The women began throwing rocks with both hands.
Stunned, John ducked, grunting as stones hit him. When he fired, both women flattened themselves on the ground, bullets whizzing overhead, yet they never stopped throwing their rocks.
Kimberly sent one with force, hitting John on the side of his head, blood running immediately.
Almost staggering, he backed away from the entrance and quickly scrambled out of sight. “So, you bitches think you’re smart, do you? Let’s see how long you can last in there with no food or water. When you’re ready to give up and die a quick death, let me know. I’ll be here waiting.”
Kim sat up behind what was left of the pile of rocks. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
“Of course not!” Leah snapped. “Kim, you have to have courage.”
“Courage?” Kim said despondently. “Leah, I have no idea where you’ve gotten the idea that I want to be anything but a coward. Your bravery gets you in all sorts of trouble while my cowardice keeps me safely at home.”
“Safely at home married to a murderer and thief,” Leah pointed out. “You let yourself be blackmailed into that marriage, too, because you were afraid of being found out that you’d tried to kill me. And if you weren’t so sneaky you’d never have found out about that hidden closet of your husband’s and if you’d never found that out we’d not be here now. And furthermore—.”
“Leah, I really think you’ve made your point. Perhaps we both should change. When Justin and I get married, we’ll—.”
“Justin,” Leah said, putting her hand on Kim’s arm, “is dead.”
“No he’s not,” Kim said with simple conviction. “I’d know if he were dead. He may have looked as if he were dead but he wasn’t.”
There was something in her tone that made Leah believe her. “Kim,” she said softly, “what John doesn’t know is that we left the note for Wesley. And if Justin is still alive that makes a witness. Even if John kills us he won’t get away with his murders.”
“Let’s tell John,” Kim said, rising. “He’ll have to let us go now.”
Leah pulled Kim back down. “I’m sure your honorable husband will smile and let us go and everything will be solved. Maybe he’ll even shake hands with us.”
“You’re right. John has a dreadful temper,” Kim said glumly. “He’s already killed lots of people, so maybe he’ll kill us just to keep in practice. Leah, what in the world are we going to do?”
Leah stood and walked to the far wall of the cave. There was water trickling down. Wesley, she thought. What would Wesley want her to do? She remembered all the times Wesley had said she just ran off and did things rather than asking for help. At least this time she’d thought of asking for help from Bud and Cal, but when they weren’t available she’d just gone ahead, dragging Kim behind her, and tried to rescue Justin and capture a murderer all by herself. And now, because of her vanity in thinking she could do everything alone, both she and Kim might die.
“What would Wesley want me to do?” she whispered.
“Wait for him,” Kim answered. “He wanted you to wait for him at the farm until he returned from Lexington, but since you wouldn’t, I guess waiting in this cave is the next best thing. Could we please just stay here and not do one single brave thing, Leah? Please?”
“But what if—,” Leah began but stopped. “We have water but no food and it’s going to get awfully cold in here.”
“I think graves are probably colder,” Kim said. “Leah, someone’s bound to find the note I left and when Justin wakes up he can tell them John is a murderer. Someone will come after us.”
“But even if Justin is alive it could be weeks before he can speak. He looked badly wounded to me.”
It was at that moment that a rock came sailing into the cave.
“Looking for this, ladies?” John said with a laugh.
Leah could see that a piece of paper was tied to the rock. With trembling hands, Leah untied it. “It’s the letter you left, isn’t it?” she asked, tears in her voice.
“One of them,” Kim said without much concern.
“One of them?” Leah exclaimed.
“Leah, you just have no idea how mean my husband is. Someday I’ll tell you the things he did to me at night. And, too, I knew that if I was going somewhere with you I’d end up in trouble. If you and Wes go out to deliver food, to do a good deed like that, you nearly get killed. I heard how the dogs nearly got you. And it was your fault, Leah. You collect more trouble than a piece of glass collects dust.”
“How many notes did you leave, Kim?” Leah whispered.
“Three. One in plain sight, one under the dirty dishes—I knew John would never touch a dirty dish—and one under a pillow in the bedroom.”
“But I didn’t see you,” Leah said. “How…?”
Kim stiffened her back. “As you’ve pointed out, I can be secretive. Now, Leah, this isn’t easy for me to say because I know you can be persuasive, but if you leave this cave, I’m not going with you. I’m staying right here until a real live man, one with muscles and, I hope, a gun, comes to rescue me. If you go, you’ll have to go alone.”
Leah looked around the ugly, cold little cave. “It could be days before anyone comes.”
“I’d rather spend a week in here than arrive dead in Sweetbriar four days early.”
“Me too,” Leah said, her eyes sparkling.
“You know exactly what I mean. Leah, how long can a person live without food?”
“Maybe we’re going to find out,” Leah said softly.
Dawn came and with it no sign of help. John Hammond found a perch exactly opposite their cave, across the deep ravine, and at random fired shots into it, making it impossible for the women to rest or even relax.
“Maybe we should try—,” Leah began a hundred times, but Kim gave her such quelling looks that she subsided.
When night came they were utterly exhausted. John stepped up his firing and, once, he let go a volley that hit the ledge of the cave.
“Is he trying to shoot it off?” Leah cried out.
“Here!” came a faint voice. “While he’s reloadin’, help me.”
Kim and Leah exchanged quick looks before hurrying to the mouth of the cave.
“Mac!” Leah said, dropping to her stomach to reach out to him. Between the two women they managed to pull him inside.
Mac leaned against the wall of the cave. “It’s my leg. It’s not too bad, but it’s bleedin’ a lot so if you ladies have anythin’ to wrap it with, I’d sure appreciate it.”
Both women tore their petticoats away as they fired questions at him.
“How did you find us?”
“Is Justin hurt badly?”
“Where’s Wesley?”
“How are we going to get out of here?”
“Do you have anything to eat?” This was from Kim.
“Hold on a minute,” Mac said. “Let me look at my leg. I thought so. Bullet went through. It stunned me so bad I nearly fell off that ledge.”
“Does it hurt much?” Leah asked.
“A mite. The worst thing is I don’t think I’ll be able to walk on it very much. Here.” He handed Kim a piece of jerky from a pouch on his belt. “Now, ladies, as for your questions. You were easy to find because you couldn’t have left a bigger trail if you’d used a broad ax. I don’t know nothin’ about Justin. Lynna and me visited the Stanford farm and she found your letter. I sent Lynna back to Sweetbriar to spread the alarm and sent somebody after Wes. I been outside all day but had to wait until dark to get in here to you.”
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but why didn’t you go after John?” Leah asked.
“He’s holed up in a little cutback in a rock wall across the ravine. To get down there without him knowin’ it I’d have to come down from the top with a rope and I ain’t got a rope with me, but more’n that I wasn’t real sure that maybe he wasn’t shootin’ at a bear.”
“Bears don’t live in caves,” Kim said, looking around her su
spiciously.
Mac only glanced at her. “I didn’t figure on gettin’ shot while I was climbin’ up here. I must be gettin’ old.”
“I think we ought to—,” Leah began.
“Don’t listen to anything she says,” Kim interrupted. “What do you think we should do?”
“We’re gonna sit here and wait. Wes and some of the other men will be here soon and I hope they’re smart enough to come prepared. I ran off like a—what the hell!”
His exclamation was because Kim had leaned forward and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I just love men,” she said with a sigh. “They’re so sensible.”
“I’d ask for an explanation for all this,” Mac said, “I’d really like to know why two damn fool women ran off after some murderer like the Dancer, but to tell you the truth, I found out a long time ago that women’s reasons for things usually make me madder ’n hell, so if you don’t mind I’d just as soon talk to John Hammond as you two. I want both you women to lie down on the floor back there, make yourselves as little as you can, and no matter what happens, stay there. You all understand me?”
“I do,” Kim said pointedly.
“If you’re planning something, maybe I can help,” Leah said sincerely.
“The last thing I need is—,” Mac began, but a gasp of pain from Leah cut him off.
Kim had grabbed Leah’s arm and dug her nails in. “Leah’s going to do just what you say, Mac. Aren’t you, Leah?”
“I was just asking,” Leah said defensively.
“Go! Now!” Mac was seething and both women obeyed his orders.
On his stomach Mac crawled near the opening of the cave. “Come on, Hammond, you not man enough to take on two little women and a wounded man?” Mac shouted across the ravine. “You havin’ trouble with us?”
His answer was two shots fired into the cave. Both Leah and Kim covered their heads with their arms as the shots echoed above them.
“That wasn’t even a good try, Hammond,” Mac yelled.
For hours Mac yelled and John shot into the cave. Leah’s ears were ringing and she could tell Mac’s voice was giving out. Ignoring Kim’s commands to the contrary, Leah crawled forward on her stomach until she was beside Mac.
“Your leg’s bothering you, isn’t it?” she asked. “Why don’t you take a rest?”
“I want all of Hammond’s attention on me,” Mac said hoarsely. “Look across there.”
At first Leah could see nothing, but as she concentrated and strained her eyes, she saw a figure against the lighter rock.
“Hammond, did you kill Revis? I heard how you were there. Is that why the man gave my name?” Mac bellowed.
“Who is that?” Leah whispered.
“From the size of him, I think it’s Wes,” Mac answered.
“Are you angry, John, because two women discovered who you were?” Leah screamed.
Mac put a hand to her throat. “Don’t you ever disobey me again. Now get back into that corner.”
Meekly, Leah crawled backward to lie beside Kim.
“I saw Wesley,” Leah whispered. “He’s coming down the cliff on a rope. It’ll all be over soon.”
“One way or the other,” Kim said, burying her face in her arms. “I hope nothing happens to Wesley.”
For the next few minutes Leah lay paralyzed with fear. “Please, God,” she prayed, “don’t let anything happen to Wesley. I’ll be obedient from now on and never get into any more trouble and I’ll always ask for help with chimneys and murderers.”
“If we get out of this alive I’m going to make you repeat that every morning,” Kim said. “And I’m quite sure Wesley will help me.”
Leah had no idea she’d spoken aloud. “If—,” she began.
“You two shut up,” Mac said. “You’re distractin’ me.”
In the next minute there were several shots fired, then came the awful sound of a man’s scream as he fell.
Leah didn’t breathe.
“Who was it?” Kim said with a gasp. “Not Wesley?”
“I can’t be sure…” Mac began.
“Leah!” came what she knew was the sweetest voice she’d ever heard. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she whispered, then started running, tripping over Mac as he was rising, ignoring Kim’s calling her back. She tore down the side of the cliff on the way to the bottom.
Above her came Mac’s voice. “Stanford, you better get to the top quick ’cause your wife’s comin’ after you. And I can tell you she’s got no more sense ’n to climb down that rope after you.”
“About as much sense as your wife’s got, Macalister,” Wesley shot back across the ravine. “Linnet’s at the top holding the rope.”
“Goddamn you, Linnet!” Mac shouted. “I told you to go get help.”
Leah was halfway up the opposite wall before Wesley came sliding down to her, pulling her to him.
“I don’t know whether to beat you or make love to you. Leah, you almost got yourself killed. Why didn’t you stay at the farm?”
“I’m glad I didn’t because John came sometime and took one of Kimberly’s notes and Justin had already run off and Bud and Cal couldn’t have helped me because they weren’t there and—.”
“Shut up, Leah,” Wesley said, putting his lips on hers.
“Yes sir,” she said obediently.