by H. P. Bayne
“Which morning?”
“That morning,” Evan said, his tone leaving no doubt he was referring to the day Carter was killed. “I didn’t give you or the cops or Lars the full story about Carter’s plans when he went to the cave. He wasn’t just going spelunking. He was going to meet Tessa, have it out with her. He asked for me to come along, stand six for him because he was worried she might bring someone along to protect her. But I said no. He sounded like he was going to war. That’s why he wanted to meet her at the caves. It was like home turf to him.”
“Why didn’t you go if you were concerned about his intentions?”
“Because I didn’t want any part in it. He was going off the deep end, and I didn’t want to get sucked down with him.”
“You could have called the police.”
“And say what? I didn’t know what he was doing. I made a point not to know. Anyway, I wasn’t going to rat out my best friend.”
The teenage code of silence had played a hand in more tragedies than Dez could count. In his experience while with the police, that code had allowed suicides by classmates, continued offending by a serial date rapist and even a planned school shooting that was only uncovered when a teacher observed a student putting a gun in his locker. This time, the code had paved the way for a homicide.
Were Evan still a teen, there might be a lecture to be made here. But the way the blood had crept back into his face suggested he’d already come to regret his actions—or lack of action—that day.
“Why didn’t you say anything after he died? You lied to investigators about what Carter was doing there.”
“What would’ve been the point?”
“The point?” Dez said. “Carter was your best friend. You just finished telling me he was like a brother to you. If you suspected something other than an accident, you had an obligation to him to make that known.”
“I didn’t know it was anything other than an accident, all right?” Evan said. “Not then, anyway. Not for sure. All I knew was that my friend was dead, and he might have ended up that way because I hadn’t gone with him. Don’t you get it? I couldn’t tell anyone because it would have made me an even bigger failure than I already was.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on. It’s one thing to not go meet him because he was supposedly going spelunking. It’s another to abandon him when he was going to meet with someone who might’ve had it in for him—someone you’re telling me now might have killed him. What kind of friend does that make me? What kind of person?”
Dez sighed. There it was, the truth behind all of Evan’s secrecy. “I know what it’s like to feel like you let down someone you love. And I know what it’s like to lose them because of it. But I’ll tell you something. I’ve had people pounding me over the head with my own guilt, not because they blame me, but because they think I’m an idiot for blaming myself. No one’s going to hate you because you didn’t go with him that day. Not only were you a seventeen-year-old kid, you were actually doing the smart thing. You were doing exactly what Carter should have done: staying the hell away from whatever was going on.”
“Honestly, I don’t even care anymore what everyone else thinks,” Evan said. “What I care about is what Roanna thinks. And I’m not sure even that matters anymore.”
Dez looked toward the house, saw a flutter of drapes in the large picture window as they closed. She was watching and, given the volume of the conversation, it was likely she’d been able to listen to at least some of it as well.
“Help us fix this, Evan,” Dez said. “If Oliver can get Carter to cross, there’s no reason to think he’ll want to interfere with you and Roanna. I’ve got the number for Sergeant Raynor—”
“That asshole I talked to back then? No way I’m going back to him.”
“He’s the asshole in charge of the investigation,” Dez said. “No choice.”
Evan’s constipated-looking expression suggested he wasn’t sold—Dez couldn’t blame him, given the conversation awaiting him if he took Dez’s advice—but he programmed the provided number into his phone anyway.
“I need to talk to Ro first,” Evan said. “And Carter’s parents. I don’t want them finding out some other way.”
“Fair enough,” Dez said. “Just watch yourself, all right? Whatever’s going on here, I don’t want a target getting slapped on your back. And don’t take too long. I’ll give you until the end of the day. Then I’m calling Raynor myself.”
Evan’s narrowed eyes told Dez he wasn’t pleased, but he didn’t go to battle over Dez’s threat. Instead, he turned and, without another word, started walking back in the direction of Roanna’s house.
Dez returned to Emily’s car, pulling out his phone on the way and dialling the judge.
“I’ve got the device,” he said once Montague picked up.
“I’d like to see it.”
Dez lowered himself back into the driver’s seat. “I’m in the middle of a few things. I’ll bring it by later this evening.”
“I want it brought here right now. Do I make myself clear?”
Dez was conscious his teeth were gritted, words coming out pinched. “And I just told you I can’t right now. I’ll bring it by this evening.”
“Where are you? What exactly are you doing?”
Dez wasn’t about to answer. As far as he was concerned, the photos on Carter’s gaming system were evidence. Lachlan could fire him over refusing their client, but as a former cop who’d been raised by a cop, destruction of evidence was so far from what he’d been taught it made his stomach flip just thinking about it.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said.
Dez disconnected the call. He was surprised when Montague didn’t phone him back, but he supposed he’d made his position clear enough. They both had.
Only someone else hadn’t.
Dez felt it before he saw it, the feel of Emily’s car being rammed from behind, sending it crashing into one of the street’s decades-old elm trees. Not having belted himself in yet, Dez was sucked back against the seat and then driven forward into the steering wheel, the cracked rib among the parts of his body taking the brunt of the impact.
Ordinarily, Dez would have checked to see who was responsible, whether they were okay.
Unconsciousness quickly made that impossible.
26
The cave was as dark by day as by night, as if the shadows stood guard here round the clock.
That made Sully the invader, and he felt it, that creeping sensation of being watched as he took a few tentative steps inside the second entrance leading to the now-underwater tunnels. He flipped on the flashlight he’d brought, but the chamber was so big the light faded before it reached the walls.
Being here with Dez was one thing; this was quite another, coming alone.
Or not quite alone. The brush of fur against his free hand drew a smile from Sully. He peered down at the shape of his dog, Pax’s outline just visible in what daylight had managed to slip inside the cave.
The dog had kept him safe—kept him sane—during those two years alone. He’d do the same now.
“You and me, Pax,” Sully whispered. “Let me know if you see something, huh?”
Pax panted out what might have been agreement, and Sully turned his attention back to the cave and who he hoped was its occupant.
“Carter? Are you here? I need to talk to you.”
It came as no great surprise to receive no response. Carter had proven one of the most elusive ghosts Sully had ever encountered, holding onto his secrets the way the caves held their darkness. Sully pressed on, Pax at his side, the light preceding him into the gloom.
“Carter? Come on, man. I really need to see you. I know about Tessa, all right? I know you were involved with her, and I know the two of you didn’t want people to know. That doesn’t matter right now, okay? I need you to tell me what happened to you down here. I still don’t know what that key is for, man. You have to help me.”
&nb
sp; Sully turned in a slow circle, scanning his surroundings for the dull glow he expected he’d see if Carter materialized. Nothing revealed itself, though he continued to sense he and Pax weren’t alone. He reminded himself that feeling didn’t mean the spirit was Carter’s; there could be others here, ghosts he didn’t have the ability to see.
He moved toward the area he and Dez had concealed themselves last night while they waited for Lars and Tessa to pass by.
“They were looking for something here, Carter,” Sully said. “Lars is worried. Tessa too. Do you know why? Did one of them kill you? Both of them? Is that why you won’t tell me? I know what Tessa was to you, so maybe you want to protect her. And you looked up to Lars, idolized him even. I can understand why you might not want to get them in trouble, but if they’re responsible for what happened to you, they need to face justice. You deserve that, and it might be the only way you’ll find peace. Carter?”
One more slow turn, one more play of the flashlight along floors and wall. While there was still no sign of the ghost, Sully’s eyes picked up on something else: a glint that had flashed in the light as it shifted past. Staying where he was, Sully cast the light around again, searching for that spot. It took a moment, but he spotted it again, a distinct flash of something as it reflected the light.
Keeping it in his sights, Sully walked toward it, moving carefully so as not to trip over the uneven rock floor on the way. He was still a few feet away when he was able to identify the object.
A ring.
Kneeling and picking it up between the thumb and index finger of his left hand, Sully gave a low whistle as he examined it. It wasn’t just any ring. The polished white-gold band was inlaid with a row of tiny diamonds that pointed the way toward a large rock mounted in the centre.
Pax nuzzled up against Sully and sniffed at the found item.
“It’s not food,” Sully told him. “But I’ll bet if you sold this to the right buyer, it would keep you fed for years.”
A memory clicked into place, the sound of something metallic pinging off rock as he and Dez moved through here last night. It was a pretty solid bet what they’d heard was the ring, one of their shuffling feet nudging it in the darkness.
If that was the case, last night wasn’t Tessa’s first visit to the cave in the past few days. Sully had just nabbed a solid lead on Dez’s investigation, having found not only one of the missing items, but further evidence of Tessa’s involvement in Carter’s death. What reason would she have for coming here except to ensure her secrets had remained buried?
Problem was, there was no Dez to pass the message on to. Sully left the cave long enough to call his brother, but two attempts rang through to voicemail, leaving Sully fighting a knot of anxiety in his belly. Dez always answered, even if just to say he’d call back.
Logic suggested it was too premature to worry, and as his phone rang, he chuckled at the fact Dez’s instinct to play the mother hen was rubbing off.
His amusement ended abruptly as he looked at the number on his call display. It wasn’t Dez.
“Hello?”
“Oliver? It’s Roanna.”
Just three words from her were enough to tell Sully he wasn’t the only one dealing with a case of anxiety.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Lars and Tessa just took Evan.”
“What do you mean? Like kidnapped him?”
“I don’t know. They were acting weird. Like really weird.”
“Weird how?”
“Just off. They rammed this guy’s car and they took him along with them, too, as well as something from inside the man’s car. The guy was hurt. I think you know him. He’s your friend, the one you’ve been working with. Evan told me about him. A huge guy with red hair.”
Jesus Christ. Dez. “How bad was he hurt?”
“He looked unconscious. It took all three of them to pull him into Lars’s Jeep.”
“All three? Evan helped?”
“I don’t think he had a choice.”
“Did you call the police?”
“No, but one of the neighbours did. Some officers are outside now, looking at the car.”
Sully broke into a run, his only thought now to get back to Dez’s SUV. He tried to talk as he sprinted, words coming out around huffs of breath. “You need to talk to them, tell them what you saw. They need to know what they’re looking for.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening. Is Evan in trouble?”
“I don’t know, but I know my b—um, friend is in big trouble if we don’t find him soon.”
Sully pulled up short, stilling like he’d hit a brick wall. Evan’s role in this remained to be seen, but Lars and Tessa had both Dez and the Xbox containing the photos. The pictures were now far below secondary, Sully’s only real goal getting his brother out in one piece. If Lars and Tessa’s concern was those photos, they also knew Dez had seen them. That made him just as much a liability to them, just as much something they needed to be rid of.
And that might bring them here. The caves were like home turf to Lars. He knew them well, felt at ease here. If he had something planned, this would be the place to come—particularly since he’d know exactly where he could hide a body.
It seemed increasingly likely Lars had done that very thing once before.
“Tell the police you think the driver was Lars Ahlgren,” Sully said. “Tell them you think he spends a lot of time at the caves at Winteredge. I’m hoping they’ll come here to look.”
“Is that where you are now?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you going to do?”
Sully might have had a good answer to that if he was being directed in a big-name Hollywood action flick. But he was no Bruce Willis, and this wasn’t Die Hard. What he was was a partially emaciated, homeless, scruffy psychic medium with a large dog and a larger sense of panic welling up inside him.
His answer wasn’t going to make either he or Roanna feel any better. He said it anyway.
“I have no idea. But I’ll think of something.”
His first thought, upon leading Pax back in the direction of the cave’s second entrance, was to call Eva.
He regretted it almost as quickly.
“Why the hell is it you two can’t manage to stay out of trouble for more than a week at a time?”
Sully held the phone away from his ear as she yelled, waiting until she took a breath to cut in with his apology. “I’m sorry. I’m going to get him out of this. I swear.”
“Damn it. Where are you?”
“At Winteredge. There’s a second usable entrance to the caves, and I’m headed back there now. I think that’s where Lars and Tessa are going to bring Dez and Evan.”
“I get their issue with Dez. Why Evan?”
“He was a witness, but he was also Carter’s best friend. He’s probably the only other person alive who knows about the photos. Are you coming?”
“Damn right, I’m coming. So these photos, they’re really worth the lives of two people?”
“Three, if that’s why Carter was killed,” Sully said. “I don’t know what Lars gets out of it, but Tessa stands to lose a lot if her shady past comes out—her job and her marriage for starters.”
“How’d they even know where to find Dez?”
“They’d been driving around the area. They’d gone past the Devereauxs’ house not long before. I think they were planning to break in at the first opportunity and steal the gaming system. Only Dez got it first, and he was going to put it out there he had it so he could direct heat away from Carter’s parents.”
“Looks like he called down a little too much on himself. Listen, I’m going to call in to get some backup out there. Can the people at the front gates direct us to the cave entrance you’re talking about?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t really know where it was until last night.”
“Okay, just stay somewhere I can reach you by phone. I might need to have you come and get us to guide us
in.” She paused, and Sully sensed the issue before she’d voiced it. “Although maybe you won’t want to be around when the police show up. You’re not supposed to exist.”
“Dez comes first. If helping him means coming out of hiding, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. But one thing: if Dez turns up here before you or any other police, I won’t be coming to meet you.”
“I hear you. You be careful, all right?”
Eva disconnected, allowing Sully to make another call, this one to Forbes.
“Who is this?”
Sully ignored the question. The conversation would provide the answer soon enough. “This cabin you’re at, is it anywhere near Winteredge National Park?”
“I’m in the general vicinity. Why?”
“Dez is in trouble. I think Lars and Tessa are bringing him to the caves.”
“For what?”
“If I’m guessing right, they’re planning to kill him. Probably Evan too.”
“Evan Radich? Carter’s buddy?”
“Yeah.” Sully neared the entrance to the cave again. This time, he wasn’t alone. Carter’s form lurked just feet away, his attention seeming to be directed at Sully and his conversation. “I think they might be worried Evan knows too much.”
“You’re sure he’s not in on this somehow? I had the feeling the little jerk wasn’t being totally straight with me back then.”
“I think he had some other reasons. Can you get here? This is all going down, man, and I could use the help. I don’t know if these people are armed, but it’s definitely possible.”
Forbes’s reply didn’t make Sully feel any better. “They aren’t going to kidnap an ex-cop who’s the size of a small army tank unless they’re ready to go to war.” Forbes paused, muttering a curse word during the gap. Sully didn’t fill the space, waiting for the cop’s response. “Okay, I’ll leave my sister in charge here. I’m on my way. Hang tight.”
“You’ll come armed?”
“Damn straight. This other entrance you’re talking about. Is it anywhere near the collapsed one?”
“It’s a short hike away, further north and a bit to the east.”