Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) (11 page)

"They're absolutely remarkable! I can recognize bighorn sheep, deer, and lizards."

"This stream once flowed above ground," Ramona went on to explain. "The rock overhang formed a kind of cave. So the ancient artists probably stood upright and drew on the walls. In the years since, the stream went underground and the earth shifted and filled in the vacant area. Now it's almost to the top of the cave walls, so we have to lie down to see inside."

"It's remarkable. How did you find it?"

Ramona smiled and shrugged. "Sharkey and I were digging for gold in this area."

"Speaking of Sharkey," Rex said briskly, glancing around. "Isn't this the area where he hid the map? Under some skull?"

"Yep," Dodge said, pushing his Stetson back and squinting his eyes around the area. "Why don't we spread out and see if we can find it before dark?"

"While you do that," Yazzie said, "I'll make camp. I saw a small stream back at that stand of trees."

"Agreed," Dodge nodded. "I think we've all ridden our limit for today."

"I'll second that motion!" Rex agreed, rubbing his rear.

They spread out, searching over rocks and around trees for the acclaimed skull but found nothing. When Yazzie called that supper was ready, they came together wearily. At this point, everyone showed some disappointment, even doubt.

In desperation, they studied their half of the map again to make sure they were in the right area. Four heads, not including Yazzie, hovered over the map, checking the locations and directions.

"I know this is the right place," Ramona said with conviction. "I'm almost positive. Sharkey and I were here on several occasions. We discussed the springs and whether we should try to dig it out."

"According to Sharkey's map, we're in the correct location. Tomorrow we'll have all day of complete light to search. I'm sure we'll find it," Dodge said confidently.

Yazzie eyed them cautiously but didn't join in the search. He just lighted another of those wolf-breath cigars and walked away from the camp settlement.

Tory watched him, filled with curiosity and her own personal suspicions. She was tempted to follow him when Rex and Dodge ambled in another direction, intent in conversation. So whom should she follow? Yazzie, the loner, who was strange and secretive? Or Dodge and Rex, Sharkey's former partners who might benefit from his death?

While Tory was considering her options, Ramona approached her. "Let's put our sleeping bags next to the fire for sleeping tonight. It'll be warmer and keep the wild beasties away."

"Don't even tease about that." Tory shivered involuntarily and peered into the darkness surrounding them. "My imagination is already going wild!"

"Don't worry, Tory. The fire will be our best protection."

As she made her bed Tory couldn't help wondering if her suspicions about Sharkey's mysterious death were well-founded. And, of course, she couldn't stop worrying that the one responsible for Sharkey's death was in this intimate little gathering of sun seekers. Nothing had actually happened to confirm her suspicions. Perhaps she had jumped to conclusions. It was just a feeling . . .

"Ramona," Tory said, smoothing out her sleeping bag, "is it—is it possible that my father was killed? That his death wasn't an accident?"

Ramona paused and gave Tory a deep, serious look. "Not only is it possible, but I suspect that it's true."

Tory gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth. To have her worst fears confirmed by Ramona was shocking. She expected—wanted—Ramona to dispel her suspicions.

"I've never told anyone that, Tory. I'm sorry if I upset you. But no one ever asked me outright, either. Maybe no one ever suspected it. Or they wanted to deny it. But, sure, I think it's possible."

"Do you think we could be in danger, too?" Tory held her breath, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Ramona sat cross-legged on her spread-out sleeping bag. "It's possible. If Sharkey were killed, his killer is still out there."

"And the gold is still out there."

Ramona lowered her voice. "I do believe Sharkey discovered a long-lost treasure in these mountains. It's something men have coveted for years, something they've lost their lives over. Some searched but went away disillusioned. Others ran out of money or energy and had to stop looking. But they all believed it's still here. There's a grand mystique to these mountains, from the miners' tales to the Indians' lore."

The two women sat cross-legged on the bedrolls, facing each other, whispering intently.

"And you believe Sharkey found the gold?"

Ramona nodded solemnly. "Yes, I do. He acted a little funny, became very quiet about his mountain treks in the last few weeks before he died. Maybe he knew about it then but didn't want to say."

"Why wouldn't he tell you his exciting news?"

"Perhaps because he wanted to protect me. If I knew, then I, too, would be in danger."

"So he didn't tell you anything?"

"No, and I didn't see him as often as usual. I think now that he was preparing the maps and getting ready ... in case anything happened to him."

"Then you think he knew he was in danger?"

Ramona shrugged. "Anyone who has a secret like that knows there's always danger from someone who wants what you have. Or what you know."

"Do you think we're in danger, then? Because of the map?"

"Maybe."

"From whom?"

"I don't know."

"Someone . . . here?"

Ramona laughed quietly. "Maybe someone lurking behind yonder tree."

"I meant, someone in our group?"

"In this group? Hell, no! These people were Sharkey's friends. And you, of course. But you're his daughter, Tory." Ramona fluffed up her pillow and lay back on it.

"Yes, of course," Tory mumbled thoughtfully. "Ramona, why would Sharkey send us on this wild-goose chase if he knew it would be dangerous for us?"

"First, it isn't a wild-goose chase. He wouldn't do that to us. Second, he trusted this group of people implicitly. Third, I'm sure he felt that Dodge could take care of anything that came up. And so do I. Go to bed, Tory. As long as Dodge is around, he'll keep the claim jumpers away." Ramona snuggled down between the folds of her sleeping bag and turned on her side, indicating she had finished talking for the night.

"Good night, Ramona." Tory wandered around the camp, putting a couple of fresh logs on the fire, studying the flames and what Ramona had said. About danger. About Sharkey. About his friends that were gathered there. She heard Dodge and Rex talking and ambled toward where they sat on the far edge of the clearing, near the rock overhang and hidden stream.

When she reached them, Rex made an excuse and quickly left.

"I didn't intend to interrupt," she said.

"No problem. I'm beat. Not meant for riding on an ass all day."

"Is it obvious?" she mused to Dodge.

"These people aren't blind."

"I'm a jerk, Dodge. A citified, paranoid jerk. I'm sorry about accusing your friends. I'm sorry that I made them look like suspects. I realize now that you are all Sharkey's friends and would never do anything to hurt him, or each other."

"Tory," Dodge said quietly, "come here."

She moved beside him in the darkness. "I should never have said anything about suspicions."

"Tory . . . hush." One of his long arms wrapped around her shoulder and he led her farther away from the campsite. "You don't have to apologize. I can understand your concern."

"But, Dodge, I was out of line."

"No, not really. Actually, you were quite perceptive to have doubts about his death. Maybe you're right, after all."

"What?"

"This is just between us, you understand."

She nodded anxiously in the darkness.

"After seeing the location of Sharkey's so-called accident, I'm beginning to have suspicions of my own."

"Why, Dodge?"

"Well, according to Yazzie and Ramona, Sharkey's body was found in a spot that I think was too far away for anyone to have fallen naturally. Sharkey's body should have been more directly beneath where we stood, unless he hit a rock and bounced. When I pointed that out to Yazzie, he changed his story. Said that's where Sharkey was actually found, directly below us."

"What are you saying?" She breathed shallowly, fear creeping like a knot into her throat.

Dodge stopped walking and put his hand over hers. "I think Sharkey was pushed or dragged to the location where he was found. Perhaps he was even killed somewhere else and brought to the rock ledge."

"Oh, my God, Dodge!"

"I want to talk to Ramona about it. She's the only other eyewitness to the location of the body. But she has been in no shape to be questioned about it. Like she's trying to forget any details that might be useful."

"I think you should wait a little while, Dodge. She was quite upset when we went by that cliff today."

"I realize that, but we're talking about something extremely serious here, Tory."

"Oh, my God, and here we are, out here away from police protection and—"

Dodge's arms encased her in the darkness. "We'll be all right."

"I'm scared, Dodge."

"Don't be." He lifted her chin and whispered, "I'll take care of you, Tory." Then, tenderly, his lips closed over hers.

With him close and holding her in his arms, Tory immediately felt safer. The kiss deepened and the secure swirl of Dodge surrounded her. His strength and warmth reached out to her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly to her. Here was a man to trust, a man who tempted her like none other.

At that moment, the quiet stillness was penetrated by the chilling sound of a scream, a resounding wail that echoed off the boulders and intruded into their safe harbor.

"What th—"

"Was that Ramona?" Tory had never heard such a bloodcurdling yell. She bolted from Dodge's embrace and rushed back toward camp. Nothing, it seemed, was safe and secure. Not even Dodge's arms.

CHAPTER NINE

"Tory, wait! It's just—" Dodge lunged for her, but she slipped through his fingers. One minute he was holding her, the next she was gone like a startled doe. Resigned, he raced after her.

"Ramona?" she called as she reached the small gathering huddled around the campfire. She stared at the fire-lit circle, half expecting the three to be embroiled in some fracas. "Ramona, are you all right?"

"Of course." She looked up, her smiling face reflecting softly golden from the flickering flames.

"What was that horrible noise?" Tory gasped between heaving breaths. "I thought it was you!"

"It was just a mountain lion," Ramona said easily.

"A mountain lion?"

"Don't worry, Tory," Ramona said from her seat on top of her sleeping bag. "The fire and commotion will keep it away from our camp. Anyway, I'm sure Dodge and Yazzie have guns."

"No—" Tory caught herself before blurting that Dodge's gun had been stolen. Then, in a niggling corner of her mind, it occurred to her that he might have bought another. She'd ask him about it later.

"Have a seat, you two," Rex offered with a sweep of his hand. "That is, if you don't mind our humble company. And Yazzie can finish his tale."

Tory glanced at the campfire scene and realized that, indeed, Rex and Ramona were being entertained. Soft-spoken, closemouthed Yazzie was the storyteller. Sighing with relief, she slumped down on a log and Dodge joined her.

Yazzie continued, picking up where he had stopped when interrupted. "So next time that cat screamed, I grabbed my gun and shot into the air. I didn't even aim, only meant to scare her away. But I was a damned lucky cuss. She was up in a tree and fell right down into our campsite, shot through the heart. So we skinned her right there on the spot—didn't even have to leave camp. And her hide still warms my bed at night."

Tory shivered at the grisly tale, prompting Dodge to put another log on the fire. He brought them an Indian blanket and draped it around their shoulders. She drew closer to the warmth Dodge provided.

"That's some story, Yazzie," Rex commented, unconsciously peering above them for spreading branches that could harbor some wild creature.

"Would a mountain lion really raid a camp, Yazzie?" Tory asked, fearful of his answer. Yet she had to know about this potential danger.

"Sure. If it's hungry enough, it'll come looking for food, even them dang mules." Yazzie paused to light another cigar and puffed thoughtfully. "But it'd have to be dang-near starving."

"We don't have to worry about that cat coming around us tonight," Dodge advised in a teasing tone. "As long as Yazzie keeps smoking that foul-smelling tobacco, nothing will come near enough to bother us!"

Everyone chuckled and Yazzie took the teasing in stride. "Reminds me of the pipe-smoking miner from out Denver-way. There were four of them who came down here to the Dragoons a few years back, searching for gold. The leader was a big man, had one of them curving pipes clamped in his teeth all the time, whether he was smoking it or not. Fact is, I believe they were looking for this very town of Pyramid that you folks are after. These fellows heard that there used to be a gold- rush town that was left high and dry, and they wanted to find it again. And get that gold."

Yazzie paused and Rex spoke up. "Then there really is a town by the name of Pyramid?"

"Was a town, maybe a hundred years ago." Yazzie folded his legs Indian-style. "Trouble is, those folks from Denver never stopped to find out why Pyramid wasn't a town anymore."

"Well, why?" Tory asked, leaning forward.

"Indians," Yazzie said briefly. "Indians killed the whole town. Twice, they did. Raided the settlement and killed the whole bunch, two different times. After that, everybody with any sense left it alone until those dang fools from Denver came around looking for the gold again."

"What happened to them, Yazzie?" Rex asked warily, a bit of trepidation in his voice.

"They disappeared, just like everybody else who went up there. Nobody ever saw hide nor hair of the four of them again. Years later some hunters found that dang curving pipe, though. Don't know if they fell through an open mine or if a female mountain lion got 'um. Some say there're still bears up there. Or if it was Indians ..."

"Nobody could just disappear, with no signs or anything," Rex protested. "I don't believe any Indians are still around here. And if they were, they wouldn't risk something like that."

Yazzie puffed his cigar quietly, letting his story create its own internal havoc. "That's what happened, all right. No sign of them. Until now, nobody has bothered trying to find old Pyramid again."

"Well, we're going to find it, soon as we get that other piece of map," Dodge said firmly, and slapped his thigh. "Since we have a big day tomorrow searching for whatever Sharkey left for us, why don't we turn in?"

"Good idea," Rex agreed. "I'm beat."

Everyone began to move about the camp, making preparations for the night. The men laid out their sleeping bags on one side of the campfire, the two women on the other.

Tory's head was close to Ramona's when they scooted down under cover. The mountain air at night was quite cool, and snuggling into the warm bag felt good. "Ramona?" Tory whispered. "You awake?"

The answer was equally quiet. "Yes."

"Do you think this is a wise thing to do, all of us going to sleep with mountain lions and God- knows-what out there? Shouldn't somebody stand guard or something?"

"I'm sure Yazzie would be alert to any dangers approaching during the night. Don't worry about the wild animals, Tory. Or anything else Yazzie says. He's just trying to scare us off."

"Well, he's doing a pretty good job with me. Do you believe his tales?"

"Aw, those stories he told tonight are based on ages-old legends, part fact, part vivid imagination."

"Then you've heard of Pyramid? You think it's really there?"

"Yes. I've heard of it. Never knew anyone who'd been there, though."

Tory paused, thinking. "Do you think Sharkey really found Pyramid?"

"Yes."

Tory tried to sleep, but she heard strange noises that kept her eyes peeled through most of the night. At dawn she finally slipped into an exhausted stupor but was awakened within an hour by an animated shout.

"A skull! I found a skull!"

Tory bolted upright in time to see everyone scrambling after the sound. She buried her face in her hands, trying to block out the world. Oh God! What a night! She could hear everyone's excited exchanges over the discovery. Finally, curi
osity forced her to drag her weary body over to the sandy wash where the group stood in a circle, staring at some ominous-looking bones. Even Tory could tell it wasn't a cow's elongated skull.

Rex knelt before his find.

"This isn't it!" Tory gasped.

"It's human," Ramona said.

"H—human?" Rex stood up and took a backward step.

"And very old," Ramona continued as she knelt to examine it. "See the discoloration and age lines? Anthropologists will be delighted with this, Rex."

"Anthropologists be damned!" Rex exclaimed, angrily kicking the sandy soil. "I can't believe this isn't the one we're looking for."

"Careful! You might damage it!" Ramona put a calming hand on Rex's arm. "Please, Rex. The anthropology department at the U of A will study this skull later. It's probably an ancient burial place of some remote tribe, and the entire skeleton is somewhere nearby."

"Oh, great," he muttered, glancing around warily.

"Let's leave it as undisturbed as possible so I can bring some experts back up here," Ramona said. "This skull may reveal something about the people who lived in the area. It's an important find."

"Only to you, Ramona," he said furiously. "Where's that damned cow's skull that Sharkey was talking about?"

"You didn't expect to find it right next to the spring, did you?" Ramona snapped.

"Bad sign," Yazzie said shortly.

"What do you mean: 'bad sign'?" Rex asked, his dark eyes sharp.

"If this is burial ground, we have disturbed holy ground. It is forbidden. The ancient ones will be unhappy." Yazzie gave Rex an ominous glare. "You must be very careful."

"Oh, hell!" Rex exclaimed. "This is great. I find the wrong skull, and suddenly I'm in jeopardy with Indian ghosts?"

"No, of course not," Dodge said. "Don't let Yazzie's superstitions scare you."

"Not superstitions. Yazzie knows the secrets of the mountain." The long-haired man pointed to his own chest proudly. "Don't ignore them or you, too, will cause disfavor with the ancients." He moved away, limping.

Tory's blue eyes grew round. Everything that happened or was said only fueled her mounting fears. "Good heavens! I can't believe it!"

"This is ridiculous!" Rex fumed. "How dare Yazzie threaten us like that." He turned around and stomped back to the camp. Ramona followed him, murmuring gentle words of encouragement.

"That's what he's doing, isn't he?" Tory asked quietly, walking away from the area containing the human skull. "Threatening us? Trying to scare us off?"

"Yep," Dodge agreed with a heavy sigh. He stuffed his hands into his back jeans pockets and ambled to the edge of a rocky cliff.

His broad, strong shoulders seemed to sag a little, and suddenly Tory wanted to wrap her arms around him and give him her meager strength. But she'd had her share of misgivings about this trip and felt that all she could do now was give Dodge her support. "We've come this far, Dodge. We can't turn back now because of some old man's crazy ideas."

Dodge squinted at the distant horizon. "Yazzie is a strange man. But don't forget he's from the mountain. I'm sure he feels that we're disturbing some kind of sacred territory."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Tory muttered, perching on a rock. "I don't believe that any more than you do. We have as much right here as anybody. You own the claim, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Then Yazzie has nothing to say about it."

"I don't know, Tory. I'm beginning to think it wasn't such a good idea to bring him along, after all."

"You had your reasons, Dodge. And I think they were valid."

"But I don't want to put our group in danger."

"Danger?" she said with a little laugh. "From whom? Mountain Lions or ghosts of the past? You warned me back in Tombstone. I knew what I was getting into and everybody else did, too."

"Tory"—he moved closer and took her hand— "I especially don't want you to be in danger, or hurt in any way." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Then he turned it over and caressed the center of her palm with his lips.

She tried not to react to the sensuous touch of his lips on her skin, but she felt the reaction all the way through. Chuckling, she chided, "Still scared of Sharkey's ghost?"

"No. It has more to do with my own conscience."

She slipped her other hand into his and gave him a confident smile. "I'm not scared off so easily, Dodge Callahan. Anyway, I have you to protect me."

"Protect?" He scoffed.

"Yes, of course." She stood and smiled confidently. "I'm not sorry I came. Even with mountain lions and ghost stories at night and a threatening Indian scout by day."

His brown eyes caressed her and softened as he pulled her into his arms. "Tory, Tory," he murmured and kissed her tousled dark hair, "I don't want you to get hurt. I've never felt so responsible or so concerned for anyone in my life."

"Dodge, I don't have any doubts about what we're doing. We've made it fine this far, and we're going all the way." She smiled wistfully. "You know, Ramona and I believe that Sharkey may have found Pyramid."

"And you see what happened to him?"

"Well, he wasn't careful enough. He should have realized his life was in jeopardy because of what he knew. We're going to be alert and wary."

"For what? Who? The ghosts?" He sighed heavily and she felt his huge body shudder against hers. "Or one of us?"

From the campsite, Yazzie yelled, "Breakfast! Come and get it!"

Dodge lifted her chin and kissed her lips tenderly. "You certainly have changed your battle cry from just a few days ago."

She gave him a shy smile. "You really think so? Maybe I just discovered that I've been a sun seeker all along. You've been showing me how it could be done."

"Well, it isn't going to be a snap. It's risky business."

"Risky business is never easy. Come on. Let's eat. We have the map to find today. And more of a journey ahead of us. To the lost city of Pyramid."

After breakfast the group spread out to search for the hidden skull. Dodge insisted that everyone take along a heavy stick. "Watch for snakes first, the old cow's skull second," he instructed.

Dodge noted that Tory deliberately paired with Rex for the morning's search. The two soon moved out of sight, out of earshot, engrossed in conversa
tion. What would they have to say to each other? Dodge was suddenly filled with the urge to rush after them and grab her for himself.