Page 60 of Silent Ritual

"Oh, God," Sheila gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Star said stubbornly, though her trembling voice betrayed her fear. "He didn't see me."

"Who, Solberg?"

Star nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "He came by here," she said. "He was talking to himself—saying something about destiny and stars aligning."

Sheila pulled Star up and hugged her close. “When I heard your voice…” She trailed off, uncertain how to describe the feeling of horror that had filled her.

Then she stepped back, still keeping her hands on Star’s shoulders, and looked the girl in the eye. “Which way did he go?”

Star pointed toward one of the tunnels. “You’re not going to tell me to stay here, are you?”

Sheila shook her head. “No, I think I’ve learned my lesson about letting you out of my sight.”

A small grin creased Star’s mouth.

“Now come on,” Sheila said, taking the girl’s hand. “And stay behind me. It’s time we stopped this bastard—for good.”

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Sheila led the way, her gun in one hand and the flashlight in the other. Star stayed behind her, one hand clinging to the back of Sheila’s shirt. Sheila wasn’t about to let them get separated again.

The tunnel narrowed, twisting through the earth. Sheila’s breath grew louder as she pressed forward, joined by the shuffling of their feet on stone and dirt. Neither she nor Star spoke.

Then, as the tunnel took a turn, Sheila spotted light up ahead—not artificial light, but starlight. An exit. As grateful as Sheila was at the prospect of escaping the mine, it also meant that Solberg may have escaped. If he was outside, she needed to track him down and stop him before he could get far.

But the light also meant that she could call for backup, get more eyes on the situation. She pulled out her radio, turning it to a low volume so as not to alert Solberg of their position. “This is Deputy Stone,” she whispered into the receiver. “I have a visual on an exit from the mine, requesting immediate backup.”

Only static answered her. She tried again but received the same response. It was possible that they were still too deep underground for her signal to reach the surface. She cursed under her breath, clipping the radio to her belt again.

They reached the exit shortly after, creeping out into an open field illuminated by the soft glow of moonlight. There was no sign of Solberg—only silence and looming trees that flanked the clearing in a semicircle.

“Where could he be?” Sheila murmured. She glanced at the ground, searching for tracks. She could just barely make out faint impressions in the salt. It appeared Solberg had left the mine, then circled back around…

She turned back toward the entrance of the mine just as Solberg, crouched on the roof of the tunnel, leapt at her.

"Watch out!" Star screamed, but it was too late. Solberg crashed into Sheila, sending them both sprawling to the ground.

Sheila groaned as she struggled to push Solberg off her. He was heavier than he looked, his body pinning her down. She could feel her gun digging into her side, lodged between them but out of reach.

Solberg's cold eyes were inches from hers, a mad glint in them reflecting the moonlight. "Did you really think you could stop me?" he asked, his voice a low hiss.

With a burst of adrenaline, Sheila bucked beneath him and managed to throw him off. Scrambling to her feet, she drew her gun and pointed it at Solberg, who was also getting up.

"Stay down!" she ordered, the barrel of the gun unwavering in her grip. "You're under arrest!"

But Solberg let out a derisive snort instead. "You really don't understand, do you? It's too late—the stars have already aligned."

Before she could react, he lunged at her again. Instinctively she fired, but if the bullet hit Solberg, he hardly seemed to notice. Then his hands were around her throat, squeezing her windpipe. Sheila gasped for breath, her vision blurring.

"Stop!" Star shouted. She raced at Solberg with a stone raised high in her hand. Just before she could strike him, he shoved Sheila away and turned toward Star. He caught her wrist, then punched her in the stomach. The girl doubled over, groaning.

“Leave her alone!” Sheila shouted, aiming her weapon at Solberg. She could probably make the shot—she had staggered a few paces away when Solberg shoved her, but she was still relatively close. Then again, it was awfully dark, and if by some terrible accident she ended up shooting Star instead…

Solberg seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He grabbed Star and dragged her toward himself, using her as a human shield.

"Let her go, Solberg," Sheila said, her voice calm though her heart was beating wildly in her chest. "This is between you and me."

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