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“ D o you see something?” Sierra squinted at the spot on the wall that looked off.

“Where?” Dawn looked to where she pointed.

“There.” Sierra moved over to the spot and touched it. The spot moved beneath her fingers. “Where’s the brick?” She went over to the wheelchair and found the brick that had hurt Dawn’s wrist. “Stand back.”

Dawn backed up a safe distance.

Sierra hauled back and tossed the brick at the soft spot. It tore a hole through the wall.

“Wow,” Dawn exclaimed. “I can’t believe it.”

Sierra went over and peered through the gap. “It looks like a tunnel of some type.” She ripped pieces of plaster away from the area until she had enough freed to look inside. Nothing about the dirt walls and low ceiling gave her a sense of security.

She tried to keep from showing her fear to Dawn. “It’s our only chance.”

Dawn’s fear was palpable. She went over to where Sierra stood, and looked inside. “What if it doesn’t lead anywhere? Why can’t we go back through the house?”

“It’ll be okay.” Sierra did her best to reassure her of what she didn’t believe herself.

“It’s so dark.”

Sierra looped her arm through Dawn’s. “Our eyes will adjust. I’m not going to stick around and wait for Henry to return with his partner.” Her foot struck something. Sierra reached down and realized it was a flashlight. Someone, probably Henry, had placed it there.

She clicked it on.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Dawn said with emotion.

Sierra was relieved to have the light as well. She urged Dawn along with her. “Lean down. The ceiling’s low.”

Dawn ducked before she slammed her head into the ceiling.

“I’m scared. I just want to go home.”

Sierra needed to keep her mind off their circumstances. “Where’s home?”

“What?” Dawn looked at her as if she had no idea what she’d said.

“I asked where you’re from?”

She swallowed. “Oklahoma City. You?”

“Quantico, Virginia.” Sierra glanced behind them to confirm no one followed.

“Isn’t that where the FBI headquarters is located?” For the moment, Dawn’s attention was diverted.

“It is. I’m an FBI agent. Actually, I work for the BAU, the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. We track down serial killers.”

Dawn shivered. “That must be difficult. I can’t imagine dealing with that type of monster all the time. Henry and his partner are enough for me. I never want to see anything like them again.”

Sierra smiled. “I get that. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a teacher.”

“Nice. What got you into climbing?”

Dawn stopped. “How did you know I’m a climber?”

“Because I am. That’s how he got me. I was coming back from a climb when my vehicle died.”

“Same.”

They started walking again, the flashlight beam bouncing off the walls that seeped water. The place smelled dank, and Sierra didn’t want to think about what else might be living in the tunnel.

“You think he did something to our vehicles?” Dawn asked.

Sierra hadn’t thought about it before, but it made sense. “Probably. He’s obviously targeting female climbers.”

“Why? Does he have a connection to the sport?”

“I don’t know.” The cold dampness of the space sank through her clothing. The jagged rocks covering the ground felt sharp through her shoes.

“I’m supposed to get married in four months,” Dawn told her, and her voice broke. “That jerk took my engagement ring.”

Sierra remembered seeing the ring in Dawn’s box. “I saw it. When this is over, we’ll come back and get it.”

Dawn nodded. “I want to marry my fiancé. I don’t want to die here. Blake didn’t want me to come here alone, but I had to prove I could do it myself.” She sobbed. “I wished I’d listened to him.”

Sierra thought about Zeke. “I’ve made my own mistakes. I have someone who loves me, but I tried to make him do what I wanted and when I wanted, instead of waiting for him to be ready. I just want the chance to tell him I’m sorry.”

Dawn squeezed her arm. “You’ll get that chance. We’ll both get our futures. I believe that.”

Sierra smiled. “We’ll keep fighting. You and I will get through this. And I want to meet your fiancé when we do.”

Dawn giggled. “You’re invited to the wedding. As long as you bring your guy.”

“Deal.”

They started walking again.

“Did you see those women in the barrels?”

Sierra swallowed. “I did. They went missing about twenty-five years earlier. Most were climbers.”

“Oh, God. He’s been doing this that long?”

“Not exactly. It appears he took a twenty-five-year hiatus for some reason. Something must have happened in his life, probably his marriage to Maggie. Did Henry ever call his partner by name?” She wanted to gather as much evidence as she could to nail the two responsible for the murders of those girls in the barrel.

“No, I don’t think so. . .” Dawn frowned. “Wait, I did hear him refer to the person as T.”

Sierra tried not to be disappointed.

“That will give us something to start with.” But there were a lot of people whose name starts with T. Was it short for a first name or last?

Sierra thought about what Dawn had said earlier. Did Henry and his partner first start their rampage here in Pinedale? That type of violence didn’t just emerge late in life. She was pretty sure there would be other bodies attributed to Henry and the other person.

Once Sierra was free and back with her team, she planned to find out the truth. She wanted to understand everything there was to know about the man who had tried to kill her.