have to figure out where we are and head back toward Sweetbriar."

"I don't know where anything is," Kim said. "Do you?"

"Not until the sun rises and I can find a direction. Kim!" Leah cried. "See that black space up there? Is

that a cave?"

"I don't like caves," Kim said, her jaw tight.

"But maybe we could hide in it, get some sleep, and in the morning we can make our way back to

Sweetbriar."

"Couldn't we stay here and not hide in that place?"

"John'll see us with our light-colored dresses. We have to hide somewhere. Come on, let's start

climbing."

The climb up the side of the cliff wasn't easy, but they made it in record time and when they slipped inside the little limestone cave, Leah leaned back in relief. She hadn't told Kim that her biggest fear had been a

bear in the cave, but now she could see it was empty. The cave was about ten feet deep, fifteen feet wide, and eight feet tall.

With a smile she turned to Kim. "We made it."

But her smile was soon wiped off her face, as from outside came John Hammond's voice.

"So my stupid little wife and her stupid friend have trapped themselves," he said with amusement in his

voice, his words echoing so they couldn't tell whether he was close or far away. "I gave you a chance, Kimberly, to join me. In fact, I chose you because you seemed to have no useless morals against trying to kill somebody who was in your way."

Kim, flattened against the cave wall, gave a quick look at Leah.

"But my wife," John continued, "disappointed me. Now your loveroh yes, I know about

himlies dead at our house. What a tragedy everything will seem when the town hears how Justin was killed and two women died all in one night. I'll be the bereaved husband."

"Help me gather rocks," Leah whispered. "Let's make a pile of all we can find. Maybe we can hold him

off for a while."

Obediently Kim began to pile rocks near the entrance.

"He can't come in by the side, only from the front. We'll have a clear view of him. If he shoots, fall flat to

the floor. Understand?" Leah commanded.

Kim nodded.

With a smile on his face and a pistol in each hand, John stood before the cave entrance, his body outlined

in the moonlight.

"Now!" Leah ordered as he took a step forward.

The women began throwing rocks with both hands.

Stunned, John ducked, grunting as stones hit him. When he fired, both women flattened themselves on

the ground, bullets whizzing overhead, yet they never stopped throwing their rocks.

Kimberly sent one with force, hitting John on the side of his head, blood running immediately.

Almost staggering, he backed away from the entrance and quickly scrambled out of sight. "So, you

bitches think you're smart, do you? Let's see how long you can last in there with no food or water. When you're ready to give up and die a quick death, let me know. I'll be here waiting."

Kim sat up behind what was left of the pile of rocks. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

"Of course not!" Leah snapped. "Kim, you have to have courage."

"Courage?" Kim said despondently. "Leah, I have no idea where you've gotten the idea that I want to be anything but a coward. Your bravery gets you in all sorts of trouble while my cowardice keeps me safely at home."

"Safely at home married to a murderer and thief," Leah pointed out. "You let yourself be blackmailed into that marriage, too, because you were afraid of being found out that you'd tried to kill me. And if you weren't so sneaky you'd never have found out about that hidden closet of your husband's and if you'd never found that out we'd not be here now. And furthermore."

"Leah, I really think you've made your point. Perhaps we both should change. When Justin and I get married, we'll."

"Justin," Leah said, putting her hand on Kim's arm, "is dead."

"No he's not," Kim said with simple conviction. "I'd know if he were dead. He may have looked as if he were dead but he wasn't."

There was something in her tone that made Leah believe her. "Kim," she said softly, "what John doesn't know is that we left the note for Wesley. And if Justin is still alive that makes a witness. Even if John kills

us he won't get away with his murders."

"Let's tell John," Kim said, rising. "He'll have to let us go now."

Leah pulled Kim back down. "I'm sure your honorable husband will smile and let us go and everything

will be solved. Maybe he'll even shake hands with us."

"You're right. John has a dreadful temper," Kim said glumly. "He's already killed lots of people, so maybe he'll kill us just to keep in practice. Leah, what in the world are we going to do?"

Leah stood and walked to the far wall of the cave. There was water trickling down. Wesley, she thought.

What would Wesley want her to do? She remembered all the times Wesley had said she just ran off and did things rather than asking for help. At least this time she'd thought of asking for help from Bud and Cal, but when they weren't available she'd just gone ahead, dragging Kim behind her, and tried to rescue Justin and capture a murderer all by herself. And now, because of her vanity in thinking she could do everything alone, both she and Kim might die.

"What would Wesley want me to do?" she whispered.

"Wait for him," Kim answered. "He wanted you to wait for him at the farm until he returned from

Lexington, but since you wouldn't, I guess waiting in this cave is the next best thing. Could we please just stay here and not do one single brave thing, Leah? Please?"

"But what if," Leah began but stopped. "We have water but no food and it's going to get awfully

cold in here."

"I think graves are probably colder," Kim said. "Leah, someone's bound to find the note I left and when Justin wakes up he can tell them John is a murderer. Someone will come after us."

"But even if Justin is alive it could be weeks before he can speak. He looked badly wounded to me."

It was at that moment that a rock came sailing into the cave.

"Looking for this, ladies?" John said with a laugh.

Leah could see that a piece of paper was tied to the rock. With trembling hands, Leah untied it. "It's the

letter you left, isn't it?" she asked, tears in her voice."One of them," Kim said without much concern."One of them?" Leah exclaimed."Leah, you just have no idea how mean my husband is. Someday I'll tell you the things he did to me at night. And, too, I knew that if I was going somewhere with you I'd end up in trouble. If you and Wes go out to deliver food, to do a good deed like that, you nearly get killed. I heard how the dogs nearly got you. And it was your fault, Leah. You collect more trouble than a piece of glass collects dust."

"How many notes did you leave, Kim?" Leah whispered.

"Three. One in plain sight, one under the dirty dishesI knew John would never touch a dirtydish and one under a pillow in the bedroom.""But I didn't see you," Leah said. "How* ?"Kim stiffened her back. "As you've pointed out, I can be secretive. Now, Leah, this isn't easy for me to say because I know you can be persuasive, but if you leave this cave, I'm not going with you. I'm staying right here until a real live man, one with muscles and, I hope, a gun, comes to rescue me. If you go, you'll have to go alone."

Leah looked around the ugly, cold little cave. "It could be days before anyone comes."

"I'd rather spend a week in here than arrive dead in Sweetbriar four days early."

"Me too," Leah said, her eyes sparkling.

"You know exactly what I mean. Leah, how long can a person live without food?"

"Maybe we're going to find out," Leah said softly.

Dawn came and with it no sign of help. John Hammond found a perch exactly opposite their cave, across the deep ravine, and at random fired shots into it, making it impossible for the women to rest or even relax.

"Maybe we should try," Leah began a hundred times, but Kim gave her such quelling looks that she subsided.

When night came they were utterly exhausted. John stepped up his firing and, once, he let go a volley that hit the ledge of the cave.

"Is he trying to shoot it off?" Leah cried out.

"Here!" came a faint voice. "While he's reloadin', help me."