Chapter 7
Seven
MAYA HONESTLY didn’t know where she’d left her brain.
She should be getting some rest in order to be on call all night if she was needed, but instead, she found herself back on a snowmobile—one she wouldn’t let out of her sight this time—and heading back up the mountain beside Gideon.
He was to her right, with Lila following. He slowed as they approached the area.
She glanced behind them, grateful to see that they were the only snowmobilers on the slope. She cruised to a stop when he did, climbed off, and pocketed the key. Lila hung back, obviously wanting to keep an eye on the area.
“What do you think you saw?” Maya asked him.
“I’m not sure. It looked like a hole in the snow, and there was a flat piece of wood off to the side. I reported it when I finished doing some digging on the entrance, but they’re so busy trying to get us out of here, I’m not sure anyone thought it worthwhile to investigate.”
“And you do?”
“I guess. It’s weird enough to make me curious. I want to see what it is.”
“All right then, let’s go.”
Skiers whipped past one after the other while she and Gideon made their way to the edge of the avalanche slide. “How did you spot anything in this?”
“Well, I was up a little on the snowmobile and the hole was inside the edge of the slide with the other piece of wood down a bit.” He walked along the side with her on his heels, looking for what he could be talking about.
“And there it is,” he said. “We’ll have to climb over all of this. You up for it?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
Gideon climbed over from the smooth section of snow and into the area filled with large slabs of ice and snow, rocks and trees. “Be careful,” he said. He offered his hand, and she grabbed it and let him help her over to stand beside him.
She looked around, spotted what he’d seen, and did a double take. “That’s not a hole. That’s a cave. Or . . . something?”
“No way.” He made his way carefully toward the opening. Maya stayed right behind him, stepping where he stepped right up to the “hole.” He peered in, then looked back at her, a flash of excitement in his eyes. “You’re right. It’s a cave.”
“Let me guess. You want to go in.”
“You don’t?”
“Um, not really. It could cave in.” She smirked.
“I see what you did there, but if the weight of an avalanche didn’t collapse it, I would think it would be all right.”
She crossed her arms and scowled at him. “I’m trying to stay alive, remember?”
He sighed. “Lila’s up there looking at us like she’s going to come rescue you.”
“I might just let her.” But she did kind of want to go in. When had she turned into such a wimp? If they’d found this twenty years ago, she would have been the first one inside. She put a hand on his arm. “What’s that?” She pointed to the slab of wood ten yards down.
He pulled his phone out and took a picture, then zoomed in on it. “It’s a door, I think. Curved at the top with a black handle and . . . nails.”
Maya looked back at the entrance. “The door to the cave. They nailed it shut?”
“That’s what it looks like.” He tucked his phone away. “Okay,” he said, “stay here with Lila. I’m going in.”
“I guess I could go with you.” She wasn’t excited about the idea, and yet a small flame of adventure flickered inside her. Then again, closed dark spaces didn’t agree with her.
“Well, now that you’ve decided to go in, let me do a little recon first. I don’t want to ask you to do anything dangerous. I once built a house in a cave. You won’t believe all the construction stuff I had to learn to do that and the pros I called in. So let me take a look. You stay put with Lila.”
She waved him on. He disappeared into the black hole, phone flashlight on high. Lila walked over to stand next to Maya on the other side of the avalanche edge. “Should we be worried?” she asked.
“Probably.”
Lila glanced around. “I don’t think anyone followed us. But Ben just went past.”
“He’s by himself or with the boys?”
“Alone.”
“You like him, don’t you?”
The pretty officer flushed. “It doesn’t matter. He seems to have his heart set on you.”
Maya wrinkled her nose at the woman. “Well, my heart isn’t set on him, so feel free to charm him.”
Lila smiled and shrugged. “I leave stuff like that in the Lord’s hands.”
“A very good place to leave it.” She should probably follow Lila’s lead on that. Maya walked to the entrance. “Gideon? You okay in there?” No answer.
She looked back at Lila, who scrambled over the edge to join her at the opening. “Gideon?”
“I’m here!” He sounded far away. “I’ll be there in a minute!”
Maya looked at Lila. “Well, doesn’t look like this is going to cave in on him, so I guess I’ll—”
“Hey, what are you guys doing?”
Ben slid to a professional stop next to the edge.
“Checking out this little cave in the side of the mountain,” Maya said. “Gideon went in to make sure it’s safe.”
He raised a brow. “Interesting. Maybe all those rumors about a hidden treasure are true after all.”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
“Shouldn’t you let ski patrol know about this?”
“Gideon reported it, but Lila can give them more information now.”
A gloved hand rubbed his chin. “A cave, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, I’ve got to admit, that’s really cool.” He stepped out of his skis and planted them straight up in the snow, did the same with his poles, and climbed over into the avalanche chaos to join them.
Maya stepped aside and let him take a look just as Gideon reappeared. When he saw Ben, he pulled up short. “Oh. Hi.”
“Hey. Mom’s watching the boys, so I decided to get in a few runs. I was skiing past and saw you all out here. Thought I’d be nosy and see what you were up to.”
Gideon shrugged. “Just doing a little exploring.”
“Is it dangerous?” Lila asked.
“It’s actually not a cave. It’s a network of tunnels. There were a few places that had collapsed and some tunnels that were blocked, but for the most part, surprisingly, it’s pretty solid. I’d love to examine the blueprints of this and see where everything leads—how it was built and when.”
“Spoken like a true construction guy,” Maya said.
“The resort was built in the 1920s if I remember correctly. Looks like they simply put a door on the tunnel, built up the ground beneath to make the run straight and smooth, then packed snow on top. Obviously, the avalanche undid all of that. How fascinating.” She looked at Lila.
“Ski patrol needs to block all this off before some teens decide it’ll be a grand adventure to go exploring. ”
“I can’t call it in, obviously,” Lila said, “but as soon as we head down, I’ll let someone know.”
Gideon nodded. He glanced at Maya. “You want to take a look?”
She shook her head. “I’ll admit to a bit of claustrophobia and stay out here after all.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that,” Ben said. He looked at Lila. “Interested?”
“Very, but my job is out here at the moment.” She glanced at Maya, then the area around them. Skiers and snowboarders whipped past, and Maya could see the workers beyond the roof of the lodge still working on the blocked resort entrance.
Gideon waved Ben to the cave entry. “Help yourself before you lose the opportunity.”
Ben laughed and shook his head. “Naw, that’s okay. I guess with two boys I shouldn’t take any chances.” He nodded to the three of them. “Can I help do anything? Like head down and let someone know about the area?”
Lila nodded. “Yeah, actually, that would be super helpful. No one from ski patrol has arrived yet, so I’m a little concerned. Another report won’t hurt. Ask for Samantha Davies. She’s head of security and will make sure ski patrol is aware and maintenance secures this so no one gets hurt.”
“On the way.” Within minutes, he had his skis back on and was racing down the mountain to the lodge.
Soon, the three of them were on the snowmobiles and not too far behind.
After they turned the machines in, they grabbed coffee and found seats in the café.
Lila sat next to Maya. Just as Gideon took the seat opposite them, a teen ran up to them.
“Dr. Del said to come find you. She said Mr. Webb was getting worse and she wanted you to take a look at him.”
Maya rose. “Of course.” She looked at the others. “There are all kinds of doctors here, but not one cardiologist. Apparently, I have the most experience when it comes to that area.”
Gideon stood too. “We’re coming with you.”
She nodded and they all followed the teen out the door.
When Maya walked into the clinic, she spotted Del bent over Mr. Webb doing compressions. She hurried over. “When did this start?”
“Two minutes ago. He’s in V-fib and the AED wasn’t working. Need someone to find another.” The woman’s dark eyes met Maya’s, but she didn’t stop her pumping on the man’s chest.
“Where is one?”
“The main lodge or the restaurant. There are a few all over the resort.”
“I’ll be right back,” Gideon said and bolted.
Maya grabbed the mouthpiece from the first aid kit and inserted it between the patient’s lips. She gave him breaths until Gideon returned. Working quickly, they got the pads on him and hooked up. Two shocks later and he was back in rhythm.
Del placed her fingers on the man’s neck. “Thank you, Lord.”
Maya checked. “And he’s breathing.”
He was still unconscious, but he was alive. For the moment. She looked up to find Gideon, Lila, and the teen watching. “Mr. Webb needs a hospital. We need to get out of here so we can call for help. Now.”
Gideon nodded. “That’s the new goal. Find a way out or a way to call for help.” He sucked in a breath and looked at Lila. “All right, let’s head back to the café and we’ll see if we can map out a plan.”
Maya gripped Del’s hand. “You and the others have this?”
“For now. We’ll come get you if we need you.”
“Okay. Good.” She nodded that she was ready, and they made their way out the door, only to run into Vance.
He stopped short. “Oh, hi.”
“Hey, man, everything okay?” Gideon asked.