Page 55 of Cold Case Murder Mystery

“Maybe it’s just a sign that someone else is in here. You grab that light and I’ll grab this one and we’ll be done.”

They didn’t turn off the lights or dismantle them, just carried them toward the narrow pathway that led back outside.

Brooke heard a strange rumble and then the clatter of pebbles falling, scattering. It almost sounded like some kind of earthquake, but the ground didn’t move even as rocks fell from above. “That’s... not good.”

“No. It’s—” But she didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, Laurel shoved her back, hard. It didn’t take long for Brooke to figure out why, even as she stumbled onto her butt and let out a yelp of pain.

A big boulder fell right at her feet. More rocks were falling, pelting her in the head. It was some kind of... cave-in.

There had been a survey of the safety of the cave before she’d been cleared to excavate. Every report had determined it was stable and perfectly safe to work in.

Were they wrong, or had something... caused this?

Well, it didn’t really matter, did it? The rocks were piling up. Laurel was shouting directions at her deputies, but Brooke was afraid to follow as huge pieces of rock rained down between her and Laurel.

She scooted farther back into the cave. Maybe it was the wrong move, but the rocks stopped pelting her here. Her head throbbed from where one had really gotten her good.

But she couldn’t go deeper into the cave. She had to getout. She reached up, touched the throbbing spot on her head. Her hand came away sticky. That wasn’t good.

Brooke pushed to her feet, grabbing the light she’d lost a grip on. She shone it in front of her.

A wall of rocks. There were a few spots at the top that were maybe holes she could get to or through, but she’d have to climb up something to reach them. She’d have to try to move the rocks, but would that cause more of a cave-in?

Panic was crawling up her throat, but not at being caved-in. No. This was worse.

So much worse.

There were sounds coming from behind her. Like footsteps. Splashing in the pools of water.Squelch, tap. Squelch, tap.

Fear seized her, but she forced herself to look over her shoulder.

A small, bent-over man was making his way toward her—illuminated by an actual torch he carried as well as the light of hers that still functioned.

“Well, hello.” His smile showed off rotted teeth, his beard was long and matted. His eyes were wild, even if he spoke in a calm, singsongy voice. “Welcome to my home.”

Chapter Seventeen

“What are we going to do? Just sit around and talk about the damn Sons all day?” Royal demanded irritably while Zeke sat calmly—if he did say so himself—at a table trying to compile Royal’s information on his old gang involvement. On who, besides their father, might see Brooke as a viable way to hurt Royal.

“What would you rather do?” Zeke replied. “Let Brooke continue to be a target because of you?”

Royal scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. But he didn’t mount another argument or complaint. Though he did mount an accusation. “You sure know a lot about how the Sons works.”

“North Star ring any bells?”

Royal frowned then studied Zeke with some renewed interest. “That group that took them down. Vigilante stuff.”

Zeke shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it that. I’d call it a group of people with military and law-enforcement training who didn’t have to get caught up in government red tape in order to launch a campaign to eradicate a threat to the safety of thousands of citizens.”

Royal rolled his eyes. “Yeah, there’s a real difference. You’re telling me you were part of that?”

“Till the day they disbanded. Longafterthey eradicated the Sons.”

Royal shook his head. “You don’t understand. There’s noeradicatingcockroaches.”

“Maybe not, but there’s certainly cutting off all their sources of power so all they are is little annoying pests running around. Easily squashed by any errant boot.”

Royal didn’t have an argument for that and before Zeke could press again for more details about their father’s role in the Sons, they both turned toward the telltale rumble of tires on gravel.

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