Free Scream for Me by Cynthia Eden Page A

only rocks. The heavy walls of the caves.
    Nothing to guide him.
    Nothing to help him.
    Deeper they went. Another chamber opened up, heavier with stalactites, bigger.
    “I call this place the ballroom.” Jason pointed inside, to the right. “It looks like they’re dancing.”
    Sure enough, the rocks were twisted, seeming to form the outlines of two figures, wrapped tightly together.
    A trick cavers used. Naming chambers, describing the shapes they saw so they could remember where they were.
    “From the ballroom, you head back out, cross the stream, and go straight down the corridor.” Jason was staring at Cadence. What else was new? “Remember that.”
    “We’ve got it,” Kyle flatly assured him.
    They went about ten more feet.
    The path split. Two dark tunnels.
    Which way to go?
    “This will take you to a few more chambers,” Jason said, pointing to the right. “It’s easier to navigate.”
    “The left,” Kyle said.
    Jason frowned. “Why? It’s gonna be harder.”
    “If he’s hiding Lily here, he wouldn’t put her in a spot that was easy to find.” No, the killer would go deeper into the caves. He’d take the path others wouldn’t.
    Jason nodded. “I haven’t ever been far in there. We need to be careful because there was a cave-in when the geologists were up here.” But he was turning. Going into the tunnel on the left.
    Kyle’s light swept into the interior. He saw the heavy veil of rocks, where it looked like part of the ceiling and wall had fallen in.
    Gingerly, the group made their way past the rocks.
    “If our guy brought Lily in here…hell, I don’t see how he could ,” Marsh muttered. “It’s hard enough for us to maneuver, without having to worry about pulling in a body, too.” It was cooler inside the caves than it had been outside, the stifling heat gone, and there was a heavy stillness.
    As quiet as a tomb .
    Two more paths cut away from the tunnel.
    “Statue of Liberty,” Cadence murmured.
    Frowning, Kyle followed her gaze. His light connected with hers and shone on the rocky image. One that sure enough looked like Lady Liberty holding up a torch.
    “Right or left at the statue?” Jason wanted to know.
    Kyle wanted to split up. Wanted Jason to head left while he and Cadence went to the right. They could cover more ground, faster, that way.
    “What’s that?” Cadence asked. She went to the right.
    Where more rocks had fallen.
    The cave-in had reached this area, too.
    His headlamp lit the scene as Cadence crouched down. She was reaching toward a stone that had been bleached white.
    That’s not a stone .
    “Is that what I think it is?” Jason asked as he pressed close.
    Kyle’s breath sawed from his lungs. What Cadence was near looked like a human femur.
    Bile rose in his throat.
    He’d known Cadence was looking for a dump site, but to find the remains—“It’s not her,” broke from him, a hard growl of denial. Not Maria. Not Maria . The mantra repeated in his head.
    “Are there more?” Jason demanded in the same instant as he headed toward Cadence.
    Carefully, Cadence pushed aside the rock. “Yes.” Soft. Sad.
    Kyle advanced. Saw that— fuck —there were more. Old, tattered clothing covered the bones. “Is there a necklace?” His voice rasped out the question. Maria always wore her necklace…her half-moon…
    “I can’t tell,” Cadence said softly, sadly. “There are too many rocks.”
    That’s not my sister . He didn’t want it to be Maria. Beautiful Maria, reduced to this. No .
    “Call it in,” Cadence ordered Jason.
    He scrambled for his radio. Tried to make contact. When it didn’t work, he yanked out his phone. “There’s no signal here!”
    No, Kyle hadn’t really expected there would be. They’d traveled down as they headed deeper and deeper into the caverns.
    Cadence was still crouched on the ground, studying those bones.
    Kyle’s muscles had locked down. Could that be his sister? Christ. Don’t be Maria. Don’t be .
    It looked like