Chapter 12 #2
They tiptoed down the stairs, and she showed him the door behind her brother’s bookcases. It too had a lock, but this one sat behind a stack of books.
“It doesn’t appear anyone has tampered with these.” He walked over to the window, but was frustrated when he couldn’t see that section of the beach.
“Can anyone get in the house from the beach?” he asked.
She thought about it. “No, not unless there are more secret passages. But after Faye and Nate discovered these passages, Max went through the entire place and didn’t find any more.
They did find a smaller tunnel in the basement that led to what they believed was an old storeroom.
It’s far underground, but it doesn’t go out to the beach, that they could find.
That is why they have a lock on the basement door.
We didn’t want Charlotte getting lost down there. ”
He nodded. “So, whoever is out on the beach must know about the caves?”
She shrugged. He turned to her, meeting her eyes.
“Does Ted know about them?”
She stilled and he could see the fear in her eyes. “Charlotte might have mentioned something to him during one of their visitations. She was so excited that Faye had found the diamond, and she overheard us talking about the tunnels.”
He nodded. “Let’s go back upstairs. I want to see if whoever is down there comes out. I think I’m going to call Aiden too. Just in case.”
“I… I think I’m going to go stay in Charlotte’s room tonight. I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“Would it be okay if we brought her in your room for the night? I can take the sofa so you two can have the bed,” he suggested.
She nodded and they made their way up the stairs.
He gathered Charlotte and laid her on the bed with Ally.
For a long time, he stood by the window, watching.
Since it was late, instead of calling Aiden, he shot him a text message telling him what was up and that he was thinking of exploring the tunnels first thing in the morning.
“Be careful. Let me know if you need backup,” Aiden responded. He gave them the thumbs-up and turned off his phone.
He couldn’t see a boat or pretty much anything, since the snow was still falling in huge clumps. It looked like a white sheet in front of the windows, blocking out any view.
“Tomorrow morning, I’m going to want to go down there,” he told Ally, turning back to the bed.
She was curled up with Charlotte and looked so tired.
“You’ll have to go at low tide,” she mumbled.
He frowned. “Do the tunnels fill up with water?” He glanced back out the window.
She nodded. “Some of the way, yes.” He saw her shiver.
“I’ll start a fire in here so it will be nice and cozy for you both.” He turned and got to work.
She surprised him by walking over and wrapping her arms around him, then kissing him. “Thank you for being someone who understands.”
He nodded. “Ted must have been a real monster.”
She sighed. “He still is.”
The next morning, Joe had a kink in his neck, and he never wanted to sleep on a sofa again. It would have been perfectly comfortable for someone a foot shorter than he was.
Charlotte had bounced out of bed and headed downstairs with Ally so that he could shower and change into clothes. He was going to head down to the beach after breakfast.
The morning light slanted through the frosted windows as he walked down the stairs. He liked the way the sunbeams painted soft gold colors across the hardwood floors. It felt cozy, warm, like a home.
An hour later, the smell of the sweet syrup they’d had on their pancakes and the tang of coffee lingered in the air. He enjoyed the sound of Charlotte’s laughter as she watched cartoons.
The little girl was curled up in the chair by the window, still in her fuzzy robe, occasionally sipping her hot chocolate with extra sprinkles.
Ally was on the sofa, folding laundry. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and the pair of them looked so at home, he almost didn’t want to go down into the cold dark tunnels.
“Be careful,” Ally said softly.
She’d given him the map that her brother had drawn of all the tunnels they had found. He’d found a flashlight, which was more like a floodlight, in the kitchen cupboard. The thing easily weighed ten pounds.
“I will. I just want to make sure everything’s secure,” he said, leaning down to brush a kiss against her temple. “I won’t be gone long.”
She hesitated, searching his face. “Call me if you need help.”
He gave her a nod. “We can head out and pick up that surprise and see that place I was telling you about when I get back.”
“We’ll be dressed and ready,” she promised. “Ten minutes,” she warned Charlotte, who groaned.
Everything begged him to stay right there where it was warm and happy. Instead, he adjusted the strap of the flashlight over his shoulder and glanced at the map.
He hadn’t seen whoever was down on the beach last night leave. It could be due to the weather or it could be that they were still down there. Which is why he’d strapped his holster and weapon under his thick coat. He’d made sure not to let Ally see it. He didn’t want to cause her more worry.
After looking at the map, he decided to use the entrance in Max’s office, since it was the easiest to get in and out of. Besides, it stopped him from having to go up a flight of stairs only to go down back down.
The lock was still secure behind the book Ally had shown him the night before. He reached up, slid it open, and eased the entire bookcase open. A rush of cold, damp air swept out toward him, along with the smell of earth and salt water.
He shivered and flicked on his flashlight. The beam cut through the darkness, revealing a narrow stone passage. He ducked inside and closed the door behind him.
The air grew colder the deeper he went, and the ceiling dripped steadily, causing him to hunch over slightly.
It felt like he could hear his heartbeat echoing in the dark.
The map showed a long stretch leading downward, a few turns, then an opening into what Max had labeled the “Diamond Chamber.” He assumed it was where Faye and Nate had found the Ocean’s Heart diamond.
By the time he reached it, his boots were damp from the floor, which was still slightly wet. The passage widened into a large cavern with low ceilings and walls. He swept the beam of light across the floor and froze.
There, near the far wall, a dark figure lay crumpled in a heap on the stone ground.
“Hello?” he called out, wondering if whoever it was had fallen or, worse, had gotten caught at high tide in part of the tunnel and hadn’t made it out.
Joe’s stomach clenched. He stepped closer, slowly. When the light from the flashlight hit the man’s pale face, he drew in a sharp breath.
Peterson.
The guy’s body was already stiff, as if he’d been there for hours. His clothes were wet and half frozen. A large dark stain marked the side of his chest. He took a step closer and realized it was from a gunshot wound.
He crouched down and checked for any sign of life, but there was obviously none. The man had most likely been gone from the moment he’d been shot.
So, was this was who they had seen poking around on the beach? Who had shot him? Why?
He straightened and pulled out his phone from his pocket, his thumb hovering over Aiden’s number, but then he realized that there wasn’t any signal in the caves. The walls were too thick.
“Damn it,” he muttered, shoving the phone back in his jacket.
His pulse was pounding as he gave the cavern another sweep with his light to make sure he was alone.
There were a few scuff marks near the body, like there had been a struggle.
A few footprints deep in the sand were half washed away.
Someone other than Peterson had been down here.
He looked at Peterson’s boots and could tell instantly that the other shoe marks weren’t his.
He snapped a few photos of both prints, but the images didn’t really do them justice. He zoomed into what he thought was the other shoe print, then he headed back up the tunnel with his senses on high alert.
When he reached the door, he stepped through and locked it behind him. The moment he saw the bars appear on his phone screen, he hit the call button. He decided to stay in the office for now
“Aiden? It’s Joe,” he said in a low voice. “You’d better get over here. I found Peterson.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Aiden said.
“It’s not,” he agreed grimly, glancing toward the door.
He could hear Ally and Charlotte upstairs, most likely getting dressed for their fun outing, which would have to be postponed.
“He’s dead. Shot in the back from the looks of it.
I found him in the tunnels under the lighthouse. It appears he’s been there all night.”
“You think he was the one you saw last night?”
“Yeah, but he sure the hell didn’t shoot himself in the back.”
Aiden sighed. “We’ll be right over. Don’t go back down there.”
“Got it,” he said and hung up.
“Is everything okay?” Ally said from the door, making him jump.