Suddenly, a huge plume of spray blew from a nearby hole.
The tide rose steadily. Coupled with powerful ocean surges, waves reached far beyond their high tide lines in storm season. Amy knew this. Suddenly, it happened. With a roar, the next wave surged into the cave, through the tunnel, right past them, and up the tube.
Oh no! It’s a blowhole! We’re in a blowhole. The Devil’s Pipe!
They had to get out, and fast. Amy had no idea how much higher the tide would rise. She did know that with every inch of rise, the force would increase, making it difficult to keep hold of Jamie. In the end, the extreme force would either blow them out of the pipe or kill them.
Dallas, where are you? Help us. Please, please help us.
Then it came again! The roar. White water rushed toward them sending icy seawater swirling around them. It struck with tremendous force. She held Jamie with every ounce of strength she possessed, but she underestimated the sheer power of the surging ocean combined with the trapped air.
The water tore past her, nearly tearing her clothes off her body. Then the back suction pulled at her as the water receded.
Amy knew what she had to do.
The only way out of the pipe is to go with the flow,
she thought.
We can’t stay here any longer.
It had been years since Amy had been to The Devil’s Pipe, but she did recall sloping, mossy ground surrounding it.
She lifted Jamie up and explained what she was about to do. “Okay, Jamie, we’re going to use the water to get out of this pipe. I’m going to lift you up as high as I can. Are you ready?”
He nodded, “I’m ready, Mommy. But I’m so cold.”
“I know, but when we get out of here, I’ll warm you up,” she promised. She heard the roar and hoisted him high over her head. “The water’s going to lift you out of the tunnel. When you get out, find a safe place nearby, and wait for Mommy. Okay?”
“Yes…”
She never heard the rest. The roar filled the pipe and a split second later the ocean blew past her. It tore at her skin, pushed water up her nose and into her ears, mouth, and eyes. Suddenly, Jamie was ripped from her grasp. With a gigantic whoosh, he was sent skyrocketing up the pipe!
Moments later, the surge stopped, leaving Amy choking on seawater. Then came the suction. It pulled at her feet, her legs, and her body. “Jamie!” she called out, wondering if he was okay. No response. She had to go next and find him.
Dallas stared at the geyser of water spewing from the pipe. A
blowhole.
The Devil’s Pipe. Seawater spewed from the hole, high into the air. When it subsided Dallas climbed toward it. There would be another plume of seawater soon, and it would continue to grow higher as the tide came in.
Suddenly, he heard a small voice cry out. A geyser of water surged from the pipe, and to his shock, a small boy flew into the air. “Jamie!” Dallas rushed to catch the child before he hit the ground. With his feet sliding out from under him on the slippery moss, he dove for the boy and landed on his good knee, the wet child dangling from his arm.
Jamie spit and coughed water, then choked, “Mommy’s down there,” and pointed to the hole.
Dallas sat Jamie on a knoll. “I’ll get Mommy,” he told the boy. “Stay right here. Understand?”
Jamie nodded and sneezed and then stuffed his little hands into his wet pockets.
A gigantic roar and a huge torrent of water ripped through the tunnel toward Amy. The wait was terrifying. The seconds ticked by.
Will it take me all the way out of the pipe? What happens if it doesn’t lift me high enough? Would I fall back down?
How will I stop that from happening?
She raised her arms over her head and held her breath. The roar of water was deafening. The air pressure changed. It was almost there!
It hit hard and fast. The huge geyser of saltwater and trapped air roared into the pipe. Amy was propelled upward. Her outstretched arms collided with the walls. Her cheekbone struck hard against the rock, but she continued flying toward the open vent.
Suddenly, the lift diminished, leaving her about three feet from the top. She wedged her feet and legs hard against the walls of the pipe and pushed against each side of the pipe to keep herself from sliding back down. The next surge should lift her out. She didn’t have long to wait. There was another roar of water surging toward her. The seawater and trapped air joined forces once more and she literally flew out of the pipe. Her eyes, ears, and nose were full of saltwater. She could see nothing. But suddenly, just before she hit the ground, someone grabbed her. Then she heard his voice. “It’s okay, I’ve got you!”
They slid down onto the mossy knoll and Dallas pulled her into his arms. “Are you all right, Amy? Are you hurt?”
Coughing and sneezing, she looked up at Dallas. There were huge dark shadows under her eyes and her skin had a bluish tinge. She was soaking wet, her hand and face were badly scraped, but she had a huge smile. Dallas lifted her up and carried her over to where Jamie sat.
Amy slid her arms around Dallas’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Gently, he put her down beside her son. She kissed Jamie, and then reached up and put both hands on Dallas’s cheeks, her eyes steady on his. “Dallas,” she whispered, kissing him, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
He pushed a strand of wet hair from her eyes. “I was so worried,” he said. “It took a day from hell for me to figure out just how much you mean to me.”
Then, the deep thump of rotors caught his attention. The chopper. At last.
Dallas stood on the balcony of The Cliff House, hands on his hips, deep in thought, looking at the trail below. He was steaming mad. The search team had gone back and forth along the trail and had scoured the surrounding property looking for clues to Alesha’s disappearance. No one in the house had seen her. The Marine Patrol was checking the coastline. He unclipped his radio. “Any sign of her?”
“Nothing yet, Sheriff.”
“I can’t understand how you could have let her go! Who dropped the ball? What the hell happened?”
“Larson handed her off to Matson. That’s all I know, Sheriff. We haven’t got a thing to go on.”
Dallas clicked off as Larson joined him on the balcony. “I can’t figure it, Sheriff. She was fine when I handed her off to Matson.”
Dallas tried to curb his anger. “Tell me again what happened.”
Larson scratched his head. “Alesha did okay coming back along the trail. She told me that likely the exposure to heights had actually cured her phobia. She was quite happy about that. At the same time, she told me repeatedly that she was terrified of what Eickher could do to Amy and Jamie. When we got to the house, we entered through the side door here,” he said pointing to the door behind Dallas. “Matson met us at the landing and I handed her off to him and went inside to catch the elevator up to the parking lot. I got into the cruiser and headed up to the north access trail. So, that was the last I saw of Alesha, Sheriff.” Larson shrugged. “It beats the hell out of me.”
Dallas agreed. “Yeah. Me too. And according to Doris, she and Alesha are very close. It doesn’t make sense for Alesha not to see her mother considering everything that’s happened.”
Dallas turned and went back inside, with Larson. Neither man wanted to say what they were really thinking.
The living room was taped off. Matson ducked under it and approached Dallas. “Crime Scene Unit says it’s pretty clear cut. Eickher pulled the trigger killing Johnstone, then fled the scene.”
The detectives had already apprised Dallas of that. He tried to contain his anger. “Larson passed Alesha Eickher off to you. No bullshit this time. Tell me exactly what happened next.”
Matson looked at Larson, then back at his sheriff. He hesitated too long.
Dallas stared him down. “We have a missing person. Not only were you the last one to see her, that woman was in your charge. Your responsibility, Matson. Now, let’s hear what really happened.”
Matson cleared his throat. “Larson brought her in through that door up there and passed her over to me. As soon as she got inside, she told me she needed to use the washroom and off she went. Meanwhile, one of the detectives had some questions for me, so I came back down here and talked to him.”
Dallas grew impatient. “And then what?”
Matson studied the floor. “That’s it.”
“Don’t give me that!”
“I got involved with things down here and—”’
Dallas finished the sentence. “You forgot about her!
Matson twisted uncomfortably.
“You stupid son-of-a-bitch! You’re the most incompetent, irresponsible, useless, sorry excuse for a deputy. If I didn’t respect your old man so much, I’d throw you out on your ear. In fact, I might just do that anyway.” Dallas put his hands on his hips and turned away in sheer frustration. Without looking at Matson, Dallas asked, “How much time went by before you remembered your charge?”
Matson scuffed the floor with the sole of his boot. “I’d guess about thirty minutes.”
“Jeez.” Dallas looked at his watch and ran his hand through his hair. “She’s been missing over an hour.”
Larson asked, “You think she went back down the trail to look for Amy, Sheriff?”
“Anything’s possible. I’ll be in with Doris Eickher, if you need me.”
Dallas found Doris down the hall in the den. She was sitting in a chair, staring at the bookcase. When Dallas walked in, she jumped up. “Did you find her, Sheriff?” she asked, hopefully.
Dallas shook his head. “Not yet.” Dallas took her elbow. “Why don’t you sit down, Mrs. Eickher. I have a few questions.”
“Please call me Doris. I’ll be legally changing my name back to Sanford.”
Dallas nodded. “Doris, tell me about Helmut Eickher and his project.”
“Well, we met at university in the late sixties. We were young. We studied together, graduated together, got our doctorates together, and did our post-grad research together. Then we married. Helmut was always intrigued with the human brain, IQ in particular. In fact, it was an obsession with him. It formed the basis of most of his research. He had no patience for stupidity. He saw it everywhere, but what infuriated him most was the fact that he thought the nations of the world were most often held back by what he called
thick-headed, undereducated, inexperienced, power hungry, low-level thinkers.
He was going to change that. He had this idea to create new generations of highly educated, super brains who he could strategically position globally. His vision was to see the nations of the world influenced by a unified, high-thinking race with common goals.” Doris explained the rest to Dallas, then went to the window and looked out. She continued, “We couldn’t have children of our own. Lord knows, we tried. So, when the first tiny baby arrived at the facility, I fell in love with her. That was Alesha. I raised her as my own, educated her, and taught her everything I know. She has a doctorate in biochemistry, you know. There’s so much good she can do—” Doris’s voice broke, “I couldn’t bear to lose her. She’s all I have, Sheriff. I love her so much.”
Dallas put his hand on her shoulder. The woman had succumbed to tears. There was no point in continuing. His questions could wait while he checked in with the search team. “We’re doing all we can to find her. The minute we hear anything, we’ll let you know."
Before he left the room, he turned and said, “The FBI will be here soon. You realize that there’ll be a federal investigation into the abduction of the infants from the US?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Your involvement will be scrutinized.”
Doris sat down heavily, her head downcast. “I understand.”
Dallas was about to leave when she looked up and asked, “How is Amy?”
Surprised, Dallas told her, “She’s recovering in the hospital, but I don’t think she’ll be in there for long.”
Walking out of the study, Dallas wondered how he was going to tell Amy that her sister had disappeared.
Amy was sitting up in bed when Dallas walked into the hospital room. Jamie slept soundly in the next bed. Happy to see Dallas, she swung her legs off the bed and stood up, throwing her arms around his neck. “My dear Dallas,” she whispered.
He kissed her tenderly and pulled back to look at her. “How are you?”
She sat back down on the bed and pulled Dallas down beside her. “I’m okay. Took hours to warm up. Lots of bruises. Lots of terrible memories…”
Dallas put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I know. How’s Jamie?” He asked looking over his shoulder at the boy.
“Poor little guy was exhausted. They immersed both of us in the warming tub. Afterward, I helped him put on hospital pajamas and held him for a while. He fell asleep right away.” Amy snuggled into Dallas and closed her eyes. “I’m glad it’s over. Finally.” She felt him stiffen. She looked up at him. His pale blue eyes searched her face and she got that feeling again. “What?” she asked. When he didn’t reply, she repeated, “What is it, Dallas?”
He turned to her and put both hands on her shoulders. “It’s not good news,” he said gently. “It may not be bad news either,” he said, “but right now we just don’t know.”
Alarmed, Amy stared at him. Her mind raced across the possibilities. Jamie was right beside her, so it wasn’t him. Gramps was up to see her a few hours ago, so it wasn’t him. He’d told her Grams had improved significantly, so it wasn’t her. Even better, the doctors had nullified the Alzheimer’s diagnosis. That left one person.
“Alesha,” she whispered, dreading what Dallas was going to say.
“Yes, it’s Alesha.”
She saw the pained look on his face and turned away. Fear and dread filled her heart. “No, please, no. Not Alesha.” Her twin’s beautiful face flashed before her, choking Amy with tears. She could still feel the warmth of her sister’s hug. There was so much for them to learn about one another, so much to share. “Oh, no, Dallas.”