Down Among the Dead Men (Entangled Ignite) (17 page)

Chapter Nineteen

A moment later, DeLonghi lay on the ground, his white shirt blossoming red, but Caitlyn didn’t know what had happened.

She’d seen DeLonghi’s trigger finger move. She’d been aware of Dale lunging for him. But what had happened then? Had his bullet missed her, ricocheted off the wall, and hit him in the chest?

She heard Dale breathing heavily, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the fallen criminal. He wasn’t moving and her own breathing became shallower and shallower.

“Good shot, mate.”

“No worries.”

Her head jerked up at the sound of a second voice. A man looked back at her. He had a gun in his hand.

“Federal Police,” he said simply.

And there was her answer. Steve’s people. Her gaze dropped to DeLonghi’s body again. All she felt looking at him was numb. That wasn’t normal, surely? The officer crossed the space to crouch at DeLonghi’s side. He felt for a pulse.

“Is he dead?” Her voice came out croaky.

“Yes,” he said.

“I’ve never seen a dead body before.”

He looked up. “Are you all right?”

“I’m not hurt.” But her chest ached. She couldn’t get enough air into it.

A sound from Dale’s direction made her turn in time to see him get to his feet. He walked over, kneeled, and took her into his arms.

“What are you
doing
down here?” he said.

“I heard a shot.”

“So you came to my rescue? You could have been killed. You nearly were.”

“I knew you didn’t have a gun. That was all I could think about.”

He hugged her to his chest.

The officer said, “Look, I’m sorry to interrupt, but there are two dead bodies here. I need you to take this upside.”

“Two? Oh God.” She clung to Dale’s arms. “I forgot about Wally. I didn’t even see him.”

“That’s because his body is in that tunnel.” Dale pointed at a tunnel entrance leading off at an angle from the cavern. As she stared at it, a muffled scream came from the direction of the main shaft.

“What the hell?” The officer grabbed the flashlight from the floor and went back along the tunnel.

Dale’s voice startled her in the darkness. “That must be DeLonghi’s partner. Come on.”

She wanted to move, she really did. But she couldn’t. She tried to control her shallow breaths to make the sensation of pressure on her chest go away.

“Caitlyn? Are you okay?”

“Need…to get…out.”

“That’s what we’re going to do.” He slid his hand down her arm until he reached her hand, and then he tugged gently. “Come on.”

She scrambled to her feet and stumbled forward. When it came to entering the tunnel, though, her panic worsened. She pulled her hand out of Dale’s. The tightness around her chest was too much. She couldn’t draw in the breath she needed to go farther. She sank to the ground.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have you out of here in no time,” Dale said, his tone confident. He squeezed her hand, then turned into the tunnel to call for help.

The federal officer arrived. “What is it?”

“I need you to help me carry Caitlyn out of here,” Dale said. “If you’ll take her feet—”

“She said she wasn’t hurt.” Despite the state she was in, she was aware enough to know she’d be embarrassed once this was all over.

“Not hurt. She suffers from claustrophobia, and now she’s hyperventilating.”

Dale slid his hands under her arms, linking them around her ribcage, beneath her breasts. More embarrassment to be stored up for later, when she could breathe again.

“Close your eyes. Try to relax. Imagine you’re lying on the beach.”

She tried to do as instructed, but it wasn’t easy. Her brain knew she was in a tunnel, deep underground, and didn’t want her body to forget it. Bent double, Dale and the federal officer carried her to the end of the tunnel. There, Dale held her, coaching her to breathe.

When she’d calmed down a little, he helped her to the ladder, which entailed stepping over DeLonghi’s partner.

“Is he dead?” Dale asked.

“Yes. Apparently, he fell and broke his neck. He must have missed his footing on the ladder. It’s lucky for us that he did.”

“He had a gun, too?”

“Yes, and he would have taken us by surprise.” He looked at Caitlyn. “Are you all right to use the ladder, or do you want to wait till we’ve got the winch set up for the bodies?”

The thought of being winched to the surface horrified her. She was feeling better now that she could see daylight at the top of the shaft. “I’ll make it,” she said.

With Dale right behind her, she climbed. Slowly. Very carefully. The image of DeLonghi’s partner was burned into her mind, and she didn’t want to risk falling or, worse, cause Dale to fall. When she reached the top, she scrambled a short distance from the shaft opening and flopped onto her back.

Dale joined her. “You’re amazing,” he said. “You were so brave to do that knowing how it would affect you.”

“I don’t feel brave. I feel stupid. Fancy having to be helped out of there.”

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, trying to put her world back on its axis. She couldn’t believe she’d been
underground.
With three dead bodies. What was worse, she hadn’t felt a scrap of pity for any of them.

Hearing footsteps, she opened her eyes. Steve stood above her, blocking out the sun. He had a satellite telephone in one hand. “We did it, Steve.”

“Yes, you did. You don’t need to hang around now. It’s all under control.”

She struggled to her feet, ashamed to still find herself unsteady. She reached for Dale’s arm and clung to it. “Don’t we have to give statements or something?”

“Not right now.”

“What happens next?” Dale asked.

“The local police will be here soon to do the crime scene. Then my colleagues will take over. It would have been good to take at least one of them into custody alive, but it couldn’t be helped.” He shrugged. “And we do have Chet. He’s only on the periphery of the organization, but it’s something. Now, you do realize you’ll both be required to attend the inquest?”

She glanced at Dale. “Will we get into trouble?”

“No,” Steve said. “And we don’t need to discuss it now, but you will have to give evidence.”

She nodded. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve more than repaid that debt.”

“There’s one more thing. Someone will be in touch with you about the reward. Will you be staying in town for a while? You’re not planning to head straight home, are you?”

“Reward?”

“There’s a substantial reward for evidence leading the Federal Police to recover stolen opals destined for the international black market.”

She stared. “I had no idea, but half of it is Dale’s. He did most of the work and put himself in danger.”

Dale shook his head. “You keep it.”

Steve’s phone rang and he answered it, giving them a distracted wave as he walked away.

“We’d better leave,” Dale said. “Unless you fancy meeting Sergeant Peterson here and answering his questions?”

“No, I don’t. Let’s go.”

Dale looked down at her with a strange expression as they walked to the truck. “I still can’t believe you came down to save me.”

“Huh. I nearly got you killed.” She shuddered. “I don’t know what I was thinking. What a stupid scheme.”

“Well, we all went along with it, didn’t we? And it all worked out in the end.” He kissed the top of her head as he opened the door for her. “You saved my life. I’ll never forget that.”

Chapter Twenty

Sally was waiting on the forecourt when they reached the servo. Josh and Max came out of the workshop to join her. Caitlyn stepped down from the truck, straight into a hug from Sally.

“You look pale. How did it go?” Sally asked.

“Okay.”

“Just okay?” Sally stepped back, brushing dust from her clothes. “You’re a mess. What’s this all over you? And…” She pointed at Caitlyn’s knees. “You’re bleeding.”

Caitlyn looked down. Dried blood streaked her shins below knees that looked like someone had taken to them with a cheese grater.

Dale came to stand at her side. “You’re looking at one very brave woman here,” he said.

“Don’t.” She dug him in the ribs with her elbow.

Frowning, he said, “What—do you want to tell them yourself?”

“I don’t think it’s something to brag about, that’s all. It was horrible, and people are dead.”

“Will somebody tell me
something
?” Max said, stamping a foot.

Caitlyn nodded. “DeLonghi and his partner are both dead.”

Sally gasped. “Did you kill them?”

“No, but…” She glanced at Dale. “I tried to kill DeLonghi.”

“But why? I thought the plan was to have the Federal Police arrest him.”

“He was going to shoot Dale.”

“Oh my God.”

“So I had to stop him. And then he pointed the gun at me—”

Sally squealed.

“—so Steve shot him.”

“I knew I should have come with you,” Josh said. “Where did all this happen?”

“Underground.”

“You went down there?” Sally said, her eyes wide. “But your claustrophobia.”

“It wasn’t a problem at the time,” she said. “But it came on later and I made a right fool of myself.”

“No, you didn’t.” Dale hesitated. “The story you told DeLonghi—was it true?”

“About the storm drain? Yes, it was.”

“What happened?”

Sally groaned. “She fell in. I remember it. We were playing near the storm drain and you know what kids are like, never listening to warnings. The whole rescue thing took ages. Poor Caitlyn.”

“Which makes what you did all the more remarkable,” Dale said.

“No,” she said with a dismissive shake of her head.

Josh frowned. “But what happened to DeLonghi’s partner?”

“DeLonghi must have left him behind to deal with anyone who followed us,” Dale said. “He must have followed the police officer, but somehow he slipped off the ladder and fell down the shaft. The fall killed him.”

“I should have been there.” Josh shook his head. “I should have been there to deal with him. You might have been killed. Both of you.”

Caitlyn held up her hands. “I don’t want to talk about it any more, it’s making me feel sick. I need a shower and”—she looked down at her knees—“maybe some antiseptic.”

…

After her shower, Caitlyn went to bed and slept for over an hour. When she woke, she dressed and sat on the edge of the bed, letting the morning’s events replay in her mind. They seemed surreal now.

“Knock, knock. Can I come in?”

She looked up at Sally’s concerned face peering around the door.

“Sure. I’m all right. Just thinking.”

“I was going to bring you a cup of sweet tea for the shock, but since you don’t drink tea I thought I’d bring a strong black coffee.” Sally placed a mug on the bedside table and she sat next to Caitlyn on the bed. “It must have been horrible.”

“It was.”

“And a nasty way to end your stay.” Sally paused. “I suppose it is the end of your stay?”

Caitlyn turned her head. “I can’t live here.”

“Well, I know it’s not the most attractive place to live—”

“That’s not the reason.” She sighed. “Strangely enough, I quite like the town and I love the open space. The desolate beauty of it. It’s seeped into my soul.” She laughed. “Listen to me, I sound all poetic. Or should that be pathetic?”

“So you don’t miss the city?”

“Not all that much. But, Sal, I really don’t think I could stand to live in the same town as Dale and Dominica.”

Sally gave her an odd look. “I forgot to tell you that when I went to see Dale yesterday about the letter from the bank, the house was in a bit of an uproar. Rose said that Dominica was packing because she was leaving again.”

“What?”

“Sorry.” Sally bit her lip. “I should have remembered to say something, but with you making plans for this morning, it went out of my head.”

“No, I’m not angry with you. But Dominica…how could she abandon both Dale and Ginny again? How could she do that?” Then an alternative scenario struck her and she grabbed Sally’s arm. “Oh, God, she’s not taking Ginny away from Dale, is she? Is that why she came back—to take Ginny away with her?”

“I don’t know, but I hope not. Rose didn’t say, but if it’s any indication, she didn’t look unhappy.”

Caitlyn relaxed her grip and nodded. “Well, that’s something. Hopefully, it means Dale gets to keep Ginny, but still, he must be devastated. He was so happy about Dominica coming back.”

“Was he?” Sally sounded surprised.

“I told you how he reacted when she turned up, remember?”

“Well, yes, but I thought things might have changed since then.”

“How?”

“I thought maybe he’d realized that he preferred you.”

Caitlyn gaped at her. “Sal, don’t be ridiculous. He didn’t even tell me about Dominica leaving, and he had ample opportunity this morning while we were waiting in the truck. Don’t you think he would have done if he was keen on me?”

“I suppose.” Sally’s mouth turned down and she stared at her hands in her lap. “I just wanted it all to turn out right for you.”

Caitlyn nodded. “I know, and you love your fairy tales, but this is real life. You don’t always get happy endings in real life.”

“I know that.” After a short silence Sally said, “The other thing I forgot to tell you is that Dale said you should find out whether your father left a will. He said the firm of solicitors who wrote to your mum about him selling the house would be a good place to start.”

“What makes him think Wally would have left a will? He doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who planned for the future or cared about what happened to his family. Look at the way he left Mum and me.”

“He said that Wally might have tried to make sure that Max would keep the servo and you and your mum wouldn’t be able to get your hands on it. But he said if that’s the case, you can challenge the will because his marriage to Max’s mum was bigamous and you’re his legitimate offspring.”

Caitlyn pulled a face as an ache settled in her chest. Her father had walked out and left them with nothing. He’d avoided paying anything toward her upbringing or her education. He’d even taken steps to take the family home away from her mother and herself. And now, at his death, he’d tried to disinherit her all over again. It wasn’t fair.

“If I contest the will, it will mean doing Max out of her inheritance.”

“But you could ask for a half share, couldn’t you? Then you’d own half of your mum’s house, and it couldn’t be sold without your say-so.”

“Yes, you do have a point.”

“Besides, I don’t think Max would mind if you and she were joint owners of the servo. Anyway, Dale said to let him know if you want any help contacting the solicitors to ask about the will. Do you know who they are?”

Caitlyn nodded. “I brought that letter with me to show Wally. I think Dale has helped me enough, though.”

Sighing, Sally stood. “Do you really think he would have offered if he wasn’t happy to help? Take it to him after you’ve had some lunch.”

“I do want to say a proper thank-you before I leave, so it will give me an opportunity to do that, at least.”

“Good. Now drink your coffee before it goes cold. I’m making bacon sandwiches for lunch. Your favorite.”

Caitlyn laughed. “They were when I was a kid.”

“Even fancy chefs never grow out of their comfort food,” Sally said over her shoulder as she left the room.

…

Later, Dale opened the door and smiled. “Feeling better now?”

“Much, thank you.” She waved the letter. “I’ve got the name of Wally’s solicitors. Sally said you’d help me contact them.”

“Sure. Come in.”

Caitlyn could hear Ginny’s laughter from inside the house as she stepped over the threshold.

“Let’s go through to the study.”

She nodded and let him lead the way.

“Ginny sounds cheerful,” she said as she took a seat.

“She’s watching a Wiggles DVD with Rose. That always makes her laugh.”

“So, she’s not upset about her mother leaving? Sorry, I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that, but is it true? About Dominica leaving?”

He nodded. “This morning. I shouldn’t be surprised that the news has spread already.”

“Rose told Sally yesterday.”

“Right. And no, Ginny’s not upset. She didn’t really have time to grow attached, and she never understood the concept of Dominica being her mother. She was too young to remember her.”

“I see. Well, that’s good in a way, though it’s a shame Dominica didn’t stay.”

“Is it?”

“Don’t you think so?” Her heart bounced. “You seemed so glad to see her when she arrived.”

He frowned. “I
was
glad to see her. Very glad, because it meant I could convince her to sign the divorce papers. I’d been trying to track her down for ages with no luck at all.”

“Divorce papers?”

“I don’t know what she thought she’d gain by coming back. Maybe she believed she could talk me into a larger settlement, but what she’s getting is already more than fair. Anyway, it’s done now. The rest is a formality. Because there’s a child involved we have to appear at Family Court, but Dominica’s promised that she’ll turn up for that.”

“She didn’t want custody of Ginny?”

He shook his head, his lips pressed thin. “She didn’t want her when she walked out three years ago. She doesn’t want her now.” He looked at her, and this time she saw the pain in his eyes. “Can you understand it, Caitlyn? Because I know I can’t.”

“No, I can’t.” She meant it. She had a hard enough time understanding how a father could walk out on his daughter and never attempt to see her again…but a mother? It was unfathomable. “At least there won’t be a custody battle. That would have been bad.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “For my own sake, I’m glad she doesn’t want Ginny. It makes things a lot easier for me. But how is Ginny going to feel when she’s old enough to realize her mother rejected her?”

“Awful. I can tell you from experience that she’ll always wonder whether she wasn’t good enough. But you’ll make sure she knows she’s loved and that she’s not the one who missed out on something special. That’s what my mother did to help me get over the fact that my father deserted us.”

“Of course. And on the subject of Wally, let’s give these people a call and see what we can find out.” He held out a hand for the letter.

His call revealed that Wally had indeed left a will, and that it was one she should contest.

“Now I’ll have to break the news to Max that I’m going after half of her inheritance.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand.”

She shrugged. “I hope so. I need her to know that it’s not her I’m fighting, but Wally. He’s the one who did the wrong thing, and this time, I’m not going to let him get away with it.”

“The whole business will be quicker and simpler if the two of you can come to an agreement without you having to lodge proceedings. You’ll need to engage a solicitor when you get back to the city. I assume you’ll be leaving as soon as possible?”

She hesitated. She had no reason to stay, but the thought of leaving, especially now that she knew Dominica wasn’t going to be in town, gave her a gnawing pain inside, like hunger. And it really was like hunger in a way, wanting something you couldn’t have. But Dale had made no attempt to talk her into staying—on the contrary, he almost seemed eager to see her go, so there was definitely no point in her hanging around.

“As soon as possible, yes,” she said. “So, while I’m here I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for all you’ve done. You’ve been fantastic. I wish there was some way I could thank you properly, but—”

She lurched to a stop when Dale rose and came around the desk to her.

“There is.”

She looked up and saw the intent in his eyes. He took her hands and tugged her to her feet, then pulled her into his arms, and in contrast to the strength of his embrace, the softness of his lips turned her to mush. This was the kiss she’d tried not to imagine. The one that made her toes tingle…and just about everything else, too. When he finally eased his mouth away from hers, she barely contained her groan of disappointment.

He ran his thumb across her lips. “You have such sexy lips. They give a man ideas.”

“Really?”

“Mmm. But they’re ludicrous ideas.”

“They are?”

“Yes. That’s why I won’t say another word about them.” He ushered her toward the door with a hand at her back. “Now, you have a safe journey back to Adelaide, and a great life, whatever you decide to do. It’s been a real pleasure knowing you, and if ever you happen to be in the neighborhood again, we’d love to see you.”

“You, too,” she managed to squeeze through her tight throat. “Please say good-bye to Rose and Ginny for me.”

Her voice broke on the last words and she turned away, hurrying to her car before the inevitable tears arrived to make a fool of her. She didn’t want his last memory of her to be an embarrassing one.