“Been a long time, huh,” he panted, gesturing for us to move towards the mouth of the cave.
We paused underneath the limestone archway. The breeze calmed at the entrance and my nose filled with the musty air from within the cave. I cringed.
“Glad you’re here, Fiona, Maddie, Wolfe.”
We nodded, peering with anxious faces into the dark cavern. I glanced over at Maddie’s bitter face, mouth pulled down at the corners. Wolfe stood behind me, his warm breath grazing the top of my head.
“Let me bring you up to speed. The victim is Jody James—45-years-old, unemployed, lived in the Lakeside Trailer Park over by the Silver Springs Marina. I’ll give you further details on her as we get them. A transient named Emily Vance discovered her body. Ms. Vance lives in this cave on occasion as well as the city park. She told the police she spotted four teens leaving the cave and within minutes, she found the victim’s body.”
“Oh, yeah, I know who she is. She’s a crazy bag lady, pushes a grocery cart everywhere,” Wolfe said, the detective responding with a twisted grin.
“Emily Vance has no prior arrests; however, the police who patrol the cave have asked her to leave on numerous occasions. I’ve seen her with the shopping cart around town, but I can’t comment on her mental status—I’ll take your professional opinion, Wolfe.” A stifled laughter resonated from the group. “As we speak, four teenaged suspects are being detained in the county jail,” he reported, pulling out a handkerchief from his coat pocket to dab a light mist from his forehead.
Even at fifty-eight degrees, the detective always managed to work up a sweat. He wasn’t in the best physical shape and lacked the basic skills of stress management.
An imaginary light bulb flickered over my head.
“Wait a minute. Four suspects? I thought you said the vampire group had only three members?” I asked in haste.
“Yes, four. I didn’t get word about the fourth suspect until a few minutes ago. Her name is Sydney Sergeant; she’s a sophomore at the high school and was a new recruit to the vampire cult.”
“Are you kidding me? I know her!” Maddie exclaimed, her voice rose from a whisper to a normal pitch. “She’s tall, skinny, good hair—long with perfect curls, brown that fades into blonde with purple tips. She’s a vampire wannabe?”
“Maddie, I know who you’re talking about. Mr. Zuptus recommended her to be a member of our club! She’s good at science, or at least he says.”
“Wait a minute. She lives on our street. I’ve seen her getting into her mom’s car!”
“You’re right!”
Wolfe tapped me on the shoulder with a huge grin.
“Fiona, she’s in jail. If she’s a dangerous vampire, she won’t be able to get you. At least not tonight. No need to purchase a garlic necklace...yet.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as he attempted to pull off a concerned expression, but an adorable smile shined through, giving him away.
Detective Chase shook his head, giving a tiny smirk before he continued.
“The victim’s time of death was approximately 2 AM. This is what the paranormal folks at Hartford refer to as the Witching Hour—”
“Excuse me, Detective. Pardon my interruption, but please tell me the paranormal team is not involved in this case. I couldn’t stand it—”
“No, absolutely not. Hartford Paranormal Science Department (PSD) does a lot of research in this cave. They claim one of the rooms is active with activity spikes between 2 and 3 AM.”
“So that’s the Witching Hour, huh?” Maddie spoke through her teeth, arms across her chest.
“It’s what they call it, so the murderers may have followed the same line of thinking—just keep it in mind as we investigate the case. The crime lab collected soil samples from each region of the cave. There are four areas of the main floor of the cave and a tunnel leading to stairs into another large, open area.”
“Dracul’s Den?” I mumbled, knowing the answer before I asked.
“Correct. Vlad II Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler, is also known in modern fiction as Dracula. Whoever originally named the place must have been a big fan.”
“Got it—this is the vampire hangout,” Wolfe concluded, narrowing his eyes.
“Seems that way, but we can’t make any definitive conclusions until we get all the data,” the detective said as he pushed on underneath the archway and into the cave. “Let’s make our way to the crime scene.”
My shoes dragged across the wet limestone floors as I followed the detective through the shadowy main corridor. The ceiling launched random bombs of water that splashed into puddles on the ground. Millions of stalactites pointed downward from the ceiling like a medieval torture chamber.
I was plagued with regret with each step—I chose to wear an expensive pair of wedges that morning, brand new with a slick sole. I hadn’t planned to tour the abyss of a cave. My mother had bought me the shoes in a vain attempt for me to fit in with the other girls at school. I wasn’t one for fashion and usually dressed in the least eye-catching attire I could find. She worried about that, not me, but I had appeased her. Lesson learned—always keep a pair of hiking boots in my car.
The detective grabbed a few industrial flashlights that were lined up against the wall, tossing one to each of us. We clicked them on and voracious light beams struck the jagged, rocky structures. The main corridor was dark, but not pitch-black as sunrays streamed through holes in the ceiling in the largest open area further ahead. The flashlights were going to be necessary for Dracul’s Den.
“Over to your right is called the Room of Beauty. Colorful crystals make up the walls of the room. It’s worth a peek if you can get enough flashlights aimed in there,” the detective pointed out, positioning his beam inside the room.
“Whoa, that’s what I was talking about earlier!” Maddie shouted as she stepped in front of the detective to wave her flashlight around the room. “So pretty!”
I stepped inside the room, waving my light on the walls at the serrated crystals. Quite interesting, beautiful. However, the room was dark, formidable. No matter how strong the light beam was, the space surrounding it remained pitch-black—as if the room was able to consume light.
“C’mon, Madison. Let’s not get distracted by the shiny things,” he chuckled, ushering us along the corridor. “To the left is what the University refers to as the Room of Orbs. They believe they have captured multiple orbs on camera—video and print. They say they’re concentrated here, but they’ve claimed to have captured orbs all over the cave.”
Wolfe dashed in front of me, sticking his head into the room.
“So, what exactly is an orb, Detective?” he asked, waving his flashlight around the space.
I moved to stand next to Wolfe, shining my beam alongside his, pointing it at the ceiling to thousands of stalactites, all looking like butterscotch icicles. The flooring of the room was uneven with rocks, thick, pointed stalagmites and limestone sculptures. It reminded me of movies that showed the terrain of other planets.
“An orb can mean many things, but it’s defined as an unexplained, circular photographic effect caused by a supernatural presence. I call it a speck of dust.”
Wolfe grabbed his phone, snapping pictures with his camera.
“Whatever!” I muttered, my intonation dark.
I didn’t believe in ghosts. I was shocked when Hartford University had the audacity to open the Paranormal Science Department, but I found out later it had been funded by a private grant—a bizarre old rich couple wanted someone to declare their manor as haunted so they could cash in on tourists. One thing I learned from that is nobody turns down free money—not even prestigious universities. I didn’t consider anything paranormal to be science, to say the least.
“Holy crap, look at that!” Wolfe said, holding his phone for me to see the picture.
“It’s an artifact of your flash,” I snapped, shaking my head.
The picture had a circular structure—a blue, glowing d
ot in the center of the room next to a stalagmite jetting up from the floor like a gigantic Popsicle. With the camera’s flash, I could make out all of the structures clearly.
“To the left is the Bat Dorm—”
“No! I’m not going any further. I can’t stand bats!” Maddie objected. “I draw the line with bats!”
“Stop that, you’ll be fine!” I said, squeezing her shoulder with light fingers.
I locked elbows to calm her and show support. The detective chuckled as his shadowy silhouette shook his head.
“No bats, Madison, at least not anymore. Their waste, guano, was hazardous, and the state’s health department made the city clean it up and get rid of the bats. It’s just an empty room.”
“Gross, no that is seriously gross,” she scoffed.
In haste, we passed the entrance to the room, avoiding a steady stream of water from the ceiling. I flashed my light onto the wall next to the Bat Dorm spotting a deep fissure, a mini cave entrance. I had no desire to find out what that led to.
The corridor opened up into a massive open space with a small waterfall leading to a moving river exiting the cave. Multiple streams of light barreled in from random openings in the ceiling, lighting up the area in an elegant manner—like the track lighting in my living room. It was a soothing place, the aroma less musty, cleaner like fresh running water.
“This is called the Open Council Room. This is where early Native Americans held tribal council meetings. Later, outlaws took over and used this place as a hideout. A speakeasy was in this room during the prohibition era of the twenties. There used to be big bands playing here with dancing, gambling and, of course, illegal liquor. The history of this cave is interesting.”
As the detective lectured on about the times gone by in the cave, I strolled the perimeter of the room and became mesmerized by the fascinating shapes of the stalagmites rising from the ground, Wolfe trailing me as I explored the area.
“I can see how this could be a good hang out for people wanting to hide,” he said with a silken voice.
I followed the river, tracing its route. With my eyes glued to the running water, I never noticed the wide, gaping hole leading down into the darkness below.
“Fiona! Be careful!” Detective Chase screamed from across the room.
As he spoke, the slick souls of my wedge heels slid against the wet limestone. With lost footing, my body collided with the ground, and in slow motion, I slipped inside of a large gap in the ground. My body suspended in the air, gravity pulling me downward with vigor like an amusement park thrill ride as my fingers caught a thin ledge on the side wall, my flashlight tumbling towards the ground. I held on, my heart pounding, my fingers sliding across the slippery ridge. I lost my grip and my lungs seized as my body plummeted into the darkness. My flashlight hit the ground below with a heavy thud. I would be next.
I instinctively extended my trembling limbs, and my foot jammed inside of a niche in the wall, slamming my opposing shoulder against the limestone. The second I wedged myself inside of the pit, I gasped for air as two massive hands clutched my shoulders and rounded into my armpits, yanking me to safety. My head dropped as I ascended, my eyes focusing on the flashlight below. As my feet gently landed on the sludge of the ground, my rescuer spun me around, cradling me. It was Wolfe.
He wrapped his arms around my tremulous shoulders, pulling me inside of his warmth; my head fell onto his chest. I followed his rhythmic heartbeat, counting the beats; I needed a mental distraction to keep my consciousness. Gasping for air, I awkwardly tossed my arms around his torso, propping my boneless body into a standing position. My heart started to calm, but the blood pounded in my ears. If he had released me, I would have crumbled from the overdose of adrenaline in my system.
“Are you okay, Fiona?” he whispered with a honey-velvet voice, his cheek pressing against the top of my head.
I didn’t know what was more shocking of a sensation—being held in his strong arms, or the sudden, unexpected plunge into the abyss of a cave. I inhaled his captivating scent—woodsy, citrus. I had never noticed it before, but also had never stood so close.
Overwhelmed, I increased the distance between us, trembling, tears streaming down my face as I steadied myself, my bones growing back inside of my body.
“Yes, thank you so much,” I mumbled, clasping my chest. “I truly appreciate it.”
My gasps slowed and I wiped the angle of my chin with my sleeve to capture the waterworks. The others flew over from across the room, rushing to my side, inspecting me.
“Are you sure you’re alright? I can get medics if you need it. Please be honest, I know how you are about not wanting to trouble anybody,” Detective Chase said, voice breathless with exertion.
Raising my head, I caught a glance of Wolfe’s eyes which were surprisingly vulnerable. I shifted my hair to hide my face; ashamed of the emotions pulsing through me.
“I promise, I’m fine,” I groaned. “I didn’t see the hole in the ground. I’m just a bit shaken up, I’ll be absolutely fine.”
For a second, I wanted to hide in the terrifying pit. Embarrassment wasn’t something I handled well.
“I should’ve warned you. I was rambling on and didn’t notice you engaging in an expedition over here,” the detective said with an edge of hysteria. “You’re lucky a superhero was by your side. I didn’t know you had moves like that, buddy.”
I dropped my eyes to the cave floor as Wolfe chuckled.
“Ha! Neither did I.”
“I’m sure by moves, he’s referring to the romantic hug,” Maddie whispered in my ear, giggling.
“It wasn’t romantic, stop,” I countered with a flat whisper.
Thoughts of jumping back into his arms surged through my mind. If only we could be alone, I thought, for just one minute.
I couldn’t allow the detective to sense any unprofessional feelings I might have had for Wolfe, so I overcompensated, walking a few feet in front of him as we strolled towards the tunnel, diverting all my attention towards Maddie.
“Wow, I’m so stupid. I can’t believe I almost fell into a hole…and then started bawling about it.”
A deep, heavy fog of humiliation washed over me. She pushed up her sleeves and laughed.
“You’d be just like one of those kids that fall into a well and make national headlines.”
She laughed with a soft punch to my shoulder. I recoiled in pain—it had taken the brunt of my body slam against the wall of the crevice. We approached the opening of the tunnel—daunting, to say the least.
“Here’s the tunnel. Seems narrow, but we didn’t have trouble earlier. None of you are too big to crawl through.” The detective paused, surveying Wolfe. “On second thought, maybe Wolfe will find it to be a challenge. Well, if my belly makes it through, your shoulders shouldn’t be a problem, big guy.”
“I’ve actually done this before,” Wolfe said before pausing for a long moment. “But, I was half my size back then,” he mumbled, his eyes sparked into mine as my heart gave me a gentle squeeze.
“Go ahead, go first. That way, I can make a call for the crew to come pull you out if you get stuck. The lab’s finishing up down there,” the detective ordered as he pointed for him to enter the passage.
I cringed as he climbed into the tunnel. Given his negative experience as a child, I could only imagine the thoughts racing through his mind. I found myself holding my breath as he traversed deep into the darkness ahead, only the soles of his feet becoming visible. After a couple of minutes, he shouted he had made it. Maddie was next.
As I climbed into the tunnel, the smoothness of the walls amazed me. Marble. I didn’t expect a cave to have so many different textures—the slimy limestone floors, the jagged points of the ceiling, flowing rivers. The tunnel was beautiful, but a claustrophobic would likely have a panic attack midway through. I was fighting a big one. My mind brought me back to the colorful play tubes at the kid’s pizza places—which I never cared for since I was always the tall kid.
It was awkward to hold my flashlight and wiggle down the passage. I released an involuntary sigh once I neared the glow of the artificial lights from the room below. Suddenly, my muscles relaxed and I could breathe again.
The descent from the tunnel to the short-stepped limestone staircase was difficult, but I was able to manage without tumbling down the makeshift stairs. Manmade, somebody had carved them from the limestone of the cave.
We had arrived. Dracul’s Den. Well lit with generated lights and portable lanterns. It was a horror movie scene with cryptic graffiti on rocky walls, half-burned black candles in do-it-yourself sconces, scattered books about vampires and dark magic, and an assortment of strange, colorful candles and glass bowls—all paired with bright yellow evidence markers.
The ceiling stalactites were more pronounced in this space with a uniform grid of spikes, some inches from a connection with the stalagmites from the ground. In the dead center of the room, Gothic-looking brass goblets sat on top of a large slab made of a roughened limestone in the shape of an operating table. A bloodstain trailed from the flattened surface on top to the sludge of the gritty floor below. This was the spot where Jody James had taken her last breath.
“Same goes as always—do not touch anything until we’ve released the scene. We’re a ways from being done, so don’t even breathe on anything. Don’t give future defense attorneys ammo against us. Stand right over there where we’ve already cleared,” Detective Chase instructed, pointing to the corner.
I took the position next to Maddie, leaving Wolfe on the other side. My head was still swimming in the clouds from the embrace. I convinced myself he was only trying to calm me because of my ignorant mistake. I would do the same for anybody who fell in a large, gaping hole. The hug meant nothing. Stop imagining things. You are friends, nothing more.
“Over there,” the detective pointed to a rock sculpture in the shape of a high back chair, “is the Devil’s Throne. It’s made of limestone, and raging waters running through here years ago shaped it like that. Moving water can create some wicked shapes. And over there is what they call the Altar of Sacrifice,” he said, pointing to the slab.
Fiona Frost: Order of the Black Moon Page 2
