“Sure, Dad.“ Brandon got to his feet and dropped his empty can into the trash. “See you later, Diana. It was nice talking to you.“
“Goodbye, Brandon. Thanks for stopping by.“
Specter walked him to the door, tail wagging in a friendly fashion. Colby watched his son leave. When the front door slammed shut he turned to Diana.
“Let’s have it. What was he doing here?“
Diana frowned. “I told you, Colby. He just dropped in to visit.“
“Without the precious girlfriend in tow? Doesn’t make sense. He must have wanted something. Did he want you to exercise the sweet voice of reason over me? Get me to see what a jewel sweet Robyn is and what a good idea it would be if the two of them got married?“
Colby obviously knew his son all too well. But Diana remembered her promise to Brandon. “Never mind what Brandon wanted. I want something.“
He arched his brows. “What’s that?“
She leaned one elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “Colby, I’d like to see that cave behind Chained Lady Falls.“
He was startled. “You want to go into the cave? Why?“
“I don’t know. Curiosity, I suppose. Maybe I’m just getting bored sitting around here working on my resume day after day. It seems to be one of the local sights, and I’m playing tourist this summer. Will you show it to me?“
6
“How the hell did you talk me into this? I should be working on my book this afternoon. I’m not even sure I can still find the path. Watch your step and stay right behind me.“ Colby mixed commands with a great deal of mild complaining as he prepared to lead Diana behind the roaring water.
“Yes, oh great leader. I hear and obey. And to be honest, I don’t know how I did manage to talk you into this.
Guess I must have caught you in a weak moment.“ Diana grinned up at him through the thick mist. A splash of water drenched the front of her shirt.
Colby’s eyes gleamed. His gaze lingered on her damp shirt. The cotton cloth clung to her, outlining the soft swell of her br**sts and their thrusting ni**les.
“You forgot to wear a bra,“ he announced. “You look like an entrant in a wet T-shirt contest.“
“You’ve attended a lot of wet T-shirt contests?“ Diana asked with grave interest.
“You’d be surprised at the variety of programming available these days on the sports channel.“
“I can imagine.“ She had assumed it would be easier to scramble over rocks without the binding encumbrance of a bra, but she had forgotten the predictable effect of the perpetual mist that surrounded Chained Lady Falls. “Are you sure there’s really a path behind the water?“
“There was twenty years ago. A wide granite ledge. It should still be there. Put on your rain slicker. It’s going to be wet on the other side of the waterfall.“ He shrugged into the waterproof windbreaker he’d brought along for himself.
“At least we don’t have to deal with that idiot dog of yours today.“
“He didn’t like being left behind at the cottage.“
“He’ll survive,“ Colby declared harshly. “And we sure don’t need him underfoot on that ledge.“
Diana unfastened her yellow slicker and adjusted the hood. After that there was almost no conversation except for an occasional shouted instruction from Colby. The roar of the water made it impossible to speak in normal tones.
Colby found the trail after a few minutes of trial and error. It was a surprisingly easy, if steep, climb to the cave halfway up the side of the cliff. Being behind the falls was an odd experience, however. Diana felt as if she’d stepped into another world.
The torrent created a great, impenetrable shield of noise and power and cut off the view of the valley and town below. The force of the pouring water was awesome. The rocky ledge seemed safe enough, but it occurred to her that if someone slipped and went over the side there would be little chance of surviving the fall.
They reached the yawning mouth of Chained Lady Cave about ten minutes later. Diana stepped through the entrance with a sense of relief. The climb up hadn’t been too precarious, but the constant rush of water only inches away was disconcerting.
The cave was heavily shadowed but far from completely dark. Some of the bright sunlight outside managed to pass through the wall of water, illuminating the interior with a faint glow.
Colby switched on the flashlight he had slung on his belt and led the way several feet into the cavern. The farther they moved from the entrance, the darker the shadows grew. The noise of the falls faded somewhat, making conversation possible again.
Diana reached for the flashlight on her own belt, and stared at the damp cave walls. “So this is where he kept her chained. How ghastly,“
Colby glanced at her. “Take it easy, honey. It’s just a legend, remember?“
“In another hour the sun will be going down. I wonder what the water looks like from this side when it turns red.“
“It looks like several tons of blood pouring straight down in front of your eyes.“
“Your imagination is sometimes a little too vivid.“
“Occupational hazard for a writer of horror fiction.“
Diana glanced around. “Is this where you spent the night? On this wet floor?“
“No.“ Colby was walking toward the back of the cave.
“Where are you going?“
“Since I’m here, I thought I’d check and see if the place where I did spend the night still looks the same.“
She followed curiously. “You mean there’s more to the cave than just this one big room?“
“Uh-huh. Stay close. Remember I told you I was scared right down to my toes that night?“
“I remember.“
“Well, I stumbled around, trying to find a reasonably dry place to sleep, and I eventually wandered into a really weird little grotto. The entrance is hidden way in the back of the main chamber. I only found it by accident. Wait until you see it.“
“Colby, I don’t know if I want to go any farther into this place.“
“Stay out here in the main lobby, then. I’ll just be a few minutes.“ He was edging along the cave wall, heading deeper into the inky darkness.
“Oh, no, you don’t. I can do anything you can do.“
“Attagirl.“
Diana’s chin lifted. “Don’t be condescending.“
“Sometimes you’re too damn touchy, honey. Lighten up.“ Colby and the comforting beam of his flashlight vanished.