In Too Deep (23 page)

She interrupted their stories. “Now let me ask questions about the cavern.”

“Why?” Julia asked.

“Because I'm the one who knows nothing about it. My reaction to it might be similar to how Wendell would react. Maybe my very ignorance can give us some idea of where he might hide the money.” As Audra asked her questions, her interest in the beautiful cavern grew.

“I'd love to go down there and see the rock formations and stalactites and fossils.”

“I'll take you sometime,” Seth said with a wild grin.

“You're not going down, Audra,” Ethan said with narrowed eyes. “It's too dangerous.”

With a sigh, Audra looked at Julia. “Before we turn our attention to the cavern, let's do the simpler things. Wendell's shop in town and the cabin we were living in when he died. Ethan and I searched that building in town thoroughly, but we didn't do any digging. How closely did we really study the floor in that building?” She looked at Ethan.

He shrugged. “We tore up floorboards, but we could probably stand to do some digging inside as well as out.”

“If it really was a fortune, Wendell would have wanted it close.” Audra shook her head. “And if he dug a hole somewhere, surely he marked the spot somehow.”

“I want to ride into town and talk to the sheriff again anyway,” Rafe said. “Julia and I can go tomorrow and search more carefully in there.”

“Getting away from here might be a good idea, too.” Julia looked with a worried frown from Audra to the baby sleeping in her arms. “Why don't we all ride out toward town in the morning? When we're sure we're not followed, Audra and Ethan can circle around and go to the cabin and hunt.”

“Can you think of any possible places to hide the money inside?” Audra wracked her brain, but the house was just too small.

“None I can imagine, yet we need to be sure. Check it closely and look around for spots on that rocky ground where there's enough dirt to bury something. When we've done all that, then I think we have to turn our attention to searching in the cavern.”

Ethan's gasp was barely audible, but Audra knew he'd never volunteer for that. But it didn't matter. Between Julia and Seth, there'd be no shortage of volunteers.

“I think we should all ride to town together.” Ethan reached up to rub his shoulder and stopped. Audra wondered how much his burns hurt. “For the sake of safety, we should stick together.”

“No.” Audra shook her head. “I want this over with. We've been attacked twice already. These men are deadly serious, and we're in danger as long as someone's hunting for that money. We have to split up.”

Ethan was fuming by the time he got Audra alone.

He shut their bedroom door with a force that was just a bit too stern.

Julia was sleeping in the spare bedroom. Rafe was standing watch with Steele. Seth, currently sleeping on a bedroll downstairs in front of the fireplace, would spell Rafe, then Ethan would take the last watch before sunrise.

And at sunrise, they'd ride out, then split up.

“Why did you say that?”

Audra was running a brush through her hair. Her arm froze in midstroke and she turned to look at Ethan. “You're upset with me.”

Striding across the room, Ethan leaned down and spoke through gritted teeth, not wanting his sister-in-law to overhear. “Rafe came over here with Seth and Julia to help protect this ranch. We can't do that if we're riding all over the countryside.”

Audra took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. Ethan felt like the biggest bully in the world. Then suddenly the shy, sweet woman he'd married did that strange thing he'd seen her do before. She faked having courage even when she didn't.

She slammed her brush down on the dresser behind her and lifted her pointy little chin up. “The way to protect this ranch is to get to the bottom of this mess. We need to find that money. We need to figure out who's behind this and give his money back or have him arrested. He sent Tracker and we caught him. Now we're in danger from somebody else. They'll just keep coming.”

“This is Colorado Territory. There are always outlaws. We fight the ones who bother us and we go on about running the ranch.”

Audra studied him like she'd cornered a rat in the kitchen. Some women might be scared of a rat, but Audra looked like she was ready to go in for the kill. “This isn't about us going off to search my old cabin, is it, Ethan?”

Which made no sense. “Of course it is. And we do need to search, but we need to stick together.”

“No, you started to get upset when I talked about the money being hidden in the cavern.”

Ethan suddenly found it hard to swallow.

The fire went out of Audra's eyes. She reached for him, slid her arms around his neck, gently, he noticed, thinking about his burns. Always kind and gentle and thinking about him.

“Is the cavern really that dangerous?”

“Yes!” Ethan nearly shouted. He hadn't meant to. He clenched his jaw so no more words would escape. Finally he felt able to whisper again. “It's not about the
cavern
. It's about us not taking risks, especially not with you or the children.”

“So you think the outlaws will be at the cabin?”

“We can't be sure they won't be searching the same as us. And these are pure yellow coyotes, who will shoot a man in the back or attack a woman. Remember, we'll have the girls with us. We can't be taking risks with them.”

“If we stay with Julia and Rafe tomorrow, and search in town together, then we can go to the cabin the next day . . . and if the money still doesn't turn up, we can all go hunt in the cavern after that.”

“No!” He caught her around the waist and dragged her hard against him. “You're not going down there. I won't let you.”

“What happened that makes you hate that place so much, Ethan? I mean, you said Seth fell. You said it's dangerous, but we will be careful.”

“No one can be that careful.”

“It's not just you, either. Rafe is so hostile to it. Seth is obsessed with it. What really happened down there that three young boys have grown into men with personalities shaped, maybe even twisted, by a simple cave?”

“What happened is that I found out I was a coward.”

“You're the bravest man I know.” Audra kissed him as gently as a flitting butterfly. Somehow that kiss was like a lock turning. A lock that sprung open, and words pressed against his throat, trying to escape. Words that were a secret Ethan had carried inside him all these years.

“I said things to Seth that . . . that . . . drove him mad.”

“No, you didn't. No one can do that.”

“I was cruel. I taunted him. I saw him go crazy right in front of my eyes, and it was my fault.”

“I don't believe it.” She kissed him more intimately. “You've got a child's memory of that day.”

“I wasn't a
child
. I was thirteen years old.”

“You've never talked about it since, have you?”

“There was nothing to talk about. My words broke his mind and it's never really mended. Then the nightmares. He was terribly hurt, but we'd have survived it if it wasn't for the nightmares.”

“What does that mean? You all survived it.”

“No, Ma didn't. She died.” It had taken a couple of years, but she'd begun to decline from that day. And it wasn't because of how badly Seth was hurt, though that was terrible. It was because of the nightmares that tormented the whole family, and those were Ethan's fault.

“You can't believe that.”

“It took her a while, but she was never the same. She as good as curled up and cried herself to death. And Pa ran off and left us for so long at a time, he might as well have died.” As Ethan said those words aloud, anger welled up inside him. He and Rafe had stayed while Ma and Pa had withdrawn. That was no way for parents to treat their children. He would never do that to his daughters. Then the look in Seth's eyes when his mind broke swept away Ethan's anger, or rather placed it where it belonged. On his own shoulders.

“Tell me what happened—please, Ethan. Tell me all of it. I want to understand.”

Ethan looked into her gentle eyes and wanted so much to be worthy of her kindness. “You're right that I've never talked about it.”

“Then isn't it time?”

His grip on her wrist softened and he caressed the underside of it with his thumb, marveling at how nice it was to have a woman's hand to hold.

“Seth ran off.” Ethan swallowed hard. He hated that day like he hated nothing else on earth. “You're always talking about wanting to be brave, but Audra, honey, you've already got more courage than I ever will.” He kissed her, drew courage from her.

“Tell me.” She held him, almost cradled him, as if she could hold him away from the nightmare of that day.

“We climbed down and Seth ran off. He liked to hide and jump out at us. I never liked it down there, but it was okay. We had fun.”

Ethan remembered every ugly minute as if he were thirteen again.

Seth laughed from up ahead. A spooky laugh that sent a shiver up Ethan's spine. “We need to teach baby brother a lesson, Rafe.”

Ethan's voice broke, like it'd been doing ever since he turned thirteen. It was getting deeper and it embarrassed him when he sounded like a squeaky little girl. Hating this cavern only made it worse.

“We oughta leave him.” Of course, Rafe kept going. Rafe would never go off and abandon one of them, no matter his tough talk.

Ethan pulled one of the torches from a crack in the wall. “Gimme the lantern, Rafe.” Ethan lit it, then wedged it back into the crack. “You know Seth is hiding up ahead to jump out at us.”

“Sounds like something he'd do.” Rafe used his lantern to light a torch they'd stuck in a different crack in the tunnel wall.

Ethan loved the smell of kerosene and fire; it drove back the dank smell of the cavern. He always carried his own lantern, not trusting either of his brothers to stay close at hand.

“Do you ever wonder if monsters live down here?” Ethan didn't really believe in monsters, but if there were such things, this is right where they'd be. And he liked saying out loud the fears he had, only making it sound like he was trying to spook his brothers. “Or maybe outlaws, hiding behind these tall stones growing up from the floor.”

Ethan definitely believed in outlaws.

“There ain't no outlaws, Eth. No one knows about this place but us. This is our own secret hideout.” Rafe picked up speed.

Ethan knew Rafe was worried about Seth and so hurried to keep close to his big brother. It occurred to Ethan that if no one else in the world knew about this place, then what if something happened? What if the rope they'd climbed down on broke? No one would ever look for them down here. The torches would burn out. The kerosene would burn away, and the three of them would starve to death in the pitch-dark.

Yeah, he had no trouble at all thinking of terrible things that could happen in this pit.

“I think maybe this hole reaches all the way down to where the devil lives. We've found the entrance to hell, Rafe.” That thought gave him more than a chill. It terrified him. Which was the whole fun of it.

Rafe shoved him.

Ethan laughed and swung the lantern at Rafe to get him to back off.

“Let's get on with letting Seth scare us. We can light the rest of the torches later.” The torches were just sticks wrapped with oil-soaked rags and dried brush. They lit the place up good. Ethan made new ones all the time so they'd always have plenty. Being trapped down here in the dark was his worst nightmare.

Something snapped in the darkness ahead.

A shout stopped Ethan in his tracks.

“Rafe, help!” Seth's frightened cry was something Ethan had never heard before.

Falling rocks nearly drowned out another scream. “Ethan!”

Seth wasn't afraid of anything.

“Let's go!” Rafe ran.

Ethan had to force himself to move.

Seth shouted again. The noise echoed toward them. The sound of stones striking each other like an avalanche rumbled, drowning out Seth's sharp cries for help. Then a terrible scream stopped Rafe. Ethan stumbled into him.

Ethan's hand shook as he pointed at a side tunnel. “He's down there.” Ethan forced himself to rush in. What he really wanted to do was curl up and cry like a frightened baby.

“Be careful,” Seth yelled. “There's a hole!” Ethan saw it and skidded to a stop. For a second he teetered on the brink of life and death. He could see himself going over the edge and falling all the way to the lake of fire. Burning for all eternity.

Rafe yanked him backward, and Ethan shook off the image of that horror.

Ethan dropped to his knees and yelled down, “Seth!”

“Back up.” Seth sounded terrified. “You're on ground that won't hold.”

“Won't hold what?” Ethan stretched his lantern forward to light the hole. Seth sounded fine. Strong. Scared but not hurt bad.

Rafe dropped beside Ethan and leaned forward, then suddenly was gone. “Back up, Eth. The ground is cracking.” He grabbed Ethan's shirt and pulled, raising his voice. “We'll get you out, Seth!”

Ethan still didn't get what Rafe meant, but he started back, crawling on his knees. One hand busy with the lantern. The rock under him broke and his arm fell through all the way to his shoulder. He smashed his face on stone as he landed flat on his belly.

Ethan yelled and jerked his arm loose as the edge crumbled away from his face.

“Get your weight off this thin rock.” Rafe was moving back fast.

Ethan heard his own cry of terror and hated himself for it. The floor cracked again. He slid backward on his belly. The ground seemed to chase him, crumbling under him.

Every solid thing collapsed. He plunged forward.

And stopped.

The lantern slipped from his hand and it fell and shattered.

Ethan dangled in midair. Flames shot up nearly to his face. The heat and the smell made him lurch back. He saw kerosene flow over stone. The fire chased the fuel.

“I've got you,” Rafe shouted from behind him. Ethan realized he was hanging from his rope belt. Rafe had caught him.

“Fire!” Seth shrieked from below them. Ethan looked down into the pit. Seth was on fire!

“Rafe, help me!”

One hard yank on his belt and Ethan popped up out of the mouth of Hades, flew backward and hit his head so hard, stars exploded. He was barely aware of an ugly crack from Rafe hitting the other side of the tunnel headfirst.

Ethan tried to surge forward to help Seth, but he couldn't. His vision wasn't right. It was narrow and kept getting worse. He saw blood streaming from a cut on Rafe's head.