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"You should be glad you didn’t do a good job with faking that sketch If you had told the ht have risked your own life This way, you’ve just wasted only a bit of our time"
He watched the myriad emotions chase across her face Priotten herself in this fix He watched her and waited
She looked everywhere but at hiht, Agent Savich, it’s not a secret I don’t have anysomehow And I’m afraid"
"Is there a reason you haven’t told us, Ms Ivy? So like that But everyone I know is dying, and no one knohy"
He said, "You have a right to be scared, Melissa, but not to be stupid Instead of trying to sca to search Peter’s apart yours"
Winkel’s Cave, front entrance
Team One
Claus parked the lead SUV on the shoulder of Wolf Trap Road that ran north and south about a hundred yards west of Winkel’s Cave They had driven in slowly, all eyes alert for any movement, but no one was surprised they didn’t see anyone, not out here in the sticks three miles out of Maestro There had been a couple of derelict houses spaced far apart, visible through the falling snow, but no sign of life
The second SUV pulled up behind theether, their breaths ht, lazy flakes wouldn’t last long They were in for another heavy snow in a couple of hours
Claus pointed "The entrance to the cave is a hundred yards in through the h path, but there’ll be a lot of rocks hidden by the snow, so be careful" He checked to see that everyone’s flashlight and headlaazines in at their belts They were ready Claus nodded to Anna
Anna said, "We didn’t see any signs of tire tracks co for a while now, they could be covered up Best to assuuards stationed near the front of the cave, even though Dix and Ruth think it’s closed down Surprise is the key, so we’ll go in quiet, split up, and come at the cave entrance froht and it looks abandoned, Claus will cut through the iron gate with his combi-tool and we’ll follow him in"
Claus cleared his throat, so nervous and excited he could scarcely get enough spit into his ain He’d already told theain "An explosion was set off in the cave last year--so toward the rear entrance was caved in last tiet to it, and you may start to encounter some sharp debris from the explosion, shards of limestone and dolomite, rocks and dust It may be slippery from the dust, so follow my lead"
Anna picked it up "As we’ve already discussed, so Winkel’s Cave as their living quarters, if only to defend their stash at night We’ll hope they cleared the debris away to give them access to ent’s face, most of who buddies or h people "We have ten minutes before we head into the cave" She looked at her watch "Let’s move out"
She nodded to Claus, and he stepped down into a snow-filled ditch, holding the heavy cutting tool in both arents filed in behind him Anna stayed with Griffin at the back of the line, since with the leg wound the going would be slow She kneas grateful Brannon hadn’t decided to leave hih the thick pine andthe was pure, that was the word that caht, like walking through a winter postcard--well, walking a bit on the slow side--and theresnapped beneath Anna’s hiking boot She froze He whispered, "It’s okay, only a fieldAnna back, Anna the tea back with him