Page 56 of Silent Ritual

The man hesitated. "We were going to send a team down, but one of the volunteers—a geologist—warned us that the tunnels are unstable. It’s safer just to watch the entrances, see if anyone comes out.”

“Safer for you, maybe,” Sheila said angrily, unbuckling her seat belt. “But if Solberg’s got his next victim down there, he’s not going to let her live for long—assuming she's still alive."

As Sheila climbed out of the car, she noticed movement in her back seat. She yanked the door open and was stunned to see Star sitting there, crouched against the third row of seats.

“What in the world are you—”

“Don’t be angry,” Star said. “I just…I really enjoyed when we were all working together, and I thought I could help.”

Finn had stepped away to speak with the officer, so Sheila was on her own to deal with Star.

Sheila sighed, frustrated. “I don’t have time for this. We’re going after a serial killer, and you’re fourteen years old. You shouldn’t be anywhere near here.

Star bristled, pushing back at Sheila’s words with a glare. “I’m not a child. I can help.”

“Your help isn’t needed right now,” Sheila replied, her patience wearing thin. She looked around, searching for Finn among the swarm of officers.

Star seemed to shrink back, retreating into the shadowy depths of the car. “Please,” she said quietly. “I need to do something. I just…I feel so useless.”

Sheila sighed, reaching out to place a hand on Star’s arm in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. “We can talk about this afterward, alright? But right now, you need to stay here where it’s safe.”

Before Star could argue further, Sheila briskly closed the vehicle door and hurried over to Finn, who had finished his conversation with the officer.

“I want a team down in those tunnels right away,” she said, not bothering with a preamble.

Finn frowned. “They just told us it’s unstable. We could be sending them into a death trap.”

“Then I’ll go in there myself,” Sheila said, her eyes set with a determination that brooked no argument. "I'm not letting another woman die on my watch."

"Damn it, Sheila," Finn snapped, his patience fraying. "We have protocols for a reason."

“If we wait for a safer option, Solberg could get away with another murder. I can't let that happen."

Finn eyed her for a moment before finally throwing his hands up in resignation. "Alright, have it your way. But you're not going alone. I'm coming with you."

Sheila nodded. “Then let’s not waste any more time. Where are the tunnels?”

"We've got someone on the way with gear," the officer with the caterpillar mustache said. "Ropes, helmets, heavy-duty flashlights…"

Sheila shook her head. “There’s no time—I’m going in.”

“Sheila—” Finn began, but Sheila turned on him, bristling.

“If you caution me one more time,” she said, “so help me God I will kick you all the way back to the station. Now lead me to the entrance!"

The officer with the mustache pointed. “It’s over that way.”

Before anyone could stop her, she was off, jogging across the hard-packed salt of the flats. Finn swore under his breath and chased after her, his longer stride quickly closing the gap.

They rounded a craggy outcrop of stone and came upon the gaping black maw of the mine entrance. Sheila didn't hesitate. She plunged into the darkness with only her flashlight and pistol for company, Finn hot on her heels.

The air in the mine was stale and dry, causing their flashlights to diffuse oddly in the dim surroundings. The walls were rough and jagged, reflecting back eerie shadows that danced in their peripheral vision. Their footsteps echoed off into a seemingly infinite void.

"Sheila!" Finn called out after they'd traveled a few hundred yards underground. "We need to move slower. We could alert Solberg if he's here."

"I have no intention of sneaking around in here while he prepares to kill his next victim," she said, not slowing her pace. In the back of her head, she was thinking of Natalie—wondering what she could’ve done differently, wondering how she might’ve prevented Natalie from taking her own life.

"I won't let that happen again, Finn," she said, her words echoing off the stone walls. "I've made far too many mistakes already."

---