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"Ms. Riggs," Sheila said sharply, "please give us some space." To Carol, she asked, "When exactly did your sister enter the mine?"
"Around eight this morning. She was supposed to meet me for lunch at one, but she never showed." Carol pulled out her phone, showing a text conversation. "She sent me this at nine-thirty—said she'd found something interesting, wanted to check one more tunnel. That was the last I heard from her."
Sheila studied the texts. The last one read: Found unusual formation in north branch. Going to get samples. Signal's weak down here but will call when I'm out.
"Diana's done this survey work dozens of times," Carol continued. "She knows these mines, knows all the safety protocols. She always carries emergency gear, extra batteries, everything she might need." Her voice cracked. "When she missed lunch, I thought maybe she'd just lost track of time. She does that sometimes when she's working. But now it's been hours, and with everything that's happened..."
The larger MSHA inspector approached, frowning. "Ma'am, did your sister have authorization to enter these mines? This is private property."
"She has permits from the mining company," Carol said. "She's been conducting surveys for months as part of an EPA assessment."
Sheila exchanged looks with Finn. A professional geologist, experienced in the mines, properly equipped—this wasn't some random explorer who'd gotten lost. Something was wrong.
"Where exactly was she planning to survey?" Sheila asked.
"The north branch of the Copper Queen system." Carol pulled up a map on her phone. "She was documenting the extent of the old copper veins, trying to determine if acid mine drainage might be affecting groundwater."
The north branch. The same section where their killer had last been seen.
"That area's completely unstable," the MSHA inspector said, his name badge identifying him as Dan Hawthorne. "Those tunnels haven't been properly assessed in decades. No one goes in until we complete a full structural evaluation."
"There's a missing person," Sheila said, already moving toward the mine entrance. "That supersedes your authority."
"Sheriff—" Hawthorne stepped in front of her. "Under federal mining law, MSHA has absolute jurisdiction over mine safety. If I determine there's imminent danger—which I have—I can prohibit all entry, including law enforcement."
"She could be hurt down there," Carol said, her voice rising. "She could be—" She stopped, unable to finish the thought.
Sheila brushed past Hawthorne, clicking on her flashlight. "Then arrest me."
"Sheila, wait—" Finn caught up to her at the entrance.
"You can come with me or you can stay," she said, "but either way I'm going in."
Finn hesitated only a moment before pulling out his own light. They entered together, ignoring Hawthorne's continued protests.
The tunnel air hit them like a physical presence—cool, damp, heavy with mineral scents. Their lights caught ancient support beams, many visibly rotting. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness, each drop echoing ominously.
They'd gone perhaps fifty yards when they heard it—a deep groan from somewhere above. Fine debris sifted down like rain.
"Sheila..." Finn's voice was tight with concern.
She played her light along the ceiling, seeing now how the weight above had warped other beams. A low groan emerged from the timber as mineral-laden water dripped through cracks in the rock. The sound of their footsteps seemed to vibrate through the unstable structure.
"Just a little further," she said, though her heart was hammering. "The next junction might—"
A sharp crack cut her off—the sound of wood finally giving way after years of strain. The sagging beam split with a sound like a gunshot. Finn grabbed her arm and yanked her backward as the first rocks began to fall.
The collapse spread outward from that central point, each falling beam triggering another failure. They ran as the chain reaction pursued them, bursting out of the entrance and continuing until they were clear of the collapse zone. When they finally stopped, both were covered in rock dust and breathing hard.
"Shit," Finn gasped.
Sheila stared at the mine entrance, where dust still billowed out like smoke. The reality of what had almost happened hit her hard. If Finn hadn't pulled her back…
"Like I said," Hawthorne said as he approached, his voice gentler now, "one wrong vibration could trigger a collapse. The whole system is that unstable."
Sheila watched another support beam crash down inside the entrance. He was right—they couldn't risk going in blind. But the thought of Diana trapped down there, possibly hurt, possibly with their killer…
"How long until your equipment arrives?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the mine.