about three.”

  Maddy replied, “Okay. Um, I know this is strange to ask, but who are you?”

  “Oh, I’m Willow.”

  Maddy waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

  “See you soon, sugar,” the woman said.

  Then she hung up.

  Chapter 9

  Whiny music blared on the speakers. The roasting coffee beans smelled more like burnt toast than coffee. Maddy stood at the counter waiting for the barista to notice her. Finally Maddy fake-coughed. The woman, wearing all black, including her lipstick, walked slowly to Maddy. The barista said nothing. She just waited for Maddy to speak.

  “I would like a peppermint mocha,” said Maddy.

  The barista rolled her eyes at Maddy like she had just been asked to make a steaming cup of dog doo. Then she turned and walked away.

  A woman wearing a long skirt, flowy scarf, and gold hoop earrings walked up and stood next to Maddy. She stared at Maddy until Maddy could feel her eyes.

  Maddy turned and asked the strange woman, “What do you want?”

  “You sure are Eleanor’s daughter,” said the woman. Her smile was jolly and warm. “I’d know that snarl anywhere.”

  Then she let out a loud laugh, holding her tummy. Everyone in the coffee shop turned and glared. This was the kind of place where laughing was not in style. The barista handed Maddy the cup. The strange woman stepped in front of Maddy and paid. Then she turned to Maddy and said, “I’m Willow. You must be Maddy?”

  They weaved their way to the back of the coffee shop, where there was a booth. Willow sat across from Maddy.

  “You look just like your mother.”

  “How do you know my mom?”

  Willow shifted in her chair. “Well, I work with your mom on many of her cases.”

  “So you work for the St. Paul Police Department?”

  “Not exactly. More of a consultant.”

  Maddy looked really confused.

  “I am a psychic. Your mom comes to me for advice.”

  “On cases?” Maddy was totally shocked. Her mom actually believed in psychics and ghosts and stuff? “You actually help her solve cases?”

  “Lots of them,” Willow said. “Your mom has seen enough to know that you can’t always trust what you see. She and I get together for coffee every week. She has grown to be a dear friend.”

  Maddy started to get uncomfortable. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I was at this restaurant built in a cave. See, I met a woman. She wasn’t really there, but I could have sworn she was. I think she was a ghost.”

  Maddy waited for Willow to laugh. Instead Willow waited for Maddy to continue. She was taking every word seriously.

  When Maddy didn’t keep talking, Willow said, “Yeah, I bet that was Betty. She had really pale skin, wore a gray dress?”

  Maddy felt like hugging Willow. “Yes! That was her! We were talking, and all of a sudden the ceiling collapsed on her. Just before all of the rocks fell on her, she said ‘It was Pike.’ My mom, in my dream, said the same thing. Even Sergeant Riley mentioned the word Pike when he was talking about the case my mom is solving right now. Who is this Pike?”

  Willow got a very concerned look on her face. She said, “Well, Betty knows Pike well. She knows how he ruins lives. This is going to be very hard to believe. Please have an open mind.” She spoke very carefully. “Pike can jump into another person and make their body do whatever he wants. Kind of like driving a car. He just hops in and does all the steering.” She leaned into the table to be closer to Maddy. “Poor Betty shot up that restaurant you saw her in. That was about eighty years ago. She said it was Pike. Of course, you can’t put an evil spirit on trial for murder. She took all the blame. After all, it was her hands doing all of the killing. She killed herself before the trial started. The strange thing is, she told me that while the massacre was happening, she could still think and feel; she just had no control over her body.” Willow was all choked up. “Such a sweet soul, isn’t she? Sometimes I go and have lunch with her. You should see the waiters look when I start talking to her. They think I’m crazy.”

  “What happened to Pike?” Maddy was getting uneasy.

  “Well, shortly after the massacre and suicide, the SPPD sealed up the cave. Pike hasn’t been seen since.”

  Color drained from Maddy’s face. Her eyes dropped to the table.

  “What happened?” Willow lifted Maddy’s chin. Looking hard into Maddy’s eyes, she said, “How much trouble is she in?”

  Maddy didn’t want to cry in front of Willow. “I haven’t seen my mom in almost two days. She’s missing. I guess the police department is still able to track her squad car. They say she is moving around the city. They say she is just really into this case. But, Willow, I always hear from my mom, always! But I haven’t heard a thing since early Sunday morning.”

  “And that’s why you called me.”

  “I found your number in The Atlas of Cursed Places. My mom wrote it in there.”

  “LouAnn and Merl lent it to your mom?” asked Willow.

  “They did. But my boyfriend and I—”

  “Owen.”

  “How’d you know that? Psychic powers?”

  Willow laughed. “Your mom told me.”

  “Oh. Right. Anyway, yeah, Owen and I went to Pig’s Eye Island because LouAnn said my mom was heading there. She said that if we found the atlas, we’d find my mom. We went there and found the atlas in a tree, but no Mom. Only her footprints that seemed to vanish into thin air.”

  Willow was sensing more than Maddy was saying. She could feel Maddy’s fear. She could feel something else. Something cold and empty. Willow said, “You must have just missed her on the island. Let me see what I can do. Do you have anything of your mom�
��s?”

  “Just the atlas with her handwriting,” replied Maddy.

  “Perfect. Open it up.” Willow hovered her hand over the numbers Maddy’s mom had written. “Give me your hand.”

  Willow closed her eyes and went into a trance. At first she gently swayed from side to side. Maddy looked around, hoping no one in the coffee shop would notice. Willow’s eyes fluttered. She pushed her hand against the numbers in the atlas and squeezed Maddy’s hand. Maddy wanted to yelp in pain. Willow started to rock violently. Her grip on Maddy tightened. The pain was so bad that Maddy wanted to break free from Willow’s hand but couldn’t. The table shook. People were starting to point and whisper. Willow mumbled something that didn’t sound like English. Maddy didn’t know what to do. She was about to yell for help when Willow’s eyes popped open. They were filled with tears.

  “Pike is back.” Her voice quivered in fear as she spoke. Silent tears started to run down her cheeks.

  “Please, Willow. Where is Mom? She’s all I’ve got.”

  Willow snapped out of her stare. “I am sorry, sweetie. It is bad, really bad.”

  “What is it? Does it have something to do with this cave?” Maddy pointed to the cave in the atlas.

  “No. It has everything to do with the cave. You see, the cave is like a vacuum. It sucks the living into its darkness. I am afraid your mom is heading right for it. The case is leading her there.”

  “We have to destroy the cave!” Maddy yelled. People in the coffee shop were glaring at them.

  “Evil takes many forms. Like energy, it can never die; it simply changes form. If you destroy the cave, who knows what form it will take.”

  “Are we still talking about Pike?” Maddy asked.

  Willow bent near to Maddy. “The evil that we call Pike can only live in the cave, but if a human is able to enter the cave, Pike can take hold of that person’s body and walk out of the cave and do terrible things. Pike is after her.”

  “But I thought all evil was sealed in the cave!” Maddy said, wishing it to be true.

  “It is, but if the seal is broken, people can get in. If someone enters Pike’s Cave, he can take over their body and make them do terrible things, like murder a whole room of people.”

  “So Pike, this evil spirit, can’t leave the cave unless he has somebody else’s body?” asked Maddy.

  “Correct. The only way he can get out is if he possesses someone else’s body. Then he just walks right out and works his evil through that person’s body.”

  “Maybe the missing couple found a way into the cave,” said Maddy.

  “You are a natural-born detective like your mom.” Willow gulped loud enough for Maddy to hear.

  “She is a good detective. She will find that couple. And if they are in the cave, she will go inside that cave. Is there anyone who has ever made it out without Pike possessing them?”

  Willow could tell Maddy was planning something. “Listen to me. If you go in there, you probably will make it out, but Pike will also leave with you. He will make your body do terrible, murderous things around the city. All you will be able to do is watch. You will have no control over the blood that is shed by your hands. You do not want to be responsible for that kind of evil escaping.”

  “Willow.” Maddy had a determined look in her eyes. “Is there any chance that I could escape from the cave with my mom, and only my mom?”

  Willow shuddered and with an exasperated exhale said, “There is a chance, yes. But a very small one. For your sake and the people around you, I hope you don’t take that chance.” Willow took one last sip of coffee. Then she stood up and hugged Maddy. “I have to be going. Betty and I are meeting for dinner.

  “Betty! She’s okay?”

  “Of course she is. You can’t get deader than dead.” Willow turned and walked out.

  Maddy picked up her cell phone and texted Owen to get the canoe ready.

  Chapter 10

  Maddy hopped into Owen’s car. He had the canoe strapped to the top of it.

  Maddy’s eyes were narrow and focused. She could feel the space between her eyebrows wrinkle just like her mom’s. She didn’t say anything when she got in.

  “So do you mind telling me your plan?” asked Owen. “Last I read, we were to stay away from Pike’s Cave.”

  “Plans change, Owen,” Maddy said. “We’re just going to check out the river. See if we come across anything suspicious. I just want to scope it out. I promise I won’t do anything stupid; I just want to see what the cave looks like. From the outside, of course.”

  “We only have about two hours of daylight. We don’t want to get stuck on the river when it gets dark.”

  They drove to Minnehaha Falls. Then they hiked a little downstream. Owen found a clearing. They carefully slid the canoe into the river.

  As they paddled, Maddy noticed how quiet the evening was. Usually there were frogs, birds, even the occasional muskrat. But this evening . . . nothing. The current had even slowed down. The wind held its breath. The only sound was a distant thumping noise. It got louder as they paddled on. It didn’t sound as though it came from nature. More metallic. Like metal hitting rock.

  Maddy’s heart raced. Her palms were sweaty. She could feel a darkness getting closer and closer. It was made up of a deep loneliness and a deeper fear.

  “You want to turn back?” asked Owen. He was nervous. The current sped up. Large boulders stuck out of the water. Owen barely steered the canoe around one of them. The river narrowed. The thumping became a loud clanging.

  “Maddy! I’m turning back.”

  “No! Let’s make it around this curve. We can turn back then.” Maddy could feel something pulling her further down the river.

  As they came around the curve, there was something large bobbing in the water. It was shiny and white. Maddy pointed to the object. Owen steered the canoe toward what looked like a sunken boat. They were almost on top of it. It wasn’t a boat at all. It was a squad car. Floating in the river. It had been caught on a boulder. Maddy leaned over, almost tipping the canoe.

  “Oh, my God! It’s my mom’s squad. She is number 719.”

  Owen could hardly keep her in the canoe while he called the police from his cell. When she managed to jump into the river, she didn’t even notice the freezing water. The ice had melted off only a few weeks ago. She clung to the white metal of her mom’s squad car, trying desperately to look inside. She clumsily swam around to each window and peered in. Nothing. No one. No sign her mom was ever there. Maddy felt relief. She swam to the front of the car, resisting the strong river current. She climbed on top of the hood of the car, thinking she could lie there for a brief rest.

  When she reached the glass, she saw the words “Save Me” scratched into the windshield. The letters were written backwards because they had been written from the inside of the car. Maddy went limp. Her body slid down the hood of the floating car and into the cold river water.

  “Maddy! Maddy!” Owen pushed the paddle as fast as he could through the water. He caught up to her. The canoe was too tippy to pull her on board. He jumped out of the canoe, flipping it over, and pushed Maddy on top of the upside-down boat. He swam them to the shore.

  On shore he pulled Maddy close to him to keep her warm. She was alive but limp. Her lips were blue. She shook uncontrollably. The sun was down by this time. Owen heard footsteps getting closer. Flashlights darted around until one of the beams of light landed on Owen’s face. A police officer was holding the flashlight, and Owen could make out several other officers in the dark, also holding flashlights. Maddy was breathing, but her color was gray. Owen lifted her.

  “She needs help,” Owen shouted.

  He carried her to the safety of a dry, waiting squad car. An officer wrapped her in a wool blanket and drove her and Owen back to the station. By the time they arrived, the color had returned to Maddy’s face. She was sitting up, watching out the window. She still didn’t talk.

  The police officer looked in the rearview mirror a
nd said, “The sergeant wants to have a few words with you.”

  Chapter 11

  They waited late into the night. Finally, Sergeant Riley walked into the station. He had dark circles under his eyes. He had clearly not shaved for several days. He walked up to Maddy.

  “Do you know where my mom is?” Maddy could see in Sargeant Riley’s eyes that something was off.

  “Come in, Maddy,” Sergeant Riley said. Then he extended a hand to Owen. “Hello there. Sergeant Mark Riley. A friend and coworker of Eleanor Connelly, Maddy’s mom.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Owen said.

  “Have a seat,” said the sergeant, motioning to a couple of chairs in his office. “Would you like anything to drink? Water, coffee . . . well, I guess just water or coffee.”

  “No,” said Maddy.

  There was a long pause while Sergeant Riley sat down behind his large desk piled with papers.

  “I’m not going to be telling you anything new, Maddy. Your mom is missing. That is her car that we pulled out of the river. The good news is that there was no trace of your mom or any foul play. In fact, there are no clues at all, really.”

  “Except for the words ‘Save Me’ scratched into the glass of the windshield. I would call that a really big clue!”

  Sergeant Riley looked like he was about to cry. “Listen, Maddy. Your mom is like a little sister to me. I will not stop until I find her.”

  “What about the cave? Did you check there?” asked Maddy.

  “Cave?” asked Sergeant Riley.

  “Come on, Sergeant, you know about the cave! Just because it’s sealed off doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!”

  “Listen, Maddy. I am doing the best I can to get your mom back, but you need to calm down. You aren’t helping matters.”

  “But there is this cave where evil lives. The missing couple’s probably there. My mom’s going to find the couple, which means she is going to be heading right for the cave.”