by Angel Smits
At that point, Julia hadn’t seemed to even notice him and he’d been doing his best to ignore the attraction he felt for her.
Attraction. Hell, he’d been besotted with her. Did anyone even use that word anymore? His nights in college had been populated with hot dreams and cold showers. He remembered their first kiss. After a successful tutoring session, she’d launched herself at him in a thank-you hug that had quickly turned to something else. Something sweet and hot that had kept them close for long, endless minutes. He could still taste her and his body ached to hold her, touch her again.
Looking back, he realized that in all the years they’d been together, that day was probably the only time he’d truly believed in them. Was that part of the reason his marriage was in trouble now?
Julia was the daughter of a mine owner. Rich. Affluent. Linc was the son of a man who’d died in those mines. Poor. A nobody on life’s radar. He opened his eyes and the reality of the cold mine came crashing back.
He’d known then that they weren’t meant to be together, but he’d ignored his gut and married her anyway. He shivered, and not just from the cold, damp mine tunnel.
She’d finally walked out on him.
Time had proven him right.
Thursday Afternoon, 5:30p.m.
JULIA STARED AT THE FIVE MEN in suits who stood together at the front of the gym like bricks in an impenetrable wall. She immediately didn’t like them and she liked them even less when they started to talk.
One man took a step forward. “I’m Martin Halston. I’m the CEO of the Winding Trail.” His face flushed as if admitting that wasn’t something he wanted to do. The bright red color swept up his pudgy neck and showed through his thinning salt-and-pepper hair. “I want you to know we’re doing everything we can to figure out what happened.”
Jack Sinclair stood. His face was red, too, but from anger not embarrassment. “My sons are down there,” he shouted. “Right now I don’t give a damn what happened. I want to know what you’re going to do to get them out.”
The silence stretched uncomfortably until finally another man stepped forward. What weren’t they being told? Julia watched Halston stand back and take a deep breath.
“I’m Patrick Kelly, Director of the Mining Commission.” This man seemed a bit more sure of himself. “That’s why we’re here. To fill you in.” He pulled off his suit jacket and tugged at his tie before he spoke again. “There’s been one face fall that we know about. There’s debris, but we believe the men are beyond that. We’ve started drilling the first bore hole.”
“Hell.” Jack Sinclair threw his hands up in frustration. “You don’t even know if they’re alive, do you?”
“We’re trying to find out. We hope so.” Patrick scrubbed a hand over his face, then met Jack’s eyes. “You wouldn’t want me to lie, would you?” An awkward silence settled over them all.
“No.”
Julia wasn’t so sure. She wanted to hear that they were okay and would be home soon. Lie to me. Lie to me.
For several long minutes, she listened to the men argue. She understood Jack’s pain. His two sons—his only children—were down there. She felt as if she were watching a bad dream through distorted glasses. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
She didn’t understand all the jargon they were throwing around, but she did understand that they were drilling down to try to locate the men. That wasn’t going to be anytime soon, and forever stretched out in front of her. She knew from past incidents that this whole process—regardless of the outcome—could take hours, or even days.
She swallowed her anxiety and looked around at the people who shared her fear.
The Sinclair women sat behind Jack. Rita’s arms were around her very pregnant daughter-in-law, Rachel. Shirley Wise sat to the side, her back ramrod straight as she glared at the men. For once, Julia and Shirley were on the same page.
Another woman sat on the front row of the bleachers. The blonde woman’s face was buried in her folded arms.
Julia turned back to look at the young counselor who’d come to comfort her. Why had she come to her and not this heartbroken woman? Because of who her husband was? Julia fought a flare of anger. Neither she nor Linc wanted special treatment. She was in the same boat as everyone else here. Her loved one was trapped, too.
Her thoughts stopped. Loved one? She didn’t love Linc anymore. Did she? Instead of an answer, a blank empty void threatened to suck her under. She had to escape her thoughts.
She stood and walked over to the distraught woman. Gently, Julia touched the woman’s shoulder, trying not to startle her. The woman jumped anyway and stared at her. The pain in her eyes hit Julia like a semi barreling down I-99. She nearly took a step back from it.
“I didn’t… I can’t…” The woman took Julia’s hand and squeezed it tight. Julia let her hold on, let herself hold on.
Julia settled beside the woman. Jack didn’t look pleased with what Patrick was saying, but he sat next to his wife, who laid her head on his shoulder.
Julia closed her eyes and wished for a strong shoulder to lean on… The what-ifs that popped into her mind hurt too much. She forced herself to open her eyes and focus. She couldn’t let herself feel right now.
“There’s a press conference scheduled for six o’clock,” Patrick said. Everyone turned to look at the large white-faced clock high up on the wall. Less than ten minutes from now. How had they been here for two hours already?
“Look.” Patrick stood beside Jack now, his hand on the man’s shoulder. “I don’t have the answers for you. I wish I did. We’ve got crews and equipment headed this way from three states. We’ll do everything humanly possible to get to our crew.”
Julia realized they had to trust these men and that she had to put her faith in their knowledge, skill and determination. She didn’t necessarily have to like them, but they needed this operation to succeed as much as everyone else in the room.
Jack stood and Patrick held up his hand as he spoke. “I will promise you one thing. I’ll tell you everything I know as soon as I know it. And I’ll tell you before I tell the press. Fair enough?”
Jack nodded once, then turned back to his wife. He suddenly looked defeated and years older than he had a moment ago.
Patrick’s promise sounded sincere, but Julia couldn’t help but wonder how he was going to keep it. She’d never felt more helpless and alone than she did surrounded by all these people.
The mine managers left the gym with what seemed like incredible speed. As they opened the metal doors, the flash of lights, the crush of microphones and reporters was surprising and intimidating.
Julia cringed. She couldn’t deal with reporters. Not now. Her panic faded when the doors closed again.
Only one of the men remained. Patrick Kelly.
Julia stood, not letting go of the woman’s hand. “What now?”
Patrick seemed relieved that someone else other than Jack had spoken. “We know from experience that you all need to be as close to the site as possible.”
The shadow of past mining disasters fell across the group. They all knew the history, the successes and failures. Accurate communication was key, and Julia was relieved to hear that Patrick was aware of the risks.
“We’re not going to try to run you in front of those reporters like others have done,” Patrick said. “We’ve set up a tent near the command center. We’ll get you all there as soon as the reporters are gone.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Jack sighed in exasperation. “They’re here for the duration. You know what the press is like with stuff like this.”
“I don’t know how else to get you through that crush.” Patrick looked helpless and frustrated.
The thought of sitting here on the hard bleachers for any longer was too much. Julia wasn’t sure she could do that without losing her mind.
“Isn’t there another way out?” Shirley asked, rising from her seat.
“There is a back way.” Julia blurted
out the words as her mind clicked into gear. She’d caught two kids using it just last week.
“Back way?” Everyone looked at her expectantly.
She almost smiled. It felt good to be doing something, even something so simple.
“I just want out of here,” the woman beside her whispered.
Rita spoke for the first time. “If you know how, show us.”
“Come on.” Julia helped the blonde woman to her feet and fumbled around in her pocket for her keys. The master key was something she seldom used, but she didn’t think the principal would care if she used it now.
She led the group to the weight room just beyond the far doors. “There’s a door behind that closet, left over from the renovation.” She pointed it out and Patrick and Jack moved the mats away. She slid her master key into the lock she’d had put on just last week.
“Hold on.” Patrick pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and spoke into it. “Yeah. Bring it around to the back of the school.” He cautiously pushed open the door and looked around. “And don’t let anyone see you leave.” After he hung up, he turned back to the families. “We’ve got a bus to take you up the hill.”
“What about my car?” Shirley asked.
“We’ll leave your cars here for now. It’ll distract the press for a while at least.”
The sound of a bus engine came through the opening in the door. “Let’s go.” Patrick led them outside. “If we hurry, maybe we can slip past before the press conference ends.”
The sun hung low in the sky, and clouds blocked some of the fading twilight. A cool wind plucked at Julia’s hair. She wondered where her jacket was. Had she even brought one?
Still holding the other woman’s stiff hand, Julia led her across the grass to the yellow school bus. She would have preferred the physical activity of walking to the mine, but that wasn’t an option at this point.
She felt better having remembered the door. She had to keep busy, had to take action. Doing kept her from thinking. She couldn’t give in to her emotions. Not now. She had to be strong. Nothing else was an option.
As the bus turned the final corner out of the school parking lot, nearly everyone turned to look back. The press conference must have just ended, but the few reporters who had already stepped outside weren’t quick enough to catch even the slow-moving bus. Moments later they drove through the gates of the mine and Julia breathed a sigh of relief. They’d escaped.
For now.
CHAPTER SIX
Thursday Evening, 6:30 p.m.
A HUGE WHITE TENT had been erected on a flat patch of ground behind the mine offices. It was one of those tents typically rented for happy events—weddings, bar mitzvahs or revival meetings.
As Julia climbed off the bus, she wondered if the canvas had soaked up enough good memories to counter the bad ones she was afraid lay ahead.
Stop that! She shook her head and tried to clear the gloomy thoughts. The quiet young woman at her side and the others shuffling behind her prompted her to keep moving.
Hank and Dennis, the other officer she’d met earlier, stood a few yards away at the gates to the compound, keeping the media out and the families in. She knew the mine didn’t want any more bad press than necessary, which, for now, suited her just fine. There was no way she’d make it if she had to deal with reporters shoving microphones in her face.
The blonde woman suddenly spoke. “I’m Trish Hayes. My husband, Zach, is down there.”
“Hi, Trish. I’m Julia.” She tried to smile but found her facial muscles reluctant to cooperate.
“I know. Your husband’s the inspector, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Why?” Julia couldn’t see anything good about any of this. She stumbled over a rock in the dirt path. Trish clutched her arm and kept her from falling on her face. They were definitely in this together.
“There are too many accidents. Maybe now we’ll get some action from the mine owners and the government.”
Julia sighed, doubting it. She hadn’t been able to persuade Linc to include her concerns about kids working the mines in his report. He hadn’t agreed with her. Was there any chance now that his report on this mine might make a difference?
What if he didn’t come out of this even to file a report?
Before her panic could totally overwhelm her, she and Trish walked into the tent. She stepped into the sudden dimness, waiting while her eyes adjusted.
A row of cots had been set up in the back. Metal folding chairs and several long tables made up uneven rows. One table off to the side held a large coffeepot, cups and several covered dishes.
Bless the women of Parilton. They might not be able to dig for coal, but they sure could cook. Before this was over, the table would be laden with enough casseroles to feed an army.
And the rescue crews fit that bill. They’d wolf it down in between trips into the mine. Julia looked away from the food, away from the images it conjured of long hours spent not knowing.
Instead, she focused on the coffeepot. She craved a jolt of caffeine and led Trish to the table to fill a cup. The dark brew scalded her tongue and throat going down.
Perfect.
Voices came through the tent opening. Almost as one, she and Trish turned. Patrick led a small group inside. A big, burly man among them called out, “Trish. Where’s Trish?”
Trish’s arm left Julia’s for the first time since that moment in the gym. A wave of loneliness swept over her as Trish moved away.
“Daddy,” Trish cried and sped across the tent. The man enfolded her in his arms. She let loose and sobbed into the front of his flannel shirt.
Patrick lifted his hand. “Can I have your attention?” Everyone, including Trish, looked up hopefully. “I need you all to make a list of anyone who will be joining you here.” Disappointment hung in the air as he handed out pieces of paper. “The police are going to keep everyone else out.”
Shirley spoke up from the back of the group. “My daughter’s going to be flying in from Georgia.”
“Put her name on your list and we’ll be sure to let her in. And if you talk to her, to anyone, tell them to have their ID handy.”
Shirley stepped forward. “Has anyone contacted Mamie Hastings?”
“Who’s she?” Patrick asked.
“Her son Robert’s on Gabe’s crew. He’s down there, I’m sure. I didn’t see him come into the gym.” She waited until Patrick nodded. “She lives over at Shady Pines Retirement Home in Hillsville.”
“I doubt she knows,” Patrick admitted.
“Well, someone better tell her.”
“Do you think she’s up to it?” Obviously, Patrick believed the elderly woman was too infirm.
Shirley chuckled. “You better send someone to go get her. She’s liable to start heading this way with her walker if she sees it on the news.”
“I’ll check on it.”
Julia figured Hank or Dennis would be headed over to Hillsville soon.
From her vantage point near the coffee station, Julia looked over the crowd. The families were grouped together and Patrick made the rounds. When he stopped in front of her, he hesitated.
“Are you here alone?”
She nodded, meeting his gaze, defying him to make an issue of it. He handed her a sheet of paper and a stubby pencil that had seen better days. The blank page blurred. She couldn’t begin to think what to do with it. Instead, she folded it and shoved it into her pocket with the pencil.
Patrick moved away, but not before squeezing her shoulder.
Another man’s voice startled her. “Are you Julia?” She looked up at the bear of a man who had hugged Trish.
“Y-yes.”
He stuck out his hand. “Walt Robinson. I wanted to thank you for watchin’ after my girl.”
Julia nodded and slipped her hand into his. Her fingers were engulfed, and before she realized what he had in mind, he’d pulled her into a strong hug. She ached to
turn into his embrace as Trish had, but instead she pulled back. She focused on the coffee he’d miraculously not spilled.
“Take care of her,” she told him with a voice that seemed way too small and stepped away, letting the family have their privacy.
Over the next hour, several more people arrived and the melancholy reunion hugs were nearly incessant. Julia looked around, sipping yet another cup of coffee, a cup that became her focus, something to hold on to. People, strangers and neighbors, were everywhere. They pressed in close and the noise level rose to a dull roar.
She needed to get out of here. With her cup in hand, she stepped outside the quickly crowded tent.
She gulped in the cooling mountain air and felt her muscles relax a little. The scent of rain was heavy in the breeze, and as if summoned by her thoughts, drops started to fall around her. Still she didn’t go back inside. She scooted up against the tent flap, out of the rain and away from the crowd.
Too many people made her nervous. If anyone touched her, or was too nice to her, she’d fall apart. She refused to let that happen.
Glancing at her watch, she realized three more hours had passed. How long had Linc been down there? Nearly five hours now. It seemed like five days. Five years. Forever.
Hold on. Please hold on.
Thursday Evening, Six and a Half Hours Underground
LINC STARED AT THE UNEVEN surface of the cavern’s ceiling. It wasn’t far away and even in the dim light, he made out the rough contour where the machine had ground the rock away from itself. The crew that would be searching for them had to go through that. Thinking about how much work needed to be done only added to his fatigue and worry.
He was tired. They all were. They were trying to conserve energy as best they could. Besides, what else did they have to do but wait?