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he had earlier dropped at his father s feet. It was an odd-
looking piece that Katie thought would fit better in a
junkyard than an art gallery. Chuck struggled toward
the tunnel with it. As soon as he had disappeared, Sheila
leaned forward to untie her legs. Katie turned and undid
her brother s ropes.
Now what? whispered Sheila.
Michael coughed. They left the ropes wrapped around
their ankles and sat up, hands behind their backs.
Frank Carlson entered the main part of the cave and
picked up a delicate figurine. It was one of the few re-
maining pieces. He wrapped it carefully in paper, placed
it in a box and glared in their direction.
Chief Carlson s voice echoed through the tunnel.
Frank, let s get out of here! The tide s turning we re
running out of time!
Frank ran into the tunnel. Hey! Give me a little help
here? We need to take some hostages with us.
Michael gasped. Katie scooped up her ropes and
Michael s, grabbed his hand and jumped up, yanking
him roughly to his feet. Bring your ropes. Follow us,
she told Sheila, and ran for the back corner of the alcove,
dragging her brother behind her.
I have to be right. I have to be right. Please let me
& 148 &
be right, she whispered as she ducked under the low
ceiling at the back of the alcove.
What are you doing? asked Sheila.
The escape tunnel. I m sure the entrance is here,
and I think
Stop right there! an angry voice yelled. Footsteps
struck against the stone floor behind them.
Right here! cried a voice, and a thin, white hand
appeared in the rectangular black hole in front of them.
Sheila threw herself onto her stomach. She slithered for-
ward, quickly disappearing into the dark under a ledge
of rock.
Your turn! said Katie, pushing her brother forward.
No! he whined. I can t!
Look! She grabbed him by the shoulders. It s
either that or a boat ride with these guys. You ll never
reach the other side.
Michael glanced at the shallow opening, like the
mouth of a shark, waiting. He threw himself down and
an arm reached out to help him through.
Stop! The voice was so close behind her, Katie
expected a hand to grab her around the neck. She threw
herself forward with her arms flung out in front of her
head. Hands grabbed her wrists and started to drag her
over the rocky ground. She was under the ledge, squeez-
ing through the opening, with little room to spare.
Suddenly a powerful hand grabbed her foot.
I m gonna teach you a lesson, kid, Frank growled.
Katie twisted her foot hard, pulled forward and
& 149 &
pointed her toes. Her shoelace must have been loose,
because her foot slipped right out of the shoe and she
was dragged out of reach.
Katie, said a familiar voice. You okay?
Hey, Rusty! I thought it was you!
I saw them coming before I reached my bike, so I
came back to help!
A terrible noise came from behind them then, an
animal-like howl of anger. This was followed by a great
deal of grunting and a frantic scrambling and scratching
over rock.
Hey, Frank, Katie said, betcha can t get us!
Rusty laid a hand on her arm and pulled. Let s get
out of here!
In a minute. She waited. More grunting and the
clatter of loose rocks. Then the words she had been wait-
ing for. Oh, God! I m stuck! I can t move my arms! Get
me out of here! Frank wailed.
You got a flashlight? asked Katie.
Rusty handed it to her. It was in my knapsack, in
the tunnel.
Katie switched it on and moved toward Frank Carl-
son. His breathing was loud and very quick. He lay flat
on his stomach with his arms trapped beneath him,
wedged tightly in the opening to the escape tunnel, un-
able to move. She crouched in front of him. Her hand
shook as she reached down toward his chest pocket. Her
fingers touched the pen-like object, wrapped around it
and pulled.
& 150 &
Hey! he yelled, and tried to move. He groaned as
he found himself more firmly stuck.
Thanks, Frank, Katie said. I don t suppose you d
like to hand me my shoe?
He growled.
Guess not. Don t worry she held up his cell
phone we ll call for help as soon as we get out of
here.
He growled again as Rusty pulled her away and took
the flashlight.
Sheila and Michael were waiting for them. Beyond
them the tunnel narrowed again, until it was barely wide
enough for one person and not much higher than their
waists.
Come on! Sheila whispered, and moved deeper
into the tunnel. The flashlight s beam played along the
rocky floor and walls.
Katie, following Rusty at the end of the line, heard
shouting from behind. She stopped to listen. Chuck s
voice boomed, I can t move him! He s stuck tight! We
can t get at the kids either!
Fainter and farther away, Chief Carlson s voice ech-
oed through the tunnel. We ll get you out, son. Don t
worry!
That s when Katie realized that the Carlsons did not
know about the escape tunnel. Strange, after all these
years, that she would know about it and not them. But
of course, they didn t have the diary, so they must think
she and the others were trapped in here.
& 151 &
The tunnel went on forever. Katie tried to quiet
the fear in her stomach. She was terrified of being un-
derground, bent double, following the distant scuffling
sounds. She almost felt sorry for Frank.
Then suddenly there was light up ahead. Rusty was
sitting at the end of the horizontal tunnel, shining his
light on Sheila and Michael, who were both standing,
squeezed into the vertical shaft Rusty had fallen into
earlier. At their feet lay a skull and broken bones.
Now what do we do? asked Sheila.
That s why we brought the ropes, Katie told her,
passing them over Rusty s shoulder. Tie them all to-
gether.
Sheila began tying knots. I don t know what good it
will do to have a rope. Who s going to pull us up?
Michael.
I am?
Sure. Sheila can boost you up. You re light and you
climb like a monkey.
I m scared!
We re all scared, Mikey. But you re the only one
who can help us now. No one will be out there they
don t even know about this tunnel. There are bushes to
grab onto when you reach the top. Just take the rope to
the nearest strong tree, wrap it around and tie a good,
tough knot. You can do that I know you can.
Okay, he said in a shaky voice.
Ready, said Sheila. She had just enough room to
crouch down. Michael climbed on her shoulders and she
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straightened her legs, pushing him up.
I can t quite reach the top!
No problem, Sheila told him, grunting under his
weight. You re light as a feather. She put her hands
under his feet, took a deep breath and pushed, grunting
again with the effort. Yes! she said a moment later.
Clutching one end of the rope, Michael scrambled
over the edge and disappeared. It was so quiet now that
they could hear each other breathing. Katie wriggled
forward until she could look up at the circle of night
sky. It seemed like ages before a round shadow, the shape
of a head, appeared there. Rusty shone his light up at
Michael s grinning face, then Sheila tested the rope and
climbed up.
Before Rusty climbed up, he handed his flashlight to
Katie. She shone it on the floor, spotted her own flashlight
and crouched to pick it up. Something else lay there on
the dirt floor, something that sparkled in the flashlight s
beam. She picked it up and held it between her fingers. A
ring! A wide, gold ring inset with a square cut ruby.
I m sorry, Sir Charles, she said. You might have
made it out of here if you hadn t liked eating so much.
Then she noticed Rusty s knapsack tucked neatly beside
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