Keepers of the Cave (31 page)

CJ smiled too. “I know I’m being silly. But it’s creepy as hell out here.”

Paige nodded. “Do you think we should use the flashlight? If we get off of the trail, we’re screwed.”

“Minimal use,” she said. “We’re sitting ducks.”

As much as she didn’t want to use the lights, she had to agree. They’d get lost in an instant. She paused, listening, hearing nothing to indicate they were being followed. Or watched. So she turned on her flashlight, shining it quickly along the ground, seeing that they were indeed still on the trail. It was a trail that appeared to be very well used. She couldn’t imagine that people from Hoganville used it, though. What reason would they have to sneak onto the school grounds? Most likely, it had become a game trail, used by deer. And whatever else inhabited these woods at night. She shook that thought away as she turned her light off, turning to Paige instead.

“Have I told you how sexy you look all in black?”

“You like my commando outfit, huh?”

“Very macho. Hair in the ponytail thing, through your cap there, looks nice,” she said.

Paige tilted her head. “Are you stalling?”

“Hell, yeah,” she whispered. “I swear, if anything moves, I’m going to shoot it.”

“You want me to take the lead?”

“You? Paige, you have painted toenails. I really think I should be the one in the lead.”

Paige smirked. “Okay, tiger. Then lead on. We don’t have all night.”

CJ forced herself to move. Each step they took seemed exceptionally loud, each twig that broke echoed through the quiet forest. She could hear their breaths, could feel the nervousness that surrounded them. They were FBI agents, for God’s sake. But that didn’t bring her any comfort. She’d never been in this situation before. She’d faced hardened criminals, she’d stared down the barrel of a gun, she’d chased down drug lords and crime bosses. But this? Slinking through the woods at night? Hoping to find a tunnel entrance at the old stables? Going underground into the caves? Looking for some...some
creature
that lurked in these woods? No.

Paige’s hand squeezed painfully around her arm, stopping her.

“Listen.”

CJ tilted her head slightly, her eyes darting around the dark forest, looking for movement. She heard leaves rustling behind them. They both turned and she could feel—hear—the blood pounding in her ears. Her hand slid to the weapon she had strapped to her thigh, ready to pull it out.

Paige fumbled with her own light, pointing it in the direction of the noise. CJ held her breath, waiting. The beam of the light flashed through the trees, then down along the ground. Paige was the first to laugh. CJ followed, although hers was still tinged with nervousness.

“Armadillo,” Paige murmured. “Sounded like a bear.”

“I can’t wait to get back to the city.” She turned to go, then stopped. “Wait. Shine the light back over there,” she said.

Paige did as she was asked, stopping with a gasp. “Jesus. Is that what I think it is?”

CJ turned on her light too, joining Paige’s beam. She walked slowly toward it, her flashlight snaking across the ground. The white skull glowed brightly, the eye sockets, dark and hollow, looking right through them. The gaping mouth seemed to be frozen for eternity in a silent, soulless scream. If she had any lingering doubt about Fiona’s story, it vanished quickly into the night air.

“Yeah. It’s what you think it is.”

She squatted down beside it, brushing the leaves away. There were no other bones visible, nothing to indicate a body was buried here. There was only the skull, nestled snuggly against the roots of the large oak. Maybe it had been dragged there by an animal...or something. She stood up, shrugging off the feeling of being watched.

“Come on,” she said. She flashed her light along the trail, walking faster.

The woods were alive with sounds now, drowning out their own footsteps. Frogs, crickets and cicadas all singing in deafening harmony. The screech of an owl nearly caused her to stumble, then Paige again stopped her with a tug on her arm.

“Kill the light,” Paige whispered urgently.

CJ did, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She tilted her head, hearing running not far ahead of them. She ducked farther back into the woods, pulling Paige with her. Up ahead, they saw three shadowy figures nearly jogging along the trail. She crept deeper into the forest, hiding them behind a giant oak. Maybe Fiona was right. Maybe Ester Hogan
could
see things. Maybe she knew they were coming. She recognized the hulk of Belden, which was being followed by two other men. One of the men brandished a flashlight. All three wore dark robes.

She quietly unsnapped her holster, hearing Paige do the same. But the men ran past them, back along the trail from where she and Paige had just come, heading toward the school.

“They know,” Paige said quietly.

“They know something, yes.” She holstered her weapon again, then shoved on. She navigated without the light, continuing on to Hoganville...and the tunnels.

Only fifteen minutes later the dark shapes of the houses came into view. She held the light close against her, pulling out Don’s notes.

Circle around to the left. The boarded up stables will be the fifth building.

She snapped the light off, motioning for Paige to follow. There was no trail to lead them now, and she stepped carefully over fallen limbs. No matter how muted she tried to be, she felt as if each stride was resounding. She silently counted the buildings as they passed, then felt Paige again still her movements.

“Jesus. Now what?”

Back along the trail from where they’d come, a lone figure walked, slowly now, no longer jogging. It was Belden. She tried to make herself as small as possible as she froze in place. There were no trees large enough to hide behind, even if she’d chanced movement. He paused, looking down the trail toward Hoganville, then turning and looking back behind him. He appeared to be alone. He couldn’t have made it to the school and back. The other two must have gone on to the school without him. If they went to their house, Don would be a sitting duck. But why would Belden come back?

Belden finally moved, jogging now to the nearest house, then around it. Once he hit the shadows, she could no longer see him. She listened, the sound of his footsteps disappearing as well.

She swallowed nervously, just now aware that she’d been holding her breath. She pulled Paige closer, her mouth against her ear.

“We should call Avery. Don may not be safe.”

Paige nodded. “Let’s get into the stables first.”

She waited a few more seconds, making sure Belden was indeed gone. When there was no movement or sound, she pressed on, cringing as a twig snapped in two with her weight. She kept to the shadows, holding a tree limb out of the way for Paige. The stables were as Don had described them. The boards on the back windows were old and worn, easily pulled out. However, with Belden possibly on the lookout for them, she didn’t want to take the chance of announcing their presence with creaky boards and nails.

She crouched low, feeling Paige do the same. She hurried now, along the side of the building, pausing every few feet, listening. When she got to the front corner, she leaned against the wall, the shadows hiding them. She chanced a peek around the corner, seeing no movement. She took a deep breath. It was now or never.

She used her shoulder to try to push the door open. It didn’t budge. She used more force, feeling it give way, hearing a loud scraping as the door slid open.

“Shhh,” Paige hissed.

CJ pulled her inside and closed the door quickly. It was black dark inside, all the windows boarded up. She waited, the sound of their breathing loud to her ears.

She turned the flashlight on, going to the back stalls where Don said the tunnel could be found.

There’s hay piled up. Move the top two bales. You’ll see the trap door.

“There,” she said. It was as he described it. She and Paige each grabbed an end of the bale and rolled it to the floor, doing the same with the next one. There was a door cut into the wall, not much larger than a small window. She pulled the handle, the rusty hinges nearly screaming in protest as it opened. That gave credence to Don’s assertion that the stables were never used. She would assume this door hadn’t been opened in more than a decade.

A dank, moist smell hit them. She turned away from it, taking a deep breath. At that moment, the very last thing she wanted to do was to crawl into the tunnel.

Paige stepped back. “Let me call Avery first.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

CJ flashed the light into the tunnel. Spiderwebs decorated the entrance and stairs dropped down into the cold, dark earth.

“I hate spiders,” she murmured.

“No answer,” Paige said, holding up her phone. “I have a bad feeling.”

CJ nodded. “I do too. But we can’t worry about Avery right now. Hopefully he and the chief have secured everything.”

“It’s Don I’m worried about. We promised Fiona.”

CJ looked back into the tunnel, suddenly overcome with a near desperate anxiety. Yeah, they’d promised Fiona a lot of things. She thought Howley was going to have a coronary when she’d told him of their plans. He damn near ordered them to stand down. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if he had. Paige had her mind made up. Right now, Paige was in protect mode. Neither of them knew what Fiona had planned, but the look in her eyes told CJ that Fiona had no intention of giving birth. CJ had seen that hopeless, desolate look before in her own sister’s eyes. Paige, however, made no mention of it. Her focus right now was getting in there and protecting Fiona from whatever horrors Ester Hogan had planned for her.

She turned to Paige then, pulling her quickly into a tight hug.

“What?”

CJ glanced at the tunnel entrance. “I feel like we’re going down into hell.”

“I know. I would say let’s go and get it over with, but we don’t really know what we’re getting into.”

“No. And even with the guys coming in helicopters, it’s still at least another hour before we’ll get some backup.”

Paige took a deep breath. “Then let’s do it. I’m ready to get the hell out of here.”

CJ leaned forward and kissed her, then pulled her into another hug.

“Listen, in case something happens, I just want you to know that this...well, this isn’t some cheap affair. You’re not just a notch, as you once said.”

Paige stared at her. “Now? You want to talk about this now?”

Embarrassed, CJ looked at the tunnel entrance again to avoid having to look at Paige. “No. Hell, what was I thinking?”
Yeah, what were you thinking?
She took a step forward, knocking the spider webs down with the flashlight, only to have Paige stop her progress with a hand on her arm. She turned back around, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t do cheap affairs.” Paige tilted her head. “You know that, right?”

In the shadows, CJ met her gaze. She finally nodded, relieved by what she saw there.

“Then let’s get this over with, baby.”

“And don’t call me
baby
,” Paige murmured behind her, and CJ recognized the smile in her voice.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Fiona grabbed her stomach, taking short, quick breaths. She almost wished she’d taken the pain pill Don had offered her, but she knew she must have her wits about her. No doubt Mother Hogan already knew something was wrong. Had Don been missed yet? If so, Fiona would be the one they turned to for answers.

Her mother met her at the door and by the look in her eyes, Fiona knew Mother Hogan had already questioned her.

“You’re late.”

Fiona tried to keep her voice even. “Had test papers to grade,” she said, a lie she’d made up on the drive over.

“Mother Hogan was concerned. She said you were not feeling well.”

Fiona swallowed. “How would she know that?”

Her mother nearly gasped. “You question her? Child, she knows all.”

And you know so very little
, Fiona thought. Even now, her mother had no clue as to what Fiona’s fate was. Did she think Fiona would give birth? Did she have any idea of the...the
thing
she carried? Was she not worried? No. All her mother was worried about was displeasing Mother Hogan. Nothing else.

“If she knows all, then I guess she knows I’m going to the chamber. I suppose I’ll see her there.”

Fiona headed into the kitchen where the door was that would take her down to the tunnels. Her mother stopped her, holding her arm.

“What is wrong with you? You’re acting strange.”

“Strange?” Fiona pointed to her stomach. “No.
This
is strange. Yet you make no mention of it. Why?”

“It is not for us to question,” her mother said simply.

Fiona drew in a sharp breath as a jolt of pain hit her. “No. Good sheep don’t question, do they,” she murmured. She glanced at the old grandfather clock that ticked the seconds away quietly, as it had been doing her whole life. Her gaze followed the length of the pendulum, seeing the faded, yellow cloth folded neatly at the bottom of the case, knowing nearly every house had the same clock with the same yellow cloth tucked away there. Would Paige be forced to use the trigger phrase? She glanced at her mother, wondering if that would be the best outcome for her. Death? Or most likely being locked in an asylum for her remaining years. It would be so easy to utter the phrase now, to watch her mother go into a trance, watch as she blindly fumbled with the cloth, pulling out the hard capsule that Mother Hogan had stashed in each clock.

Yellow rock in the clock. Tick. Tock. Yellow. Rock.

But in the end, Fiona couldn’t say it. Her own fate might be sealed, but she couldn’t be the one to send her mother to her death.

“Goodbye, Mother,” she said, wincing as she held her side. “I have a date with Mother Hogan.”

“She hasn’t summoned you.”

“No. I’m doing the summoning this time.”

Again, her mother gasped. “You talk like that, you’ll bring her wrath,” she warned.

Fiona found the strength to laugh. “That’s the plan. Now, shouldn’t you be starting supper?”