Blowout Read online

  “Kat, where are you?” His voice cut in and out. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Stuck inside the cave.” Pete knew she had gone to the cave. Surely he would have heard an uproar on the yacht as they tried to figure out where she was. Or maybe they hadn’t even noticed her missing. But she really didn’t want to think about that.

  “How is that possible? The cave is only a few feet deep.”

  “No, it’s bigger than that. I found a hidden opening. I stumbled across it almost by accident. But enough about that. You’ve got to get me out. I’m stuck.”

  “Stuck how?”

  She briefly described her situation. “The details aren’t important, and I don’t want to waste my cell phone battery. I’ve fallen a few times. Maybe you could bring me a walking stick or something. And shoes.”

  There was a long pause at the other end. “Okay.”

  “Ask Pete about the cave. He’s familiar with it.”

  “Who’s Pete?”

  “One of Raphael’s crew. You must have seen him on the trail. He was there the same time as us.”

  “I didn’t see anyone on the trail. There was a guy on the beach, though.” Jace described him. “Now that you mention it, Raphael seemed to know him. He talked to him for a few minutes before we went back to the ship.”

  “That’s him. Kind of grizzly looking.” She was surprised Jace hadn’t noticed him aboard the yacht. But then again, Jace had sat at the bar, pretty much glued to Raphael’s side, for most of the trip.

  “He told Raphael you were heading back with him. That’s why Raphael and I went back to the ship.”

  “That’s ridiculous, Jace. Pete swam to the island.” At least that was what Pete had told her.

  “Why would he swim there when he could have come in the dinghy with us?”

  “I have no idea, but that’s beside the point. You don’t even wonder if I’m okay, and now you take Raphael’s word over mine?” Her face flushed as she tried to remain calm. “What if he was a criminal or something?”

  “I guess I wasn’t thinking right. Since Raphael knew him, I figured everything was okay.” The first trace of doubt appeared in his voice.

  “Raphael’s from Italy, and we’re visiting an island he’s never been to before, and he knows some scruffy-looking beach bum?” If that wasn’t proof of Raphael’s inconsistent story, she didn’t know what was.

  “Don’t be mad at me. You just confirmed he’s one of the crew, so it all worked out in the end, right?”

  “That’s not the point, Jace.” Arguing wouldn’t get her out of the cave, but she needed to know what Pete’s involvement was. “Did Pete tell you himself or was it relayed by Raphael?”

  “Raphael,” Jace admitted.

  “Pete knew I was trying to catch up with you. Why would he lie?” Pete hadn’t lied, but Raphael had. Jace wouldn’t believe that though. He was so enamored with Raphael that he wouldn’t believe anything negative about him. Raphael had lied to get rid of her. Anger welled up inside her. “How was I supposed to get back to the yacht when you guys had the dinghy?”

  “Pete said he’d take you back in his boat.”

  “Raphael told you that too, huh?”

  Silence.

  “Raphael knew there was only one dinghy.” Pete almost certainly would have offered to help find her. Had Raphael quashed that too?

  “Oh.”

  “That’s all you can say?”

  Jace sighed. “I’m sorry, okay. I just assumed that you were fine with Pete. With it being such a small island and all…”

  “Just come get me out of this cave.”

  “I will. As soon as I find Raphael. I don’t know where the dinghy is.”

  Her cell phone beeped its low battery warning. “My phone’s dying. Just hurry.” She would talk to Pete when she was back on board and get his side of the story, but she already knew what it was. “Get Pete to come with you. He’s been inside the cave before.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jace said. “We’ll get you out. I’m sure Raphael has lots of tools on the yacht.”

  “Just get here as fast as you can.” Kat realized it was almost dinner time. Darkness wasn’t far off, and rescue would be difficult once evening set in. The last thing she wanted was to spend the night in a damp, dark cave. Why was she constantly getting into these messes? Because her curiosity got the better of her, every time.

  Her thoughts drifted back to Brother XII and his settlement. The settlers had bought into his dream without a second thought. More than a few of them had disappeared without a trace. She shivered at the thought and wondered if some rested within the cavern walls, lost like she was.

  Brother XII’s disciples had handed over their money, toiled on the land for nothing, only realizing too late that they had been swindled. Perhaps some had ventured into this very cave, looking to escape, or maybe in search of Brother XII’s rumored treasure.

  Of course Brother XII’s treasure was really theirs, since it was amassed from the money they had surrendered when they joined the group. Perhaps they regretted handing over all their money to Brother XII and had come to get it back. They sought a way off the island, but once penniless, had no home to run to.

  The lost souls in Brother XII’s era had to find their own escape. No one searched for them or notified the authorities. They were forgotten people who ceased to exist in the outside world. When they surrendered to the Aquarian Foundation, they vanished through time.

  She shuddered at the thought. She might have vanished in the cave, if not for the modern convenience of a cell phone.

  She was jolted from her thoughts by a man’s voice.

  “Kat, can you hear me?” Raphael’s voice came from the direction of the entrance. His voice was muffled, probably due to the cave acoustics or lack thereof.

  “Over here. Straight in to the wall, then make a left. Where’s Jace?”

  “What? I can’t hear you.” His voice faded.

  “Walk straight in to the back wall,” Kat shouted. “Then follow the wall to the left.” Why couldn’t he hear her? While his voice was muffled, she could hear him just fine without him shouting.

  Suddenly there was a deafening crash of rock, stone, and boulder.

  The pale light vanished, replaced by blackness. The small opening was now completely closed off.

  Something had blocked her exit.

  Something, or someone.

  13

  The boulder slammed against the small opening, cutting off Kat’s only exit. The only voice she heard outside was Raphael’s. In fact, she hadn’t heard Jace at all.

  “Jace? You there?” Why was Raphael doing the talking and not Jace?

  Silence.

  “Raphael, where’s Jace?” She flashed back to Jace’s comment about the dinghy. He said he couldn’t find it. Yet Raphael was here. Had he returned to the island alone? “Who’s with you, Raphael?”

  No answer.

  “Let me out!” Raphael obviously disliked her, but trapping her in a cave was tantamount to murder. Her heart raced as she wondered about Jace, Harry and Gia’s whereabouts. Any one of them would drop everything to search for her. Jace knew she was trapped, so why wasn’t he already here? Panic welled up inside her.

  Maybe something had happened to them, too.

  She was probably just being paranoid. But if that was the case, why didn’t Raphael answer her? She was only certain about two things: she had recognized Raphael’s voice outside the cave, and the rock that now blocked the exit hadn’t moved there by itself. Raphael had trapped her in the cave instead of rescuing her.

  That was crazy, unless Raphael had a secret much more sinister than defrauding Gia. While she was certain Raphael was swindling Gia out of her money, her friend wasn’t exactly a millionaire. Raphael could easily cover his tracks and take the money and run. He didn’t have to commit murder to get away with it.

  There was something more, but she had only suspicions and no facts to explain his extreme be
havior. What could possibly be enough to kill her?

  Jace was very wrong about Raphael, but unless he came to his senses, he wouldn’t assume Raphael had ulterior motives. And he would trust Raphael to rescue her. She flashed back to their phone conversation. Jace still didn’t suspect anything wrong.

  Footsteps crunched outside.

  “What’s happening?”

  Kat’s cry was met with silence. Her heart raced and she was suddenly claustrophobic. The cave seemed even darker and the air mustier.

  Mind over matter.

  Jace would get her out. He would be here in a flash.

  If he could.

  Her chest tightened as panic engulfed her. Had something happened to him, too? Whatever Raphael was hiding, he considered it worth the risk to trap her in the cave. He would leave her to die if he could.

  Stop it.

  Survivors survive.

  A dozen slow breaths later, she came to one unmistakable conclusion. She wouldn’t escape by passively waiting for a rescue. For starters, she needed to free her arm. She winced in pain as she wriggled her arm back and forth. After several minutes and rocking back and forth she finally worked it free. She sighed in relief at her close call. Now she had to get back on the path. She rolled the rocks off her stomach and sat up. She scrambled back up to level ground and limped to the cave opening.

  She pushed against the rock, knowing even before she tried that it was futile. It didn’t budge.

  Defeated, she leaned against the rock. Her throat was parched with thirst. She hadn’t even thought to bring a water bottle since they had planned only a very short hike. As if on cue, her stomach rumbled, hungry.

  She had used up most of her cell phone battery with the flashlight. Would it work at all now that the cave was closed in?

  It was all she had. She punched in Jace’s number. Her spirits lifted as the call went through. She would be out of here in minutes, or at worst, an hour.

  Her heart sank as her call went straight to Jace’s voicemail. That worried her. Jace never turned his cell phone off.

  Her battery indicator beeped, so she left a message for him. She spoke quickly and gave instructions on the rock’s location blocking the hidden entrance and how to maneuver inside the cave. She was careful not to implicate Raphael just in case he had Jace’s cell phone.

  Uncle Harry was her last hope. She hoped she had enough battery juice to reach him. There was a good chance he hadn’t even brought his cell phone with him though. Even when he had it in his pocket, he tended not to hear it. She entered his number and waited.

  One, two, three rings, no answer.

  Uncle Harry answered on the fourth ring. “Kat, where the heck are you? We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “I’m in a cave on the island.”

  “You’re what? I can barely hear you. Maybe you should call back—”

  “No—don’t hang up. Listen carefully, Uncle Harry.” She inched closer to the rock-covered opening in an attempt to increase her signal. “Find Pete and tell him I’m trapped in the cave.”

  “What cave? What’s Pete got to do with anything?”

  “It’s not important right now. Just get him and come over here.”

  “But Raphael’s got the dinghy…” Harry’s voice faded, then cut off abruptly as her phone went dead.

  She stared at her phone, deflated. At least she had made the call, and Uncle Harry knew she was in the cave. Small consolation, but help would arrive eventually. She could depend on her uncle for that. What she couldn’t depend upon though, was his discretion. He would surely involve Raphael before Pete.

  That was a problem. In the end it didn’t matter, she decided. No matter how awkward, her uncle would persist in finding her. She would deal with Raphael once she was out.

  She slid down against the cave wall into a sitting position and broke into a cold sweat. Very few people knew these caves existed, and from what Pete had told her, fewer still knew about the corridors and turns in this particular cave. With the rock blocking the opening, the entrance was invisible to anyone unfamiliar with the cave. She could die in here, slowly starving as the few cave visitors explored other corridors. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her knees.

  It also dawned on her that she, Uncle Harry, Jace and—as far as she knew—Gia, had told no one about their impromptu trip. Nobody knew of their whereabouts. Raphael could get rid of all of them. There wasn’t a soul who knew where they were right now. It defied belief, but then so did blatantly trapping her in a cave.

  If and when she was discovered, would she be just another artifact?

  14

  Kat jolted awake. Someone or something else was in the cave. She held her breath and listened. The scratching noise was close, just a few feet away near the entrance. She shuddered and remembered the bats. She was hardly the only living creature in the cave.

  She held her breath and listened to see how close it was. It wasn’t an animal after all. Her hopes soared as metal clanged against rock. Somebody was outside.

  “Help me!” She jumped to her feet and winced in pain. In her exhilaration she forgot her swollen ankle and injured knee. She stumbled backwards. “I’m trapped inside the cave.”

  No answer.

  She must have dozed off. She had drained her watch battery and it was now too dark to see the dial unaided. Her cell phone battery was dead too, so she had no idea how much time had passed. It couldn’t be that long. She was hungry, but not ravenously so. Her last meal had been lunch on the ship.

  “In here!”

  Silence.

  Momentary elation was replaced by disappointment. Her mind was playing tricks on her. There was no one else here, as much as she wished otherwise. Maybe she had dreamt the whole thing.

  “Anyone out there?”

  Silence.

  It was much darker inside the cave now that the rock blocked the entrance. It was also closer to nightfall.

  The scratching sounded again.

  Her hopes faded. An animal was probably burrowing or digging outside. No chance of help there.

  But the sound increased, and once again she heard metal against rock. Unless there were tool- wielding animals inside the cave, metal was a good sign.

  Better than good. It was music to her ears. Like a symphony.

  She focused on the sound and tried to identify it.

  “You there?” Jace’s voice was clear. He couldn’t be more than ten feet away.

  “Yes! Get me out of here, Jace.” She’d better not have dreamt his voice. “Can you hear me okay?”

  “Yeah. Are you all right?”

  “Pretty much.” Relief flooded over her. She would finally be freed.

  “Thank goodness!” Uncle Harry chimed in. “We’ll get you out, Kat. Hang tight.”

  She had never felt so lucky in her life. “It’s so good to hear your voices. I’m so glad you found me. What time is it?”

  “Just after seven o’clock. We got worried when you didn’t return,” Jace said. By the sound of his voice, he was doing something physical. That explained the shovel sounds.

  “But I was with you and Raphael. Why did you leave without me?” She had no idea if Raphael was outside with them, but she wanted an answer now. She couldn’t wait any longer.

  “You told us to.”

  “I did not,” Kat said.

  “Sure you did. You told Raphael you’d catch a ride back with Pete. I even double checked.”

  “I never said any such thing.” Her word against Raphael’s, but shouldn’t her word count more? “I never even spoke to Raphael.”

  “He obviously misunderstood.” Jace grunted. “This rock is wedged in here pretty tight. I don’t have the right tools.”

  “A pry bar would work,” Uncle Harry said. “There’s no tools like that on the yacht, though.”

  Kat’s heart sank. She had expected to be rescued in minutes, but things didn’t sound very promising.

  “I meant to say that Pete relayed your mes
sage to Raphael. So that’s why we left.”

  “Did you check with Pete on that?”

  “No, I guess I should have.” Jace’s words came in short bursts as he shoveled. “Raphael obviously got it wrong. But you’re partially to blame for going off on your own like that. We couldn’t figure out where you were.”

  Or notice I was gone, Kat thought. Her elation was eclipsed by anger as she remembered how Jace had simply forgotten she was there.

  “That’s when we realized you were still here,” Uncle Harry said. “Pete said you didn’t return with him. He seems a bit forgetful if you ask me.”

  Her impression of Pete was entirely different than her uncle’s. But now wasn’t the time or place to ask more. She’d wait until she was safely back on the yacht. Of course, whether she was safe onboard was another story altogether. “How long till I’m out?”

  “Depends,” said Jace. “We’ve got to improvise, since all we’ve got are shovels. And not very sturdy ones at that. But our plan is slowly working.”

  “We’re doing what the ancient Egyptians did, and digging the dirt and sand out from under the rock,” Uncle Harry said. “We’re hoping the rock will just roll forward.”

  “That’s clever.” She vaguely remembered a documentary she had watched with Jace. While it made sense, it also sounded dangerous. One wrong move and that rock could roll right on top of them. “Give me some warning before the rock rolls.”

  “Oh, that won’t be for a while yet,” Uncle Harry said.

  She only heard one shovel and suspected Jace was doing most of the digging.

  “What I can’t figure out is how you got stuck behind this thing in the first place. It’s huge.” Jace sounded breathless.

  “It wasn’t there when I went in.” As a matter of fact, Kat couldn’t remember any boulders nearby. She hadn’t been looking for them, though. She had been focused on whatever treasures might lay ahead of her. How had Raphael maneuvered it in front of the cave by himself? “How long do you think it will take?”