by Cari Cole
Quick, surprising pain shot up her arm when her hand slapped the rock, but the new view that came with it pushed the pain into the background.
"Jane! You need to see this."
Lucy heard the sound of Jane's feet sliding over the rocks in her direction, but she didn't turn to look. She was too busy staring into the dark opening behind the lover's upper arm.
The opening had been masked by an optical illusion that was--like all such trickery--obvious once the secret was revealed.
Jane stepped up next to Lucy on the lover's forearm and looked into the darkness. "Holy Batcave!"
"I think we've found it."
"Who's going in first?" Jane asked.
"Me." Lucy took off her day pack and started searching for a flashlight. "I think I should do the honors." Only for Aunt Belle would she make this offer. Caves--the tourist kind she'd visited--made her more than a little uneasy. Something about the thought of all that weight above her head waiting to crush her.
"What's going on up there?" Mae hollered.
"We found the cave," Jane said. "You should come up."
Silence was the answer.
Jane leaned over and looked down.
"Okay, okay. I'm afraid. All right?" Mae said.
"Don't worry about it. We'll tell you everything," Jane said.
"I just don't like heights. I thought I could work around it but I don't think I can."
Lucy found the flashlight and turned it on to make sure it was working. The thought of losing light in the cave was scary. She looked down at Mae. "I doubt we'll get far without the map anyway." Pretending she didn't feel uneasy, she pointed the flashlight into the darkness and got her first glimpse into the cave.
Light bounced back from pale rock.
Jane looked over her shoulder. "Doesn't look very big."
Lucy swept the light back and forth as much as the narrow opening would allow without her stepping inside. The light didn't reflect back from either the right or the left. "Then again . . ."
"Okay, you're right. Are you going in?" Jane asked.
Lucy nodded. "Yep." But she didn't step into the opening.
"Well?" Jane said.
"I'm going." Lucy took a deep breath and tried to squeeze through the opening but her pack stopped her short. She eased back out of the crack and shrugged out of the pack.
"You sure you want to leave that behind?" Jane asked.
"I promise to stay in sight of the entrance."
"What are you doing now?" Mae wanted to know.
"Lucy's going in," Jane said.
"Wait!"
Lucy sighed and stepped to the edge to look down at Mae irritated at being interrupted just when she'd found her courage. "What?"
"I don't suppose one of you could come down and get the gun," Mae said.
Lucy choked. "You brought a gun?"
In response, Mae reached into her pack and pulled out a large pistol. "I didn't want to be unprepared if we ran into a kidnapper or another bear."
"Where the hell did you get a gun?"
"From my glove compartment. I keep it there in case of carjackers."
Unbelievable. Standing there in her khaki shorts, sun-visor and pom-pom socks holding a pistol she looked like a demented, suburban Annie Oakley. "Put that thing away. No one is coming down to get it. And don't shoot at anything."
Mae responded with an indignant sniff. "I know what I'm doing."
"Fine but if you shoot a bear when it's not in season you'll get arrested."
Jane looked at Lucy and shook her head. "I swear I didn't know."
Lucy leaned over to look at Mae again. "I'm going in now. Is there anything else you want to tell me first?"
"I still say you should watch out for the bear," Mae said.
"Fine, but I don't think this is the right time of year for a bear to be in the cave." At least she hoped it wasn't.
"Snakes," Mae said.
"I'll be careful."
"Bats?"
"Are you afraid of caves too?" Jane asked.
"I just think Lucy should be prepared. Are you sure you don't want the gun?"
"Believe me. The first sign of something alive and I'm out of there. Besides, I'd probably shoot my foot off," Lucy said.
Mae didn't look convinced but she nodded. "Okay but I really don't want to have to go for help."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of doing anything to make things worse. Having Belle missing is bad enough." Lucy turned back to the cave entrance. "Here goes."
Mae's talk about creepy crawly things had gotten to her and she led with the flashlight hoping to scare off anything with more legs than her--or no legs at all. It was a tight fit even without the pack. She winced a little at the sound of her shirtsleeve tearing. The sting from the scrapes set in a few seconds later.
And then, with a little pop, she was through the narrow opening and inside the cave.
Lucy stood still for a few seconds but didn't hear any scurrying, screeching or slithering. Just Jane.
"Well? What do you see?"
"Give me a minute." She sent the beam of light into every corner starting on the right.
This first chamber, immediately inside the entrance, was about the size of a large bathroom. To the right the light was reflected back by the same pale rock she'd seen from the entrance. To the left, the light dwindled away into a deep blackness.
"Well?" Jane asked again.
"There's an opening going deeper into the hill. I'm going to check it out."
"Don't go too far. Make sure you can still see the entrance."
"I will."
In the way of a small light in a very dark place, the flashlight seemed much brighter as she moved deeper into the cave away from the light near the entrance. There was only one opening. Shining her flashlight into the bowels of the hill, she realized within seconds that there was no way to keep her promise about not losing sight of the entrance and still explore the opening.
She stepped into the mouth of the opening and inspected everything she could reach with the light. "Uh oh."
"What uh oh?" Jane asked.
"There's a big hole."
"You already told me that."
"No. In the floor of the tunnel," Lucy said.
"How big?"
"A Simon Says giant step." Lucy shuddered. "We really need that map."
"Then let's go back to Belle's and figure out how we're going to get it."
The Sound of Other Voices
Mae's phone started chirped again. Just like it had every ten minutes since she'd taken it off silent mode when they got back to the van.
"Aren't you going to answer it?" Lucy asked.
Mae shook her head. "I talked to Chip twice before we left this morning. He probably wants to ask me something earth-shattering like where to find extra batteries for the remote. I'll call him back later."
"You mean to tell me you're not stressed about not being there to manage your family?" Jane said.
"Given the fact that this morning's calls were about clean socks and orange juice concentrate, I'm not exactly fearing the worst."
Lucy bit her tongue to keep from blurting out something unflattering about Chip. Clean socks and orange juice? More like guilt and shame. At least it didn't seem to be working. Mae hadn't started talking about going home.
"I have one priority and that's finding out what happened to Belle," Lucy said. "I don't know if it has anything to do with the Declaration but that's all we have to follow so I'm taking it as far as I can."
"It'd be a serious kick in the ass if she's at home waiting for us after we spent another day sweating and scratching," Jane said.
Lucy wasn't so hopeful. Belle would never have stayed away voluntarily after learning about Gary's defection.
And that was the first thought she'd had about Gary for hours. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Probably it meant that her worry about Belle was more urgent. After all, no matter what else happened Gary and the divorce wo
uld be waiting for her when it was all over.
###
Belle wasn't home waiting for them, but the message light on the phone was blinking.
Lucy dialed the voice mail and waited through the mechanical woman telling her there was one new message in Belle's mailbox.
The message voice was also mechanical and Lucy nearly discarded it thinking it was a sales call. Her finger was poised over the 3 when she realized what she was hearing.
"Belle sends her greetings. Unfortunately she's unable to speak to you right now. I will call again with instructions for her safe return home. Do not report this call to anyone."
Lucy pressed one to repeat the message, praying she'd heard wrong.
She hadn't.
Someone had kidnapped Belle.
She turned off the phone and tried to wrap her mind around the concept that someone she loved was in the hands of a criminal--or a crazy person.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? Call the police? Now that she had proof that Belle hadn't disappeared willingly, they'd have to do something.
But the caller warned her not to tell anyone and the police were obviously at the top of the "do not call" list.
Okay, scratch the call to the police at least until she had a better idea what the kidnapper wanted.
Don't be stupid, she told herself. You know exactly what they're after-the Declaration.
And she didn't have it. Therefore, the obvious next move was to make a plan to get the Declaration and wait for the next call from the kidnapper.
She dropped the phone onto the kitchen table. "Damn. Damn and double damn."
"What?" Mae said. "What's wrong?"
"Someone has Belle."
"What do you mean someone has her?" Jane said.
"The message. Someone saying they have her and will call with 'instructions' for her return."
"Oh God," Mae said. "That's bad. We have to call the police." She reached for the phone.
Lucy stopped her. "No. We have to think about this. No mistakes. Until we find out what they want, we have to sit tight. They might hurt her if we call the police."
"I'm sure what they want is the Declaration and we don't have it to give them," Jane said.
"Then we'll just have to get it," Lucy said. "Whatever it takes."
"We should let the police handle this," Mae tried again.
Lucy stood and started pacing. "No. I don't have much faith in the system at this point." She stopped, gripped the back of the chair, fear and determination in her eyes. "No. I'm going to find out as much as I can about Perry Thiel and the Declaration. And I'm going to figure out how to get that map back from the ranger. I'm not putting Belle's life in the hands of people who don't care about her," Lucy said. Tough talk from a woman who's biggest adventure to this point in her life was shooting a few dead fish and getting tattooed.
"Find out about Perry Thiel?" Jane said. "I say we track him down and kick his weaselly little ass."
"We don't know if he's the one who has her," Lucy said. "Or if he's the only one involved."
"Who else?" Jane said.
"Somebody he blabbed to," Mae suggested.
"Maybe," Jane said.
"It doesn't matter," Lucy said. "We have to be smart about this. Once we know for sure it's the Declaration they're after we do whatever it takes to find that document."
"Okay. Okay. No need to get your panties in a twist. We'll help you. Won't we Mae?" Jane said.
Mae didn't look too sure.
"I said won't we Mae?"
Mae looked from one to the other and finally nodded her head yes. "I guess the B Girls are going all the way."
"To where?" Jane said. "Jail?"
"If I have to," Lucy said. "I meant what I said. I'll do whatever I have to do to get Belle back. As of this minute, I refuse to let anyone tell me what I can and can't do. And that goes double for the voice in my own head. It's way past time for me to take control of my life and quit letting fear of change hold me back. This time I'm not going to rely on somebody else to fix things for me." Lucy paused for a deep breath. "I'd welcome your help but I don't want you two to do anything you'll regret."
"I'm in to the end," Jane said. "I'm more than ready to prove a few things to myself. Besides, you're right about not going to the police. The kidnappers could be watching the house or even just listening to a police scanner. One little slip-up by the cops and Belle could get hurt."
Mae still didn't look quite as convinced but she nodded her head. "We'll find a way to do this."
"Well then, let's get busy," Jane said.
Lucy got up and started to search for Perry Thiel's phone number. "First I'm calling Mr. Thiel."
She dialed and waited through several rings.
"Hello? Lucy?"
"How did you know?"
"Caller ID. I don't answer the phone unless I know who it is. I don't like the interruptions. Did you find something? Is Belle back?"
"No, we didn't find anything. It's Belle I'm calling about." And why assume from the caller ID that it was Lucy and not Belle?
"She's still not back?"
"No. I was hoping you might have heard from her." It took all of her self control not to cry or scream at him. Control she kept by reminding herself she didn't want Perry to know she suspected him.
"Me? You think she would call me before she called you?"
Lucy frowned. If Perry was behind Belle's kidnapping he was a better actor than she would have given him credit for. "No. I suppose not. Who else knows what you're working on?"
"Only Dr. Dawson, my faculty advisor. He thinks I'm wasting time. He's been trying to steer me toward a more traditional approach."
"No one else?"
"No. Why? What's going on?"
"Nothing for you to worry about. If we find anything we'll let you know."
Lucy hung up and shook her head. "I don't know. He says he doesn't know anything."
"Well, I think we're going to have more success finding the Declaration than finding the kidnapper," Jane said.
"Agreed," Lucy said. "We need to get that map."
"I don't suppose we're going to see Ranger Leonard tomorrow?" Jane said.
Lucy shook her head. "I have another idea."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Jane said.
Lucy shrugged. "I'm going to break into the Forest Service office and make a copy of the map."
"Oh no you're not!" Mae said from the doorway. She was returning after taking yet another call from home. "You'll get arrested for sure."
"Maybe not," Jane said. "You saw that place. It looks like it was built in the twenties. I seriously doubt there's an alarm."
Mae tried a different tack. "But we can't break in. We don't know how."
"I bet I could get the door open with a credit card. And I'm not going to steal anything. I'm just going to make a copy." Lucy pushed up out of the chair. "Besides, we aren't going to do anything. You two shouldn't be involved."
"You're not leaving me behind," Jane said.
Mae made a visible effort to look brave. "I'm coming too."
"Absolutely not. I wouldn't have to worry about going to prison if we got caught, Chip would kill me."
It was the wrong thing to say. Mae bristled like a startled porcupine. "Chip is not my keeper. We all go together or not at all."
"I say we go tonight," Jane said.
Lucy had a sinking feeling things were starting to spiral out of control. Just like the rest of her life. Getting her friends involved in this seemed like such a bad idea. But they really wanted to help and she really didn't want to undertake this rescue mission on her own. "Okay, you two can come. But I'm the only one going inside."
Jane and Mae started to protest.
"It won't take three of us to make a copy. Besides, if I get arrested I'll need someone to answer when I make my one phone call."
"Mae can wait in the car and I'll be the lookout," Jane said.
Mae looked relieved. "I think I can handle b
eing the getaway driver."
Talk of lookouts and getaway drivers gave Lucy a shiver. "Shit. We're probably going to wind up in federal prison. But I won't be able to live with myself if I don't at least try."
"Even if we get caught, we're not going to prison. Like you said, we're not stealing anything," Jane said. She grinned. "If it'll make you feel better, you can leave a dollar for the copy."
It was Belle's map. And she wasn't going to steal anything. Nothing like a little rationalization. Maybe this was how all criminals started out. "We have to wait for Belle's kidnapper to call and then we go to the forest service office."
Copy Machine
Lucy answered the phone on the first ring. "Hello?"
"Very smart of you to follow instructions and keep the police out of this."
The mechanical voice had been creepy enough in a voice mail. Having a conversation with someone who sounded like a robot was horrifying. "What do you want?"
"The Declaration of course but I'll settle for the Broadside."
"I don't have it. If you have Belle you know that."
"I know that Belle was close to having it in her hands. I think you and your two friends know where to find it."
"And if we don't?"
"That would be a very bad thing for your beloved Aunt Belle."
Lucy bit her lip to keep from screaming. "If you'll just let her go now, we'll give you all the notes and clues we have. You'll be able to find the Declaration yourself."
"Don't insult my intelligence. I'm going to be generous and give you until Thursday night. Let's say ten o'clock. That gives you two full days. I'll call with instructions."
The phone went dead before Lucy could make further pleas. Belle's life now depended on them finding something in two days that had been missing for two hundred years.
###
"Okay, if Ranger Rick's truck, or any other truck for that matter, is in the parking lot, we just turn around and leave," Jane said. "Agreed?"
"Maybe if he's there we should just ask if we can make a copy," Mae said.
Lucy shook her head. "He doesn't want us treasure hunting. He's not going to give us a copy of the map. It's not too late to change your mind."
