Page 21 of Silent Grave (Sheila Stone #12)

Sheila and Carol sat in the mobile command center—really just an oversized van with radio equipment—watching monitors that showed various mine exits.

The cramped space smelled of coffee and electronics.

Outside, the protesters' voices had died down as night settled in, though most of them remained, their camps marked by battery-powered lanterns and the glow of cell phones.

"Tell me more about your sister," Sheila said, studying Carol's face in the blue light of the monitors. "What made her choose to survey these mines?"

Carol's hands were wrapped around a foam cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.

"Diana's always been drawn to difficult projects.

After the EPA identified potential groundwater contamination, she volunteered to map the extent of the damage.

" A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Our father used to say she'd climb into Hell itself if she thought there was interesting geology down there. "

"And she's experienced with these mines specifically?"

"She's been surveying them for months." Carol set down her untouched coffee. "Usually with a team, but lately she's been coming alone. Said she needed to confirm something, but wouldn't tell me what."

That caught Sheila's attention. "When did that change? The working alone part?"

"About three weeks ago. Right after, she met with someone from the mining company." Carol frowned, thinking. "She came home agitated that night. Kept going through old survey maps, making calls. The next day, she started carrying a gun."

"A gun?" Sheila leaned forward. "That's a pretty significant change in behavior."

"I thought so too, but she just said it was better to be safe than sorry." Carol's voice cracked slightly. "I should have pushed harder, made her tell me what was really going on."

Sheila watched Carol twist her coffee cup, destroying the foam in tiny, anxious movements.

The resemblance between the sisters was clear in the photos Carol had shown her—same silver hair, same sharp features—but where Diana was described as intense and driven, Carol seemed softer, more careful.

A retired high school teacher who'd spent her life nurturing others while her sister chased mineral deposits across the world.

"Did Diana mention anything specific about her meeting with the mining company?" Sheila asked. "Any details that seemed odd?"

"She said—" Carol stopped, gathering her thoughts. "She said something about the numbers not adding up. That the official surveys didn't match what she was finding." She looked up at Sheila. "I don't know what that means, exactly. Diana's the scientist. I just know she was upset about it."

Through the command center's windows, Sheila could see the MSHA inspectors still conferring near their vehicles, their headlamps bobbing as they gestured at maps. The ground-penetrating radar equipment was still hours away. Hours Diana might not have.

"What about today?" Sheila asked. "Did she say anything unusual this morning? Give any indication she was worried?"

"She was distracted. Kept checking her pack, making sure she had extra batteries, emergency supplies.

" Carol's fingers worked at the coffee cup's rim.

"I tried to talk her out of going in alone, but she said this might be her last chance before MSHA shut everything down.

Said she needed to document something important. "

"Document what?"

"She wouldn't tell me. Said it was better if I didn't know, in case—" Carol's voice caught. "In case something happened. God, why didn't I stop her?"

Sheila reached across the small space to touch Carol's arm. "You couldn't have known. And Diana clearly knew what she was doing—taking precautions, carrying protection."

"That's the thing," Carol said. "Diana's always been careful, methodical. Even when we were kids, she was the one who planned everything out. For her to go in there alone, knowing the risks..." She shook her head. "Whatever she found must be important."

A knock on the van's door made them both jump. Finn opened it, letting in a blast of cold mountain air. "Latest perimeter check is clear," he said. "No movement at any of the exits we're watching."

Sheila nodded, checking her watch. Nearly nine PM. Diana had been in the mines for thirteen hours.

"The protesters are finally thinning out," Finn continued, climbing into the van and settling carefully into a chair, mindful of his injury. "Though Riggs and her core group are staying. News crews too."

"Of course they are," Sheila muttered. She turned back to Carol. "You mentioned Diana was going to document something. What kind of equipment would she have with her?"

"Her usual survey gear—specialized GPS unit, digital camera, sampling tools. She always carries a backup light, extra batteries, emergency supplies."

Sheila was about to ask another question when the radio crackled. "Sheriff?" It was Deputy Walker, stationed at Exit Four. "We just heard what sounded like gunshots. Multiple reports, echoing through the tunnel system."

Sheila grabbed the radio. "How many? How far in?"

"Three shots, maybe four. Hard to tell with the echo. Sounded deep, but—"

Another voice cut in—Roberts, at Exit Seven. "Confirming gunshots. Seemed closer to my position."

More reports started coming in, each deputy claiming the shots sounded nearest to their location. The complex tunnel system was playing tricks with the sound, making it impossible to triangulate the source.

Carol had gone pale. "Diana's alive," she whispered. "She must be."

But for how long? Sheila wondered. And if she'd been shooting at the killer, had she hit him?

Through the van's windows, she could see the MSHA inspectors hurrying toward them, no doubt having heard about the gunshots. Behind them, news crews were already setting up their lights, preparing to broadcast this latest development.

Thirteen hours in the mines. Three or four gunshots in the dark. And somewhere in that maze of tunnels, a killer who knew every twist and turn by heart.

Another voice crackled over the radio. "Movement at Exit Two," Deputy Barnes reported. "Just shadows, probably local wildlife, but—"

Two more shots rang through the tunnel system, more distant this time. Carol jerked up straighter, her face going even paler.

"That's five shots total," Finn said quietly.

"She's got ten rounds," Carol said, her voice rising with barely controlled panic. Her hands twisted together so tightly her knuckles were white. "She practices at the range. She knows how to make her shots count."

Despite her attempts at remaining calm, the flare of her nostrils and the rapid rise and fall of her chest gave her away. Suddenly, she whirled on Sheila. "We have to do something," she said, her eyes pleading. "She's down there fighting for her life while we just—we just sit here listening!"

"Carol—" Sheila started, but Carol cut her off.

"No, don't tell me to calm down! That's my sister down there!

The only family I have left, and she's alone in the dark with a killer, and we're just standing around waiting for some—some equipment?

" Her voice cracked. "What if she runs out of bullets?

What if he's hurting her right now while we waste time up here? "

Sheila took a deep breath. "I promise you, Carol, we're going to find your sister. Right now, the best thing you can do is help us fill in some blanks."

Inwardly, she too was frustrated. Somewhere in the darkness of the mines, Diana was fighting for her life. And they were stuck up here, watching screens and listening to echoes.

Carol was silent for a few moments. "What do you want to know?" she finally asked in a small voice.

"Has Diana mentioned seeing anyone else in the mines? During her previous surveys?"

Carol shook her head. "No, but... she did say something odd last week. Said the mines felt different at night. Like they were alive." She frowned, troubled. "I told her she was being dramatic. But now…"

"How were the mines different at night? Did she elaborate?"

"She said she kept finding things moved around. Equipment she'd left in one tunnel would turn up in another. Survey markers displaced." Carol's hands twisted together. "I thought it was just other researchers, maybe kids messing around. I should've believed her."

"You couldn't have known."

Carol said nothing. She was, no doubt, thinking about her sister being down there in the darkness, down there with someone who knew the tunnels intimately and could move through darkness as easily as light.

Someone who'd already killed twice, who treated these mines like his own private hunting ground.

And Diana had wandered right into his web.