The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set

by James M. Corkill

  Okana hurried down the inside stairs and looked down the lower stairs to the cabins. “Hey Lisa. They’re here.” She was suddenly running up the stairs while Okana waited for her, and together they went out to the stern.

  He left her on deck with Rita and Bett, and hurried across the gangway to help with the luggage. He nodded hello to Mike and a short, grey-haired man as they moved past him, onto the ship.

  Alex opened the rear hatch of the SUV, nodding at Okana when he stopped. “Grab that crate for me, would you?” He stepped back and smirked at the sudden strain on Okana’s face.

  Okana used both arms to curl it up to his chest. “What is this thing?”

  “I have no idea.” He saw the skepticism in Okana’s eyes. “Honest. The Doc wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Whatever.” He turned and carried it over to the ship.

  Alex grabbed Henry’s suitcase, waited while David grabbed his, and then shut the hatch.

  He led the way across the gangway and across the deck to Lisa. “David, this is the scientist I told you about, Lisa Harding. Lisa, this is my good friend, David Conway.”

  David felt a small lump in his throat. “Ah, nice to meet you, Lisa.”

  Lisa stared at David. He was not even close to what she had imagined. A shy grin crept across her face as she reached out to shake his hand. “I’m Lisa. Lisa Harding.”

  David smiled warmly and shook her hand. “Yes, you are.”

  Lisa turned to look up at Alex. “I’ll show David where we’re sleeping. I mean, to his cabin.”

  “Great. See you when we’re underway.”

  Okana walked back from setting the crate just inside the walkway, and noticed Lisa and David smiling at each other as they strolled across the deck. He stopped next to Alex. “A little while ago, she was packing her bags to go home. Is she going to stay onboard now?”

  “I think so. I thought she and David might hit it off.” He went over to the platform, being held in place by the arm of the hoist. “I see my dock arrived in one piece. I guess we’re ready to leave. Who’s got the first watch?”

  “Bett said she’d take it so you and I could get some sleep on the way back. I could use it, too.”

  “Good. I’ll tell Bett we’re ready while you get us untied. I’ll meet you in the lounge when we’re underway.”

  Alex carried Henry’s suitcase into the lounge and set it near the short wall by the stairs. Mike, Henry, and Rita were sitting at the table, and he walked over and joined them. “Where are Bett and Josh?”

  Rita pointed up to the bridge. “She wanted to be ready, and Josh is still sleeping.”

  “That’s where I’m headed next.” A small lurch told them the Mystic was underway, just as Okana came in to join them.

  Okana sat down next to Rita and looked around the table. “What’s our next move?”

  Alex stretched his arms out and yawned. “Sleep. I can’t think straight right now. Wake me just before we reach the island, and I’ll tell you my ideas, so we can brainstorm a plan.” He stood and walked across the room, then waited for Lisa and David to come up the stairs before he could make his way down. “See you both in the morning.”

  Okana yawned and stood to leave. “My turn. See you guys.”

  Rita noticed Doctor Heinz’s tired eyes. “Come with me, Doctor, and I’ll take you to your cabin.”

  Henry stood and smiled. “Splendid idea, my dear. Call me Henry. After you.”

  Rita grabbed his suitcase on the way out.

  David realized he was tired. “I’m going to bed, too. See you in the morning.”

  Mike stood. “Me too.”

  Lisa watched them walk away, and crossed her arms. She didn’t feel the least bit tired. She shook her head and walked up to the bridge to keep Bett company on the ride back to the island.

  * * *

  Chapter 45

  THE CABIN:

  Jamie rolled over and Wesley’s familiar aroma escaped from the pillow. She smiled as she opened her eyes, but her smile slipped away in disappointment when she discovered he was not lying beside her. She sat up and rolled onto the edge of the bed, seeing eight AM on the clock on the nightstand. Time to go, she thought.

  After a quick stop at the bathroom, she grabbed Wesley’s cellphone off the coffee table on her way to the kitchen, and then grabbed her coat off the chair on her way out of the cabin. She climbed into the Hummer, and a moment later, drove away.

  Larry’s SUV was at the station when she drove into the parking lot. She hurried inside and saw him studying the wall map. “Anything from Wesley?”

  “Sorry, no.”

  Tears once again began to form in her eyes at the thought that Wesley might be dead, but she fought hard to hold them back. There was still a chance he was alive, and she would not give up hope until she saw his body.

  She knew he would want her to continue what they had started, and try to save the valley. “We should go check that logjam. It was getting close to collapsing yesterday.”

  “I’ll have Frank mind the station while we’re gone, in case Wesley shows up. We’ll take my truck.” He looked into the office, and received a nod from Frank. “Let’s get started.”

  They walked out of the building and climbed into the dark green SUV, then drove out of the parking lot.

  “Wesley and I found the logjam in the same canyon where he was washed downstream, so he could still be in the area.”

  “I doubt it. If he was capable of walking, he would probably continue downstream.”

  Larry followed Jamie’s directions and parked his truck at the bottom of the ridge. A few minutes’ hike brought them to the crest. When they gazed down at the logjam, the water was another three-hundred-foot further up the canyon.

  “It’s getting worse, Larry.”

  “Your description didn’t do it justice. I can see why you and Wesley are so worried.”

  “Wesley said the old dam for the reservoir will fail when this much water breaks loose. He said we should open the dam and drain the reservoir before that happens.”

  “That will flood the river all the way down to Mount Vernon.”

  “He thought it would do less damage than a complete failure. He said the lahar wouldn’t follow the river. It will take the original route down the mountain and destroy everything in the valley, starting with the high school.”

  “He’s probably right. Okay. I’ll call Frank and let him know what we are about to do, so he can warn the authorities downstream.”

  Larry grabbed the portable radio from the clip on his belt, and explained to Frank what needed to be done as he and Jamie walked back down to the truck and drove back down the mountain.

  When they arrived at the concrete dam, it was not what they expected. They climbed out and stared at the torrent of churning water gushing from the overflowing spillway beside the dam.

  “This is bad, Jamie. It means the river will be rising already. I’d better check in with Frank.”

  He grabbed the portable radio. “Come in, Frank.”

  “I’m here, Larry. What’s going on?”

  “The river is already rising up here, so it will be reaching the lower areas in a short time. Let them know down river.”

  “I take it you got the dam open.”

  “Not yet. When we do, it’s going to make an even bigger mess downstream.”

  “I’ll call them right now. Over and out.”

  Larry walked over to a ten-foot by twenty-foot grey concrete building and unlocked the rust coated iron door. “I don’t think anyone’s been in here for twenty years. I hope it still works.”

  Jamie followed him into the building and smiled as Larry brushed the thick layers of spider webs from his head, arms, and chest. She took a few steps into the building, and understood what Larry meant about not working.

  Sunlight, dulled by thick layers of grime on the two windows, illuminated a six-foot, cast iron spoke wheel. Remnants of gloss black paint clung to flakes of rust on the floor and a thick rusted c
hain was draped around a sprocket on the end of a four-inch iron shaft. The other end of the shaft went through the center of the spokes of the massive wheel. The wheel was supported by a heavy cast iron base with small areas of red paint still clinging to the surface.

  “When was this thing built, Larry?”

  “That plaque outside said 1906. They did a lot of logging in this area back then, and needed the water for a trough to float the logs down to the rail cars. I’ve seen pictures of men riding the logs like a roller coaster.”

  Suddenly, Jamie remembered Wesley’s warning about the Cave Ranch. “Crap. I left Wesley’s cellphone in his Hummer. Ask Frank to look up the phone number for the Cave ranch. Wesley said it would flood if we opened the dam, so I need to warn them.”

  She held her phone in one hand and entered the number Frank read her over the radio, but no one answered, not even an answering machine. “No one’s home.”

  “You mean no one is answering. I know Robert, and this early in the morning he’s working with his horses.”

  “My sister goes to high school with his grandson. I’ll call her.”

  When she pressed the speed dial, she was told to leave a message. “It’s me, Jessica. When you get this message, find Derek Cave and tell him the ranch is going to flood soon, and it’s going to be very bad. He needs to get his grandfather out of there right away. Give me a call when you can.”

  Larry could tell Jamie was hesitant to open the dam. “We can’t wait just for him, Jamie. Too many others’ lives are at stake.”

  “I know. I just wish there was another way to reach him. Okay, so what do we do? Just turn the wheel?”

  “That’s right.” He grabbed one side of the heavy wheel and pulled, but it did not move.

  Jamie studied the rusted letters around the face of the wheel. “I can see two arrows, and you’re pulling the correct way for it to open. I’ll push from this side.”

  When that did not work, they tried rocking it, but the wheel would not budge. They continued to push and pull in both directions, but it did not make any difference and they finally gave up.

  Jamie stepped back and stared at the chain. “Do you have any grease in your truck?”

  Larry shook his head. “We’d need a gallon of the stuff. We must be doing something wrong.”

  “Or it’s just busted. Do you know how this thing works?”

  “No, not really.” He heard a click from his portable radio.

  “Larry? This is Frank. Come in.”

  He grabbed it out of the clip. “Yeah, Frank.”

  “I told the Tempest River Valley Sheriff’s Department what’s going to happen, and they’ll let everyone know.”

  “Thanks, Frank.” Larry looked at the iron wheel, and then at Jamie. “We might as well go back to the station. Maybe Wesley will show up. I’m sure he knows how to open this thing.”

  * * *

  Chapter 46

  MYSTIC:

  Lisa walked out of the kitchen and set a large platter of hotcakes on the serving counter, a grin brightening her face when David came in to the dining room and sat down across from Alex. He was even more handsome in the daylight.

  Joshua scooped scrambled eggs onto his plate, and smiled at Lisa’s dreamy expression. “I’ve seen that look before.”

  Lisa looked up at Joshua and felt her face flush with embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?”

  “It was that way with Bett and me, only I was the one with the crush.” He grabbed a piece of toast and some bacon. “Speaking of which, I’d better go relieve her on the bridge.”

  Joshua was grinning as he walked onto the bridge, and looked at Bett sitting on the chair. “Breakfast is ready. Go get it while it’s hot.”

  Bett stepped down from the chair. “We should reach the island in about twenty minutes.”

  Joshua set his plate on the control console. “All right. See you in a while.”

  He checked the controls, looked out through all the windows, and began eating. A flash of blue light on the horizon caught his attention, and he grabbed the binoculars and aimed them north. “Oh, shit!” He grabbed the microphone for the intercom. “Alex? You’d better get up here.”

  A moment later, Alex ran up the stairs. “What’s going on?”

  Joshua gave him the binoculars. “Look north.”

  Alex brought the binoculars up and looked north, then set them on the console. “We’re running out of time. How much longer to the island?”

  “Fifteen minutes.”

  Suddenly the entire crew was crowding onto the bridge to find out what was happening. Alex explained. “The ice wall is only twenty-miles north of the island now. That means the device activated again. If we don’t turn it off soon, the ice will reach the island and the Mystic will have to leave the area or become trapped in the ice.”

  Rita pointed through the window. “I see the island straight ahead.”

  All eyes looked at the small brown spot on the horizon, taking turns with the binocular to see the island and the wall of ice. When they were within five-miles of the island, the electronics shut down, and when they were within one mile, the whirlwind was visible, swirling up from the crater.

  Five minutes later, Joshua slowed the Mystic down, easing her around the island until she was floating thirty-feet from the small beach on the south side.

  Alex looked at the anxious expressions on the bridge. “Okana, David, and I will tow the platform to the beach for a more permanent dock, and then Okana will come back for the Doctor.”

  “I’m going, too,” Lisa demanded.

  “That’s fine, once we gain access into the ship. For now, I’d like you to stay on Mystic, in case you have to leave in a hurry.” When Lisa gave a nod, he looked at Okana. “Let’s get started.”

  Alex went down the stairs to get his coat, and Okana, Mike, and David walked out of the bridge and down the steps to the deck. Okana climbed up to the motorboat, disconnected the tie down clamps, and was ready to go.

  Mike opened the storage locker and grabbed the control pad. David attached the straps to the end of the hoist arm, and a few moments later, the motorboat swung over the stern and down into the water.

  Alex slipped his ragged white coat on as he strolled across the deck and stopped next to David. “We’re going to attach that tow cable to the boat. When Mike shoves the dock over the edge, we’ll pull the dock away from the stern. Once we get it close to that beach, you and Okana jump off the bow with the end of the cable, and I’ll back away so you can drag the dock onto the beach.”

  “Got it. Don’t you have another coat? That one looks even worse in the daylight.”

  “This is the only one I have, and it still works. Let’s do it.”

  One end of the cable was attached to the dock, Alex grabbed the other end and dragged it over to the boat. He handed the end to Okana, who attached it to a stainless steel eye bolt fastened to the transom, and then he and David jumped in. Alex got into the driver seat and started the outboard motor. With a nod from Okana, Alex eased the boat forward until the cable was taut.

  Mike used the extension arm of the hoist like a finger, carefully shoving the dock across the deck until it dropped over the edge, into the water. Alex stopped pulling the cable to give Okana and David a chance to drag the dock close to the stern of the motorboat and shorten the tow cable. Once they were clear, he slowly dragged it over to the shore.

  The tide was even lower on this visit. Alex kept the bow steady against the exposed three-foot flat face of the volcanic rock below the beach. Okana waited until David jumped down, tossed him the end of the cable, and forced the boat away from shore when he leapt onto the beach.

  Alex watched them lift one end of the dock and drag it across the beach until five-feet hung over the edge in the water. When they lowered the dock onto the beach, the other end rose up out of the water, hanging four-feet out from the edge of the beach.

  David ran across the platform as Alex eased the side of the boat against the dock.
“That was an amazing idea, Alex.” He knelt down and held the boat against the dock while Alex traded places with Okana, and then pushed the boat away.

  Okana drove across the water, eased the motorboat to the stern of the Mystic, and held it in place while Henry climbed in. He looked up and smiled at the strain on Mike’s face as he carried the mystery crate across the deck and set it close to the edge.

  Okana looked over at Henry. “Could you hold me tight against the ship, Doctor Heinz?”

  “Yes, of course. And please call me Henry. Or just Doc, as Alex and David do.”

  Henry did as asked, and Okana dragged the crate over the edge and set it on the floor of the motorboat. “What the hell is in there?”

  Henry grinned. “You will see in a few minutes.”

  “Okay, let’s get started.”

  Okana pushed away from the mystic and hurried forward to the driver seat. A few moments later, he eased the side against the dock. David secured the boat with the rope, and Alex helped Henry out onto the dock.

  Okana picked up the crate and looked up at David. “Give me a hand with this thing.”

  David reached down for the crate, and almost fell forward when Okana let go. “What’s in this thing?”

  “I don’t know. The Doc wouldn’t tell me.”

  Alex put his arm around Henry’s shoulder. “You’re going to like this, Doc. Follow me.” Alex climbed the steps and helped Henry over the top.

  Henry’s eyes lit up and his mouth opened slightly. “Can you believe this, Alex? That spaceship was once deep inside the planet!”

  “I know. Lewis’s relatives sure knew how to build them rugged.”

  Henry looked up at Alex. “I would never have dreamed a manmade object could survive the temperature of molten rock, Alex.” He looked back at the spaceship. “It appears to be in one piece from here.”

  “Hey, up there.” Okana hollered up from the beach. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Alex looked over the side, and could tell they were anxious to get started. He knelt down and waited as Okana handed the crate up to David, who raised it up for him to grab, and he slid it over the edge and set it on the ground. He stood and stepped around Henry. “This way, Doc.”