With his easy, natural coordination and sensible masculine footwear, Jake did not have any problem navigating around the tide pools. She was the one who was in constant danger of slipping and falling. The silver dancing shoes and the turquoise evening gown were not made for beachcombing.
Jake caught her twice when the heels of her sandals skidded on wet, seaweed-draped rocks. When it happened a third time, he scooped her up in his arms and tossed her over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” she yelped, startled.
“Faster this way,” he explained.
There was no time to argue. He was moving much faster now that he no longer had to steer her around the treacherous tide pool rocks.
“The caves,” she said. “That’s where we want to go.”
“Right. The midnight tunnels.”
She realized she was still gripping the flashlight and that the beam was aimed straight down.
“You’ll need the flashlight,” she said.
“No. The moonlight from your shoes is all I need to see where I’m going.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hush. The monster will hear you. We’re supposed to hide.”
He was right. The vehicle she had heard a moment ago was coming to a halt up on Cliff Road. She switched off the flashlight. Sure enough, the beach was flooded with moonlight, although none of it was coming from her shoes.
“Here,” Jake declared. “The tunnel of midnight is the secret entrance to the moonlight highway. The monster can’t find you there.”
He lowered her to her feet, steadying her. She saw the black mouth of a cave. There was a pale glow of moonlight emanating from inside. But that was impossible.
It took her a couple of seconds to realize she was looking through a narrow tunnel that had been carved into the rocks by the sea. The light she saw was the moon splashing on the beach on the far side of the passage.
“Right,” she said. “Let’s go find the answers.”
Jake was already moving inside the tunnel, turning sideways so that his broad shoulders would fit. She could tell that he was transfixed by the moonlight on the other end.
She was small enough to slip easily through the entrance. Once inside, she could see that the passage widened. The rocky walls dripped with moisture and the pounding of the surf reverberated through the tunnel. When the tide was in, the cave would be flooded.
She fought the claustrophobia that threatened to engulf her. Not much farther, she told herself. Just a few more feet.
“We’re going down under the sea,” Jake announced. “It’s all right. We can breathe there.”
“That’s good to know,” Adelaide muttered.
It was a relief to reach the exit of the cave tunnel but the patch of sand on the other side was very small, almost nonexistent. A jumble of large rocks littered the beach. They would provide cover if anyone came looking for them, Adelaide thought.
Jake had stopped at the water’s edge. He stood looking out at the moonlit ocean, once again mesmerized by something only he could see.
Afraid that in his delirium he might decide to wade into the water, she put the flashlight on a nearby rock and grabbed Jake’s arm.
“It’s all right,” she said. “We’re safe now.”
“I can’t see the answers yet,” he said.
“You will,” she said.
“No answers, but I can see the monsters now.” Jake’s voice hardened abruptly. “They’re hiding behind the rocks. Give me my gun.”
There was no fear in his voice. He was the hunter who had spotted prey.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
She did not dare give him his gun, not when he was in the grip of the drug. He was already seeing things in the shadows. The hallucinations were getting worse.
“All right,” he said, agreeably enough. “You keep the gun. I’ll use this.”
He reached inside his dinner jacket and took out his fountain pen. She realized that to his hallucinating mind it probably appeared to be a knife.
“Excellent choice of a weapon to use against monsters,” she said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
She tightened her grip on the pistol. She knew how to use the weapon, thanks to Raina, but she had never shot any living creature in her life, let alone a human. The thing that scared her the most was that she might kill some hapless individual who had stopped to help. But unless the new arrival was Conrad Massey or Dr. Gill, how could she tell the difference between an innocent passerby and one of the real monsters? And what about Paxton? How did he fit into the situation? She decided that, for now, at least, she would have to classify him as a bad guy.
With luck, an innocent person would be easily frightened off. Who, in his or her right mind, wouldn’t run from a certifiably crazy woman holding a gun?
She listened closely, hoping to hear the muffled rumble of an accelerating car engine telling her that whoever had stopped had left the scene. A Good Samaritan would likely take off once he realized the occupants of the car were gone. But if the driver of the car was the person who had drugged Jake, he might decide to conduct a search of the beach.
A searcher looking for a hallucinating man and an escaped mental patient would probably use a flashlight, she thought.
She peered back through the narrow tunnel. She glimpsed the weak beam of a flashlight sweeping back and forth. The searcher was still up on Cliff Road.
She knew the roar of the surf would drown out the sound of their voices; nevertheless, she went up on tiptoe and spoke directly into Jake’s ear.
“The person who drugged you is searching the beach. He’s looking for us.”
“For you,” Jake said with great certainty. “The monster is looking for you, isn’t he?”
“Yes, I think so. I’m hoping he won’t come down to the beach. If he does, we must be prepared. He might have a gun.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jake said, blithely unconcerned now.
He held up the fountain pen. The handsome barrel gleamed in the moonlight.
“Let’s hide behind those rocks,” she whispered.
The boulders offered some concealment, she thought. They were the only hope if the searcher came through the tunnel.
“No,” Jake said.
“Jake, please, this is important.”
“I’ll take care of you,” he said.
Without another word he turned and walked to the mouth of the rock tunnel.
“Jake, where are you going?” she hissed.
“Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to kill the monster.”
“Jake, no. We can talk about killing the monster later. Right now we have to stay here on this side of the tunnel. You might get hurt.”
“Nope,” he said. “The monster can’t see me. The moonlight makes me invisible.”
“Damn it, Jake, come back here.”
She rushed forward and grabbed his arm again, but he gently pried off her fingers and disappeared into the tunnel. She reminded herself that she was the one with the gun. All Jake had was a fountain pen.
Unable to think of anything else to do, she followed him.
When they reached the far side of the opening in the rock, there was no sign of a flashlight beam. She heard the rumble of an accelerating car engine. Up on Cliff Road headlights lanced the darkness. The vehicle drove off in the direction of Burning Cove. Relief left her feeling oddly weak.
“It’s all right, Jake,” she said. “The monster is gone.”
“Good.” He put the fountain pen back inside his jacket. “Now we can follow the moonlight road and find the answers.”
“The answers are at home,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure.”
He didn’t argue. She took his hand and led him up to the road. Jake’s speedster was the only vehicle in sight.
He contemplated the car with a thoughtful air.
“You should drive,” he said.
“That is a very good idea.”
Chapter 30
The most dangerous time in a blackmail operation was the moment when the transaction took place, Thelma Leggett thought.