The B Girls

There There Little Lady





Jane muttered, "Well hell." Mr. Ruggedly Handsome was morphing into Officious Prick.

Flop sweat greased Lucy's palms but she stood her ground. "You're making a mistake."

"Now, I didn't say anything about arresting anyone. But I can't just let you walk away with what might be a valuable artifact." He studied the map.

"I think it's a clue," Mae said.

Lucy wished she could cast a spell to make Mae lose her voice. "I think it's just something my ancestor created for his own amusement. I doubt the map means anything."

"Whatever it is, we need to determine if it belongs to you or the US Forest Service." He put the map back in the tin and put the lid on. "Now, you ladies don't look like the criminal type. And since I have this tin and the license number of that van, I figure I can count on you to follow me back to the office so we can discuss this."

Jane gave him the "eat shit" look.

"Of course we'll go to your office," Lucy said.

He nodded. "I'll drive slow so I don't lose you."

He watched them get in the van before taking the tin and getting in his truck.

"He's got the map," Mae said. "I can't believe it."

"I can," Jane said. "He's an officious prick. I thought he had romantic potential but I was wrong."

"He's just doing his job. I should have checked the rules for Cohutta before we came." Lucy blamed herself. She knew the rules about digging. Artifact hunters and amateur archaeologists frequently caused irreparable damage to archaeological sites. Damage that made it difficult or impossible for the pros to obtain meaningful data on the site. She should have warned Mae and Jane to keep their mouths shut.

"But it's yours," Mae said. "Your great great times however many grandfather put that map there for his family."

"And I'm sure we'll be able to convince Mr. Leonard of that fact." Lie. She wasn't at all sure about anything except the fact that they'd have to find a way to work around the problem if Ranger Leonard took the map.

"I think old Ranger Rick is just looking for an excuse to arrest us," Jane said.

"His name is Bill and I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is arrest the three of us. He'd be laughed out of the macho law enforcement fraternity," Lucy said.



###



"I ought to arrest you," Bill Leonard said after he listened for the second time to Lucy's explanation. "This sort of digging on federal land is illegal."

"Come on," Jane said. "We're not talking about some valuable artifact. The only value here is to Lucy and her family."

"Maybe so, but you ladies should have made the proper applications before disturbing the homestead."

Jane made an exasperated sound and held out her arms. "Fine, just handcuff us and get it over with. My ex-husband is a pit bull of a lawyer. When he gets through with you, you'll be the one catching hell. We wouldn't be doing any of this if we were getting some help in finding Belle!"

The ranger held up his hand. "I'm not going to arrest you. I am going to confiscate the tin and the contents. You can make application to have the items returned."

Mae started to say something and Jane gave her a poke.

"You can count on it."

"In the meantime, I hope I don't have to warn you about any further treasure hunting in Cohutta."

They all shook their heads.

He didn't look convinced. "You're free to go. Next time I might not be so kind."

Lucy gave Jane a little pinch to keep her from saying something stupid.



###



That night they debated whether to check out the cave in the morning or wait another day and let the authorities take over the search.

Lucy didn't want to wait. "We know where the cave is. I think we should check it out."

"But Ranger Rick has the map," Mae said.

"Maybe we won't need it," Lucy said. "If the search for the document is tied up with Aunt Belle's disappearance we can't afford to wait for some bureaucrat to decide whether we can have our property back." Chances were remote that Belle was anywhere near the cave but at this point Lucy was past desperate and edging toward panic.

"You win," Jane said. "But can we at least buy some Off?"



###



The hike was just as miserable as the day before but at least this time they knew what to expect.

Lucy hadn't had any luck in getting the police to jump in a day early and her calls to the local hospital still hadn't turned up any unidentified patients.

The B Girls were still on their own.

When they reached the spot Lucy had marked in the GPS, they all looked up and saw nothing but an unremarkable area of exposed rock. Not only didn't it look like a pair of lovers, from this angle Lucy would have sworn it wasn't visible from the site on the other side of the creek.

The rock was nearly the same color as the surrounding earth. What trick of the light or distance made the contrast so much more obvious from a distance? If, that is, they were in the right spot.

"I suppose we have to climb up there now," Jane said.

"You suppose right," Lucy said.

Jane stared uphill and shook her head. "It's a wonder we haven't already broken our fool necks. If we live through this we deserve a medal."

"Finding Belle in one piece would be enough reward for me," Lucy said.

Jane looked contrite. "I'm sorry, I know how worried you are. Hell, I'm worried too. I just don't know how much good we're doing."

Lucy shook her head. "I don't blame you. This hasn't exactly been a four star getaway. I just hope it ends well."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine," Mae said. "We just have to do the best we can."

There wasn't any visible cave entrance but that wasn't surprising. Nothing looked the way Lucy imagined it would. "I'll go first. You probably shouldn't follow too close in case I fall. Better if only one of us gets hurt."

The slope wasn't a straight up and down 90 degrees, but it was close. Lucy figured if she lost her footing there was a fifty/fifty chance she'd slide rather than drop like a rock tossed off a cliff. Not great odds, but then again this whole hunt was a long shot.

The bottom of the rock formation was about thirty or forty feet up. Not an impressive distance when you're standing at your front door looking down your driveway. When you're standing and looking up, that same distance is a lesson in perspective. Thirty feet is very high. Bone breaking high.

Lucy started to climb--carefully using hands and feet to push and pull herself up one small step at a time, testing hand and footholds as she went.

"Looking good!" Jane called when Lucy was about halfway up. "I'm starting up now."

"Be careful. See if you can work your way up a little to one side or the other in case I slip," Lucy said. As if to prove her point, the laurel she grabbed with her right hand pulled free. She wobbled, looking for her balance, trying to tip in favor of the hill and not the empty air behind her.

She groped around with her left hand and let out a big whoosh of relief when she found a root to grip and pulled herself back tight to the hill.

"Point made," Jane said. She took two big steps to the right before starting her own climb.

Just before Lucy came within reach of the rock formation, she wondered if they were going to have to cling to the hillside like monkeys on a tree while they looked for the cave entrance.

She scrambled up to the level of the rocks and saw that the answer was no. The reason the rock was exposed was the hill had receded around it making a ledge with secure footing. They'd be able to explore the formation without worrying about falling--if they were careful.

Lucy looked back down the hill. Jane was making good progress although she wasn't looking exactly thrilled.

"Just a few more feet and you can take a break."

"It's not a break unless it involves air conditioning," Jane said as she crawled up beside Lucy.

Lucy leaned out to see where Mae was and realized she hadn't started to climb yet. "What're you waiting for?"

Mae looked up with a too-big smile on her face. "I think one of us should stay down here. In case of emergency."

Lucy wasn't buying Mae's excuse for a single second. "Are you scared?"

Mae hesitated before shaking her head. "I just think we need to be smart."

"She's scared," Jane said under her breath.

Lucy agreed, but there wasn't any point in pushing. "Okay, we'll let you know if we need you to come up."

Mae nodded. "Be careful."

"We will." Lucy turned her attention back to the hill.

The rock formation extended above their heads nearly the same distance they'd climbed from the bank of the creek.

"You see anything obvious?" Jane asked.

Lucy shook her head, searching for anything resembling an opening into the hillside.

"This isn't going to be easy is it?"

"Probably not. But we can hope."

They inched around the formation, looking for anything promising.

"I think we should concentrate on the underbrush. I mean what are the chances there's some sort of secret passage hidden by a rock door?" Jane said.

After fifteen minutes of pushing aside laurel and briars they'd checked all the likely spots on the periphery of the formation without having any luck. Nothing even vaguely resembling a cave entrance.

They sat down on the ledge at the base of the formation to sip water, snack on protein bars and consider their next move.

"You sure you want to stay down there and miss out on all the fun?" Jane asked Mae.

Mae lifted her own water bottle in salute. "I'm looking smarter by the minute."

"You're gonna be jealous when we find the cave," Jane said.

"Or she's going to have a great time with the I-told-you-so," Lucy remarked.

"I'm having a good feeling about this for some reason," Jane said.

Lucy snorted her disbelief.

"I know. I know. Optimism isn't my style. In fact it feels a little creepy."

"Only you would find optimism creepy." Lucy put her water and the empty Power Bar wrapper back in her day pack. "Let's get back to work and see if you're right. I'll take this half."

"You got it."

Standing on the forearm of one of the lovers after checking out the lower areas of the formation, Lucy looked up to see what waited for her. The view wasn't encouraging. Exploring the upper part of the formation was going to require some sort of climbing or safety equipment.

She was pretty sure Jane had dated a guy who climbed or rappelled or both. She seemed to recall complaints about rope burns and scraped knees. Maybe Jane would have some suggestions.

Lucy edged in Jane's direction putting her hand out to brace herself on the lover's upper arm--and lost her balance when her hand traveled a couple of feet farther than expected.

Quick, surprising pain shot up her arm when her hand slapped the rock, but the new view that came with it pushed the pain into the background.

"Jane! You need to see this."

Lucy heard the sound of Jane's feet sliding over the rocks in her direction, but she didn't turn to look. She was too busy staring into the dark opening behind the lover's upper arm.

The opening had been masked by an optical illusion that was--like all such trickery--obvious once the secret was revealed.

Jane stepped up next to Lucy on the lover's forearm and looked into the darkness. "Holy Batcave!"

"I think we've found it."

"Who's going in first?" Jane asked.

"Me." Lucy took off her day pack and started searching for a flashlight. "I think I should do the honors." Only for Aunt Belle would she make this offer. Caves--the tourist kind she'd visited--made her more than a little uneasy. Something about the thought of all that weight above her head waiting to crush her.

"What's going on up there?" Mae hollered.

"We found the cave," Jane said. "You should come up."

Silence was the answer.

Jane leaned over and looked down.

"Okay, okay. I'm afraid. All right?" Mae said.

"Don't worry about it. We'll tell you everything," Jane said.

"I just don't like heights. I thought I could work around it but I don't think I can."

Lucy found the flashlight and turned it on to make sure it was working. The thought of losing light in the cave was scary. She looked down at Mae. "I doubt we'll get far without the map anyway." Pretending she didn't feel uneasy, she pointed the flashlight into the darkness and got her first glimpse into the cave.

Light bounced back from pale rock.

Jane looked over her shoulder. "Doesn't look very big."

Lucy swept the light back and forth as much as the narrow opening would allow without her stepping inside. The light didn't reflect back from either the right or the left. "Then again . . ."

"Okay, you're right. Are you going in?" Jane asked.

Lucy nodded. "Yep." But she didn't step into the opening.

"Well?" Jane said.

"I'm going." Lucy took a deep breath and tried to squeeze through the opening but her pack stopped her short. She eased back out of the crack and shrugged out of the pack.

"You sure you want to leave that behind?" Jane asked.

"I promise to stay in sight of the entrance."

"What are you doing now?" Mae wanted to know.

"Lucy's going in," Jane said.

"Wait!"

Lucy sighed and stepped to the edge to look down at Mae irritated at being interrupted just when she'd found her courage. "What?"

"I don't suppose one of you could come down and get the gun," Mae said.

Lucy choked. "You brought a gun?"

In response, Mae reached into her pack and pulled out a large pistol. "I didn't want to be unprepared if we ran into a kidnapper or another bear."

"Where the hell did you get a gun?"

"From my glove compartment. I keep it there in case of carjackers."

Unbelievable. Standing there in her khaki shorts, sun-visor and pom-pom socks holding a pistol she looked like a demented, suburban Annie Oakley. "Put that thing away. No one is coming down to get it. And don't shoot at anything."

Mae responded with an indignant sniff. "I know what I'm doing."

"Fine but if you shoot a bear when it's not in season you'll get arrested."

Jane looked at Lucy and shook her head. "I swear I didn't know."

Lucy leaned over to look at Mae again. "I'm going in now. Is there anything else you want to tell me first?"

"I still say you should watch out for the bear," Mae said.

"Fine, but I don't think this is the right time of year for a bear to be in the cave." At least she hoped it wasn't.

"Snakes," Mae said.

"I'll be careful."

"Bats?"

"Are you afraid of caves too?" Jane asked.

"I just think Lucy should be prepared. Are you sure you don't want the gun?"

"Believe me. The first sign of something alive and I'm out of there. Besides, I'd probably shoot my foot off," Lucy said.

Mae didn't look convinced but she nodded. "Okay but I really don't want to have to go for help."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of doing anything to make things worse. Having Belle missing is bad enough." Lucy turned back to the cave entrance. "Here goes."

Mae's talk about creepy crawly things had gotten to her and she led with the flashlight hoping to scare off anything with more legs than her--or no legs at all. It was a tight fit even without the pack. She winced a little at the sound of her shirtsleeve tearing. The sting from the scrapes set in a few seconds later.

And then, with a little pop, she was through the narrow opening and inside the cave.

Lucy stood still for a few seconds but didn't hear any scurrying, screeching or slithering. Just Jane.

"Well? What do you see?"

"Give me a minute." She sent the beam of light into every corner starting on the right.

This first chamber, immediately inside the entrance, was about the size of a large bathroom. To the right the light was reflected back by the same pale rock she'd seen from the entrance. To the left, the light dwindled away into a deep blackness.

"Well?" Jane asked again.

"There's an opening going deeper into the hill. I'm going to check it out."

"Don't go too far. Make sure you can still see the entrance."

"I will."

In the way of a small light in a very dark place, the flashlight seemed much brighter as she moved deeper into the cave away from the light near the entrance. There was only one opening. Shining her flashlight into the bowels of the hill, she realized within seconds that there was no way to keep her promise about not losing sight of the entrance and still explore the opening.

She stepped into the mouth of the opening and inspected everything she could reach with the light. "Uh oh."

"What uh oh?" Jane asked.

"There's a big hole."

"You already told me that."

"No. In the floor of the tunnel," Lucy said.

"How big?"

"A Simon Says giant step." Lucy shuddered. "We really need that map."

"Then let's go back to Belle's and figure out how we're going to get it."