“You followed her up here.”
“I followed you both up here. I protect what’s mine. I overheard her talking on her cell phone this morning and telling someone that she intended to make her move today to eliminate you. She suspected that you’d found the second earring and that you were searching the library for the location of the necklace. It made her furious. She knew that you were being protected by the FBI and the CIA and she was still going to find a way to hurt you. So I did what I had to do.”
“Do you know who she was talking to?” Piper asked. “Did she say why she wanted to eliminate me?”
Lightman shrugged. “The sapphires. She believes they belong to her. Just as I believe you belong to me.” He raised the gun and pointed it at her. “I’m a little more wary of the FBI and the CIA than she was. I’m sure they’ll be along shortly, so we’ll climb down together. Ready?”
READY WAS THE LAST THING HE was, Duncan thought as he and Daryl finally reached the cave where he and Piper had found the earring. He’d kept the fear and anger on a very tight leash as he’d listened to that maniac talk about his obsession with her. Instead, he’d focused his energy on crawling as fast as he could through the narrow tunnel near the falls. But the thought of her having to climb down to the beach with Lightman had his fear threatening to take control.
All he could think was that he hadn’t said nearly enough to her last night and he’d kept his distance all day. He hadn’t told her what she’d come to mean to him. He hadn’t told her he loved her. So they had to get to her in time. And they still had two tunnels and a cave to go.
Crossing the cave where they’d found the earring, he’d stepped into the next tunnel with Daryl close behind when he heard Piper’s voice again. “They’re going to know I’m missing by now. Sheriff Skinner will be looking all along the lake for Deanna and me.”
“We’ll have to take our chances,” Lightman said.
“My sisters and I played a lot in these caves when we were little,” Piper said. “I know another way out.”
Duncan met Daryl’s eyes as silence stretched for three beats.
“Tell me about this other way out,” Lightman finally said.
“This is the first of three caves connected by tunnels that finally reach to ground level. We’ll come out in the woods near a waterfall.”
Two more beats of silence.
“I’ll hold the flashlight,” Lightman said. “Lead the way.”
“She’s bringing him to us,” Duncan whispered to Daryl. “We have to beat them to the center cave.”
Piper spoke over him. “The tunnel to the first cave is short. And there’s this big boulder in the middle cave that we’ll have to get around. It’ll take some time. And the second tunnel is longer.”
Duncan immediately held a hand up to Daryl. She was talking as much to him as to Lightman, reminding him of the layout. Signaling him? She was right about the fact that the first tunnel was the shortest. He spoke softly again to Daryl. “I think she has a plan. We’ll get as close as we can to the end of this tunnel and still keep out of sight.” Then he pulled out his gun. Daryl did the same.
PIPER FORCED HERSELF TO breathe in and out slowly, evenly, as she led the way to the center cave. She could only hope that Duncan had read between the lines of what she’d been saying to Lightman. More, she hoped her plan would work. To give it just a little more credibility, she slid on some of the loose stones underfoot and slapped her hand against the side wall of the tunnel. “Watch your step,” she said to Lightman.
“Watch yours,” he said back to her.
The fact that he was holding the flashlight and her body blocked much of the light slowed their progress. If he’d given it to her, she might have used it as a weapon. But Lightman was no dummy. So she was going to have to use what came to hand. When they stepped into the center cave, he swept the light around, throwing long shadows on the walls before he let it come to rest on the opening of the next tunnel.
There was enough spillage for her to get a good look at the large boulder that had once blocked off most of the tunnel. There were plenty of pebbles and rocks at its base. Without giving herself the chance to think any further, she strode toward it. The instant her foot struck some of the stones, she let it slide out from beneath her, then fell, making sure to hit her head as hard as she dared against the boulder on the way down. She heard the sound of the impact, saw stars, and fell so that she landed on her side. Before he could get the light fully aimed at her, she wrapped her fingers tightly around a rock the size of a baseball.
“Get up. You tried that same trick to distract Ms. Lewis. It won’t work with me.”
“Hit … my … head.” The beam of light blinded her, but it pinpointed his position. It also allowed her to see the gleaming chrome of the gun. She sat up, careful to keep the rock out of his sight.
“Get up,” he repeated.
He wasn’t going to come any closer. By the time she threw the rock, he’d have a bullet in her. Then she heard exactly what she’d been hoping for, a slide of rocks in the tunnel behind her.
Lightman shifted his gun and the light toward the tunnel’s opening. Piper used all her strength to hurl the rock at him. She heard the sound of it hitting flesh and bone before two shots rang out nearly simultaneously. She saw Lightman pitch to the ground and heard the crash of his flashlight. Then for a moment everything went black.
“Stay down.” It was Duncan’s voice.
She was perfectly happy to obey the order. Her head ached. Every bone in her body ached.
“I’ll take care of Lightman.” Daryl’s voice now. She saw two shadows rush out of the tunnel. “You see to Piper.”
Aiming his flashlight at her, Duncan dropped to his knees. “You’re bleeding. Did he shoot you?”
“I’m fine.” She touched her forehead gingerly and felt the blood. “I did that to myself. I had to make it look good when I fell.”
She had, Duncan thought. Too good. He’d heard her head connect with that boulder. He used the flashlight to check her eyes, but the pupils weren’t dilated.
“Lightman isn’t shot, either,” Daryl said. “Looks like she knocked him out cold with a rock.”
The relief that rushed through Duncan erupted in a laugh as he sat down beside her and scooped her onto his lap. “I don’t know why I was worried about you.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers and, trembling, he found everything. Everything.
“If you two want to come up for air for a minute,” Daryl said, “I’ve got some more good news.”
“What?” Duncan raised his head, but he didn’t loosen his hold on Piper.
“Lightman has some interesting items in his backpack—a white sheet, several plastic bags filled with rose petals. I’d say this stuff, along with what I recorded from the wire on Piper, should be enough to send him away for a very long time.”
“Are his reading glasses in there?” Piper asked.
“They are,” Daryl said.
“They’re going to connect him to at least one other RPK victim.” Then she told them what she’d discovered in the file. “They have to be in an evidence bag somewhere, and they may have his prints on them. I’ll bet he doesn’t even remember he left them behind. And you may even be able to trace his purchases. Those are expensive designer frames.”
Daryl glanced over at her. “You sure you want to practice law? I could use someone with your eye for detail in my office.”
“The FBI could use her, too,” Duncan said.
“I