Konocti Caves (Cobb Mt Mystery Series Book 3)

by Kit DeCanti

  “Sorry for the noise,” Marie said as she opened the door and led her guests to the parlor. “As you can see, we have a project in process.”

  “No problem,” Ron said and got right down to business. “I know we have all been discouraged by the lack of progress in our search. But I’m hoping we can hang in there a little while longer.”

  The look exchanged between Guido and Jack didn’t go unnoticed by him.

  “I know, I know. It’s costing money to keep it going,;but I’ve been hearing rumors of sightings. And it all points to the mountain… I just wish we could get a clear view of the cabin. I’m sure that that is where they are.”

  “Not the cave? I thought Jimmy was obsessed with the cave.” Guido questioned.

  “No. Not the cave,” Ron said with conviction. “Don’t buy into all the rumors. Sure Jimmy was obsessed with finding the cave- but when we did find it, he had a near accident and I don’t think he will go back into it with out me… without a grownup.” Kat reached out and squeezed Ron’s hand; and he looked at her sadly.

  “We‘ve spotted Melbourne’s goons from the air, on the mountain near the cave several times. The one that you and Jimmy found. If the kids were up there they would have found them by now.” Jack insisted.

  “That’s just the point, though. I think Melbourne is believing his own propaganda. He thinks Jimmy would show up at the cave, but I think Jimmy would take the kids to the cabin. It would be much safer, and out of the elements. There was also a spring nearby. While we were in the cave, Jimmy told me he had read about it on the internet.” He looked pleadingly at the men. “Just a week longer…” his voice trailed off and he sat there looking like a lost little boy himself.

  Ron drove off Lombari’s hill in silence. Kat was lost in her own thoughts staring out the window. Had she really watched the videos close enough? Did she miss something? She decided to re-watch every single video there must be something there that she missed. Ron couldn’t be wrong. He had, after all, solved more than one Lake County mystery; and none were as important to him as this one. Tears sprung to Kat’s eyes and without looking she reached over and found Ron’s large hand where she knew it would be- on the gear shift.

  Giving his hand a squeeze, Kat turned and looked at him, “I know you are right, Ron. I trust your instincts. And I know you will find our boy.”

  Ron needed that word of support. Although he had convinced Lombardi to hold off one more week before pulling the plug on the operation he knew that Lombardi’s confidence in him had waned. Even Jack was skeptical- thinking he was too emotionally involved.. On one of their aerial searches, Jack and Guido had seen something on Walker Ridge that they felt would turn up more leads; and they were going to focus their investigation there; although leaving the cameras aimed at Konocti for one more week.

  Ron had one nagging thought that he didn’t mention at the meeting, which he now shared with Kat. He felt sure that there was too many sighting on the mountain to dismiss- but were they Jimmy and his foster brothers or perhaps other kids who were being drawn up there by all the hoopla?

  “Either way there are kids on the mountain and they are in danger,” Kat replied and was even more determined to search the videotapes again.

  “Ron! Ron, wake up!” Kat’s urgent words woke Ron from a nightmare.

  “Wha…? What’s the matter Kat? What is it?” he said, hoping it was not going to be bad news.

  “Ron, you have to come and look at this… I’m not sure… but I think it’s something. I think it’s Jimmy.” Kat said pulling her drowsy husband out of their bedroom and down stairs to the theater room. “I didn’t notice this before. But doesn’t this look like Jimmy’s back pack? Isn’t this Jimmy’s back pack? The one he used to bring to CMAS- it’s faded and dirty… But I think it’s it. See isn’t that his initials… ‘JM’?”

  Ron was fully awake by now. “Where? Where are you looking? All Ron could see on the frozen screen was a lot of underbrush.

  “Here! Right here,” Kat insisted and pointed to the corner of the screen. Sure enough there was a backpack partially exposed from the brush. Kat rewound the tape a few frames and played it again in slow motion. The backpack briefly appeared moving beneath the undergrowth.

  “It’s him!” Ron exclaimed. “It’s Jimmy! He’s alive and he’s up there! Ron ran to the sliding door and barely got it open before running out to the deck. Waving and pointing to the huge dark mountain he cried, “He’s there! He’s up there right now!” Kat ran to his side sobbing and flung herself into Ron’s embrace. The young couple cried into each other’s ears “He’s alive. He’s alive! He‘s on the mountain… He‘s alive!”

  Theirs were not the only ears hearing their joyful cries. A microphone was hidden underneath the deck almost directly under their feet.

  While Ron was dialing Jack’s number on his cell phone, one of Melbourne’s hired goons was dialing his own cell phone.

  “Mr. Melbourne…”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Boy With The Plan

  Walker Ridge a month earlier

  As soon as the red tail lights were out of sight, Jimmy and Hero followed. Jimmy in the rocks and grass and Hero happily circling him as they made their way down the side of the dusty road. Jimmy had loaded the back pack with water and additional food. He never wanted to be hungry again.

  Finally they came to a larger more traveled gravel road. The sun had broken through the dawn and the top of Konocti was once more in site and Jimmy walked towards it. Even though he felt sure the men would not return, Jimmy pulled Hero out of site when a vehicle approached. Watching it drive by, Jimmy held Hero’s muzzle and whispered “Quiet.” And then letting go he said, “We must be close to the highway.” He was beginning to think he knew where they were. Jimmy knew all the faces of Konocti, and based on the location the sun was rising from he felt certain that they had just descended off of Walker Ridge. But he needed to make sure, so the boy and the dog followed the tail lights until they reached pavement. The boy walked towards the white marker until he was close enough to read it.

  After retreating behind a tree out of sight from the highway, Jimmy reached in his backpack, and after jotting down the marker number, he checked off the first item on a long list he had made during the night while coming up with a plan. The item was “Find out where we are”.

  Jimmy turned around and headed back the way they had just come. Now that he knew where they were he knew what he had to do. And right now he and Hero needed to hike back up to the cabin before the heat set in. But first Jimmy unloaded his backpack and stashed everything but some water, a little food, the map, compass, flashlight, pen and notebook. Even though it was full daylight, he didn’t want to chance being in the dark again.

  At nightfall Jimmy was waiting, hiding in the moon shadow with another loaded backpack when the dually crept by. As soon as the tail lights were out of sight Jimmy and Hero headed down the side of the road to a deer trail he had found that morning which cut his trek in half; and unloaded the backpack with the other food and returned up the mountain. The boy knew that the men must be aware of the cabin and he wanted to get the supplies out in case they thought of looking for him there. Besides he would need it where he was heading. Jimmy was able to make two trips a night and one in the early morning until finally most of the food and water had been relocated next to the highway.

  Jimmy loaded up the last load, leaving enough food and water for when he returned; looking around he made sure he had not left any signs that would identify him as the intruder. He made a mental promise that someday he would repay the owner of the cabin, and then pulled out the notepad and checked off the second item off the list; ‘Gather and move supplies’.

  Jimmy and Hero made their way to the end of the little road and waited for the dually. As it crept by he felt a little pang of loneliness. Even though, except for watching the pickup going by in the dark, he had not seen his brothers for about a week; he had gained some comfort knowing they were ne
ar by each night.

  “I’m leaving them now, but it won’t be for long,” he whispered sadly. Hero looked at him with knowing eyes, and leaned against his leg. Jimmy reached down and patted his head. “Good Boy. I’m so glad we found each other. Come on, time to go.”

  This time Jimmy didn’t stop to unload his backpack, but kept going with a definite destination in mind. Under the cover of darkness he walked up Highway Fifty-Three until he came to Old Highway Fifty-Three and quickly crossed over and followed it until he came to Olympic. Although it would have been faster to stay on the highway, there would also be more of a chance of being noticed. The boy and dog walked a little ways on Olympic before they starting zigzagging their way through the neighborhood to safety. Jimmy listened to the local news each day on the little transistor radio, and so far there had been no mention of him being missing- still he didn’t want to be picked up by the police. He would for certain be returned to Melbourne.

  Finally he was on the lane leading to Mrs. Capra’s house. Little Jimmy’s heart ached and he had to stop himself from running to her door. Instead he walked out to the end of her pier where a large covered motor boat hung from a lift. Below swaying in the water an old row boat was tied, where he and Ron had left it.

  Mrs. Capra could no longer row, but she had let Ron take the boy out in the dingy several times and the deputy taught Jimmy water safety and how to row. He could hear Ron’s serious voice warning him, “While the lake can be serenely mirror-like, don’t be fooled. Never let your guard down. At any moment, winds can be funneled into a ‘venturi effect’ between Mount Konocti and Kono Tayee. That often causes huge gust of wind to whip up white caps on the lake’s surface. You’ve seen those waves hitting the shores, right? Well you don’t want to be on the lake in conditions like that! So always watch for signs. Sometimes it can look like large ripples on the distant water—and if you see anything like that it’s time to head back toward your launch spot or hug the shore.”

  The boy sighed sadly, he had loved exploring the shores and circling the islands with Ron; while mapping out the lake in his head.

  Bringing him self back to the present, Jimmy emptied his backpack into the row boat and turning, he unceremoniously headed back to where he’d stashed the supplies along Highway Fifty-Three. He spent the rest of that night and the next moving the supplies to the dingy, making several trips a night. It was much easier and faster since there were no mountains to hike up, still Jimmy was confined to night and early morning to avoid the heat and of course Melbourne and his henchman.

  Although he had to be very careful not to be seen by the neighbors for fear of being recognized he couldn’t resist coming to this safe haven; Jimmy slept during the day in Mrs. Capra’s garage, which was not attached to the house. The sense of security he felt there moved him to tears on more than one occasion.

  From the garage window he had watched a woman help a very old and frail woman in a wheelchair to her car and was shocked to realize that it was Mrs. Capra.

  When the woman drove off with Mrs. Capra, Jimmy sunk to the floor of the garage with tears streaming down his cheeks. Even though saddened to see her in a wheel chair and so frail, Jimmy was happy and relieved to see her.

  “She’s alive,” he whispered to Hero. “Melbourne didn’t throw her down the cave.” He tied Hero inside the garage, and retrieved the key where he knew Mrs. Capra hid it and slipped inside the house that had been the only place that had ever felt like home.

  Little Jimmy walked quietly through the rooms and saw that the down stairs den had been made into a bedroom. Mrs. Capra had obviously been moved from the upstairs master bedroom. Jimmy went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He had never seen it so empty. No pots of stew or left over pasta. He peeked in the pantry and tears sprang to his eyes as he saw the shelves that were lined with snacks and lunch supplies which were purchased for him so long ago. Jimmy reached for a package of trail mix. “I love you, Mrs. Capra.” He said quietly. He had never said those words to her. He wished he had.

  Reluctantly the boy went upstairs. Taking a deep breath he turned the door knob and peeked into the master bedroom which he guessed was being used by the nurse who just left with Mrs. Capra. He quickly closed the door and walked down the hall to his room, and opened the door slowly.

  It was just as he had left it. Everything was the same. He went over and curled up on the bed and rocked himself back and forth wishing he could stay forever.

  But he knew he couldn’t. Jimmy knew that where ever the woman took Mrs. Capra they would return soon. And he saw for himself just how sick she still was. Any hopes of returning to Mrs. Capra’s loving care was dashed.

  Jimmy stood up and straightened the bed cover and walked to the closet. He pulled down a box that he had left behind when he had quickly packed to leave, while Ms Jones stood impatiently at the door. He remembered thinking as he left the box of his ‘valuables’, that as long as they were there, the room would be his.

  Sadly Jimmy gathered the few dollars and couple handfuls of loose coins stuffing his pockets full. Then pulling open a drawer he stood looking at a watch laying in the bottom of it. He picked it up and fingered it. The watch had been given to him by Ron.

  Jimmy frowned as he remembered removing the watch and tossing it into the drawer when Ron cancelled their outing. He contemplated throwing it back but had second thoughts thinking of the many times recently that he wished he had a watch while trying to keep track of the comings and goings of the pickup. Yes indeed- a watch would be a valuable tool to have while rescuing his brothers from the cave.

  Jimmy retrieved an old backpack from the floor of his closet and rubbed the faded initials that he had printed on it with permanent marker.

  “J.M.,” Jimmy said out loud as if he couldn’t remember what it stood for. Shaking his head, as if trying to come out of a dream the boy stuffed the backpack with clothes and a few other useful possessions; grabbing his rolled up sleeping bag Jimmy left his room, closing the door behind him.

  Back in the garage he hugged and rocked the whining Hero, telling him he was sorry for leaving him that short while; and assured him that he would never leave him for long- and that if they were ever separated, no matter what he would always return. Soon they both were asleep.

  Jimmy awoke with a start to the sound of a vehicle coming up the driveway. He peeked out the window to watch the nurse help Mrs. Capra out of the car and into the wheelchair then roll her to the front door. Once again Jimmy had to resist the urge to run to her. He was able to restrain himself from doing that; but he had no control over the tears that ran down his face.

  Nightfall came and Jimmy started moving the things he had gathered from the house to the little row boat under the shield of darkness; but returned to the garage for one more night sleeping close to Mrs. Capra. But this time it was motivated by a need to be close- to take care of her.

  At dawn’s early light, Little Jimmy untied the dingy and shoved it away from the pier. He was certain no one would notice it was missing, and given the circumstances he knew Mrs. Capra wouldn’t mind him borrowing it.

  Hero whined, and Jimmy patted his head and said, “Don’t worry, Matie, You’ll find your water legs soon enough.” He sighed again remembering how much fun Ron was; making everything a game. Even while teaching him water safety he taught him to talk like a pirate.

  Little Jimmy started rowing quietly heading out to the open water. Sitting on top of his backpack trying to appear taller; he hoped if anyone spotted him he would pass for a fisherman or at least a teen.

  The early morning air was exhilarating and a fine mist rose up off the lake making everything look dreamy.

  “Maybe this is just a dream,” thought Jimmy momentarily, “Maybe I’ll wake up in the attic with my brothers. And for an instant he wished it were so. He looked towards Walker Ridge and it seemed so far away. Jimmy stopped rowing and reached for his walkman which he had just retrieved from his room, and was happy to not have to worry about
someone hearing the radio as he put the headphones over his ears and turned the channel to the local station. That’s when he heard the news. He was missing.

  “The owner of a respected foster home, William Melbourne has reported that his eleven year old foster child, Jimmy Muldoon was discovered missing from his bed earlier this morning. Mr. Melbourne reports that the boy had been depressed over his former foster mother, Jane Capra, who had a heart attack earlier this year making it necessary for the Melbourne’s to take the boy into their foster home. An unnamed teacher reports that Jimmy had been a disciplinary problem at the Cobb Elementary School where he’s attended since early spring and another teacher there reports that he had recently tried to run away.”

  Jimmy sat stunned. It wasn’t so much the shock of hearing the news- he was expecting something like that; but more of hearing his age. His birthday had passed by and even he had forgotten. He was eleven.

  Jimmy sat up taller and changed his direction from Mt. Konocti and started rowing quickly towards the nearest island; which turned out to be a good thing.

  Jimmy glided into the tules and tied up the boat. He waded ashore calling Hero to follow him. The boy and his dog explored the island. It was pretty small and a bit too close to shore for Jimmy’s liking, “I think we would be spotted here, I think we should sleep in the boat and find another island after dark, Hero,” Jimmy said to his faithful companion.

  Resisting the temptation to listen to the radio, Jimmy told himself that he needed to save the batteries. So he passed the time by reading a geology book to Hero, that he had picked up from his room earlier.

  It felt good. It was the first book he had read since he was taken from Mrs. Capra’s home.

  Towards the evening Jimmy turned on the news again and heard the latest on his disappearance, “Foul play has been ruled out and since it’s been reported that the boy has been obsessed with Konocti, a search party is being formed to cover the mountain…” Turning off the radio and removing the earphones Jimmy whispered, “I’m happy we had not made it to Konocti yet.” He whistled lowly, “Close call! One more day, and we’d been up there,” he said to Hero.