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North of the Cave, GAP Mile 93

D iana, Julie, and Sadie picked their way carefully through the underbrush. Julie kept close to Diana’s side, occasionally touching her elbow when the terrain grew especially treacherous. Sadie took care to illuminate the ground ahead of Diana with a wide-beamed flashlight. Diana accepted the assistance without argument. Her priority was finding Rory. She’d have plenty of time to indulge her anger at Julie’s betrayal later And, boy, would she.

“There should be an old rail tunnel about half a mile ahead,” Sadie said, consulting her map by headlamp. “And then the two abandoned barns beyond that.”

“Perfect hiding places,” Julie remarked.

Diana snorted. “Or perfect places to stash a body.”

The blunt assessment hung in the air for several paces before Julie broke the silence. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope it’s just a publicity stunt.”

“It’s not,” Diana said firmly. “The blood in that cave was real.”

They walked in silence until they reached the tunnel entrance—a dark half-circle of stone emerging from the hillside, covered in moss and vines.

“I’ll go first,” Sadie volunteered, adjusting her headlamp to its brightest setting.

The three women entered the tunnel, their footsteps echoing against the damp stone walls. Their beams of light swept across the curved ceiling and graffiti-covered walls.

“Rory!” Diana called, her voice bouncing back at them. “Rory Westin!”

Only the slow drip of water hitting the ground answered.

Halfway through the tunnel, Diana stopped suddenly. “Wait. I heard something.”

The three women froze, listening intently. A faint rustling came from ahead.

“Rory?” Julie called, her voice hopeful.

A pair of yellow eyes reflected in their headlamps and a raccoon scurried away into a crevice.

They let out three deflated breaths in unison, then continued through the tunnel, emerging on the other side into a small clearing where the moonlight illuminated the silhouettes of two weathered wooden structures.

“The barns,” Sadie confirmed.

As they approached the first structure, Julie murmured, “This would make a great event center. Imagine the weddings, the receptions. The possibilities are endless.”

Sadie stiffened. “Do you think you’ll ever be satisfied?”

Julie’s headlamp beam swung to Sadie’s face. “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s not a Monopoly board, Julie. You don’t have to gobble up all the properties.”

“I’m trying to save this town,” Julie shot back. “Do you know what Union Hill looked like before I started investing? Boarded-up storefronts. No jobs. Young people fleeing as fast as they could graduate.”

“And now the people who stayed can’t afford to live there,” Sadie retorted.

“That’s pretty funny coming from you. Do you think your company would have moved into town without all my improvements? You’d be living someplace else entirely right now.”

Diana held up her hand. “Enough sniping at each other,” she said in a sharp tone. “Save the debate for after we find Rory.”

The other two fell silent as they reached the first barn. Diana pushed open the creaking door, and they aimed their lights around the structure. The interior was empty save for some rotting hay bales and rusted farm equipment.

“Nothing here,” Diana concluded. “Let’s check the other one.”

As they crossed to the second barn, Sadie turned to Julie and said in a softer tone. “You’re right. Not about everything, but about OAC. They were planning to open their next store in Colorado until they saw your proposal.”

Even in the poor light, Diana saw Julie’s face brighten with pride

Sadie’s voice faltered as she went on. “Although maybe that would have been better for me, personally.”

Julie flashed Diana a look, and silent understanding passed between them.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way,” Julie said bluntly. “It’s not to make career decisions based on my romantic relationships. And believe me, I did learn it the hard way.”

“Me, too,” Diana added.

Sadie shook her head. “I know Aaron and I would be better off as friends. Our relationship is on borrowed time. I just wish he’d pull his act together at work so I could recommend him for a promotion. I don’t want to leave OAC in a lurch, but I’d like to move on to what I really want to do.”

“Which is?”

“Open my own business specializing in curated off-the-trail bike tours.” She laughed dryly. “Focusing on the types of places Rory photographs—places like this.” She waved a hand at the barn they were approaching.

“That’s a great idea,” Julie told her. “It’s an unusual offering that will draw people to town. I can help you craft a proposal.”

The younger woman blew out a breath and shook her head. “I owe it OAC to leave the store in good hands. I’ve had an internal posting for a manager up company-wide for three months. But, even with all the development, it’s a hard sell to get someone to relocate to Union Hill. My regional manager wants me to promote from within. Since Aaron’s my only employee, that means him.”

“Ahhh.” Now Diana understood.

“Have you told him?” Julie asked. “Maybe he’d get it together if he knew you were considering him as your replacement. He’s great with people.”

“He is. But he’s been on a performance improvement plan, and now with him lying about where he was this afternoon … I should probably fire him, not promote him.” She kicked at the path with the toe of her boot, and a cloud of dust rose.

They reached the second barn, which, against all odds, was in worse condition than the first. Half the roof had collapsed, leaving the interior exposed to the elements.

“Rory!” Julie called as they entered cautiously.

“Be careful where you step,” Sadie warned, testing a floorboard with her foot.

They searched the barn thoroughly, finding nothing but an abandoned animal den and some dusty beer cans left behind years ago by partying teenagers who were probably parents themselves by now.

“Now what?” Julie asked, shining her light around.

“There’s a springhouse on the property. We might as well check that, too,” Diana answered wearily. “And then hope the other team is having better luck than we are.”