CHAPTER THREE #2
"Sometimes nature just wins," Sheila said softly. She remembered the look on Travis's mother's face when they'd finally convinced her to stop searching. Some questions didn't have answers, and some bodies were never found.
"The spelunkers who found Mitchell's body," she said, coming back to the present. "They had to know the caves were closed. Why come here?"
"Maybe they were looking for a bit of adventure, somewhere off the beaten path."
"If so, I'd say they found more than they'd bargained for."
They reached the base camp, where several vehicles were parked and a medical tent had been set up. Two EMTs were looking over a young woman wrapped in a thermal blanket while a man about the same age sat nearby, clutching a cup of something hot.
Kelly Bishop looked up as they approached, her dark hair tangled and matted with cave dust. Despite her obvious exhaustion, there was something sharp in her gaze, an alertness that caught Sheila's attention. The camera hanging from her neck suggested she was more than just a casual explorer.
Mike Ramirez set down his cup and straightened his posture, almost military-like. His easy grin seemed forced, a mask to cover his nerves. Both of them had the lean, muscled build of experienced climbers.
"Ms. Bishop, Mr. Ramirez," Sheila said. "I'm Sheriff Stone, and this is Deputy Mercer. How are you holding up?"
The spelunkers exchanged glances. "We're fine," Kelly said. "Just cold."
"And lucky to be alive," Mike added quietly.
Sheila pulled up a folding chair, positioning herself at their level. "I have to ask: What were you doing in the caves in the first place?"
Kelly's shoulders tensed. "We were documenting the cave system," she said. "I'm a photographer, focusing on underground formations. Mike's my safety partner."
"The caves were closed years ago," Finn said. "Why come here now?"
Another glance between them. Mike cleared his throat. "There were rumors. About new passages opening up after the spring floods. We thought... well, Kelly thought it would make a great addition to her portfolio."
"And that's when you found her?" Sheila prompted.
Kelly nodded, her hands tightening around the thermal blanket. "She looked peaceful, almost. Like she was sleeping. Until we got closer and saw..." She trailed off.
"Did you see anyone else?" Finn asked. "Hear anything?"
"No," Mike said. "But those caves, they play tricks on you. Sound echoes strangely. And there are so many passages, so many places to hide."
Sheila leaned forward. "The rope being cut—when did you discover that?"
"We'd been down there only a short while," Kelly said. "When we tried to leave..." She shuddered. "Someone had to have been watching us. Waiting."
"How well do you know the cave system?" Sheila asked.
"Pretty well," Mike said. "We've been studying the old surveys, marking new formations. There are dozens of unexplored passages down there."
"Look," Kelly burst out, sitting up straighter despite her exhaustion. "I know we shouldn't have been in there. But we're professionals. We took every safety precaution, we had backup plans—"
"Except for someone cutting your rope," Finn said quietly.
Kelly's face flushed. "We couldn't have anticipated that. But we're not some amateur thrill-seekers. I have certification in advanced cave rescue, Mike's an experienced climbing instructor—"
Sheila held up a hand. "Ms. Bishop, you don't need to defend yourself.
I don't care about the cave restrictions right now.
There's a murdered woman down there, wrapped in ceremonial garments, arranged like some kind of ritual burial.
And someone tried to make sure you'd never tell anyone about finding her. That's what matters to me."
Mike ran a hand through his dust-covered hair. "We should've reported it right away instead of trying to document everything first. Maybe if we'd—"
"Then you might both be dead," Sheila cut in. "Our killer was counting on having more time. The fact that you survived might be our best chance of catching them."
Kelly pulled the thermal blanket tighter around her shoulders. "What do you mean?"
Sheila exchanged a look with Finn before turning back to the spelunkers. "I have a proposition for you. I suspect our killer probably didn't expect the body to be found so quickly. They might still be down there, using passages we don't know about."
"You want us to help search," Kelly said. It wasn't a question.
"With a full Search and Rescue team," Sheila assured them. "No one goes anywhere alone. You'd have radio contact, armed escorts. But your knowledge of the cave system could be invaluable."
Mike straightened. "When do we start?"
"You don't have to do this," Finn added. "You've been through enough already."
Kelly's jaw set in a determined line. "Someone tried to trap us down there to die. And that woman, Dr. Mitchell—she deserves justice. We'll help."
Sheila nodded, her respect growing for these two who'd faced death and were willing to go back into the darkness. "Give the medics another hour to check you over. Then we'll gear up and head back in."
As she and Finn walked away to coordinate with Search and Rescue, he spoke quietly. "You sure about this?"
"No," she admitted. "But they're right—those caves are a maze. And right now, they're our best chance of finding wherever our killer's been hiding."