Venus in Blue Jeans (32 page)

She sighed, peering back across the valley. On the far side of the river, something moved.

Cal slid to the front of the cave, staring. “Someone’s over there!”

Distantly, Docia heard amplified voices, although the words weren’t clear. The sound bounced back from the limestone walls. “
Anybody over there?
”

Cal was on his feet then, waving his arms. “Here,” he shouted.

Docia stood beside him, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Up here! Look! We’re up here!”

Something moved then, along the distant road, a line of somethings, actually. Three shiny black SUVs rolled down toward the river, followed by a white Konigsburg police car with a revolving red light on top.

Docia shook her head. “They won’t be able to cross yet.” Below them, mud stretched to Brody’s wrecked trailer. “Maybe we could climb down now.”

Cal glanced at her bloody feet. “I don’t think so. You can’t make it down with feet like that.”

He looked away from her again. Docia was suddenly chilled to the bone. “I guess we wait then.”

Below them the line of SUVs stopped at the river’s edge. Someone stepped out of the lead vehicle and walked back to the police car. A moment later, an amplified voice boomed across the valley. “Docia Mae, is that you?”

Docia took a deep breath, then waved at the distant figure standing in front of the head SUV. “It’s Daddy.”

Cal grimaced. “Maybe he’ll buy you a helicopter and airlift you out.” He sat on the opposite side of the cave again, staring off across the valley.

Docia leaned against the cave wall, watching the cars across the river. She hoped her father would step on it—she had a feeling it was going to be a very long day.

The morning stumbled on like a wounded buffalo. Cal sat silently on the opposite side of the cave from Docia, watching the water level drop and the SUVs edge closer. Billy Kent gave up trying to talk to them, since talking turned out to be one-way only.

Finally, he got back into one of the SUVs and drove off.

“They’re not going to get across.” Docia sighed. “Even an SUV can’t drive into that water without getting washed downstream.”

Cal checked the water level below them. Right now he’d settle for a sandwich and a Dos Equis if Billy and the boys would just throw him one. The mud stretched beyond the trailer as the water ebbed. They could probably walk to the water’s edge, but there was no way Docia could climb down with her battered feet, and he wasn’t quite willing to leave her. Not yet, anyway.

Briefly, Cal considered carrying her, but he didn’t think that would work. She wouldn’t fit neatly into his pocket like Pep, and he wasn’t sure how eager he was to have her in his arms right then.

An ache throbbed in his chest whenever he looked at her, but he wasn’t sure whether it was rage or longing. Love was a bitch. He decided he’d avoid it in future, maybe for the next couple of millennia.

Around midday, a voice yelled “Coming down!” from somewhere above them. Then a rope dropped in front of the cave. Seconds later, a pair of boots appeared. Finally, a large man in a protective helmet landed on their ledge.

“Ms. Kent?” he asked politely.

Docia moved forward slightly from her side of the cave. “That’s right.”

“I’m Dolph Berman, from Wilderness Search and Rescue. Your father sent me to get you out of here.” The man narrowed his eyes, staring at Cal. “Both of you, I guess.”

Cal folded his arms across his chest. “I can climb down, but Docia can’t.” He pointed to her feet. “Take her up and I’ll get out on my own.”

Berman grimaced. “No you won’t, not with the conditions the way they are right now. Looks like we’ll have to go with Plan B.”

“What’s Plan B?” Docia asked quickly.

Berman didn’t answer. He gathered his rope again and barked, “Coming back up,” into his helmet mike.

They watched his feet disappear above them.

“Already I don’t like Plan B.” Docia wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

“It’ll be okay.” Cal shrugged. “Any way of getting out of here is better than sitting around waiting for the water to go down.”

And not talking to each other.

Scraping on the wall above them heralded Berman’s return. He jumped down in front of them again. “Okay, here’s how we’re going to do it. The crew will lower a bosun’s chair on a rope, then we’ll winch you up.” He gave Cal a quick once-over. “You’re Toleffson, right?”

Cal nodded. “Right.”

“Well, I’m supposed to bring you up too.” He flashed his teeth in an expression that was a cross between a grin and a snarl.

Cal tightened his jaw, hunching up as close to his full height as he could inside the cave. “I can rappel up if you’ve got an extra harness.”

Berman gave him a dubious look. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. But Ms. Kent goes first in the chair.”

“Sounds good to me.” Cal sighed.

Berman stepped back to the cave mouth. “Send it down!” he muttered into his mike.

“I officially hate Plan B,” Docia whispered.

Cal gathered his battered lab coat from the floor of the cave and handed it to her. “Would you carry him?”

Docia frowned at the coat. “He’d rather be with you.”

“Maybe. But he’ll go with you. And it’ll be safer for him. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

Slowly, Docia slid her arms through the sleeves.

“C’mon, buddy,” Cal called.

Pep clicked happily from the back of the cave, tail wagging in delight.

Berman stared down, shaking his head. “You have got to be friggin’ kidding me!”

In the end, Docia held Pep in her lap while she was strapped into the chair. He was perfectly willing to sit there, trembling faintly. Docia closed her eyes and crooned to him as they inched their way up the cliff side. Somewhere at the back of her mind she thought it might be easier all around if the damn rope broke now. Which hurt more—a broken neck or a broken heart?

At the top, several hands grabbed hold of her. She held tight to Pep and let herself be pulled to her feet.

“Now get Cal,” she gasped. “Get him up here please.”

And then someone hugged her tight, so tight Pep, sandwiched between them, yipped. Her father stepped back, staring down. “What the hell is that?”

“This dog helped save my life.” Docia turned back to the edge of the cliff and forced herself to watch as Berman descended again with an extra harness.

“Well, bring the little mutt a bone, somebody.” Her father’s voice boomed out behind her.

For Docia, the ride to the top had taken an eon. Cal’s climb took two.

She stood, holding Pep tight in her arms—not that he would have run off, but suddenly she couldn’t bear to let him go. He huddled, small and warm, against her chest.

Slowly, the two figures climbed up the cliff side. And then, finally, Cal stood in front of her, unbuckling the harness.

Docia was almost dizzy with relief.

“You saved her life.” Her father’s voice came from somewhere behind her. She wasn’t sure exactly where.

“It was a joint effort.” Cal’s voice rumbled from deep in his chest. He didn’t even glance at Docia.

“No,” her father snapped.

Docia turned to stare at him. His jaw was trembling, as if he was trying to catch his breath. “You saved her. You listened to Janie Dupree. You bullied that fool Linklatter into getting you out here. And I’d be willing to bet you got her up that cliff to the cave.” He looked straight at Docia. “Would I be right on that?”

“Yes sir,” she whispered.

“Then I don’t want to hear any modesty. Thank you for saving my daughter’s life.” Her father’s voice cracked on the final word. He fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief, then turned on his heel. “Come on. Let’s get everybody off this goddamn cliff.”

Cal handed the harness to one of the rescue workers, then followed her father toward the row of SUVs. He hadn’t looked at her since he’d come over the top of the cliff, and he didn’t look at her now.

Docia had her answer. A broken heart was definitely more painful.

Chapter Nineteen

In Billy Kent’s SUV, they were given granola bars and water. Not a bean-and-cheese burrito and a Dos Equis, but Cal figured it would do for a start. He poured water down his parched throat, already dreaming of a dinner at Brenner’s. That would be after he’d slept for at least twelve hours.

Docia sat in the backseat between him and her father, Pep curled in a tight ball on her lap. Cal couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Every time he saw her face creased in misery it made the ache in his chest that much worse. He still couldn’t figure out how much of that ache was anger and how much was…something else. He figured he needed some time to sort it all out before he did anything terminally stupid. Or stupider.

Now she turned to her father. “Have they found Brody yet?”

Billy scowled. “They’ll catch him, honey. The Rangers are on it now. He must have gotten tipped off somehow when he came back to town after he…left you.”

Docia closed her eyes briefly. “But they haven’t caught him yet?”

“No. They found Morris at his folks’ house. But he didn’t know where Brody had gone.” Billy paused, then nodded decisively. “So now I’m taking you to stay up at Buckhorn until this is all over.”

Cal glanced at him. He wasn’t sure whether that
you
was supposed to be singular or plural, but he knew damn well he wasn’t going to stay at Billy Kent’s hunting lodge. Whether he was going to stay with Docia was another question, but he knew it wasn’t one he wanted to tackle at Buckhorn.

“No,” Docia said, softly.

Billy’s mouth settled into a mulish line. “Docia Mae…”

“No, Daddy. Brody doesn’t want me. He just wants to get into my shop.” Docia leaned toward him, her jaw set. “And I’m not going to let that bastard run my life—he’s not going to make me hide. I’m going back home to Konigsburg. To my place.” She swallowed hard.

Billy Kent stared at her, looking a little like Yosemite Sam. Cal half expected to see steam issue from his ears. “I’ve got more effective security at Buckhorn. I can protect you. I can…”

“No, Daddy.” Docia reached over to touch her father’s arm. “Thank you for being concerned about me, but no. I need to be back in Konigsburg. I owe you more than I can say for saving me today. And for saving Cal. And Pep.” Docia leaned down to rest her head on her father’s shoulder.

Billy was caught between exasperation and pride, along with a love so painful Cal could hardly bear to watch his expression. Cal turned to look out the window.

“Any time, baby,” he heard Billy whisper.

A half hour later they were crossing the Konigsburg city limits. Cal tried to sound casual, as if he was coming back from a day in the country rather than a series of life-changing experiences. “If you could just let me off at the clinic, I’ll get home from there. My truck’s in the parking lot.” Or anyway he hoped it was. God only knew what Horace had done when he’d found out Cal had lit out for the hills.

“That sounds good.” Docia’s voice was as phony-casual as his own. “I need to find Allie and Janie and let them know I’m back. I’ll hike over to Sweet Thing from there.”

“Did spending a night in that cave turn you both into blithering idiots?” Billy Kent inquired. “You’re witnesses in a major crime. Your lives were at stake. You’re not going anywhere but home, with an escort.”

Cal sighed. It was already the longest day of his life, and it didn’t promise to end anytime soon. He gave the driver directions for the clinic, then watched the streets of Konigsburg roll by in silence, painfully aware of Docia’s presence beside him.

His truck still sat where he’d left it at the back of the parking lot. Cal was suddenly very conscious of how grubby he was after a night in the cave. His hands and face were sticky with dirt and granola crumbs. As he stepped out of the SUV, he limped in the aftermath of climbing the cliff in something other than rock-climbing shoes. Hoping he could make it back to the barn before anybody saw him, he headed for his truck.

Vain hope.

The door to the clinic swung open when he was halfway across the asphalt, and Bethany and Horace spilled out. Horace ran across the parking lot, his moustache flapping in the breeze. Cal didn’t think he’d ever seen Horace run anywhere before.

Horace grabbed his hand, pumping his arm as if his armpit might produce oil. “Goddamn, son, didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.” He stopped, pulled out a handkerchief, and blew his nose with a mighty honk. “Good for you, boy, you both got out alive and in one piece.” Horace’s voice became ragged and he cleared his throat. “Hard to break in a new partner, you know.”

Cal started to explain that he’d had lots of help in getting out alive, mostly thanks to Billy Kent, when Bethany almost knocked him off his feet with a bear hug around his waist. “I knew you could do it, Doc. You’re the man!”

More people were coming into the parking lot now, and Cal realized that Docia had stepped out of the SUV too. Her hair was streaked with limestone dust and mud from the cave, and she winced as her bare feet touched the asphalt. Cal’s throat tightened.