The Cave

by Amanda McKinney

  Sadie wrinkled her nose. “That’s a disgusting story, Griff.”

  “I know, and the rumor is the family, and Atohi and his tribe haunt Crypts Cavern to this day. Everyone who goes inside risks never coming out. You know, the same cave we’re going to.”

  Kimi laughed. “So ridiculous. Give me a break.”

  Griffin turned around in his seat. “So you’re saying that you want to camp out with me beside the cave tonight, then, Kimi?”

  “I’ll camp out in the exact spot that the ruthless killer Atohi took his last damn breath.”

  Griffin’s eyebrows popped up. “Really? Care to make this interesting?”

  “Come on guys,” Sadie cringed as a branch swiped the side of her SUV. “No one’s sleeping in, or around, that cave tonight. Not because I care about your limbs, but I’ll be damned if I towed this Godforsaken camper on these trails they call roads, for nothing. Do you know how many years this little trip has shaved off my life?”

  “Eh, it’s good for you. Women drivers need all the practice they can get.”

  “Hey!” This in perfect unison, from the front and back seat.

  “Just joking,” Griffin looked back at Kimi. “Seriously, I could use a new pair of hiking boots. Let’s make it a hundred bucks. A hundred smackers say you can’t make it a full night camping outside the cave, alone. There’s an extra tent in the camper you can use.”

  “Make it five hundred.”

  Sadie cocked a brow and looked in the rearview mirror at the twinkle in Kimi’s dark eyes. She was alert, and bowed up with determination. Sadie decided that minute that she liked the girl.

  “Deal.” Griffin’s ear-to-ear grin resembled a Cheshire cat.

  “Alright guys… that’s enough gambling for the moment.” Sadie tapped the brakes. “Griffin check the GPS.”

  They paused at another fork in the road—good versus evil. To the right, a straight road cut through mountains where a few beams of sunlight escaped the cloud cover, looking magical against the fall colors. To the left, rocks, boulders, a bleak gray, with steep cliffs and darkness in the distance.

  “According to the directions, take a left here.” Griffin frowned at the road that seemed to disappear into rocks. “Although between you and me, let’s hang a right and say we got lost. Maybe have a little camping party before we get to work.”

  “As much fun as a camping party—whatever the heck that is—sounds, we’ve got work to do.” She hung a left, descending into the grayness.

  “Fine.”

  “I think we’re almost there, anyway. Let’s go over the notes before we meet the sheriff.”

  “Sheriff Crawly.”

  “What an unfortunate last name.”

  “Agreed.” Griffin yanked out a folder from Sadie’s purse on the floorboard. “Okay, so two teenagers found a handful of bones in Crypts Cavern, freaked, called the cops, and they called us to excavate.”

  “Exactly, although more than a few bones. A full skeleton as I understand it.”

  “A full skeleton? Inside the cave?” Kimi slid to the middle of the backseat and leaned forward, between Sadie and Griffin.

  “Right. Full skeleton.”

  “Are they sure it’s human? Heck of a drive for us to tell them it’s animal bones.”

  “The local medical examiner—Jessica Heathrow I believe—confirmed the bones are human.”

  “A corpse found deep in Crypts Cavern, in the middle of remote mountains, with no cell phone service.” Griffin shrugged, “Well, I’ve never been spelunking before. Should be interesting.”

  “You’ve never explored a cave?” Sadie asked.

  “Been on a few guided tours.”

  “Well, that’s something I guess.”

  “You been?” Griffin asked Kimi in the rearview mirror.

  “A few times when I was younger.”

  Sadie hit a pothole, bottoming out again before bouncing her out of her seat and sending Kimi’s water bottle tumbling to the floor.

  “Geez!”

  Dollar signs ran through Sadie’s head. “I don’t know how much further my car can take us.”

  Griffin looked at the GPS. “According to this, we’re here. The meeting place is right here.”

  Sadie hit the brakes and looked around at the dense woods encircling them. According to the email, she would “see their cars” at the meet point.

  She squinted, peering ahead. “I think the road curves up there.” Barely accelerating, Sadie inched around the corner which opened up to a small clearing with three jacked-up pickups.

  Four men hovered over a hood of one of the trucks. Heads turned as she parked underneath a pine tree.

  “Finally,” Kimi flung open her door.

  “Grab her another bottle of water, Griff. There’s no coming back from a vomiting first impression.”

  Kimi poured herself out of the SUV and sat on the grass, putting her head between her knees.

  Sadie laughed. “Go hold her hair if she hurls. I’ll go talk to the group.”

  “Thanks, boss.”

  Griffin pushed out the passenger side and kneeled next to Kimi as Sadie scanned the group of men. Tall, burly, southern—two in cowboy hats. A sheriff, two cops—she pegged instantly—and a particularly large guy hidden behind sunglasses with his attention focused on papers scattered across the hood.

  According to the email, Sheriff Crawly had implied that her team would be meeting only him. What had changed in the last twenty-four hours?

  She pushed out of the SUV, the knots in her back unfolding one by one as she straightened. She glanced up at the graying sky as a cool breeze rustled the trees above. Dead leaves tumbled to the ground. The winds were picking up.

  “Dr. Hart, I’m Sheriff Crawly.” The sheriff met her in the middle of the clearing.

  In full uniform, Sheriff Crawly looked to be closing in on fifty, and based on the settling wrinkles, tanned skin, meticulously buzzed haircut, and the kind of belly that only came from six-packs found in the refrigerator, he’d spent most of those years in law enforcement. And based on the way he was scanning her from head-to-toe, subtlety was not one of his strong suits. He extended his hand, a gleam in his eye that made her want to vomit like Kimi was probably doing at that moment. “Thanks for coming out,” his gaze never leaving her chest.

  Geez.

  She gripped his hand, then yanked it away. She’d intended to ask him about case 7370 before they went into the cave, but decided to wait until his hormones cooled a bit. Her gaze was pulled over the sheriff’s shoulder like a magnet, meeting a pair of dark sunglasses that pinned her where she stood.

  Her stomach flip-flopped, catching her off guard.

  “Sunglass Guy” was tall, she guessed north of six-two, with dark hair, a chiseled face with a hint of a five-o’clock shadow, boulders for shoulders, and pecs that were something out of a superhero movie. He wore a gray T-shirt, khaki tactical pants, and worn ATAC boots that capped off the all-male alpha vibe emanating from him. Intimidating—no question. Completely mesmerizing, why?

  “Find the place okay?”

  She tore her eyes away and shifted back to the sheriff who’d spotted Kimi with her head between her legs.

  At least she wasn’t puking.

  “Just followed your directions.”

  “Hell of a drive with a camper,” an officer wearing a BSPD T-shirt walked up and extended his hand. A tall, thick man with looks that would send most women drooling. Hell, she probably would have if it weren’t for the mystery sunglass guy that suddenly had her full attention.

  “Lieutenant Quinn Colson, BSPD.”

  “Nice to meet you. And unfortunately, not my first time towing a camper through mountains.” She glanced back at Griffin and Kimi still on the grass. “They need a second.”

  The lieutenant laughed, “Took me awhile to get used to the roads, too. They need anything?”

  “No, just fresh air and solid ground.”

  “Plenty of that ‘round here.”

/>   “Is this as far as we can go in?”

  “Afraid so.” He led her to the trucks, with Sheriff Crawly walking close behind her. A little too closely as she could practically feel him staring at her ass. The guy gave her the creeps. Crotchety? Not so much. Perverted old-man? Yep.

  Lieutenant Colson continued, “The cave’s about a ten minute hike in. You’ll have to camp here and trek back and forth as needed.”

  Her gaze flittered to sunglass guy again, who’s attention had shifted to the sheriff behind her.

  “This is officer Owen Grayson.” Lieutenant Colson motioned across the hood. “Search and rescue with the coast guard, working for us part-time until he goes back to full-time duty.”

  Military. Suddenly the superhero body and rigid demeanor made sense.

  The officer dipped his chin, lingering on her for a minute before looking back at the sheriff who said—

  “And this is Deputy Tucker, with the Carroll County patrol. Former National Guard, been with me ’bout two years now.”

  Wearing a T-shirt, jeans and hiking boots, the Deputy tipped his cowboy hat. He was a bit younger than the sheriff, with a long, lean, lanky build that reminded her of Gumby. The sheriff continued, “Technically Crypts is under my jurisdiction, but considering the proximity to Berry Springs, we’re working with BSPD on this.”

  “Nice to meet you all.”

  She met Officer Grayson’s gaze again, wanting more than anything to see the eyes behind the mask. Goosebumps spread over her skin. She turned away, feeling a flush heating her cheeks.

  Holy smokes, who the hell was this guy?

  She turned to footsteps coming up behind them. “And this is Griffin Olsen, an intern with KT Crime Labs, studying forensic anthropology, and this is Kimi Haas, a forensic pathologist with the lab.”

  “Sorry about that.” Kimi innocently shrugged. “Mountain roads.”

  “I’ve got some mints in the truck if you need it,” Sheriff Crawly nodded toward his truck, and Sadie noticed that he didn’t linger on Kimi like he did with her. Maybe she didn’t get all the chocolate coffee smell off her skin.

  “I already got her a few, and some water,” Griffin said sharply, with a hint of possessiveness.

  Sadie narrowed her eyes, leveling Griffin with a single look, then turned back to the team. “Well, now that everyone’s met, let’s get to work. Do you have the cave survey?”

  Crawly nodded toward the dented hood covered in papers and coffee mugs.

  She stepped next to Officer Grayson, who stood as still as a rock for a moment before shifting away. It was as if she could feel the energy shooting between them. She fought the urge to slide another glance at him as the team gathered around the hood.

  “So, as I said, the cave is about a ten minute hike in. And I do mean hike. Rough terrain out here. I hope you all brought appropriate attire, bug spray—”

  “This isn’t our first excavation in the woods, Sheriff.”

  Crawly cocked a brow, glanced at her chest again—to remind her that he could—then continued, “As discussed, the plan for today is to excavate the bones from the cave. Day two, search for any other bones, bodies, or missing bones from the skeleton recovered.” He looked up at the late afternoon sun. “We need to get a move on. Don’t want to lose our light. You ain’t seen pitch-black until you’ve been out here after dark” He redirected his attention to the map. “The cave covers 5.3 miles, as far as we know, with the deepest point being 230 feet underground.” He positioned a detailed map in front of her, and pointed. “As you can see the cave is home to an extensive underground water system, with the biggest part of the lake in what we call the Grand Room, which is eight stories high. The lake in this room stretches about seventy-five feet through rooms, tunnels and narrow pathways, and is bottomless.”

  “You don’t actually mean bottomless?” Kimi cocked her head.

  “Over the years, we’ve had several divers who have been unable to reach the bottom of the lake. One diver reached almost a hundred feet before giving up. It was too dangerous. Came across some freaky-ass creatures, though, he says.”

  “Sounds ominous.”

  “There’s living marine life in the cave’s waters, translucent fish, blind, and probably more species that we haven’t seen. Oh, and it’s also home to one of the largest bat colonies in the state.”

  Griffin shot Sadie a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. She winked.

  Officer Grayson pulled a few bags from the bed of the truck and tossed them on the ground.

  “Ah, yes,” Crawly nodded to the bags. “We’ve got extra headlamps, harnesses, and a few other things we might need. Take one of each and put them in your packs.”

  Sadie kneeled at the bags, as Griffin and Kimi hovered over her. “Is the cave open to the public?” She asked Crawly.

  “Meaning, do they give tours?”

  “Right.” She swatted a gnat zipping around her face.

  “No, too treacherous. We’ve posted plenty of enter-at-your-own-risk signs, but people ignore them. If anything, those damn things are like flashing signs that say, ‘I dare you to come inside.’”

  The lieutenant laughed at this, the sheriff and the deputy didn’t, the man of steel shifted his weight.

  Crawly continued, “Crypts is a popular spot with the locals, to go spelunking or whatever. Can’t count how many calls we’ve responded to out here.”

  “And bodies.” Deputy Tucker shoved a water bottle into his pack.

  “How many bodies?” Sadie noticed Lieutenant Colson and Crawly both glanced at Officer Grayson, before Crawly said, “I’ve been doing this thirty years, and have been called out to this cave more times than I care to remember, and pulled five bodies.”

  “Five?”

  “Most tourists. Idiots.”

  Officer Grayson grabbed his pack on the ground, the metal water bottle that dangled from the side slamming into the sheriff’s truck. The group went silent for a moment as all eyes shifted to Grayson.

  Sadie zipped up her pack as she stood, looking at each of the men. She was missing something. They weren’t telling her something, and that didn’t sit well with her.

  Crawly shot a warning look at Grayson, which went unnoticed. “As I was saying, there’s a lot of legends surrounding the cave, as well as rumors that it’s haunted. All the souls who lost their lives inside haunt those who attempt to explore it. And I can’t say I don’t believe it.”

  “Ghosts, bats, and blind fish. What could go wrong?” Griffin muttered as a cluster of dead leaves fell onto the hood.

  “Where was the body found?” Sadie asked, returning to the subject.

  The sheriff pulled a pen from his pocket and pointed to the map. “Here.”

  Her brows tipped up. “The middle of the cave?”

  “Exactly. A pair of fearless teenagers found the bones. It’s nothing less than shocking they made it that far inside… which is why we’re assuming the bones have never been found. No one’s been that far in. You have to drop down, ’bout ten feet, into a narrow hole to find the room where the bones were found.”

  “Sooooo,” Kimi glanced around the group. “Where are the bones now?”

  “Still there.”

  “Still in the ‘it’s nothing less than shocking they made it that far’ room of the cave?” Griffin asked.

  “Yes. We wanted to leave the bones undisturbed. No telling what a find it could be. Early settlers—”

  “Aliens,” Kimi quipped.

  “But you called in a forensic anthropologist,” Sadie eyed the Sheriff suspiciously. “So you must think there was some sort of foul play here.”

  “That’s right.” He narrowed his eyes. “The bones were arranged.”

  “Arranged?”

  “Yes. In a circle with the letter A in the middle.”

  Sadie frowned.

  “Anarchy.” Griffin’s eyebrows raised.

  “Exactly.”

  A gust of wind skirted up Sadie’s back, followed by a shiver.
“Maybe someone found the bones after the fact and decided to have a little fun. Maybe they didn’t call it in because they didn’t want to be associated with it. Definitely not hard to imagine. It could have been the kids who called it in, wanting to make things a little more interesting—”

  “Or maybe it was the ghosts.”

  Sadie grinned at Griffin, then continued, “The bones being arranged in a specific way doesn’t necessarily mean a crime was committed.”

  “This does.” Officer Grayson tossed a picture across the hood.

  Sadie picked up the black-and-white photo as Kimi and Griffin peered over her shoulder. The image, taken in the cave, showed a human skull with a fracture running two inches above the left eye socket.

  Chapter 6

  Owen watched Dr. Sadie Hart pop open the trunk of her SUV and give orders to her team as they pulled packs and bags from the back.

  He wasn’t sure what he expected when Colson had told him they’d called in a doctor to excavate the bones, but it definitely wasn’t the steely-eyed, brick-balled, smoking-hot stunner standing before him now.

  He guessed she was somewhere in her early thirties—which was his first shocker—with dark, hooded, almond-shaped eyes that were as skeptical as they were beautiful. Chestnut hair against smooth, pale skin and a face with defined, strong lines that seemed to fit her personality. And the sexiest pair of pouty, come-fuck-me lips he’d ever seen in his life. Based on the worn khaki tactical pants and scuffed leather hiking boots, Sadie was no stranger to the woods. And, based on the curves in the back of her pants and the T-shirt that stretched against generous breasts, she wasn’t unaccustomed to getting looks from men. But the way she carried herself, the squared shoulders, no-nonsense braid of brown hair that ran down her back—occasionally falling over her shoulder, remedied by an annoyed flick of her hand—and look of determination in her eyes told him that she’d fought for her title as doctor, almost as much as she’d fought for the respect that came along with that title. A bit prickly on the initial impression, and perhaps one of those women who’d cut you at the balls just to prove she could? No doubt about it.