Fatalis

The tu

As they walked. Grand also swung his flashlight over the floor and walls of the tu

The deeper she and Grand went, the more the tu

As Ha

Ha

It certainly felt like more. The tu

Grand was ducking now, and she had to as well in spots- and Ha

There were no turn-offs from the tu

After what had to be another quarter mile or so-some of which they had to walk bent over, since the roof of the tu

She breathed through her nose too.

And tasted fresh air.

Grand started up again. When he could finally stand up straight he ran, weaving and moving through the stalactites and outcroppings and getting well ahead of Ha

The ground leveled off and then rose slightly. The final leg was about fifty feet up a steep slope, which she took on her hands and knees. Though the rock scraped her knees and the heels of her palms, it was the quickest way up.

She reached the top and climbed out. She stood beside Grand.

There were near the base of a mountain and looking across a wide gully. Ha

Ha

"This isn't good, is it?" she asked.

"No," he replied gravely. "It is not."

Chapter Forty-Five

The Bell chopper touched down lightly on the mountaintop, in the center of the clearing. Gearhart climbed out, not lightly but with a clear sense of purpose. That purpose was to find the animals the pilot said he saw. Find them and kill them before the night was over.

The rotor-blown grasses whipped around Gearhart's feet as he approached the edge of the mountaintop. The Wall was taking pictures around the sinkhole. He stopped as Gearhart approached. The sheriff didn't see Ha

Snapping on his flashlight, Gearhart removed the point-to-point radio from his belt. After debriefing the pilot back at the campsite, Gearhart had spoken to Chief Deputy Valentine and given him his instructions. As soon as the chopper lifted off Gearhart called him again.

"What's the status on Dr. Thorpe?" Gearhart asked.

"I spoke with her and she's pulling her charts together," Chief Deputy Valentine informed Gearhart. "I've sent a deputy to the house. She should be here by the time the second chopper arrives."

"Good. What about the rest of the team?"

"Felice is calling everyone in now. Frank Lyon has begun organizing squads and putting together gear."

"Has he got extra night-vision equipment?"

"The police department and Sheriff Shooter are sending over their hardware," Valentine said. "Shooter is ready to offer his people if we need them."

Gearhart didn't want help from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. It was bad enough the situation had spread as far as it had in his own county. "Will the teams be ready to move out when Dr. Thorpe gets there?"

"They'll be ready," Valentine said.

"I'm counting on it," Gearhart said. "I want these killers, Mike. I want them out of commission, tonight."

The sheriff switched off the radio and slid it back into the belt loop. He stopped a few feet from the Wall and glared at the photographer. "Where did they go?"

The Wall pointed down the hole.

"Does your boss have her phone?"

The Wall shrugged.

"Call her."

"I can't."

Gearhart advanced on the photographer. "Mister, you call her. I want those two back here."

"Sheriff, I physically ca

"Why?"

"Grand turned the phone off," the Wall said. "A ring at the wrong time-the cats might hear."

Gearhart swore again. "That's the reason I keep you people out of places like this."

The Wall said nothing.

Gearhart calmed slightly. "Tell me about the cats. Did you get a good look at them?"

"Not really."

"Is that a no?"

"I didn't get a good look at the cats, no, sir," the Wall said. "I saw a big thing for about a half a second when I jumped up and pulled Ha

Gearhart shook his head. That was a big help. The guy was supposed to be a goddamn journalist. The sheriff shined his light down the sinkhole. He didn't believe what the pilot said he saw-lions with fangs. And if that was what he saw, then this was someone's idea of a sick gag. He didn't believe there was a pair of saber-toothed tigers in the hills.

"Walter, I'm closing off the entire area," Gearhart said. "I asked you to drop the film off at my office. Would you do that now?"

"If I leave the mountain, Sheriff, it may block the phone call when Ha

"Then give me the phone," Gearhart said.