Death In The Caucasus: An International Suspense Thriller

by J. A. Kalis

  The intensive search drained him of energy.

  He paused to brush sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He remembered how hungry and thirsty he was. His stomach churned, and his throat and mouth felt dry. He definitely needed something before he resumed his quest.

  Hastily, he squeezed his slender body through the narrow gap in the jagged limestone and emerged into the forest. The bright sunlight filtering down through the trees blinded him for a moment. He blinked several times while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the daylight. As soon as they did, he checked his watch and was surprised to discover it was already five past eleven. Briskly, he pushed his way through the underbrush.

  Twenty minutes later, he spotted Corinne’s car. It stood where she had parked it earlier, at the end of a small clearing. As he neared it, he slowed his pace, reluctant to break the bad news. What he was going to say would make Corinne angry, and he didn’t like when she was angry. He saw her sitting on the passenger side with the door wide open. He rounded the rear and approached her.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, as his figure suddenly appeared in front of her, a hint of alarm in her voice. The expression on his face must have told her something was wrong.

  ‘She’s gone.’

  ‘Gone? What do you mean, gone?’

  ‘I mean what I say: gone, escaped. She isn’t where I left her. She managed to break the ties and escape. I found a severed rope.’

  ‘She couldn’t have gone far. Have you searched the place?’

  ‘Yeah, but can’t find her anywhere.’

  ‘You must find her.’

  ‘I know, and trust me I tried. I’ll go back there to look for her but first I need to have something to eat. I’m starving.’

  ‘I’ll go with you. It will take you too long to find her on your own. You can have those two sandwiches and the mineral water. I’ve had some. Here, take it.’ She handed him a paper bag and a plastic bottle half-filled with water.

  ‘We must catch her. You realize what happens if she contacts the police? She knows who kidnapped her and how her sister died. And, more importantly, she knows where to find me. We’ll have to flee again as soon as possible. You should have killed her straight away. Why do you always have to be so stubborn and insist on doing things your way, even if it’s perfectly clear that it’s the wrong thing to do?’ There was an accusing tone in her voice and a reproachful look in her eyes.

  ‘Relax, we won’t have to flee, at least not right away. Don’t worry, we’ll get her. I’ve got a gut feeling she is still here, lost somewhere inside the cave. She’s probably sitting in some dark corner trembling from fear, feeling like a trapped animal. Give me a few more minutes to eat this. When I’m ready, we’ll go back to the cave to look for her. And this time, I swear, I won’t stop scouring the place until I find her.’

  ‘You’d better. And we should kill her father and her boyfriend. It’s too risky to keep them alive. What if they manage to escape as well?’

  ‘You’re right. It’s pointless. We’ll check on them first thing. If by then they are not dead, drowned in the lake, I’ll kill them too.’

  CHAPTER 18

  ‘Hold on, just hold on a bit longer. Stay calm. I’m coming your way, I’m going to free you.’ Carol dared to raise her voice as soon as she felt confident that Lucien and Corinne were far enough away not to hear her.

  Wet clothes stuck uncomfortably to her skin, sending shivers through her body. Rubbing her arms, she attempted to warm herself, but quickly gave up, unable to control the tremors or stop her teeth from chattering. There was no time to lose. She had to act. Act fast. Her father and Mike were in danger. They needed her. Nothing else mattered now. Mike appeared to be badly wounded. She had to get to them before the freezing water drained all the heat from their bodies, making them go limp and glide into the depth of the lake.

  To reach the edge of the lake as soon as possible, she crawled out of her hiding hole. Afraid of losing her balance, she moved with great care. Then, unsure which direction to take, she stopped. Before she continued, she attempted to visualize her position and the cave as she had seen it when Lucien illuminated it with his torch. The images flashed in her mind but the total darkness confused her and she was unable to work out where to place them. Having to rely on other senses than sight for answers, she tried to think of something else to help her piece together her surroundings.

  ‘Dad, Mike! Are you okay? Can you hear me?’

  Patrick’s reply came after a tense moment of silence. ‘Yes, I can hear you. Be careful, Carol, please, don’t do anything rash that would put you in danger. Just take all the time you need. We can hang on for a while longer.’ His voice quavered with emotion.

  ‘Keep talking. I need your voice to guide me.’

  The thought of going back to the water and crossing the lake made her cringe. Yet, she had to do it. There was no other way to reach them. She had to swim across the lake to the other side. Gathering all her courage, she crept towards where she presumed was the lake’s edge.

  Her progress was slow. Each time, before she moved forward, she ran her hands – arms outstretched – over the eroded surface of the floor.

  She hadn’t gone far when the stones under her fingers smoothed out. Warily, she pushed herself forward, entering the flat patch of limestone. The moment she found herself on the slick surface, she lost her grip and started to slide down the incline. Desperate to stop herself from plummeting into the water, she reached out for something to grab on to but encountered nothing. For a split-second, her arms flailed in the air. Then, she plunged into the lake. An icy cold enveloped her. Despite being prepared, the sudden contact with the cold water sent shockwaves through her body. Not letting panic take over, she pushed her way up, kicking wildly. Her head broke the surface and a garbled grunt escaped her lips. Her mouth opened wide and she spat out the cold liquid, sucking in as much air as she could.

  ‘Carol, are you all right?’ she heard her dad call out, his voice tinged with panic.

  ‘Yes, don’t worry, I’m fine,’ she called back as soon as her breathing settled down and she’d managed to steady herself. ‘Keep talking, I’ll follow your voice.’

  She began to swim, her body cutting effortlessly through the water as each rhythmic stroke propelled it forward.

  Contrary to Mike, who stayed silent throughout her manoeuvres, her father, as promised, kept speaking. His voice reverberated eerily across the vast extent of the cave, mixing with the only other, well audible sounds: the steady dripping and the soft lapping of water against the rocky shore.

  The echo confused her. She wondered if she was going in the right direction or just swimming in circles again. She strained to listen but found it difficult to determine where her father’s voice was coming from. Yet, she had to make a choice, guess their position and head there.

  Precious seconds ticked by and still she wavered, unable to decide.

  ‘Where are you? I’m not sure which way to go. The echo confuses me.’

  ‘Here, we are here, concentrate and listen.’ Patrick lowered his voice, trying to reduce the echo.

  It helped. Guessing her father and Mike were somewhere to her left, she headed that way. She hardly seemed to make any progress, despite all the effort she put into each kick and push. The cold water was draining her energy, weakening her. Each movement was a struggle as her arms and legs seemed unwilling to obey her. She realized she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. She gathered the last of her failing strength and kicked both feet even harder, propelling her body forward.

  Focused on locating and getting to them, she didn’t have time to figure out how she was going to free them. She had nothing but her own hands to help her achieve her goal. Her hands and her determination. Was it enough?

  A few more strokes and suddenly her father’s voice sounded much closer. She was nearing him. The thought had just popped into her mind when her right hand touched something soft. A body, a shivering body.

/>   ‘Is it you, Dad?’

  ‘It’s me.’ Mike’s voice was very weak, hardly audible.

  She ran her hand up the cold, shaking figure, feeling the thick cords around its waist, testing them, tugging and pulling, trying to find a way to work them free. She couldn’t even wedge a fingernail between the coils. It seemed that Lucien had cinched the knots as tight as possible and later, as they swelled with water, they’d tightened even more.

  How was she going to undo the ties? With just her bare hands? Impossible.

  She needed at least a light or something sharp to cut them. But she had nothing. All her efforts were useless. Her heart sank at the realization. Panic started to take hold of her.

  ‘What should I do? How can I ever untie these knots?’ she muttered almost to herself, growing increasingly nervous.

  ‘Listen, Carol, you must climb out of the water onto the shore. Our overnight bags are lying there. I saw Lucien throw them on the ground, near the edge. There’s nothing in them to cut the ropes, but I’ve got a torch in my bag. If we’re lucky, it may still be working. The light will help you find something sharp. There must be a sharp stone lying around somewhere.’

  Her father’s strong, self-assured voice worked its magic. She felt herself calm down.

  ‘We don’t have much time though – Mike’s wounded and I don’t know how long he can hold on. But don’t think about that right now. And don’t worry about them coming back. Fear will only cloud your mind. Focus on what you’re doing and everything will be fine.’

  She went around the two men, swimming further along the shore while her hands touched every centimetre of the slippery rocks, anxious to discover a spot where she would be able to climb out of the water. Nothing.

  Exhaustion was tightening its grip on her. Her legs and arms felt heavy and hardly obeyed her will, her breath quickened and became more shallow. Clearly, she was running out of energy. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to move her sore limbs. She could almost hear the time ticking away in her head. With each minute that passed by, her tension grew. Was it even possible to get out of the lake on this side? Her fingers kept running over the surface of the steep rocky wall. Too high. Nothing to hold on to. She began to despair of ever finding a suitable place when finally, she felt the shore flatten out under her fingers and her hands found a grip on the stones. After a short struggle, she pulled her body up and out of the lake. Drained, she crumpled to the cold, wet cave floor and lay there for a while, panting.

  It didn’t take her long to locate the bags. They lay just a few steps away. She picked up the first one and started to fumble with its zipper. Her fingers – numb from cold – were shaking so badly it took several attempts before she finally managed to open it. To her disappointment, it wasn’t the one with the torch.

  By the time she’d opened the second bag, after repeating her struggle with the zipper, her impatience had grown. Hastily, she rummaged through its contents. Within seconds, her right hand had closed around an object that felt like what she was looking for. Her heart gave a leap and a smile of satisfaction crept upon her lips. Then, an instant later, fear overshadowed her initial joy. Fear of being discovered. Fear that Lucien might come back.

  Was it safe to use the torch? She froze and listened. No footsteps. Nothing. No sound suggesting any dangerous presence or that anyone was coming that way.

  She looked around. Darkness. Not a speck of light anywhere.

  She pressed a button and a beam of white light shot out. It blinded her. She winced, then blinked several times, unable to see a thing. It took a few minutes before her eyes adjusted to the light. As soon as they did, impatient, she swept the beam across the cave, taking in her surroundings. To her father’s right she saw a couple of rock ledges that descended like stairs into the lake, making it possible for her to reach him.

  The moment she shone the light at the two men, trapped in the water, she noticed how bad Mike looked, as if he would lose consciousness any minute. His skin was pale, his eyelids drooped. Her previous resentment towards him for refusing to accompany her to France evaporated, giving way to deep concern.

  Her father didn’t look much better, although he, as usual, tried to put on a brave face.

  Seeing them like that, so vulnerable, she found it difficult to control her emotions. Tears started welling up in her eyes. It was because of her that all these horrible things had happened to them. Choosing to come to France to look for her, they had put themselves in danger.

  Quickly, she wiped away the tears already sliding down her cheek. She couldn’t afford to dwell on her emotions. She had to act fast, figure out a way to free them. Shining the torch across the floor and the adjacent walls, she searched for a sharp stone she could use to cut the ropes. But there was none.

  To her left, she spotted a tunnel opening. She entered it, continuing her search.

  About ten metres further down, she found what she was looking for, a stone with a jagged, sharp edge. It seemed perfect for her purpose. The only problem was, it was still partially attached to the rock wall. She had to scratch at the limestone as hard as she could to pry it loose. By the time she finally succeeded in doing so, her fingers were bleeding. Oddly enough, she didn’t even feel any pain. Not wasting another minute, holding the precious stone tight in her hand, she retraced her steps back to the chamber with the subterranean lake.

  ‘I have what we need, a sharp stone. Where should I start to cut?’ She was unable to keep a hint of a triumph from her voice.

  ‘Free Mike first. I can wait, but I’m afraid he can’t hold on much longer. Mike?’

  ‘I don’t know, my body feels so numb,’ Mike answered after a moment of silence, slurring each word.

  ‘Sever the rope that’s wrapped around his waist and his right arm first, but be careful not to touch the one that attaches him to the stone pillar. Not yet. If you do, he might fall into the water and drown before you can catch him. He seems to be so weak. The rope helps to hold him in place.’

  Carol left the torch on the shore and stepped onto the ledge running along the rock wall to her father’s right, careful not to glide and lose her balance. With the sharp stone in her hand, she immersed her body in the water and swam towards Mike. Once at his side, she fumbled at the coils of rope around his waist, trying to find the best spot to make a cut.

  ‘It’s not working. The ropes are so tight and soggy I can’t separate them. I can’t get a grip. There’s nowhere for me to stand on this side, nothing to hold on to. I won’t manage to cut them this way.’

  ‘Climb out of the water and cut the one that ties me to the pillar,’ Patrick said. ‘With me out of the way, you’ll be able to push him up to the shore more easily. But hurry up because Mike looks real bad.’

  She did as her father suggested and through the narrow stretch of shore approached the rock formation to which both men were attached. Clenching her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering, she started sawing at the ties with the sharp-edged stone. After many minutes of painstaking effort, the strands of cord separated.

  ‘Go cut Mike’s bonds now. I’ll try to drag myself up the steps.’

  Carol started to work on the other rope, the one attaching Mike to the pillar. Soon, it also split in two, both its ends falling to the floor with a clack.

  ‘It worked. Hold on, Mike, I’m coming to get you and push you up. You’ll be free in no time.’

  The words had hardly left her mouth when she heard a loud splash, a heavy object striking the water’s surface, sending waves rippling out across it. The sound reverberated spookily around the cavern.

  ‘What on earth …’

  Before she had time to finish the question, her father’s scream reached her ears. ‘Mike! Carol, it’s Mike. Quick. Don’t let him drown!’

  Without a moment’s hesitation, she darted towards the edge of the lake and sprang head-first into its murky depth. Oblivious to the cold seeping into her flesh, her arms outstretched, she searched around.

  Nothing.
>
  Kicking wildly with her feet, she moved further, descending lower and lower. Time was ticking away. The movements of her hands were growing more and more frantic. Her lungs felt as if they were going to explode any moment. She realized she would have to push her body up to the surface soon. But she didn’t want to give up on Mike. Not yet. She had to search further. Just then, her right hand touched something soft. Mike? She gripped his body tightly and using the last of her strength she hauled him up. Her head emerged from the dark ripples, followed closely by Mike’s. Bracing herself against the rocky shore she pulled her boyfriend towards it. He was unresponsive, a dead-weight.

  Her father was saying something but his voice sounded muffled, as if coming from far away.

  Suddenly, Mike stirred and a few gurgles escaped his lips. He coughed. Relief washed over her. Although barely, he was alive. She’d managed to save him. But her struggle was not over yet. Now she had to get him onto the shore. Her fingers felt so numb that she wondered if she had enough strength left to accomplish the task.

  She was about to give his body another pull, when Mike moved again. This time more violently than before, making her lose her grip. She felt him glide away from between her fingers and sink into the depths of the lake. Stunned, she stared at the ripples marking the spot where he disappeared.

  Her father’s panicked voice was buzzing in her ears like a bumble bee.

  She jumped after Mike, diving head-first. Again, her hands groped around for a body that wasn’t there, her movements more and more frantic with each passing second. Nothing. Mike was nowhere to be found.

  She started to feel lightheaded. The pressure on her lungs grew, until the burning sensation became almost unbearable.

  Air. She needed air. Now. Unless she wanted to end up dead at the bottom of the lake, she had to push herself up this very instant.

  Her body cut through the water like a sharp-bladed knife, and her head popped above the surface. She gasped, spitting violently, greedily sucking in big gulps of air.