Page 8 of The Honeymoon Heist

She said, “Yeah, sure, just stay on the radio so I can call you back when you forget I’m down here.”

He held it in the air and Amena giggled, looking up the long stairwell cut out of the stone, for the first time feeling some apprehension. She said, “You don’t think anyone’s up there, do you? Like a monk or something living inside?”

Pike laughed and handed her a headlamp to ward off the growing gloom, saying, “No monks, but there might be a troll. I’ll handle him. Let’s go.”

She put on the headlamp and said, “You go first. You’re the commando.”

Pike put on his own headlamp and kissed her forehead, saying, “As you wish,” then flicked his eyes to Jennifer.

She grinned at the movie reference he always used with her and said, “Get up there. You’re wasting time.”

Amena said, “You should come, too. It’s probably full of old relics that you’d love.”

She smiled and said, “Take some pictures for me. Someone’s got to watch the boat.”

Pike said, “Come on, doodlebug. We’re wasting time.”

He started rapidly up the steps, going so fast that Amena couldn’t keep up, forcing her to shout, “Hey, slow down. I’m afraid of falling.”

Pike immediately slacked off and turned around, saying, “Sorry.”

They reached the top of the stairs, crossed a hillock with a couple of trees, and the stone cuts became a path leading right into the black maw of the cave, the setting sun turning it even darker. Amena stopped, not liking what she saw. She said, “Maybe we should go back.”

She was instantly embarrassed by her words, knowing she’d just shown she was afraid, something she was sure would cause Pike to poke fun at her. He did not. He simply said, “If that’s what you want. Probably just a bunch of rock anyway, and Iamgetting hungry.”

His answer surprised her. He routinely ribbed her for various things, and she realized he only did that when it wouldn’t hurt her. She’d just exposed a weakness born of irrational fear, and he wasn’t going to pounce because of it. Instead, he was giving her an out by saying he was hungry. His empathy gave her the courage she needed.

She clenched her jaw and said, “Let’s go.”

He smiled and said, “That’s what I thought,” then turned back to the path, saying, “I’ve got the lead.”

They went forward more slowly, and she swore that Pike himself was a little apprehensive of what the blackness held. He entered the small arch leading into the cave, his headlamp bouncing off the walls, paused one moment, then kept going. She saw the light inside coming from the balcony over the ocean, giving her courage, and scurried to catch up.

The hallway widened into the cavern itself, the balcony of the upper section of the grotto to her left, and she was disappointed. It was small, maybe thirty feet by thirty feet, and was nothing but stone. No altars, no skeletons, no nothing. She shone her light around and said, “This is it?”

Pike walked to the railing over the ocean, saw Jennifer, and waved. He turned back and said, “Yeah, I guess so. Just a rock cave. But come on, it’s still pretty cool.”

Amena went to the back of the cavern, flashing her headlamp left and right. She saw something against a wall and hissed, “Pike, there’s something here!”

Pike turned away from the railing, saying, “What did you find?”

She went to it, seeing a square bag of some kind. Not old. Modern, like it was made for the weather, with Velcro straps and rubber. She said, “I don’t know. What is it?”

Pike went to her, took one look, and said, “That’s a dry bag. It’s designed to keep something from getting damaged in water.”

She grabbed a strap and said, “Let’s see what it’s hiding.”

For the first time, she heard reticence in Pike’s voice. He said, “Hang on there. Don’t start ripping it open. It’s protected for a reason. We came to look, not cause an issue with what’s here.”

Now excited that she’d found something, she turned around and said, “Aww, come on. We can look and return it just like it was. We won’t cause any damage.”

In the glow of her headlamp she saw the expressions flit across his face, like he was being torn by the proverbial devil and angel on his shoulders, and knew he wanted to explore the bag as well. He finally said, “Okay, but quickly,” and began helping her undo the straps.

They had it open in seconds, and Amena put her light on it, saying, “It’s a painting. Why’s a painting up here?”

Pike shook his head, saying, “I have absolutely no idea.”

Amena pulled out her cell phone, turning on the camera app and saying, “Maybe Jennifer will.”

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