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woods; but the sounds were so distorted that he had no idea where they were ing from。
〃Lefty!〃 His own voice reverberated around the cavern; taking forever to die away。 He leaned against a broken pillar; heaving; wondering where to go next。
Raskovich pulled up beside him; winded。 Hazen could see an incipient panic in his eyes。 〃Where'd they go?〃
Hazen shook his head。 The acoustics were diabolical。
Once again; the sheriff started forward through the labyrinthine pillars; his feet splashing in shallow water; making for the spot where the echoes seemed loudest。 Raskovich stayed close behind。 The barking of the dogs was farther away now; as if they had moved down a distant tunnel; and yet the sound had ratcheted up to yet another notch of hysteria。
And then it changed abruptly。 The barking of one of the animals morphed into a sound like the squealing of brakes。 The distant screaming mingled with another sound: low; throaty; angry。
Even in the red wash of the night…vision goggles; Raskovich's face looked ashen。 Now the terrible chorus was joined by the unmistakable screaming of a human being。 Lefty。
〃Mother of God;〃 said Raskovich; darting looks to the left and right。
He was going to bolt。
〃Hey; take it easy;〃 Hazen said quickly。 〃The dogs have probably cornered McFelty。 I think they've left this cavern and gone down some side tunnel。 e on; we've got to find them。 Larssen!〃 he bawled out in a louder voice。 〃Cole! Brast! We're over here!〃
The distorted screeching and gibbering continued。 It was hard for Hazen to think straight。 He wasn't worried for the dogs anymore: he was worried for McFelty。
〃Raskovich; it's okay。〃
The man stumbled backward; face slack; clutching his shotgun。 Hazen recognized the danger of the situation now: Raskovich was about to lose it; and he had a loaded weapon in his hand。
The terrible screams became mixed with a guttural choking; punctuated by gasps and coughs。
〃Raskovich; it's all right; just take it easy; just lay the gun down…〃
The gun went off with a deafening blast; and a shower of pebbles came down; tinkling and bouncing among the pillars of stone before landing in the shallow water。
The distant shrieking of the dogs 。 。 。 the slack; panicked face of Raskovich 。 。 。 Hazen realized that the operation was rapidly spinning out of control。 〃Larssen!〃 he bawled out。 〃On the double!〃
Now Raskovich turned and ran; the gun lying where he'd dropped it; still smoking from the shot。
〃Raskovich!〃Hazen took off after him; yelling at the top of his lungs: 〃Hey! Wrong fucking way!〃
And as he ran; the terrible threnody of both dog and man went on and on behind him…and then; silence: sudden; unnerving silence。
Sixty…Two
Pendergast paused; listening。 He heard the sounds echoing through the galleries of stone; distorted beyond recognition。 He waited; straining to hear; but it was impossible to make out anything beside a whisper of sound; so altered by the acoustical properties of the caverns that it seemed almost like distant surf; or wind among trees。
He redoubled his pace in what seemed the right direction; dodging over and between enormous toppled stalactites。 At the end of the cavern; where the trails divided; he stopped again; listening。
The sounds continued。
Now he consulted his map; found his approximate location。 He was in the middle of a particularly labyrinthine section of the cave system; riddled with multilevel cracks; passageways; and blind holes。 Locating the sound within such a fiendish maze would be difficult。 And yet he knew that in caves such as this; sound usually followed the flow of air。 Pulling a slim gold lighter from his pocket; Pendergast lit it and held it at arm's length; carefully scrutinizing the direction in which the flame bent。 Then he pocketed the lighter again and continued on; upwind; toward the sound。
But now; the sounds had ceased。 The cave had returned to dripping silence。
Pendergast went on; through galleries and tunnels。 With the absence of sound; he went back to following the map toward what appeared to be the central part of the cave system。 At the end of a particularly narrow gallery he stopped; shining his light upon a far wall。 There was one narrow vertical crack here; not on the map; that looked like it might give way onto another cavern on the far side。 If so; it would cut off a considerable distance。 He went to the crack and listened。
Once again; he heard faint sounds。 The rush of water; overlaid by a human voice。 At least; it appeared to be human; and yet it was so distorted that it was impossible to make out any words…if indeed there were any。
Shining his light on the ground before his feet; he noticed that he was not the first person to have taken this shortcut。
He edged into the crack; which soon widened enough for him to walk normally。 Gradually the bottom of the crack dropped away and a crevasse opened below; yet the walls remained narrow enough that he could continue forward; one foot on either side of the crevasse; squeezing his torso through a narrow slot。 It was a position that gave; strangely; the sensations of both claustrophobia and acrophobia at the same time。
Ahead; the crack opened into the blackness of space。 He was standing on a narrow ledge almost a hundred feet up the wall of a domelike cavity。 A stream of water plunged from above and feathered down toward the base far beneath his feet; filling the cavern with the echoing splash of water。 A billion winking lights…reflections of feathery gypsum crystals…filled the cavern like fireflies。
Pendergast's flashlight beam could only barely reach the bottom。
There had been footprints at the entrance to the crack: that meant there must be a way down。
Below the lip of rock on which he stood; his light caught a series of hand… and footholds。 Intermittent sounds came from below; clearer now。
Had Hazen and the troopers reached the killer and Corrie? The thought was almost too unpleasant to contemplate。
Pendergast crouched on the narrow ledge; shining his light into the blackness below。 He could see nothing but a massive jumble of fallen stalactites; torn from the ceiling by some long…ago earthquake。
He took off his shoes and socks; tied the laces together; and draped them around his neck。 He turned off his flashlight and slipped it into a pocket: it would be of no help now。 Then; reaching down into the darkness; he grabbed the first handhold again and swung out into space; his bare feet finding slippery purchase。 Five minutes of cautious climbing brought him to the bottom。 He put on his shoes in plete darkness; listening。
The noise was ing from the blackness at the far end of the cavern。 Whoever was making that sound had no light。 It rose and fell in a strange; babbling way; but there could be no mistake: it was a man; and he sounded injured。
Turning on the flashlight again and pulling out his handgun; Pendergast moved forward swiftly。
A flash of color; and something flickered across the dim cone of light; he swung the beam around and saw something yellow on the ground; behind a fractured boulder。
He leapt catlike onto the rock; gun and light pointing downward together。 He peered into the cavit