Page 11 of Silent Grave

Gabriel moved closer to study the map. "You said these are incomplete?"

"The company took most of the detailed surveys when they pulled out. These are reconstructed from memory, old photos, whatever documentation we could piece together." Sullivan tapped a section where the lines simply stopped. "Anything past these points is educated guesswork."

Sheila felt the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. They needed to find Tyler, but she couldn't risk sending people into unmapped tunnels without knowing the dangers.

"We'll work in teams," she said. "No one goes anywhere alone. Every team needs at least one experienced caver or rescue worker. Radio checks every fifteen minutes."

Sullivan nodded approvingly. "I've marked the most dangerous areas we know about. Flooded sections, unstable tunnels, drop-offs." He handed her a more detailed version of the map. "But remember—there could be hazards we don't know about. Sixty years of neglect does things to a mine."

The Search and Rescue leader, Dave Kendrick, joined them. "We've got air quality monitors," he said. "Pockets of bad air can collect in these old mines. And the deeper we go, the worse ventilation gets."

Sheila watched as the teams gathered their gear. The morning sun was climbing higher, but its warmth didn't reach the mine's entrance. The opening seemed to swallow light itself.

"The main shaft first," she said. "Then we branch out methodically. I don't want anyone getting lost down there while we're searching for Tyler."

Her father appeared at her shoulder with two helmets, lights already mounted. "Just like the old training exercises," he said, handing her one.

She took it, remembering the cave rescue courses he'd insisted she take when she first joined the department. "Except this isn't a training exercise," she said.

They waited while Sullivan gave the teams a final briefing on mine safety. The historian's voice echoed off the rock face as he explained the signs of imminent collapse, the importance of checking support beams, the dangers of old mining equipment.

"The miners had a saying," Sullivan told them. "'The mountain never sleeps.' They meant the rock is always moving, always settling. Listen to it. If something doesn't feel right, get out."

The teams began moving toward the entrance. Sheila hung back, watching them organize themselves. Her father stayed with her, adjusting his helmet.

"Your mother would have hated this," he said quietly.

Sheila glanced at him. "The mine?"

"She was claustrophobic too. Like Tyler." A faint smile crossed his face. "First time I took her on a date, I thought it would be romantic to go spelunking. There was this tourist cave outside town..."

"What happened?"

"She made it about twenty feet in, turned around, and walked straight back out. Left me standing there like an idiot with two helmets and a picnic lunch."

Despite everything, Sheila found herself smiling. "I'm surprised she gave you a second shot."

He grunted. "So was I." Then he paused, and his eyes grew distant. "But she was like that—giving people second chances. Always liked to believe there was more to people than met the eye."

Sheila wanted to ask more—about their early days, about what her mother was like before children, before responsibilities, before everything. It had only been ten years, but sometimes it felt like her mother had been gone forever.

Before she could formulate the question, however, her radio crackled. "Sheriff?" It was Kendrick. "You need to get out here. We found something."

The urgency in his voice made her stomach clench.

"Where?"

"Not in the mine. About half a mile east, near the old ventilation shaft. You better come quick."

She keyed her radio. "On our way." To the gathered teams, she called out: "Hold positions. Wait for my signal."

As she and her father hurried to their vehicle, she tried not to think about what they might find. But she knew. They all knew.

The search was over before it had really begun.

CHAPTER FIVE

Sheila's heart was heavy as she parked behind the Search and Rescue vehicles. She suspected Tyler was dead, but what she wasn't sure about was why or how he'd died.

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