Page 6 of Shadow of Death
“And you can change here and move quickly!” Hayden said.
“We can do that,” Amy said.
They did, and fast. In minutes, they were both ready in khakis and hiking boots. They headed out with Andy who was—more or less—the same size as Hunter and had borrowed clothing from him so they could all drive out. He’d also talked to the park services, and they were set to meet with Ranger Sam Harrison at the site.
“Well,” Andy said as they drove out, “I did want you to get to see the scenery.”
“And it’s beautiful,” Amy assured him.
It was.
As they left the suburbs behind, the earth became dramatic with rises and falls, colors and spectacular flowers that grew despite the crisp dry air. Then before her, Amy saw the rise of cliffs with areas where water cascaded down, catching what remained of the sunlight.
“Beautiful,” Amy whispered. “Outstanding.”
“I told you,” Andy said.
There was a park service car before them, and a ranger leaned against the driver’s seat already waiting for them.
“How do you do? Ranger Sam Harrison,” he called to them. He looked to be in his midthirties, wore his hat high on his head, and sported a mustache and neatly trimmed beard.
They introduced themselves in return and listened as he told them, “We do have wildlife talks out here—and on occasion, we bring people by boat under the falls and into the caves. I was behind the falls just yesterday, though, and didn’t see a thing.”
“Were you in the caves?”
“No, just in the boats.” He grimaced. “We use some stolen jokes. Disney’sJungle Cruise. We show people the backside of water.”
“Okay, I’m sure people love the tours. But how do you reach the caves?” Hunter asked him.
“Oh, we use the same small boats,” Harrison said. “It’s just a different tour. If you want to get over there and into the caves, I’ll get some boats for tomorrow. The only other way is to swim—”
Amy glanced at Hunter and he nodded, knowing she meant to get there now. She was already removing her sweatshirt, determined she’d best keep her boots, even if heavy in water, for whatever flooring they might find in the caves. Her Glock was waterproof, though she was sorry to wet the nice new belt and holster she’d just purchased. But they would dry.
“Oh, she’s going to swim,” Harrison said, his face twisting with surprise and confusion.
“Time may be everything. We’ll get there now,” Hunter told him.
Amy smiled, then turned back to see him already doffing his sweatshirt, too, and heading toward the crystal water. It really was spectacular, the falls appearing to create bursts of crystal in the air as the water poured from them.
Cold water! Very, very cold water!
Maybe that was good. Amy moved quickly. Hunter reached the rocks behind the falls as she did, hopped up and reached for her hand. She took his and murmured, “We aren’t going to have much light, but I do have my little penlight.”
“And I’ve got mine. These lights are small but powerful. We’re going to be okay. And tomorrow, if we need to keep searching, wecantake boats.”
“Hah, hah,” Amy laughed dryly. “Sorry. I believed that—”
“We needed to move. Me, too. That was—refreshing.”
“You mean freezing.”
“I do,” Hunter said. “But be careful. Caves here can lead to more caves.”
“Okay, so... Hunter, she had to have come here. From everything we heard and learned, she’s the super sports girl who would do something like this.”
They were following an opening that led to the cave on the right. Then it split. Hunter indicated he’d take the left.
Amy kept going.
