The River (15 page)

Del heard a noise behind her, turned.

Miki strode straight for her, a huge smile on her face.

"I broke the code."

"You're amazing!"

The girl's cheeks reddened. "It'll take some time, but now I know it's based on the keypad of a telephone."

She passed Del the journal and quickly showed her a page.

"See?
ABC
is on the number two key. If you want the letter
A
, you use the key number then the letter's position.
A
would be
2-1
or
21
. If you need the
K
, it would be―"

"52."

Miki smiled. "That's why there were no zeros."

Del was relieved that Miki was making progress, and when they set off down the trail to the bottom of the falls, she couldn't wait to get back into the canoe…and back on the Nahanni River.

Hawk climbed into the canoe with Peter and Miki.

"Give us a ten minute head start. Then the next canoe should follow. Ten minutes later, the last one. Okay?"

As they pushed away from shore, Del chewed her fingernails.

Now that they were below Virginia Falls, the river's current moved more rapidly. It didn't take long for the canoe to pick up speed, vanish from sight.

Ten minutes later, Gary, TJ and Francesca set off downriver.

"Alone at last," Jake said, grinning wickedly.

Del felt a quiver run down her body, right down to her curled toes.

Time to nip this thing in the bud.

"Yeah, just me, you…and your
wif
e."

He paused in midstride, cocked his head. "My
wife
?"

"Yes, your wife!"

She backed away but he slinked toward her, like a panther ready to spring.

"My
ex
-wife, Del. We've been divorced for two years."

She was about to respond but he touched his index finger to her mouth, silencing her. He gently traced her lips and she shivered from the unexpected contact.

"You know, there's only one reason why my having a wife―
ex
or otherwise―would bother you."

"W-what's that?"

His head dipped close to her ear. "You like me."

She was speechless. So the man had an ex. Who cared if he was single? That didn't mean
she
was interested in him. Getting involved with Jake Kerrigan was pointless. The timing was off. Wrong place, wrong time…

Probably wrong man.

"You like me," he repeated softly. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be pissed that I had a wife. Or ex-wife."

Gulping in a mouthful of air, she clenched her teeth and focused on a tree behind him. "Our ten minutes are up, Jake."

"You really like me," he teased in a singsong tone. "You wanna kiss me."

She flung him a death stare. "Get in the goddamn boat, Kerrigan!"

"Canoe," he corrected smugly.

She swore loudly, her palms itching to slap the silly smirk off his face. It was frustrating that he had such an affect on her. The man was maddening―not because he had the nerve to suggest that she liked him, but because, damn it, he was right.

Hawk scrunched his eyes, surveying the river. It had taken a bit of maneuvering to make it to the spot that the coordinates indicated, and they had almost missed the cave's entrance because the river was high from the last rain.

At least the canoe's not going anywhere.

The thick rope bowline was tied around a ridge of rock that protruded overhead. It was the only way he could think of to keep the canoe from veering downstream.

Miki gave him a worried look. "Is it going to hold?"

"Yeah, it's on good."

"Here they come!" Peter warned, waving his shirt.

TJ's canoe made a beeline toward them.

"Stick to the wall!" Hawk yelled. "Paddle hard on the left."

Within minutes, the canoe was securely tied next to them

Hawk breathed a sigh of relief.

One more to go.

"You think Del's strong enough to paddle?" Peter asked.

Del was an admirable woman with an unwavering spiritual energy, Hawk thought. Stronger in spirit than most of the others.

"She'll make it."

Fifteen minutes went by and TJ gave him a worried look.

"They're late, dawg. What's holding them up?"

The words were barely out of the man's mouth when Hawk noticed the third canoe veering around the bend. He released a slow breath, thankful to see that Del and Jake were close to the wall. As they drew closer, he threw them a line and reeled them in.

"The gang's all here," Del greeted him, visibly relieved. "Hey! Look at this!"

Hawk followed her gaze and his mouth dropped.

Above the entrance, a four-inch ankh was carved into the rock.

"This is definitely it," he said, staring at the cave opening.

The river level was high, he realized. And that would create a problem. There was very little clearance, so they wouldn't be able to paddle inside, not if they were in the canoes.

"The canoes'll be a tight fit," Jake said, reading his mind.

"We'll have to push them inside."

Francesca was outraged. "You mean
swim
?"

"They won't fit through the opening if we're in them. You'll need your wetsuits, so you don't get hypothermia. And don't forget your PFD's."

"Why the life jackets?" Gary asked. "There's no real current in the cave. Is there?"

"We've still got to get from here to the entrance. I don't want anyone to get swept downriver, especially without a PFD. Once we're inside, we'll look for a place to change. And hopefully get back in the canoes."

He secured a short rope to one side of each canoe, hoping for Del's sake that the swim would be short. He didn't know much about MS, but he did know one thing. She was much worse off than when he had first met her.

He took out his satellite phone.

"I'm gonna let McGee know where we're going. Someone should know."

In case we don't make it out.

From the somber expression on Del's face, he knew she was thinking the same thing.

Del zipped up the wetsuit, afraid to exhale. She couldn't believe she had actually gotten the damned thing on without toppling overboard. She slipped the life jacket on over top, wondering how the hell she was supposed to swim when her arms felt like they were stuffed into sausage wrappings.

"What next?" she asked.

Hawk pulled out a headlamp and held it high.

"You all have one of these in your river bag. Make sure it's on tight. You don't want it slipping off in the water."

Francesca frowned. "What is it?"

"It's a headlamp," Del replied. "For exploring caves."

Hawk tested a large flashlight.

"This one is waterproof, so I'll go first. The rest of you stay close to your canoe. If you're not a strong swimmer or if you get tired or cold, hold onto the side rope. That's what it's there for."

He paused, throwing Del a wary look. "Everyone ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she muttered.

Her heart raced as Hawk slid over the side, grabbed the bowline and gave the thumbs up. Then he vanished inside the mouth of the cave, dragging the canoe behind him. Peter and Miki climbed into the water and swam after him.

For a fraction of a second Del saw a light flickering deep within the cave. Then the canoe blocked the entrance and the light disappeared. Peter shoved the canoe until it lurched through the opening. Then he and Miki slipped into the shadows.

Next, Gary and TJ quickly eased themselves into the water, followed by a hesitant Francesca.

"Jesus!" the woman hissed loudly. "The water is freezing!"

Jake sighed impatiently. "I warned you, Francesca. I told you this wasn't a damned holiday. You were the one who insisted on coming."

"Well, this isn't exactly what I bargained―"

A wave crashed over her head and she came up choking, her cool green eyes latching onto Del. "If I drown, it's your fault."

With a curt nod, she swam after the others.

Del watched as the black mouth of the cave devoured them all―devoured, swallowed…consumed.

The damned thing's alive!

Her entire body trembled at the thought.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked.

"I, uh, think I should warn you. I'm a bit claustrophobic. Especially when it comes to caves."

"I would think in your profession…"

"I know," she said self-consciously. "People think I'm fearless, a modern day Indiana Jones. But in all the digs I've been on, I've never been part of the recovery crew. I've always managed to stay above ground."

"You can do this, Del."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I can."

"Listen," he said, gripping her arm. "I'll be right behind you. When you're in the cave, move to the far right and I'll push the canoe through. Once I'm in, I'll stay right by your side."

He paused. "We're wasting time, Del."

She drew in a deep breath, then lowered herself into the cold Nahanni. Jake slipped into the churning water beside her, and with a few strokes they reached the entrance to the underground river, tugging the canoe behind them.

He passed her the bowline. "Hey, even Indiana had a phobia. He was afraid of snakes, remember?"

Del winced. "That's my other phobia."

With a few hard kicks, she was swallowed by the gaping black maw of the cave.

Twelve

T
he underground river tunneled through the rock, reminding Del of a dank sewer. The waterway was about four feet across, widening a few yards inside. The cave walls were covered in calcified mineral and rock layers, with feathery ice crystals clinging to the ceiling and sides. Light from the headlamps and Hawk's flashlight flickered across them, the crystals glittering brightly.

Jake swam toward her. "It's breathtaking."

"Like a galaxy of miniature stars."

The glacier cold water numbed her body, even through the wetsuit. She swam faster to get her circulation going, the light from her headlamp bouncing off the crystals as she moved. She focused on her breathing and tried not to think of the looming cavern that seemed to be closing in on her.

Up ahead, Hawk's shadowy figure waved in the dim light.

"Over here! There's a ledge."

His voice echoed eerily in the cave, and as soon as she reached the slab of stone, he grasped her hands and pulled her up.

"How are you doing?"

"Just a bit cold."

The ledge was barely wide enough for the eight of them to stand on. They turned most of the headlamps off for privacy, and TJ, Jake and Hawk had to crouch so they could dry off with a towel and change into warm clothes without smacking their heads on the rock ceiling.

"Okay, turn your headlamps back on," Hawk warned as they climbed into the canoes. "We don't want any surprises."

Francesca's head jerked. "Like what?"

"There could be stalactites or stalagmites blocking the way."

"Or a cave-in," Del squeaked.

She shivered and peered over her shoulder.

The entrance to the Nahanni River―to fresh air and light―had vanished.

TJ spoke up. "I hope we don't get lost, dawg."

"We should have no problem navigating the river," Hawk replied. "I'll keep the GPS on. We'll be fine."

"As long as the GPS is working," Peter said.

Del had a sudden thought. "What if we lose another canoe, Hawk?"

"We'll have to be careful. Watch for shallows, narrow areas."

Jake tapped her with his paddle. "You okay?"

"It feels like my ribs are being crushed."

"Just take slow, deep breaths."

His voice was low, comforting.

As they ventured farther into the tunnel, their distorted shadows flickered on the walls. Some were thin and stretched up above their heads. Some were squat and fat.

It was like wandering through the
Hall of Mirrors
at the PNE.

Everyone grew deathly quiet.

The sound of water dripping from the ceiling reverberated down the long tunnel, and Del closed her eyes, inhaling hesitantly. The air in the cave was humid and musty. It reminded her of sweaty running shoes. Or wet dog.

In the canoe ahead of her, TJ groaned. "Aw, man. Who cut the cheese? Smells like something died in here."

His words made her gasp for breath.

"Uh, sorry Del. Wasn't thinking."

"No, you certainly weren't," Jake replied sharply.

"Hey, man―"

"Quit it!" Del snapped. "Both of you! TJ's right. It does smell like death in here."

But not Dad's!

Hawk cleared his throat. "Uh, folks? We've got a problem."

"Houston, we have a problem."
TJ's voice echoed in the cave.

Ignoring him, Del aimed her headlamp in Hawk's direction and swore out loud. "I don't fricking believe it!"

Up ahead, the underground river split into three tunnels―each leading in different directions.

"Of course there'd be more than one route," she moaned. "Otherwise, it would've been too damned easy."

"Did it show anything in the journal?" Jake asked. "A direction, coordinates…anything?"

She shook her head, thinking of the book that was wrapped in two waterproof bags and stored in an airtight container in her day bag.

Peter cleared his throat. "We could split up."

"No way, dawg!" TJ said. "You know what happens when people split up, don't you?"

When no one answered, he let out a belabored sigh.

"The black dude's always the first to get sliced and diced. Jeesh! Don't any of you watch movies?"

"No one's going to get sliced
or
diced," Jake said dryly.

"Maybe we could go down the first one for half an hour and see what we find," Gary suggested. "If we find nothing, we could come back, try the next tunnel."

"That would take too long," Jake said. "Del, try to remember what Schroeder told you."

"He said leave no stone unturned. We did that, Jake! That's how we found the key."