Fatalis

The two sheriff's deputies were walking along the ravine several hundred yards ahead. It was extremely dry there. Grand stopped as they neared the little cove where the waters slid under the creek bed and went underground. He remembered it being a small, natural depression in the center of the creek, covered by two flat rocks that were steepled one against the other.

He reached the spot and stopped. The depression was there but it wasn't small anymore.

"Score one for Professor Grand," Ha

Rushing water wasn't the only thing in the opening.

Chapter Twelve

Grand called to deputies Scott and Bright, who called up to Sheriff Gearhart. The sheriff and Victor Singer came down one of the steep walls near the sinkhole. Ha

Grand crouched on a flat rock beside the small, silty opening. Ha

The hole was approximately two-and-one-half feet across. Snagged on a rock on the south side of the opening was a black backpack. It was held mere by one of the shoulder straps. Hanging from the backpack were long tattered ribbons that looked like they came from an orange poncho. The frayed pieces fluttered like seaweed as the silty water washed by.

"I'm guessing this opening wasn't here the last time you looked," Ha

Grand leaned looked over the edge. "It sure wasn't."

"Obviously, our sheriff hasn't noticed that the creek bed is a little dry up ahead," Ha

"It's not something he might have noticed," Grand pointed out. "The flow changes seasonally. I might not have noticed myself if I hadn't seen water pouring in when I was down there."

The deputies arrived then. The brawny Deputy Bright ordered Ha

"Hey, we're the ones who found this," Ha

"We'd have gotten here in a few minutes," Scott said. "Please just do as the deputy asked."

Ha

A moment later Gearhatt reached the sinkhole. He was followed by Victor Singer.

"Now how the hell did this get way over here?" Singer asked.

"Maybe one of the men slipped in the dark and went off the road," Scott suggested.

"If either of the engineers went off the road, they didn't slip down this rabbit hole," said Deputy Bright.

"How can you tell?" Singer asked.

"There are large rocks in there," Bright replied. "A guy falling through would have plugged the thing up."

"Can you see the bottom?" Gearhart asked, pointing east.

"No, sir," said Bright. "It slopes off to the west."

"Scott, check the creek bed in the other direction," Gearhart said. "See if one of the men might have wandered off."

"Yes, sir." Scott said.

The deputy set off. Ha

Gearhart regarded Grand. Ha

"What made you think to look all the way over here?" Gearhart asked.

"When I saw the lake below I assumed the creek was feeding it with overflow," Grand said. "It made geographic sense."

"So you didn't know that the backpack would be here."

"No."

"You just expected to find another sinkhole," Gearhart said.

"That's right," Grand replied. "Sheriff, what are you implying?"

"I was wondering that myself," Ha

"Professor, I'm not implying anything," Gearhart said, cutting Ha

"Sheriff, come have a look at this," Deputy Bright said.

Gearhart looked at Grand a moment longer before stepping over. When the sheriff's back was turned Ha

They watched as the sheriff knelt in the water beside Bright. The deputy used his flashlight to point on the underside of the backpack.

"See those?" Bright asked.

Gearhart nodded. "Lift it up," he said.

Bright carefully pinched one of the straps between two fingers and raised the bag.

Singer stepped closer. "What is it?"

"Gashes," Bright said.

"From what?"

"I don't know," Bright said. "They could be from hitting the rocks."

Gearhart studied them for a moment, then rose. "Except for my deputies, I want everyone out of the ravine."

"What?" Ha

"This area is now a suspected crime scene."

"The entire ravine?"

"Yes," Gearhart informed her.

"Why?" Ha

"I'm not going to speculate," he replied.

"You're just going to dictate," she complained.

Gearhart turned from her to talk to Bright.

Since discussion was futile and the party was over, Ha

"Ms. Hughes," Gearhart snapped, "I want you back on the road and in your car and I want you to recall your photographer at once."

"Sheriff, are they knife marks?" Ha

Suddenly, one of the road crew workers called from the edge of the sinkhole. "Victor!"

Singer looked up. "What is it?"

"Come here!" the man cried. "We found something!"

Singer, Gearhart, Grand, and Ha

The crew had found Stan Greene's backpack. Unlike the other backpack, it was intact. Since this section of the road had fallen in after the rest, Dr. Thorpe suggested that the engineer might have removed it and set it aside before going into the sinkhole. There was still no trace of Stan Greene.

But granite was finally showing through the wet dirt; according to Dr. Thorpe, they had reached the bottom of the sinkhole. Tired but determined, the crew began clawing away at the sides.

Shortly after, the two volunteers of the Special Ops team arrived in the sheriff office's new Hummer, which barely fit on the roadway. The Junior SOV, young baby-faced Albert Moy, was a former Navy SEAL who worked as a te