by H. L. Wegley
‘Anything else’ had become a distinct possibility. That raised a lot of questions. For now, the questions would have to wait.
He looked towards the far side of the cavern. “There used to be a place where water dripped in here. It formed a pool.”
He walked across the cavern looking for a depression in the rocks. “There it is. I don’t have anything against Southerners, but I really don’t want to be a redneck anymore.” He sat by the pool and prepared to wash the blood from his neck and arm.
Jennifer knelt beside him and pulled his left hand from the pool of water. She took a white handkerchief from her pocket and carefully washed away the blood from his neck.
She took his right arm, bent his elbow and looked at his forearm. She shook her head. “I think your arm might be better off if we leave it alone. Who knows what might be growing in that pool of water. I won’t scrub your deep abrasion with it.” She released his arm. “Now…how does it feel to be a Yankee again?”
“That depends.”
“Depends on what, Lee?”
“On whether I’m in this cave with a Southern belle, or not.”
“It’s ‘or not.’ Just be glad this Yankee woman can drive, or you wouldn’t have gotten to this cave alive.”
“You’re right about the driving.” He stared deeper into the cave. “We should get going. It’ll take a few more minutes to reach our hideout.”
“Lee?” she whispered, taking his hand. “About this hideout. I know the cave opening is hidden, but is there another way out?”
“No. If there was, the other opening couldn’t possibly be as well hidden. They might use it to come in.”
She dropped his hand. “We have no weapons. If they come into this cave, we’re—”
“I’ve got a pocket knife.”
“Great. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We could have used it on the freeway last night.” The sarcasm in her intense, raspy whisper felt like sandpaper when only a moment ago she was so…
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have—just follow me, Jenn.”
“I guess I have to, don’t I?”
Instead of replying he motioned ahead. “See the three branches off from this cavern?”
“Yes, two look rather promising, but the third—I would guess it goes nowhere.”
“Then you’d guess wrong. And I’m counting on the people chasing us doing the same thing if they get this far.”
“See,” Jennifer whispered. “There’s a dead end right there.” She pointed to the apparent end of the small tunnel.
He walked to the end, slid to his left and disappeared into a fissure camouflaged by the irregular edge of the side wall.
A loud whisper reached his ears. “That’s not funny, Lee. Where are you?”
He stepped out from the crack in the rock and extended a hand to Jennifer.
She took it.
He pulled her through the hidden crack.
They stood in a round cavern nearly fifteen feet in diameter.
He gestured towards the dark spots at the back of the cavern. “Do you see the two small dead-end tunnels?”
“Not yet. My eyes are still adjusting…OK, I see them now. I suppose one of the tunnels doesn’t have a dead end.”
“Neither does. But we’re taking the one on the left, because it has a hidden opening a few feet inside. You can squeeze through the opening…barely. “
“Barely big enough for me? You’re not going to hide me in there by myself, Lee. That’s not going to happen. I’m going with you wherever—”
“Hold it. Hold it. And keep your voice down. These caves can really carry sound.” He paused. “I learned to squeeze through that opening a long time ago. You put your arms through first. Pretend you’re diving in. Then, when your hips feel stuck you wiggle them. You’ll pop right through. I’m pretty certain the gunmen won’t even try to get through unless they’re certain we’re inside. If one of them tries and doesn’t use the right technique they’ll need a man-size corkscrew to pop him out.”
Jennifer dove in and crawled through until her hips stopped her. “Are you sure I won’t get stuck?”
“Pretend you’re doing the hula.”
“I don’t dance, Lee.”
“Not even to save your life?”
She didn’t answer.
After a few gyrations of her lower body, Jennifer slipped through and sat on the floor of the tunnel. “Amazing.”
Lee stuck his head in. “I’ve always thought that about the hula, too.”
It was too dark to see the expression on her face, but it didn’t look like a smile.
He scanned the ceiling of the tunnel. “Most places this deep inside the rock are totally dark. But here there are a lot of cracks in the rock above us. During the daytime you can usually find enough light to get around. Let your eyes adjust for a couple of minutes before you start moving. But be careful, because you can’t see the floor of the cave very well. It’s easy to trip and take a tumble. I’ve done it.”
“I can already see a little.”
He assumed the diving position then pushed his arms and head through the hole in the rock. His shoulders had broadened over the past ten years. “I’m stuck. See if you can pull my left hand hard enough for my shoulders to twist and slide through.”
Jennifer pulled.
His shoulders didn’t budge. “Try again. Pull harder this time.”
Jennifer set her feet for maximum leverage and pulled.
His shoulders slipped through the tight spot. He wiggled his hips a couple of times. They followed. He fell onto the floor of the cave.
She stood staring down at him. “I can’t believe you did that. I barely squeezed through, and my hips are—well…”
He stood. “Unless I left a lot of evidence when you pulled me through I don’t think the goons will follow us in here. Nobody but my buddy could find us here and he lives halfway across the country.”
“So you’re sure we’re safe?”
“What do you think?”
“I think we are, but as I said, if by chance they happen to come in, we’re dead…unless you know of an alternate way out.”
“I’ve never found another way out of here. But don’t worry. They’re not going to find the way in.”
“What if they see the rocks and the caves and decide to look systematically in every cave for us? Won’t they eventually get here?”
“Considering there are six or seven limestone outcroppings on this mountain, having a total of fifteen caves I know about, and considering how hidden this cavern is, I would bet my life they can’t find us.”
“You’re right, Lee. I’m a little paranoid after last night when they kept finding us on the roads. The police surely know we’re missing after the bombing and the gunshots. I don’t think they have enough time to find us before the police or the FBI find them.”
Lee rubbed his chin for a few seconds. “Yeah. But like you said, we’re betting our lives, so we need a plan—some kind of last-ditch effort to save ourselves—something we do if we hear them in this cave. Got any ideas?”
Jennifer flashed him a glance. It turned into a stare. “I thought you would suggest praying.”
Why did she—it doesn’t matter why.
God had opened the door again
“We should be doing that now. Prayer is for all circumstances all of the time not just for dire emergencies.”
Jennifer stepped close hardly two feet away. “If you really believe that shouldn’t you pray right now?”
Her nearness disrupted his thoughts. “I…yes. That would be appropriate.”
Jennifer looked up into his face, and then down at her feet. “Lee, can I…would you …” There was a long pause.
Where did the shy woman come from?
“What, Jenn?”
“I…want to hear you pray…if you don’t mind.”
“So you don’t want another screaming, silent one?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Neither do I.”
He
took both of her hands. They knelt facing each other in the near darkness of the cavern. He tilted his head down. Their foreheads touched. He tensed, but relaxed when Jennifer left her head resting lightly against his.
With Jennifer this close how could he concentrate? But sensing this might be an important moment for her, he prayed—first silently.
Lord, please let this be a good one. “Father, we thank You for being a God who wants to hear us talk to You and One who answers when we do. I thank You so much for keeping us safe through the night. Thanks for bringing Jennifer to help me. Her work will probably save many innocent lives. And Randy—I pray You will keep him safe. We know these people shot at him and we don’t know what happened. But we commit him to Your care, Father. Please lead the police and FBI to find the gunmen and their cohorts who are plotting evil. Protect us while we hide in this cave. When it’s the right time show us the way out, so we can complete the work Jenn started—the work to thwart the terrorist plot and bring all involved to justice. Finally, Father, make Yourself known to Jenn, so she can have the relationship You have intended all along.”
As he closed the prayer, he felt wet drops splash on his hand.
Jennifer removed her hands and in the shadowy darkness appeared to be wiping her eyes. She remained kneeling for a few moments. “Thanks, Lee. I…I didn’t know it was…like that.”
Shy, nervous—uncharacteristic of the confident, young woman he observed closely for the past several hours.
“Like what?”
“Like…talking to my father. He died two years ago.”
“I’m so sorry, Jenn. About praying, well…that’s how it is for me. But there’s one—”
“No buts, Lee. I told you I don’t like buts.”
The fiery-spirited Jennifer had returned. Which was the real Jennifer? Maybe both?
9
Abdul pored over the limestone monolith crowning the mountain. He saw caves everywhere. “He thinks he is clever.”
Ratib scanned the numerous caves and shook his head. “He is clever, Abdul. They have no weapons so their only chance was to hide. We see many caves, but there may still be others we cannot see.”
“Be that as it may, we must find Brandt and the woman quickly and we cannot look in all of these caves. Maram, go back to the vehicle. Bring our flashlight, our sound gun, and the Voice Activity Detector. Make sure that you get all the cables so we can connect the VAD and the sound gun.”
“VAD,” Maram mocked Abdul, imitating his voice. “You make it sound so sophisticated. It is just an old telephone you dismantled.”
“It is a very new telephone. From it I created the VAD.”
“Whatever.” Maram made no effort to comply with his order. “Ratib knows what you want and he can run faster than me. Send him.”
“Do as I say. Ratib and I will guard the caves at the base of the rock until you return. When we couple the sound gun with the VAD you will see who is clever.” Abdul’s patience with Maram was gone and his need for her…it was waning.
Maram resented making the steep climb.
He could hear her grumbling as she set out.
“I solidified the alliance with the cartel. I went in first. Winning their confidence required haraam—forbidden things—still, they treat me like an infidel, because I am a woman.” Lately, Maram was always grumbling.
Abdul watched her walk carelessly down the steep slope. When she stumbled and fell, scraping her arms, she spewed a long stream of complaints interspersed with Spanish profanity. The influence of the drug lords. Still, she did his bidding. But for how much longer would she do so? Could he trust her any longer? He rephrased the question, making it a statement. I will trust her no longer.
When Maram was out of earshot he turned to Ratib. “I want you to keep this in mind. If we think the two might possibly escape we must shoot to kill. But if possible, I want to trap and capture them. We need to find out how much they know and who, if anyone, they talked to before they left the building.”
“Suppose we capture them and they refuse to talk?”
“If we catch them we can make them talk. We will simply start torturing the woman. Brandt will talk.”
“How do you know that? Isn’t he a Christian? Sometimes they—”
“Do you know nothing? These Christians value women more than men. If we torture the woman Brandt will tell us whatever we want to know. But I did not want to discuss this with Maram present. I think she spent too many months with the drug lords. Her thinking has been corrupted and she might not approve of our tactics. She no longer thinks like a true Muslim woman.”
“I believe you are right, Abdul. Might this be her last mission?”
“Her very last. Maram’s mission will end when we return to the SUV. After we kill Brandt and the woman we will have no further need for Maram. However, if she objects to torturing the woman as I suspect she might, we will kill her immediately.”
“I agree. We have no choice. But tell me, Abdul, how do you plan to find the two infidels using the listening devices?”
“I will take the output of the sound gun and attach it to the input of the VAD. We must work quickly though, because the sound gun only runs for about four hours on fully charged batteries and we do not know how much charge is left in them.”
Ratib frowned as he stared at the limestone spire. “I know we must hurry. But what is our strategy for finding this man, Lee Brandt, and the woman?”
“Speaking in caves is like talking through a hose. If we listen at the mouth of the cave we will hear them from the end of a hose.”
“But what if they are very quiet?”
“That is why we attach the VAD to the amplified sound from the gun. Any sound from human vocal chords can be detected separately from background noise. All VoIP phones have basic voice-detection capability. For whisper detection I borrowed a chip from one of our friends who works for an Asian cell-phone manufacturer.”
Abdul was proud of his ingenious invention. Using an off-the-shelf phone he employed his software skills to tweak the firmware, splicing in the whisper detection. The final part, amplifying the input signal using a sound gun, only required bypassing the phone’s microphone permitting the sound gun to provide the input. A telephone technician showed him how to configure the bypass,and even told him what electronic components he needed including the addition of the LED voice-indicator light to complete it.
Abdul originally designed the device for eavesdropping and use in the border-crossing tunnels. Later, he found other applications. This day’s application didn’t require hearing what Lee and the woman said. He only needed to detect their voices to locate them. He expected the VAD to perform very well in these caves. In fact, today’s use of the VAD might be his crowning—
“Abdul, are you listening?”
He must stop basking in his glories. “Yes, Ratib. Please continue.”
“So…we point the sound gun into the mouth of each cave for a while and continue until we locate their hiding place?”
“That is correct. Now, while we wait for Maram to return we will remain quiet and listen for any sounds indicating where to start searching.”
For nearly forty-five minutes Abdul waited quietly, but impatiently, for Maram’s return. His mood grew fouler by the minute. Precious time trickled away. He knew the search undoubtedly under way for Brandt and the woman would soon bring the police somewhere near this mountain. The two must be dead or removed from here before the police found their vehicles. With Brandt and the woman out of the picture, provided the two hadn’t disclosed details of his plan, their mission would still succeed.
Ratib shifted, and then broke their self-imposed silence. “Abdul, what do you suppose the woman’s role was? The news we heard on the car radio gave no details about Jennifer Akihara.”
“I know about Lee Brandt’s skills. I worked with him for several weeks. He could not have located our computer specialists and pinged their machines from his work location. He needed the woman to a
ccomplish that. The radio news report said she has a degree in computing security. So we must assume she has the necessary skills to trace even well-disguised Internet communications.”
“If so, what she did was very impressive. Could she be of any value to us or our associates?”
“Ratib, she is an infidel and she knows too much. Her only value to us lies in her death. Even if she has great skills we could never trust her. She could deceive us too easily. And, as I already said, she is an infidel. She must die.”
A clattering sound announced Maram’s return. She collapsed at Abdul’s feet breathing hard, but she held the sound equipment and the flashlight. “Here…are your…play toys, Abdul.” She spoke between heavy breaths and made no attempt to disguise her disdain.
Abdul glared at her. “Then let us play,” he quipped, but his icy stare conveyed no humor. “When I use the equipment both of you must remain absolutely silent. If I detect any human voice activity I want it to be theirs. Do you understand?”
Ratib nodded.
Maram stared at Abdul for several seconds, and then nodded.
With a sigh, Abdul subdued his anger at Maram before it could turn to rage. “We will move from cave to cave spending no more than five minutes at any opening. You must help me keep track of where we have been. Also we must look for other caves.”
Abdul started by monitoring the largest cave at the base of the limestone spire. An hour later they listened at the mouth of the last visible cave. But they found no traces of human voices.
“Abdul, is the device working properly?” Ratib asked.
“Yes, I know it is working.”
Ratib stared at the cobbled voice-detection equipment with his hands on his hips. “Can it detect them even when hidden deep inside these massive rocks?”
“I have no doubt that it can. They must know of a cave we have not yet found. Maram, hold the sound gun while Ratib and I explore the sides of the rock.”
Ratib headed for the southwest corner of the large spire.
Maram walked with him for a few yards towards the northeast corner of the huge rock.
He glanced at her as she sat down on a flat slab of limestone. She set her weapon down and slumped forward dropping the sound equipment into her lap.
