Chapter Thirteen

Josie saw it in Clay’s body language. In the way he hung up the phone, his head bent, the weight of the conversation heavy on his broad shoulders.

When he looked over at her, she felt the floor drop out from under her. “Odell’s alive.”

Clay pulled her into his arms. “At least now we know who and what we’re up against,” he said, sounding almost relieved.

Her worst fears had come true. Odell Burton had her child. A child conceived by a man Odell hated and born to a woman he’d sworn to destroy.

“Oh, Clay, he’ll kill her if he hasn’t already.”

“No, Josie,” he said, pulling back to look into her face. He shook her gently, until her gaze locked with his. “He’s just using Ivy to get to us. We have the advantage, though. We know Odell. And he doesn’t realize that we’re on to him.”

She struggled to find hope in his words, in the fierce, confident look in his eyes. “But Odell knows us, Clay. He’ll anticipate anything we do.”

“Josie, do you want to go to the police? It’s your decision.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “All these years of everyone telling me what to do and you pick now to let me make a decision like this?”

“I can make the decision, Josie, but you’re Ivy’s mother. It should be your decision.”

She looked into his dark eyes. Ivy’s eyes. “Knowing Odell, I’m afraid to do anything that might jeopardize our daughter’s life. He’s not bluffing. He’ll kill Ivy if we call the police.”

Clay let out a sigh. “I agree. Odell’s too unstable for us to take any chances.”

The phone rang again. This time they both knew who it would be.

 

JOSIE FELT NUMB as they drove out of Three Forks under a dark, hopeless night sky. The Jefferson River moved along dull as lead under the black rough edge of the mountains cut against the skyline.

She held the backpack with the bag of jewels in her lap, her fingers kneading the silken material, feeling the cold of the rocks beneath. Her emotions ran from hope to hate, from fear to murderous rage. She wanted to kill Odell. She thought she could have with her bare hands.

“We’re going to have to work together,” Clay said from beside her.

She nodded. She just wanted her daughter back. Whatever it took. But numb, frozen fear made her want to curl up in a ball and cry and pretend this wasn’t happening.

Clay had repeated the kidnapper’s instructions to her when he got off the phone. The words had again been electronically altered but now they knew why. Both she and Clay would have recognized Odell’s voice.

They were to bring a backpack. It was to contain only two small flashlights, one votive candle, one pack of paper matches and the jewels. Nothing more.

At some point along the way, the backpack would be checked and they would be searched. If they brought anything else, especially any type of weapon, they would never know what happened to their child.

Clay drove southwest past Three Forks, taking Highway 287 toward Ennis. At the junction, he stopped to look under a large stone next to the stop sign. More instructions. He was to take Highway 2 toward Whitehall.

But as he got back into the truck, he let out a curse. “He’s leading us to Lewis and Clark Caverns.”

Josie felt herself go weak. “I’d forgotten about his fascination with caves.” It explained the odd mixture of items they had been instructed to bring in the backpack. It explained—

“The map!” they both said in unison.

“The map the sheriff found on Raymond,” Clay said excitedly. “It’s the inside of the caverns.”

Josie sat up a little straighter, hope rushing through her.

“Do you think you can draw it?” he asked as she snapped on the cab light to dig in the glove box as he drove. She found a pen and a Burger King napkin. “Wasn’t Pit the first name on the map?”

“Yes.” She quickly drew what she remembered with Clay’s help. “Remember the word End circled in red?”

“Yeah. I would imagine that’s where he plans to make the trade,” Clay said. “And the word, Paradise just before the word Finish.”

“He thinks he’ll have the jewels,” she said, not wanting to voice her real fear. That for Odell, paradise would only be if he’d gotten the jewels, destroyed her and Clay—and won.

Clay found more instructions just before the turnoff for Lewis and Clark Caverns, not that he hadn’t already anticipated what they would say. “Go up the mountain and into the caverns. Keep going. More instructions will be posted once inside.”

The narrow paved road curled up the mountain in tight switchbacks. The headlights cut a narrow swatch through the dense trees, the darkness close and low.

The road ended in a small paved parking lot. Several small buildings stood against the night sky. Two vehicles sat in the lot. A rental car and an old pickup truck with local plates.

Clay drove in and parked away from both of them. He killed the engine and the headlights. A faint light glowed near one of the buildings.

“Oh, God, Clay, someone else is here,” she whispered.

He took the backpack from her, saying nothing as he opened his door and got out. She followed, hurrying to catch up to him. He had the backpack slung over his shoulder and one of the flashlights in his hand. The golden disk of light bobbed across the pavement in front of him as Clay neared the only other light on the mountain.

Just as she caught up to Clay, he stopped and turned to try to shield her from something on the ground. At first all she glimpsed was the source of the faint light she’d seen from the truck. A flashlight lay on the ground, the beam dim as if the batteries were running low.

Past it, she caught sight of a pair of boots connected to two jeans-clad legs sticking out from behind the building.

Clay knelt down, then straightened. “The security guard,” he whispered. “He’s dead.”

She glanced at the poor man on the ground. Her heart hammered, her pulse thundering at her temple. Odell had already killed once tonight and he had Ivy.

Her limbs suddenly felt as though they were made of stone. She stared at the mountain ahead, too afraid to move. Tears burned in her eyes. She wanted to howl like the wounded animal she was.

She felt Clay’s hand on her face. He cupped her jaw and pulled her into him. She buried her face in his chest, absorbing the warm feel of his jacket, the safe feel of his arms around her.

“We’re going to get her back,” he whispered. “I promise you, Josie. You just have to trust me.”

She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her cheek, his arms around her, strong but gentle. Trust, that was something they’d never had. She looked up into his face beneath the wide brim of his Stetson. Steely determination shone in his eyes. But something more. His love for Ivy.

“Trust me?” he whispered.

She straightened and let out a ragged breath. “I trust you.”

“We can do this, Josie,” he whispered as he brushed a tear from her cheek.

She nodded, catching his large, warm hand and bringing it to her lips before letting him go.

He handed her the flashlight and motioned for her to lead the way up the path to the cavern entrance. She took a step, then another, each growing a little stronger. Instead of looking ahead, she watched only the few feet of path she could see in front of her. One step at a time. Don’t think. Just walk.

She did, trying to hold back the horrible thoughts that bombarded her. Trying to keep from looking off the steep drop to her left as the path climbed the mountain. Or looking too far into the future.

She had to believe in Clay. Believe in herself. She wasn’t still that scared young girl that Odell had bullied in Texas. But he didn’t know that. He would expect her to cower, to beg, to cry. That’s the way he liked her.

She lengthened her strides, breathing in the night air, feeling strength in her legs, in her heart. She could hear Clay behind her and thanked God he was here.

The smell hit her first. Dead, cold air, wrought with an age-old dampness.

She slowed. A gaping hole yawned in the side of the mountain. The once locked, barred door that had sealed it shut now hanging open. Ivy’s favorite teddy bear hung from one of the bars.

Clay gently pulled the worn teddy bear down, drawing it to his face. It smelled like her. He breathed in the scent of her, then pulled Josie to him, holding them both for a long moment.

Then he handed the bear to Josie.

She was crying softly, but when he met her gaze, her eyes gleamed with determination. His heart ached as he watched her hug the bear to her as she would have Ivy.

He stared into the dark, ominous opening. Unlike what he’d told Josie, Odell had every advantage. All they had was their love for their daughter.

An owl screeched somewhere nearby, giving him a start. In the distance, a car engine droned on the highway below them. Nothing but silence came from within the cave.

Unlike Odell, he’d never liked caves and didn’t like the idea of being trapped underground with a madman. Worse yet, the last thing he wanted to do was take Josie in with him. But he knew neither of them had any choice.

Odell was calling the shots. At least for the moment.

“Stay close,” he whispered to Josie as he pulled the second flashlight from the pack. “And remember what I said.” His gaze met hers for a moment, then he pointed the flashlight beam into the caverns and stepped through the rock arch, with Josie close behind.

Inside, their footfalls echoed off the walls of carved stone. Their flashlights did little to hold back the darkness. Clay moved slowly at first, feeling his way, expecting Odell to ambush them at any time.

They hadn’t gone far when he felt Josie clutch at the back of his jacket, grabbing a handful of cloth. Overhead, the ceiling came alive.

She let out a small choked cry as dozens of bats took flight, a scurry of wings and dark movement just inches above their heads.

“You all right?” he whispered back to her.

The hand on his back released its hold.

The path dropped downward in a series of cramped rock steps. At one point, he thought he heard a baby crying. He stopped to listen but could hear nothing but the drip of water deeper in the caverns, deeper in the endless darkness.

Not far in, they passed a shaft that dropped down to an open room. The Pit on the map Raymond had on him when he was killed?

The narrow path wound down another set of tight, steep steps that opened into a room filled with stalactites and stalagmites, then down along a small tunnel.

This time when it opened up, he saw that they were now at the bottom of the pit. Clay stopped to look up, feeling the hair rise on the back of his neck.

“Clay?”

He looked over at her, then where she pointed. A crudely written note instructed them to put down their flashlights, empty their pockets and the backpack onto the rock floor in the stationary beams of light. They were to open the bag of jewels so they could be seen from above, then put everything back and continue into the cave.

“Do as he says.” He laid his flashlight next to Josie’s and pulled out his pockets, then dumped the backpack contents to the floor.

He couldn’t see Odell. He wasn’t even sure Odell was up there, on the trail they’d been on just moments before, now looking down at them from the darkness. It made his skin crawl, though. The man had always been on the edge. From what Clay had seen so far, he’d say Odell had now gone off the deep end. He’d progressed from theft to kidnapping and murder. That was one hell of a leap, even for a man who’d faked his own death.

After a moment, he picked up the items from the floor, put them again into the backpack, including Ivy’s teddy bear. As he scooped up his flashlight from the floor, he saw Josie’s face. The look in her eyes gave him hope. All her maternal instincts burned in her gaze. She was like a mama lion going after her cub.

Not that he would have blamed her if she fell apart, but he was damned glad she hadn’t and he was counting on her to hold it together. For their daughter’s sake.

He couldn’t let himself think of Ivy as they dropped deeper and deeper into the mountain, the air becoming colder and wetter. Bats scurried in front of them, a restless, frantic sound that set his nerves on end.

Water dripped and ran down the sides of the stone walls. Deeper and deeper. The narrow passages opened into rooms filled with rock formations. Rock sculpted by water and time.

He retraced the map in his head. Pit. Garden. Waterfall. End. Paradise. Points of interest? Except for End.

He shone the flashlight across the rock formations, standing like sentries. If he was right, this was the Garden. He hurried along the rock path worn slick by the feet of thousands of sightseers. If he was right, the waterfall would be in the next room.

But when he reached it, there was no running water. He glanced over at Josie. She pointed with her flashlight at a wall of brown flowstone that rippled and ran downward. “The waterfall,” she whispered.

He nodded and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She reached for his hand, squeezed it, then quickly let go as she pointed her light into the darkness ahead.

They dropped down a tight, steep stairway carved in the rocks and into a huge room filled with boulders. The air seemed denser. Colder. He shone his flashlight beam across the expanse.

Eyes. His hand with the flashlight jerked. Slowly, his hand shaking, he scanned the light back across.

The figure sat against one of the stalagmites. For just that split second, Clay thought it was Odell. Then he heard Josie gasp, “Mildred!”

She was tied to the rock formation, gagged and bound. Blinded by their lights, her eyes widened with fear.

“It’s us,” Clay whispered as he climbed up to her. He kept his eye out for Odell as Josie removed the gag and untied her hands and feet.

“He’s got the baby,” Mildred cried. “He’s got Ivy.”

“Do you know where?” Josie asked.

She shook her head. “He left me here and took the baby.”

“It’s all right,” Clay assured her in a whisper. “Did you see where he went, which way?”

She shook her head, and he realized she’d been sitting here in the dark long enough that she’d become temporarily blind and disoriented.

He knew he couldn’t leave her here alone. Nor would it make sense to take her with them. He also knew that Odell had anticipated this.

“Josie, give her your flashlight.” Isn’t that what Odell had planned for the second flashlight? “Mildred, I want you to follow the trail back the way we just came. It will lead you out of here. You mustn’t be afraid.”

She nodded, looking scared, but tougher than most women her age. “You’re going to get him?”

Clay nodded. Or die trying. “When you get out, go to my truck, lock yourself inside and wait for us. The keys are in the truck.”

“You want me to go for help?”

“No, that might jeopardize Ivy’s life,” he said.

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. She took the flashlight and the keys. “I’ll wait for you.”

He waited until Mildred disappeared back through the cavern, then he looked over at Josie. Her jaw was set, her eyes dark and narrowed.

“Ready?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“I just want you to know,” he whispered, “you did the right thing with Ivy.” There was so much more he wanted to say to her, but he told himself there’d be time after they got Ivy back. After Odell really was dead and gone. This time for good.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and on impulse he leaned down to kiss her lips one last time before they got their daughter.

 

JOSIE FOLLOWED CLAY, her gaze on the small puddle of light that shone on the rock floor from his flashlight. The cave narrowed quickly, until she had to sit down and slide down a chute, the rocks overhead close and confining, cold to the touch.

Then the rock opened again. Clay flicked the light over a small room filled with stone statues huddled in thick clusters like lawn ornaments.

She knew they had to be getting close to the X on the map, which marked End. If they were right—

Off to her left, a faint light flashed on in one of the rock clusters. She swung around and let out a cry as Odell appeared out of the blackness like a ghost.

She clutched at Clay’s jacket, but she knew he’d seen him, too.

Odell stood among the tall, misshapen stone forms. The flashlight he held just under his chin shot eerie, pale light up over his stark features, making it appear that he’d just crawled from his grave.

“You bastard,” Clay swore.

Odell laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern, and lowered the flashlight. He’d wanted to scare them and he’d succeeded.

“Put your flashlight down,” he ordered, his flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. He pointed the gun at Clay’s chest, the flashlight beam at Clay’s knees.

He waited until Clay obliged, although Clay left the light on. The beam cut across the rock floor to shine like a small spotlight on one of the rough rock walls.

Odell moved toward them, keeping the gun aimed at Clay’s chest.

“Let me see the jewels,” he ordered.

Clay shook his head. “Where is Ivy?”

Josie saw that Odell had changed in the past two years. He’d lost weight. His face was gaunt, his eyes more deep-set, his body rangier. If anything, he looked meaner. Crazier.

“Not until I see the jewels,” he said.

Clay swung the backpack off one shoulder and pulled out the bag of jewels. He hefted it in his hands, keeping it out of Odell’s reach.

“I hope you brought the other things I told you to,” he said, then grinned, his dark eyes flashing with evil. “Of course you did. You want to see that baby of yours again, don’t you, Josie?”

“How could you involve an innocent child in this?” she cried. For even Odell, this was despicable. “What have you done with her? Tell me where she is, Odell.”

“Listen to you, woman. I don’t think you realize who you’re talking to. I’m not your boy Clay here.” His eyes narrowed, his face twisting into an angry sneer. “You talk nice to me if you want to see that kid again.”

“Ivy!” Josie called, the sound deafening in the cave. “Ivy?” The frantic sound echoed, then died into silence. “Ivy!”

“Quit that damn yelling,” Odell snapped. “She can’t hear you. I gave her a little something to help her sleep. Don’t worry, I asked a doctor. No matter what you think, I wouldn’t hurt her. Unless, of course, you make me.”

Odell snatched the bag of jewels from Clay’s hand. The bag came open and several jewels clattered to the floor of the cave. Odell’s flashlight beam dropped to them. “Wait a minute, these aren’t—”

Josie didn’t hear the rest. Hate as potent as jet fuel rocketed through her. She launched herself at Odell without words, without thought, without fear.

It happened in an instant.

Odell caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Shock registered on his face; this wasn’t the same easily intimidated woman he’d known in Texas.

He tried to swing the gun, to get it pointed at her before she hit him, but without any luck. She hit him hard, barreling into him, propelling him backward into the stalagmites.

He hit his arm on one. The gun clattered to the floor. She pounded at his chest, his face, his head. He caught hold of her, smacking her with the flashlight just as Clay lunged for him.

The blow from the flashlight sent her flying backward. She tripped over one of the stalagmites growing out of the floor and fell hard, banging her ankle as she went down, the pain piercing through her anger.

When she looked up, she saw Clay and Odell wrestling. The gun lay a few yards away, near Clay’s flashlight. Trying to ignore the pain, she slid over to it.

She’d almost reached the gun when she heard a loud crack behind her. She turned in time to see Odell’s hand holding the flashlight hit one of the stalactites. The light went out, throwing most of the room into darkness. Odell let out a curse.

In the shaft of light from Clay’s flashlight on the floor, she scooped up the gun, then the flashlight.

As she turned with both the gun and the light, she saw Clay slam Odell against the rock wall, his hands on Odell’s throat.

“Where is Ivy?” Clay demanded. When Odell didn’t answer, he threw him against the wall again, eliciting a groan from Odell.

“Don’t kill him,” she cried, trying to get to her feet. Her ankle wouldn’t take the weight. She slid toward them on her bottom, using her good foot to propel her.

The beam of her flashlight lit on Odell’s bulging face. “Clay, don’t kill him. He’s the only one who knows where Ivy is.”

He seemed to loosen his hold.

“Listen to her,” Odell gasped. “If you kill me, you’ll never find the kid.”

Clay instantly tightened his fingers on Odell’s throat. “But I’ll have the satisfaction of killing you.”

Odell’s eyes bulged. He tore at Clay’s hands around his neck to no avail.

“Where’s Ivy?” Clay demanded again.

Odell’s face twisted in panic.

“Last chance.” Clay tightened his grip on the man’s throat again.

Odell’s eyes went wild. He tried to move his head, but Clay had him pressed against the wall.

“She’s—” It came out a hiss.

Clay gave him a little more air.

Odell’s gaze flicked off to his right. “In the hole—”

The gunshot ricocheted through the cave, deafening. Odell slumped against the wall. Another shot filled the room.

Josie swung the beam of the flashlight in the direction she thought the shot had come from, pointing the gun toward an exit on the other side of the room.

Something moved, then disappeared around the corner of the cave wall, but not before she’d seen another light.

“Turn off the flashlight!” Clay cried. “You’re making yourself a target.”

She snapped off the light, her heart thundering in her chest, as the darkness enveloped them. Who in God’s name had shot Odell?

She felt Clay’s hand on hers. He took the gun, then the flashlight. She heard him move away from her. He shone the flashlight around the room.

Empty. Except for the rock sculptures. And Odell’s body on the floor, blood still pumping out of the wound in his chest.

She crawled over to him and took his face in her hands. A slight gasp escaped his lips.

“Where is my daughter? Don’t you dare die without telling me. Do you hear me, you bastard?”

“It’s too late, Josie,” Clay said from behind her, anguish distorting his voice.

“No,” she cried, and shook Odell’s head in her hands.

His eyes fluttered open. She watched him try to focus.

“Where’s Ivy?” she cried, her voice breaking. “Tell me, Odell. Tell me, damn you, or may you burn in hell.”

He looked up at her as if he might actually see her. “Crawl.” The word barely escaped his lips. “Crawl.” His eyes closed, and she felt the weight of his head in her hands and knew he was gone.

“Josie?” Clay asked.

She let Odell’s head drop back.

“Josie, we have to get out of here. The killer will be back. For the jewels. For us. Do you hear me?”

“I can’t walk, Clay. It’s my ankle. I think it’s broken, but I’m not leaving without Ivy.”

He shone the light on her ankle and let out a low curse. “I’ll carry you, but we have to leave, Josie. You have to listen to me—”

She shook her head. “We couldn’t move fast enough with you carrying me and you know it. The killer would catch us. You have to go after him.” She knew that’s what he wanted to do. He was only suggesting they leave because he wanted to protect her.

“He might know where Ivy is,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

She could hear the pain in his voice, see it in his face. “You have to, Clay. Otherwise, he’ll come back. Like you said, he isn’t going to leave without the jewels.” Or without killing her and Clay as well.

She watched him look toward the darkness where the killer had disappeared, trying to make up his mind.

“Go, Clay. I’ll be all right.”

He looked at her, then got to his feet, the decision made. “I won’t let him get past me to you. I’ll have to take the flashlight, though, Josie. I’ll leave you the candle and matches, but the candle won’t last long. Use it only when you have to. Stay here. I’ll be back for you.”

She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. “I’ll be here, Clay. Just come back. Then we’ll find Ivy and get out of here.”

He touched her cheek, his gaze locked on hers. “There’s so much I should have said to you, Josie.”

“There’ll be time. When this is all over,” she whispered, turning to kiss the palm of his hand.

He scooped up the jewels and put them back in the bag. Then he checked Odell’s gun for ammunition, shoved it into the waistband of his jeans and, picking up the backpack, removed the candle and matches. “I’ll be back,” he said, pressing them into her hands.

She smiled up at him. “I’m counting on it.”

Before the last of the light from his flashlight disappeared, she lit the candle with trembling fingers. It flickered, illuminating a small circle around her, reassuring her with its paltry light.

She blew it out and held both the matches and the candle in her hands as she scooted back against the cave wall, away from Odell. She stared into the darkness, seeing nothing, feeling only pain. Ivy. The horrible ache for her daughter suppressed even the pain in her ankle.

Crawl. Josie closed her eyes and tried not to think about the darkness. It had a smell, a feel, a texture that closed in the moment the candle went out. She squeezed her eyes tighter shut. Don’t waste the candle.

Crawl. She thought of Odell’s words. He’d said Ivy was in a hole somewhere. Crawl. She felt a chill scuttle across her skin.

She opened her eyes. Tiny pinpoints of light danced in the darkness. She closed her eyes again, unable to face such blackness. End. That had been the word on the map. Circled in red. Not long after the waterfall.

Could this be where it was supposed to end? Could the hole where he’d hidden Ivy be in this room? That would be like Odell. In fact, she remembered seeing his gaze flick to a corner of the room when he mentioned Ivy.

Carefully, she cradled the candle in her lap and, holding the matches, struck one. The sudden flare of light blinded her for a moment. She thought she’d dropped the candle, but there it was in her lap.

She lit it. The tiny, insignificant light pooled around her. She pushed the matches into her front pocket, then cautiously got up on all fours again. The candle flickered and she knew it wouldn’t take much movement for it to go out.

She tried to get her bearings. They’d entered this room from the right. She hadn’t noticed a hole, but she couldn’t be sure. What she was sure of, was Odell.

Where had they first seen him? He’d have been near the hole. Guarding his prize, his ransom.

It took everything in her not to cry out Ivy’s name. But hadn’t Odell said he’d given her something to sleep and that calling for her wouldn’t do any good?

She didn’t know why, but she actually believed he’d been telling the truth. She moved slowly, carefully, holding the candle as if life depended on it.

Moving to where she’d first seen Odell, she shone the light along the wall, looking for a space deep enough to hide a child in.

The hole, when she finally found it, was small, almost round, and appeared deep. The others she’d found had been too shallow. But this one— Her ankle was killing her. She almost welcomed the pain. It distracted her from her real pain as she lay down on her stomach and slid into the hole and began to crawl.

Was Ivy in here? He’d said she was in a hole. He’d said he’d given her something to sleep. He’d said crawl. But he might have been lying. He might have meant something entirely—

She caught the glint of a tiny odd-shaped object on the narrow tunnel floor. Using her one foot, she pushed herself toward it, holding the candle high.

“Don’t go out now,” she said to the flame. “Not now.”

She stopped and looked down at the small button in the shape of a bear’s head. Tears rushed her eyes, blinding her. Ivy had been wearing her favorite bear pajamas with teddy bear buttons.

The candle flickered. She looked down at it through her tears and blew out the flame. It was hard to wait until the wax cooled enough that she could put the candle back into her pocket. But she did, moving methodically, carefully, slowly in a darkness that seemed denser, closer, almost suffocating.

She didn’t need light, she told herself. She would find her daughter. Closing her eyes, she felt ahead of her, pulling with her fingers, pushing with her one good foot, dragging the other one, the pain almost unbearable.

She turned a corner and had to stop, the pain in her ankle making her dizzy and sick to her stomach and close to blacking out. She laid her head on her arms and wept, afraid she was going into shock. The sobs finally subsided. She thought of Ivy and slowly lifted her head from her arms.

Just a little farther. She could go just a little farther. She had to.

Then she smelled it. Baby powder. The scent seemed to float to her, beckoning her.