“Well, that was graceful,” Lonetree said. He recovered the swing by pulling in the guide rope. He attached it to a hook in the wall.
Jack dragged himself to his feet, realizing that Lonetree had just saved his life. “Thanks, I owe you.”
“No problem. Just know that I collect on my debts. Come on. This way.”
The passage made a ninety-degree turn and then continued on a downward slope. The going was easy and they were both able to walk upright down the trail. Jack checked his watch. Time seemed non-existent underground. He couldn’t believe they had already been in the cave for almost an hour.
Lonetree crouched by a fissure at the base of the rock face at the far end of the gallery. When Jack looked down into the narrow slit a nervous laugh escaped from his throat. The hole Lonetree pointed to was impossibly small. There was no way they would be able to fit through it.
“You can’t be serious.” Jack said
“It’s not as bad as you think. I’ll guide you through it. What we came for is on the other side of this wall.”
That made Jack stand up straighter. The downward climb had become an endless series of galleries separated by tight spots, or squeeze holes as he’d come to think of them. Each one presented its own challenge and its own sense of accomplishment after he pulled himself through it. Now there was only one more squeeze hole between him and the mystery that had brought him this far.
Still, the spot Lonetree hovered over was no more than a crack on the rock, a limestone rabbit hole. Worse, the hole went straight into the floor of the cave and then turned like an elbow joint. How could they crawl through that angle?
As if reading his mind Lonetree began his instructions. He jumped down and stood in the hole. Lowering himself carefully, he threaded his feet and legs into the crevice. “You have to go feet first to get through this bend here. Sit down in this hole and push your feet into the passage as you slide down, just like this.”
“Why feet first?”
Lonetree shrugged. “To get through this first curve head first you’d have to start upside down, doing a handstand. Besides, it’s possible to get stuck on this one. This way you’ll have more leverage to pull yourself out.”
Jack groaned, wishing his caving partner hadn’t felt the need to be so truthful.
“Now once in, you’ll need to rotate on your right hip and curl your legs. It’s an ‘S’ curve so you need to adjust back to the left side when you hit the other curve. Got it?”
“No. But let’s do it anyway.”
Lonetree curled his hand into a fist and bounced it a couple of times off the top of Jack’s boot, like an athlete psyching up his teammate when they needed a big play. Jack appreciated the gesture. He hated to admit it but he was starting to like the big man. Then, with a wide grin, Lonetree clutched the rock face around the opening and pulled his body into the wall.
FIFTY
Lauren couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. The trembling started with the call from the emergency room nurse. Usually an unflappable woman who was calm under the most extreme situations, Nurse Haddie’s panicked voice on the phone had been intense enough to make the bile rise on the back of Lauren’s throat. The nurse’s words still crashed around in Lauren’s head as she ran down the stairs to the first floor of the hospital. Each word was like a nail being pounded into her brain.
I can’t find Sarah, Dr. Tremont. She’s gone. I can’t find her anywhere.
The doctor in her rifled through a hundred rational explanations for her daughter’s disappearance. A game of hide and seek. A trip to the bathroom. A fight with her sister.
The mom in her screamed the alternatives. She was hurt and couldn’t call out for help. She wandered outside and was hit by a car. And the worse fear. The unspeakable fear. Somebody had taken her. It happened thousands of times every year. But it couldn’t be happening to her baby. No, not her baby.
She thought about calling Jack but decided against it. Sarah could be around the corner, or pouting somewhere because she was in a fight with her sister. Why worry Jack until she knew what was going on? Besides, he might not be able to handle any more stress right now. The thought made her grimace. She had just gotten used to counting on Jack again. Now, she felt the old feelings of abandonment return. She suddenly felt very alone.
Lauren shoved at the heavy metal door at the bottom of the stairs. She turned left and broke into a run toward the emergency room. She could hear voices down the hall, loud and with an edge of panic. Two male orderlies walked down the hall toward her, calling out for her little girl like they were looking for a dog that had run off. When they saw her, they shook their heads. Lauren recognized one of them, Ned Brickman, a kind old man, the resident grandfather. He had over a dozen young grandchildren and from the pain on his face she could tell he was living through the nightmare scenario with her, as if Sarah were one of his own.
“We’ll find her, Doc,” the old man reassured her. “Probably jus’ run off to play or somethin’. You know how kids get. Don’t you worry, now. We’ll find her.”
Lauren forced a smile but Ned’s concerned expression only made her hurry faster to the emergency room. The nurse was there, trying to calm Becky down and ask her questions at the same time. Becky shouted when she saw her mother and ran over to her, tears covering her cheeks. Lauren wrapped her up in her arms and squeezed her tight. She looked up at the nurse, “What happened?”
“I was watching them. I swear it. They were playing fine so I walked over to get my charts. Then the phone rang and I…” Her voice trailed off as she fought back her own tears.
Lauren didn’t have the patience to wait for the woman to pull herself together. “How long? How long were they out of your sight?”
“Five minutes. Ten tops. Then Becky came in and asked if I’d seen her sister around. I looked all over this floor, all the bathrooms, called the other nurse stations. No one’s seen her. That’s when I called you. I’m so sorry, I—”
Lauren shot her a look that ended the apology. She didn’t need Becky to hear any more panic. She hugged her daughter just long enough to calm her down, then she pushed her back and held her in front of her at arm’s length.
“Becky, we just need to find your sister. O.K.?” She waited until Becky nodded. “All right. Can you tell me where you saw her last?”
Becky made a few false starts, each time her voice catching in her throat as the tears continued to pour. Lauren rubbed the girl’s back and pushed back the stray hairs from her face.
“I dunno…she said she had to go potty…she wanted me to go with her but I didn’t. I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry.”
Lauren hugged her. “It’s O.K., sweetie. We’ll find her. She’s just somewhere in the hospital. It’s not a big deal, all right? I don’t want you to worry.” Becky nodded. “Good. Now I want you to stay here while I go look for your sister.”
“Noooo,” Becky whined, grabbing on to her mother’s clothes. “I want to stay with you.”
“Listen, I need you to stay here in case she comes back this way, all right? I won’t be gone long.” She hefted Becky into the air and sat her down on the padded receptionist’s chair. She turned to the nurse and snapped, “Watch her.”
The statement came out loaded with accusation. The nurse lowered her eyes to the ground and Lauren immediately felt a pang of guilt. She couldn’t help feeling angry even though she knew it was unfair. How many times had she left the girls alone for ten minutes while she worked down the hall from her office? A dozen times? Two dozen?
She made a mental note to apologize to the nurse later, but for now she had no time to think of anything except finding her baby. With one last smile at Becky she left the emergency room and walked back out to the main hallway. She could hear Ned Brickman and the other orderly still calling out Sarah’s name. Lauren wondered if Sarah would come out if she heard these men calling for her.