Familiar Fire

by Caroline Burnes

  “This burned in the fire,” he said. He clutched the ring for a second before he turned to examine the scene more intensely.

  When the Double J had gone up in flames, he’d been at the fire station. By the time he got there, it was too late to save anything—not even the box of childhood memories he’d tucked beneath the floorboard of his room in his own secret hiding place.

  Among those things was this ring he’d had made for Kate. When she’d refused his offer of marriage and run away, he’d put the ring in the box of childhood memories, sealing it away with the things that represented his youth. He’d hoped that by putting away the past he could somehow get over it.

  When the fire was extinguished, he’d combed the wreckage of his home for anything that might have remained, finally accepting that everything had been destroyed.

  But somehow the box had survived—and someone had been there to find it.

  Jake started as Ouzo howled again.

  “Ouzo?” Jake knelt beside him, but the dog was inconsolable.

  “What is it, boy?” he asked in desperation.

  Now, Ouzo ran toward the truck, barking for Jake to come. This time Jake didn’t hesitate. Ouzo had some sixth sense of things that he didn’t understand, but he was no longer a skeptic. Where the dog led, he would follow.

  Once in the truck, Ouzo gave two barks, indicating a right turn. Jake idled in the driveway, looking up toward Sentinel Mountain. He remembered the map that Ouzo and Familiar had tried—twice—to get him and Kate to look at. It had contained the location of the ranch and the church.

  Jake picked up the radio and called in to the fire station. “Have I received any calls from the sheriff?” he asked. Kate had gone to Denver, but she might have called in.

  “No, sir,” the fireman answered. “You have three calls from the sheriff’s office. Deputy Rollings sounded a little desperate,” the fireman said. “No other calls.”

  “Get back to Rollings and tell him not to let Ms. Redfield out of that cell no matter what she threatens. Tell him to destroy the key if he has to. I’ll assume the full responsibility for whatever she does. I’m trying to make sure she stays safe.”

  “Yes, sir,” the fireman said.

  “If Sheriff McArdle does call in, patch her through to me instantly.”

  “You’re breaking up a little,” the fireman said.

  “My reception should improve soon. I’m headed for higher ground,” Jake looked at the mountain. “Over and out.” He replaced the radio and spun gravel as he headed to the top.

  The closer he got to the summit, the more Ouzo danced in the front seat. It was almost as if the dog sensed that time was of vital importance. Jake, too, felt the prickle of unspecified apprehension and hoped that he was only picking up on the dog’s jitters.

  The sun was beginning to set, and as Jake reached the plateau where Lookout Church had once stood, he was momentarily blinded by the brilliant colors of the sky. He drove forward. The ruins of the church were made more dramatic by the sunset, and as Jake slowed the truck, Ouzo began to bark.

  The church wasn’t the site the dog wanted. But where? The road dead-ended against a wall of boulders past the church property and up a steep incline. There was nothing there. A host of wild animals had found refuge on the mountain, but there was nothing else.

  “Arf!” Ouzo clawed at the windshield.

  There were old mines here, long abandoned, and Jacob Johnson, Jake’s father, had told many a scary tale of the bears and goblins that inhabited them.

  But ghosts and goblins were the only thing that had ever been found in them. The prospectors who’d worked the claim hadn’t hit pay dirt.

  The mines, if they still existed, were beyond the church property, and inaccessible by all except the most determined hiker.

  Ouzo suddenly howled as if he’d been hit by a train.

  “Here?” Jake stopped the truck. Ouzo leaped out the open window and disappeared in the shadows of some large rocks. He reappeared high on the trail, headed for the mines. Even as the dog began to climb the steep incline, small rocks clattered below him.

  “Ouzo!” Jake called him back, remembering that the mine shafts were not that far away—at least to a dog.

  Ouzo hesitated for a moment, looking back as if to ask if Jake were coming.

  “Get back here,” Jake called, worry in his tone. Ouzo was smart, but that didn’t mean he understood the dangers of an old mine shaft. Nothing more than his bark could set off a collapse.

  But Ouzo churned up the side of the mountain, determined. “Damn!” Jake said under his breath. Well, in the past, Ouzo had led him to some unique discoveries. He checked his watch. He’d give it half an hour. If they hadn’t found something by then, Jake would have to go back to town and track down Roy Adams.

  Jake started up the mountain, he realized that the path was in better condition than he had hoped. The going was tough, but not the impossible hike he remembered from childhood. Had someone improved the path? As the thought came to him, Jake felt as if a cold breeze had touched his neck. He increased his pace.

  The path leveled and he found himself on a plateau. In front of him was what appeared to be a solid slab of rock. The mine entrances were nearby. With the light fading by the second, Jake didn’t have time to waste.

  “Ouzo!” He called softly. There was an eerie silence about the place.

  “Arf!” He heard Ouzo’s sharp bark, then a muffled cry.

  “Ouzo!” He plunged into the rocks, scrambling over the large boulders until he came to the mine shaft openings. There were three mines, and he had no idea which one the dog had run inside.

  “He-l-p!” The call that came sounded watery, like small waves lapping against a shore. “He-l-p!”

  “Kate!” Jake couldn’t believe his ears. What was Kate doing in a mine shaft?

  “Ja-a-a-ke? Is that yo-o-u?”

  “Hang on,” he called. But where was the cry coming from? “Don’t yell,” he said. “Be quiet.” The noise might bring half a mountain down on her head.

  “Arf!” Ouzo appeared at the entrance to the center mine. “Arf!”

  Jake snatched at him, but the dog disappeared into the mine. Jake felt his heart thudding. The old timbers that supported the mine looked as if they might collapse any second. He had to get Kate out, but he might have only one chance. He had to plan her rescue the safest way possible.

  He headed back to the truck. He moved fast, feeling as if he were hurtling down the side of the mountain, but he had no time to waste. In the back of his truck he found rope and a flashlight. He also picked up an ax.

  He made the climb up in record speed. Just as he prepared to enter the shaft he felt the slight tremor that was a warning. “Kate!” He ran toward the mine, heedless of the danger that he faced. “Kate!”

  “Jake!” she cried, real panic in her voice. He knew that she, too, had felt the earth’s tremor.

  “I’m coming!” But even as he said the words the roof of the mine seemed to dissolve on top of him. Timber and stone came down in a brutal crash.

  KATE SCRAMBLED FORWARD on her hands and knees. She’d distinctly heard Jake’s voice—and Ouzo’s unmistakable bark. That was before the cave-in. A fine dusting of grit had settled all over her, but other than that she was unharmed. She couldn’t be certain, but she suspected she was somewhere near Jake’s property. And Jake had come to rescue her.

  “Jake,” she called softly, aware of the danger of further cave-ins. If only she could hear his voice. Just some sign that he was okay. That he hadn’t been badly injured or killed in the attempt to save her.

  The trouble was, in the darkness, she couldn’t be certain if she was crawling toward or away from Jake. She had no sense of direction. She had only Familiar to guide her, and the cat was steadily leading her on.

  When her palms began to encounter loose stone and rubble, she was certain Familiar had taken her toward the mouth of the cave. Her hand felt bigger rocks, then finally a small mountain
of them that seemed to reach taller than her head.

  She had to get to Jake, to make certain he wasn’t buried under a pile of rock, which might slowly be crushing the life out of him. She moved a stone and it started a small avalanche of others that bounced and tumbled, striking her head and feet.

  “Damn!” she backed away. “What are we going to do?”

  In answer, Familiar nudged at the pocket of her pants as if he sought something there. He left and returned, nudging again. She felt her pocket. The cat had put a couple of stones there. She patted his back, wondering how they were going to escape.

  “Jake,” she called again. “Please, if you can hear me, say something.”

  In the silence of the cave there was the whisper of soft wings. The bats were also trying to get out. Familiar moved slowly up the wall of rocks. She reached for the cat and caught only the tip of his tail. He was climbing to the top.

  Kate hated the blackness of the cave, the inability to see. Jake could be two feet in front of her and she wouldn’t be able to see him. Yet he was there. She sensed it. And he needed her. She had never been so certain of anything in her life.

  In the hush of the cave there came a soft whine.

  “Ouzo?” she whispered.

  “Arrrr—arr.”

  Familiar sent a few loose stones scuttling toward Kate before he answered the dog with a plaintive meow.

  From the other side came the sound of the dog clawing at the rocks.

  Kate’s fear blossomed, a fear worse than any she’d ever known. Jake had been caught in the rock slide. Ouzo wouldn’t be bothering to dig her out—he was working to save his master. She hurried forward, moving up the wall until she could feel Familiar. Kneeling beside the cat, she began to dig. The smaller rocks tumbled beside her and she held her breath, fearing another cave-in. But Familiar continued to work and she set to it again with renewed intensity. Suddenly, a draft of fresh air came through the opening the cat had cleared. Good. They would get out. They had to.

  Even as Kate and Familiar cleared a hole large enough for Familiar to slip through, Kate felt the rumble of the earth. The old mines had held steady for years, but if the beams supporting one shaft were weakening, it could affect all of the others. She had to move fast. Her time had run out.

  There was the sound of intensified digging on the other side of the wall.

  “Kate! Are you there?”

  “Jake?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you okay?”

  “Mostly. I got hit by a few rocks. I was out for a while, but Ouzo licked me awake.”

  Jake hauled at the rocks and Kate dug and scrabbled at them from her side. In what seemed to take a lifetime, the hole in front of Kate grew larger. She pushed her arms and head through. The first thing she saw was dim light—and a begrimed Jake. He grasped her wrists and pulled her through the hole. Even as her body slid forward, Kate felt the pressure of the mountain coming down on her legs.

  With a mighty tug, Jake pulled her free. The momentum carried them another ten feet toward the mouth of the cave.

  Kate could see silver-gray twilight ahead. Silhouetted at the mouth of the cave were Familiar and Ouzo. The dog barked frantically, urging them to hurry.

  Kate needed no such coaching. She grasped Jake’s hand and together they ran as hard as they could. At the last minute they both dove for the opening. Behind them timbers cracked and rocks tumbled down.

  Jake rolled on top of Kate, covering her as the mouth of the cave exploded with dust and debris. “Easy,” he said, pressing her into the earth. “Easy.”

  In less than a moment, it was over. Dust was still settling as Jake helped Kate to her feet. She looked behind her. The old mine was filled with stones and dirt.

  “If you’d been a moment later, I’d be dead,” she said.

  “If Ouzo hadn’t awakened me, I would be too.”

  “And Familiar led me to the cave-in and helped me dig out.”

  Jake pointed to the cat and dog. “I think we owe them a lot.”

  “More than we’ll ever be able to repay.” Still shaky, Kate started toward Familiar. When Jake slipped his arm around her waist, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned against him, glad for the support, willing to let him help her.

  “I can’t begin to thank you,” Kate said. “If you hadn’t come after me…” She left it unfinished. They both knew what would have happened. And Kate was more than aware that Jake had risked his life to save her.

  His arm around her was strong, and for the first time in many years, Kate let herself feel that she was safe and protected. She knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who would indulge in such a sensation for very long, but at this moment, she yielded to it and felt the wonder of Jake’s love for her.

  His arm tightened. “You okay?” he asked as they paused on the steep trail headed down to Jake’s truck.

  Kate stood up straighter. “Yeah,” she said, “I’m fine.”

  “What happened, Kate? Who put you in the mine?” Jake asked himself another question. “Who knew about them? There’s something very wrong here.”

  “It was Roy. He attacked me at the ranch. He knocked me out and when I came to, I was in the cave.” She brushed at the grime on her face. “I guess I’m pretty hardheaded, but I did learn something back in that cave.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been running so hard to protect my heart that it never occurred to me that I could be hurt as badly by someone I didn’t love. It’s a different kind of hurt, that’s for certain. But Roy could have killed me. What I’m trying to say is that running away isn’t a guarantee of safety. I’ve been the biggest kind of fool.”

  Jake didn’t try to answer her. He simply held her tightly and kissed her. “You know, I never would have thought Roy capable of such a vicious act. Corruption, possibly. Falling victim to greed, possibly. But not violence or attempted murder. I think he may have tried to kill Alexis, too.” He told her what had occurred at the old hotel.

  The last light was almost gone from the sky, and a half-moon hung on the horizon. “We should get down this trail with what little light we have left,” Jake said. He whistled to Ouzo and called Familiar. “Once we get down, I’m taking that dog and cat for a special dinner. Something expensive and totally decadent. Whatever they want.”

  Kate nodded. “We’ll do that, and when we’re finished you can help me arrest Roy Adams for attempted murder.”

  At last, they’re talking sustenance. It’s not enough that I’ve been bounced all around in a pickup, shunted into a cave, nearly crushed by falling rocks—I’ve been terribly malnourished this entire trip.

  One thing I can say for the West, folks out here don’t spend nearly enough time thinking about the menu.

  One of the problems is that canine. I discovered, beneath Jake’s bed, an open jar of peanut butter which Ouzo holds in his paws and licks.

  Hey, I’m not one to turn down an occasional spoon of nut butter, but as a way of life! Let’s be kind and say it’s not for me. Up until today, Ouzo has been more nuisance than help. At last he’s shown some tiny pinpoint of potential.

  This case is coming to a head. Roy Adams never saw me, and I did manage to leave a clue for that witless canine. I must admit he was smart enough to pick up on it. And he did lead Jake to the cave where we were entombed. That little scene brought up some memories of that old master, E. A. Poe. He had a thing for walling his characters up in tombs and wine cellars and other dark, dank places. He really would have liked that old mine shaft.

  But what troubles me is Roy Adams. I watched him haul Kate into the mine. She was unconscious, but he was careful with her. Not exactly your ruthless killer. It just set me to wondering. Perhaps Roy wasn’t aware of how dangerous those old mine shafts were. Perhaps he thought it would be a good place to dump Kate and keep her out of the way for a little while.

  No matter. I have full faith in Kate and Jake. Now that they’re finally working as a team, they’ll snap this puzzle together in no
time.

  Then I can head back to Washington, where hostesses know the meaning of a full buffet table including crab and shrimp and rare roast beef. Ah, all of that glittering silver, the beautifully cut crystal and the banks of candles and flowers. I miss the pomp and ceremony of my hometown. And in the middle of it all, I see my beautiful Clotilde, her black-and-orange-and-white coat blending perfectly with every style and occasion.

  I suppose I’m a bit cat-sick. And a trifle homesick, too. But I think we’re about to snare the mysterious arsonist. This hasn’t been easy for me. I’m not fond of sharing the limelight with some slobbering dog. Speaking of which, he’s practically dancing a jig around Jake. I swear, I think he’d almost blow a tin whistle for a little more attention. No, I won’t even say that—it might give the hairy black beast some new ideas about how to fawn and grovel.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kate slipped the last butter-sautéed prawn to Familiar and sighed. “I can’t believe after everything that’s happened today Ouzo and Familiar could eat all that food.” After leaving the mines, they’d stopped on the outskirts of town and ordered takeout for the cat and dog.

  Jake drove with one hand, casting glances at Kate as if to make sure she was really okay. “Why would Roy want to abandon you in a mine?” He fed the last piece of steak to Ouzo, who ate it and then slowly slid into a reclining position with his head on Jake’s lap.

  “Roy had no choice but to get rid of me—I saw the fireman’s gear in his truck.” Kate recounted, in more detail, what had happened at the Double J. “But why would Roy try to kill Alexis? Why burn down buildings he insures?”

  “It almost sounds as if he’s lost his mind.”

  “Maybe he hoped to drop the real estate prices so low that the DDC, or whoever he was working for, could come in and buy out the town.”

  “That’s the thing I resent the most,” Jake said, his frown deepening. “Roy will take the fall for this, but someone else is behind it all. The truly guilty will never do a day in jail.”