by Bo Drury
“It looks like an incline from here. You should be able to slide down but I can't tell about getting out again.”
Harry debated what to do. He couldn't leave Scott and he had to get back to Doris. This job didn't pay enough for all this, he thought as he prepared to slide down into God only knew what.
Holding his torch overhead, he scooted down the rough surface of the cavern floor. Scott lay there, raised on one elbow, a big grin on his face.
“Boy, am I ever glad to see your ugly mug.” Reaching out to clasp Harry's hand, he said, “I figured this was to be my final resting place. I couldn't believe it when I heard the voices. I thought it was the angels themselves come to get me.”
“Angels... Come on, Scott; I would figure it was Lucifer himself after you,” he joshed as he looked at the boy's leg. “Do you think you can stand for me to move you?”
“Just get me out of here.” Handing Scott the torch, he studied the incline wondering if he could get a toe-hold anyplace. He would have to chance it.
Going back to Scott, he said, “We need to move as quickly as possible before we lose our light. Are you ready? I know this is going to hurt like hell... Grit your teeth, kid.”
With that, he hoisted him onto his back. Scott couldn't hold back the moan, but he held on as Harry began the assent to the level above them. It was slow going as he would gain a few steps and slide back.
When they got to the top Harry stopped to rest. “You okay?”
Scott just nodded, his lips tight from pain and tears sliding down his face.
“The torch is about gone. Hold it high so I can see where we are going.”
Hoisting him up higher, he started back toward where he had left Doris. At last the faint glow of the firelight came into view. Doris must have seen them as she called out, “Harry, oh thank goodness.”
Reaching her side, he carefully lowered the injured boy to the ground. Doris scooted to his side.
“Scott, we have been so afraid for you. Where are you hurt?”
Fumbling into the backpack, she pulled out a thermos of hot coffee and poured him a cup.
“Here, this will help warm you.”
When he held the cup to his mouth, Scott's hands trembled as they covered hers. He drank thirstily and then lay back, eyes shut, tears still running down his face. “I never thought I would see any of you again.” He opened his eyes and looked gratefully at them both. “How did you find me?”
“Well, you can thank Doris for ‘dropping in'. We formed a search party, then she dropped out of sight and I came back to find her. Now I have to figure out how I am going to get the two of you out of here,” he said as he looked up at the darkening sky. “When they all get back to the ranch house, surely someone will figure out we are missing and send out another search party. Until then, we just have to wait.”
Harry scrounged around for more fuel for the fire. Doris placed the backpack under Scott's head. He was pale and cold. Taking off her jacket, she snuggled as close to him as she could and covered them both with her coat. Scott raised his eyebrows, looked at Harry and smiled.
“Don't get any ideas, buddy; this is a temporary fix here.” He smiled back as he stoked up the fire. Sharing their body warmth, they were soon both asleep. Harry took off his jacket and covered them, then leaned into the heat of the fire. He had to figure a way to get them out of this hole in the ground.
His belt still hung from the oak trunk and dangled into the opening above. Had Scott or Doris, either one, been uninjured, he could have held them up high enough to get hold of the belt and maybe climb out. They could make a rope of their clothes, but with both of them hurt, that couldn't happen. There had to be a way. He couldn't depend on the search party finding them soon enough, and Scott needed medical attention; he hadn't yet fully recovered from the gunshot.
Weary from the exertion of carrying Scott, Harry leaned back and fell asleep. He woke to the low rumble of thunder. Lightening streaks flashed across the sky showing through the opening overhead. The fire had burned dangerously low.
He didn't want it to go out. Looking for more kindling, he returned to find drops of rain coming down on the smoldering flames. Hurriedly pushing the remaining hot coals to the side, he worked at getting it to blaze up. The rain became heavier and a steady stream poured through the opening. Waking both Doris and Scott, he moved them nearer the wall of the cavern and away from the downspout of water. Soon a steady stream of water ran across the floor and in the direction where he had found Scott.
How much rain would it take to flood this tunnel? Thinking of the flash floods he had seen along dry arroyos, he knew this was a real concern. The water continued to rise, coming from the other direction and converging with the water from above. The three of them watched, wondering how high it would come.
“We're liable to get our feet wet before this stops.”
“Looks to me it might be more than our feet that's gonna get wet,” Scott said, watching the stream grow. “There's no place to go to get away from it.”
Soon they were standing in the chilly water swirling around their feet. Harry held them both up as well as he could. The water continued to inch up their bodies.
Harry made a decision. “We have to get out of here. This whole place may fill up at any time. Doris, I know this is going to hurt, but I am going to lift you up to the belt hanging down from up there. When you get hold of it, wrap it around your hand and climb. You will have me to get you most of the way, and then you will be on your own. Once you get out, I'll lift Scott. You can reach down and help him up. Be careful not to slide back in. You will be fighting that stream of water as well.”
Picking her up, he raised her above his head. “Put your feet on my shoulders. Don't be scared, I won't drop you... Now let go and reach for the belt.”
Fear must have made her forget her injured ankle. She grabbed the belt. It slipped from her grasp; she swayed, almost falling back. Regaining her balance, she reached up again, this time hanging on. Using both hands, she wrapped it around her wrist and pulled up, grabbing a root sticking out from the ground above. She hoisted herself from the hole, ducking her head down and away from the gushing water. She disappeared from sight, then reappeared when she stuck her head through the opening. She lowered the belt and called down for Scott to come up, she was ready for him.
The water continued to climb.
“Scott, you think you can handle it?” Harry asked.
“I never wanted to drown. I think this little ol’ broken leg ain't gonna hold me back from escaping this watery grave.”
“Okay, I'll bend over; you climb on my back. I'll lift you as best I can.” Bending down, he put his face in the water. Feeling Scott climb to his shoulders, he stood up slowly. Blinded by the water in his eyes, he staggered. Scott grabbed a handful of hair as Harry steadied himself.
“Sorry,” Scott said as he stood erect, placing most of his weight on Harry's left shoulder. He reached for Doris's hand and the belt loop she had made. Between the two of them, they pulled him up and out onto solid ground.
Scott and Doris both looked back in on Harry. The water had reached his chest and was running swiftly, making it almost impossible for him to keep his footing. There was nothing to grab hold of that would keep him from washing away—just his determination at this point.
Doris stripped her shirt off and strung it through the belt loop, dropping it quickly into the hole. “Grab it, Harry!” she yelled, just as Harry's feet lifted from the floor. Harry grabbed and hung on. The current was powerful and pulled mercilessly as he clung to the lifesaving material. Wallowing on the muddy surface, the two of them pulled him to the top and out onto the ground.
Doris fell back, her lacy bra muddy and clinging to her body. Unmindful of her appearance, she threw her arms around Harry and dragged him away from the yawning opening in the ground that grew as the water poured through it. The three of them scrambled beneath the shelter of a nearby heavy oak, and fell upon the grassy embankment,
exhausted.
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Chapter 13
No one spoke. They had lost their coats and Doris's shirt, but they were alive.
Harry took off his shirt and gave it to her. Wet as it was, it was better than nothing. The rain poured down. Already wet to the bone, they looked like drowned rats huddled together beneath the trees. Harry knew he had to go for help. His car would still be at the fishing hole. It wasn't that far back to it. He could get the jeep at the ranch house and come back for them. As much as he hated to leave, the sooner he got them to the house, the better.
Heading down the incline, he slipped and slid in the sticky clay mud. There was an eerie silence around the fishing hole where earlier they had gathered to watch Melody's car being pulled to the surface. He hadn't thought of Melody all afternoon. He couldn't help but wonder if she was still lying in the muddy bottom of the murky pond. Would they ever find her? He had his doubts now.
Climbing onto the wet seats of his Mustang, he put it in low gear, backed away from the embankment and drove slowly to the ranch house through the mud and high water. It rained so hard and fast that the water was running off the hard ground instead of soaking in.
Driving by the bunk house, he decided to stop there first and get Orlando to help him. They would have to take Scott on in to the hospital and get that leg set. They would be lucky if he didn't get pneumonia. Doris needed her ankle checked too.
Sloshing through the rain to the bunkhouse door, he rapped on it, then opened it and walked in. Heads turned when he entered.
“What the heck happened to you?” Orlando asked as Harry stood dripping in the doorway.
“I found Scott. He's hurt and I need to take him in to the doc. Doris is hurt too. I need help.”
Orlando was grabbing his coat before Harry could finish his sentence.
A couple of other men also jumped up, ready to help out. “Orlando is enough,” Harry said to them as Orlando pulled the keys to the jeep from his coat pocket.
Harry was surprised at the concern Orlando showed as he hurried to the driver-side door.
In a terse tone, as they climbed into the jeep, Orlando asked, “What happened to him? How bad is he hurt?”
Harry explained briefly what had happened through the afternoon and how he had found Scott.
They stopped by the ranch house to tell Jeb, and told him to meet them at the hospital in town. Gathering up blankets and a coat for Harry, they drove back past the tank and up the pasture to where Scott and Doris waited.
It only then dawned on Harry that he had never asked Scott how he got there. Orlando gave him an odd look when he told him he didn't know what had happened. How he got there or who put him in the cavern was a mystery to Harry. He wondered if Scott knew.
Harry picked Doris up and put her in the jeep, wrapping her in a blanket. He and Orlando clasped hands and made a seat for Scott to ride on as they carried him to the jeep. Once they got him situated, they bundled him up warmly and headed for town. Harry carried Doris on his lap in the front so Scott could stretch out his leg on the back seat.
Jeb was waiting when they got to the hospital, along with the surgeon.
Scott looked bad.
Doris looked a mess, but to Harry a beautiful one. He kept thinking about her ripping off her shirt to save him, and then dragging him away from the hole once he was out—all with a sprained ankle. He was standing there looking at her when she looked up. As if she could read his mind, she asked shortly, “What?” Her look dared him to say a word.
“Oh...nothing,” he said guiltily and looked away.
Jeb and Orlando were in with Scott. Jeb came in to see about Doris.
“I think they will keep Scott here for a few days. Lying in that cold cavern for two days didn't do him any good.” Turning to Doris, he said, “If there is anything I can do...”
She smiled and thanked him sweetly.
He went back to Scott.
Shaking her head, she whispered, “I don't know what to make of him.”
Harry agreed silently. Jeb was a mystery to him. Was this an act or was he the concerned uncle he let on to be? And Orlando...where did he fit in the picture?
The doctor told Doris she could leave. The nurse brought in a wheel chair. Harry pushed her by Scott's room to check on him; then they headed for the motel.
Harry carried her in, waited while she showered, gave her a pain pill that promptly knocked her out, unlocked the adjoining doors and went to his room, leaving the door ajar in case she needed him during the night.
After a hot shower, crawling between the clean sheets felt somewhat like heaven, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
He didn't want to wake up but someone kept calling his name. “Harryeeee...” He sat up with a start, realizing Doris was calling from the other room. Grabbing for his jeans, he stumbled across the room as he pulled them on. “I'm coming.”
“It took you long enough.” She sat on the edge of the bed in a soft gray t-shirt, her tousled hair like a cloud around her face. “Help me to the bathroom, please.”
Picking her up, he deposited her next to the vanity and pulled the door to behind him.
Walking to the outer door, he looked out on the parking lot. His car was still at the ranch. He had driven the jeep to the motel. Feeling for his pocket and a cigarette, he remembered he had quit.
“Man... I need one now,” he said, glancing over his shoulder as the bathroom door opened to reveal a long-legged slender vision. The light behind her gave the illusion of a halo shining through her hair.
“How ‘bout a lift,” she asked with a grin.
Picking her up, he caught the clean fresh scent of toothpaste. She had no idea how she was messing with his life, he thought as he set her down on the bed and backed away. “I'll go get us some coffee soon as I get dressed,” he said and fled from her room.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he shook his head. This will never do, I need to take her back to San Angelo. Pulling on his socks and loafers, he grabbed a shirt and started for the door.
“Harryeee...”
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“Bring us a doughnut to go with the coffee, okay?”
Entering the restaurant, he picked up a paper and ordered coffee and four doughnuts. Glancing at the front page, he was shocked to see his face glaring back. It was all there: Jeb, the story of Melody missing, pictures of the car coming out of the water, the search on the bottom of the pond for her body, everything except the fact that Scott had disappeared also. Somehow the nosy editor had missed that fact.
Harry looked up to see the young waitress staring at him, comparing him to the photo in the paper. He shook his head and grinned. “Not me,” he said and took up the paper, tray of coffee and doughnuts, and hurried back to the room to read the article and show Doris they had made the front page.
“Josh will have his hands full now. It will be a circus with the news reporters swarming the place.”
Doris sat up in the bed, pillows propped all around, supporting her back and ankle as she munched on a doughnut and read the story the imaginative reporter had written.
“This is probably the biggest thing to hit this town in years. It will be the talk at every breakfast table for weeks to come. If they only knew the half of it,” she said.
“Yes, if they ever connected Marie's and Rebecca's death to Melody's disappearance and Scott's accident, they would have a field day trying to figure that out.” Harry thought about what he had just said. “It has to be Jeb.”
He stood up and paced the floor, thinking out loud. “Jeb's mother dies. Rebecca, his sister, learns of the death and comes home to collect her share of the estate. Marie sees her. Jeb kills Rebecca and realizes he has to do away with Marie as she is the only witness who knows Rebecca came to the house that night.
“Then he gets really greedy. Besides being mad that Scott is equal in his inheritance, and with Rebecca's death, Scott will own more of
the ranch than he does, he decides Scott has to go, too.” He paced some more. “But why Melody? Where did she fit into the puzzle?”
“Maybe Melody has nothing at all to do with it. It could be her disappearance is a separate event altogether.”
“You're right. I need to go at her disappearance with a totally different approach.”
“It could be one of the ranch hands took a yen to her and they ran away?”
“No, this was her first trip to the ranch. She didn't know anyone, and she disappeared that night. Orlando said Hub was talking to her when she left the corral and walked back to the house. That's where we need to start, with the gardener.”
Turning his attention to Doris, he asked, “Do you want me to take you back to San Angelo?”
She studied him thoughtfully. “Do you want me to leave?”
“I thought you might be more comfortable at your place. No... I don't want you to go,” he said as he looked into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts or how she felt. He reached out...
The sharp ring of the phone jarred his senses. He jerked back.
Doris reached for the phone. “Yes, he's here...just a moment,” she said and handed Harry the phone.
Damn the luck, he thought as he answered. “Yeah...okay, Josh.” Handing her the phone, he said, “Josh is on his way over. He's been at the hospital talking to Scott. He wants to go over all that has happened with us and see what we come up with.”
Reaching for the last doughnut, he took a drink of his coffee before saying, “Jeb invited us to stay at the ranch. What do you think about going back out there? We would be closer to the heart of the thing, I believe. Might be able to learn more if we were there.”
“It's scary... Everyone seems to vanish from there.”
“Only Melody and Marie; no one else has disappeared from there,” he teased. “Only pretty young girls, so that lets you out.” She slapped at him as he stood up and headed for his room to wait for Josh. He wanted to talk to Josh before he decided what to do next.
Going through his room and opening the door to the parking lot, he noticed peanut hulls outside his window. What's the deal with the peanut hulls? Someone had stood there for some time eating peanuts. He walked to the window and looked into his room. The curtain was parted just enough that a person standing there had a good view of the bed. Some peeping tom, no doubt. Guess he was disappointed nothing was happening in his room.