Jail's Bait: Parole's Victim (Book 4)

Danny and Joan kept a firm grip on their seatbelts as Lamar raced Danny's silver Lexus Exclusion up I-5, swerving onto Fir Isle Rd and then making a dramatic left onto Pioneer Hwy, heading due west, obviously heading towards... "The Carthages, right," Danny said tensely to Lamar from the back seat, leaning forward; "that's where you think Malik is..?"

"He's not 'Malik' right now, Pop," Lamar corrected him as he floored the gas. Joan and Danny flew backwards in their seats with the sudden burst of speed- "but yeah, that's where he is."

"But how do ya know this," Joan yelped as she kept a tight hold on her seat belt. "Jeezus, you drive like Joop, if nuthin else..!" she grumbled.

"Joop taught me everything I know about how to drive in an emergency," Lamar replied grimly as he palmed the steering wheel; "and besides, I know he's there- I feel him... and he's in trouble."

"How do ya know-" Joan began again, but Lamar risked a sidelong glance at her- which made her shut up.

The Exclusion headed across the empty miles, finally reaching a wooden sign saying 'WELCOME TO CARTHAGE STATE PARK, HOME OF THE LEGENDARY CARTHAGE BLUFFS- WA State Parks Dept' and screeching past the open gates, the long, empty parking lot, and then into the dark, manicured grounds that fringed the grey caverns on its western edge.

Both Joan and Danny knew not to caution Lamar about the WA State Parks Department rules he was breaking, driving across regulated grounds; they kept silent as the SUV cleared brushes and jumped trails, plunging into the forest- rocking Danny and Joan back and forth, until they broke free of the trees and raced out onto the rocky coastline that heralded the beginning of the Carthage Bluffs, looking down from a staggering height over the ocean as Lamar drove for a time against the edges of the rocky ground. Just to their left the dark Alaskan Gulf looked wild and untamed in the wake of the freak storm as they bobbed over the jumbled stone ridges that had stood guard over the doorway to the North Pacific for centuries.

Lamar screeched to a stop on top of one of the more jagged areas and scrambled out of the car, Joan and Danny following with combined looks of confusion on their faces. "Lamar, I don't understand," Danny said then; "are you sure that Malik is-"

"He's ‘Joop' right now, Pop," Lamar replied, cocking a hand to his ear, bending down. "Shush!"

Joan and Danny looked at each other, eyebrows raised warily- and suddenly all three of them jumped as from out of the night a sudden thrumming engine's roar descended on them like a wave, with harsh winds battering all about. Shielding his face and looking up, Danny saw just above their heads an airborne helicopter, and Joe waving to them from the open passenger side door. The chopper lowered as far as possible to the bluff and Joe leaned over, dropping a couple of feet to land near his wife as the helicopter lifted away and over towards the ocean, the harsh scream of the whirring blades dying away again to hide underneath the regular crashing waves and their echoes.

"I saw you drive up to the cliffs," Joe said loudly as he straightened up to smile at them all. "I was thinking the same thing, that the waterfall spills out here at the Carthages… has anyone seen anything? The tide is rising awfully fast after that storm…"

Joan rushed Joe's side. "Are you CRAZY," she said then, wiping off his face with a paper towel. "You're 60 years old- jumpin outta helicopters aint for old folk!"

"Now, careful, Joan," Joe yelled over the receding helicopter and crashing waves, "I might think you really do care about me!!!

"Shut UP," Lamar bellowed to them, his back towards them as his head swerved back and forth, searching the craggy area. He went still then, turning sideways to facing the open ocean. Danny, Joe and Joan watched Lamar suddenly walk towards a large crack in the terrain about the size of a manhole cover; bending down, he peered into it.

"JOOP!!!" he cried into the darkness. "ARE YOU THERE???"

******

Deep in the darkness the water level had suddenly risen to overlap the small ledge and was filling the cavern fast. Joop and Rah-Rah hurriedly got to their feet in shock and fresh horror. "U think that this shyt fills up to da top?!?" Joop yelled at Rah-Rah, eyes wide.

Rah-Rah glanced down. The water had risen to past their ankles and was nearing their kneecaps. "Not ta sound all National Geographic, but there's moss up on the walls bout as high as I could make out," he replied. "Dat wouldn't grow so far up witout gettin wet eery so often."

"U alwayz did like watchin dat shyt when you got blunted up," Joop shook his head wryly. "We never understood dat shyt."

"Be glad I did, nigga," Rah-Rah responded; "at least we know what ta expect now."

"Can u swim," Joop asked then quickly.

"Nah, I never learned," Rah-Rah said over the growing sound of the surf. "Can u?"

"Not in a ocean," Joop said; "I would never make it to da other side of these bluffs, its too far. I was hopin u could swim, then u could carry me outta hurr," he added with panicked sarcasm.

"Very funny, mafucka," Rah-Rah responded wryly as the water gushed past their knees and towards their groins; both men groaned against the fresh cold and wet. "Nice ta know you got jokes right as we both bout ta-"

"DON'T SAY IT," Joop shouted at his cousin. "Jus-" and then Joop paused; he thought he heard… but it couldn't be. He was only hearing an echo from a forgotten memory, a dream in which he and Lamar were happy and safe… there was no way he could have heard Lamar calling to him down here…

"What was DAT," Rah-Rah said then, looking upwards. "Did you hear somethin- did someone call yo name..?"

Joop looked up- and relief washed through him like a warm wave as the cold ones lapped at his waistline. "IT'S MAR," Joop breathed- "he found me..!"

Rah-Rah stared at Joop, the shadow in his eyes darker than the cold waters. "You mean he found US," he growled.

"Let's yell back," Joop said then hurriedly, not noticing the look Rah-Rah gave him.

Together they shouted up- "DOWN HERE!!!!"

******

Danny had run back to the SUV to search through the camping equipment he kept in the trunk for rope. Joe was on the cellphone, calling back the helicopters and requesting searchlights on the cavern below. Joan and Lamar crouched down by the hole, leaning over it, Lamar yelling out reassurances, Joan with hands clasped, loudly praying her thanks.

Lamar looked at Joan. "I cant hear any clear words from the echoes, so chances are Joop cant hear what I'm saying clearly either. Just so's he knows I'm up here, that's what matters; he'll know we're trying to get him out." Lamar looked up to see Danny race back to them with a length of hiking rope in his hands.

"Do you think this will be long enough," Danny asked, uncoiling it and holding out one end to Lamar.

"If that's the rope we use when we go camping, then it might come up short," Lamar said then worriedly; "its gotta be a cave from the echo of Joop's voice, but I cant tell how deep down it goes."

Joe came running over. "The chopper is turning around- and we've got trouble."

"Ya THINK," Joan snapped at her husband.

"Seriously," he replied- "my men used to patrol the Carthages- these caves go deep, but from some trick of nature when it floods in town the waters drain out- to here. The caverns fill up to the brim, and then they drain off into the Alaskan Gulf… and my men just got the report of massive flooding in North Seattle right now because of that storm."

"So you're saying if we don't get my boy outta there," Joan began- and stopped, unable to complete the thought.

Joe, however, replied grimly, "If we don't get Malik out of there now, he could drown before the cave washes him out to sea."

"That makes no SENSE," Danny said to Joe; "we‘ve sailed down there, some of those Carthage caves have openings yards high. How could a cave with a gaping hole in the side fill up with water before it flows back out???"

"When you can tell me how Mother Nature set this planet up, I'll be able to answer you," Joe hurled at Danny. "I don't know why, ok?"

"If you two are FINISHED," Lamar cut in, "I could use some muscle..!"

Joe and Danny stopped arguing and looked around. Lamar was indicating towards the rope; he had already cast one end into the hole. "Or don't you wanna help pull them up?" he added archly.

" ‘THEM..? " Joan said in shock. "You mean that-"

"I heard em both," Lamar confirmed, and spoke no more.

Joan sat back against the opening as Danny and Joe joined Lamar as he lowered the rope farther, farther into the hole. "Oh Jeezus, let em behave just this one time together, til we get em outta that cave," Joan prayed…

******

Rah-Rah was standing on tip-toe in the freezing water as it had now reached to his chin. Joop, who stood slightly taller, had a few more inches left of free air space.

"Look, if we don't make it," Rah-Rah began-

"Man, ‘Mar is up there," Joop insisted. "He'll get us out."

"Sorry if I don't believe dat yo nigga is gonna pull us both outta hurr," Rah-Rah said then worriedly.

"Jus- jus hold yo breaf," Joop said then as the water continued its advance- and just then something brushed the top of his head. Looking up, Joop saw that over the outcropping of rock just above, a rope had come slithering over and was now splashing into the water..!

"Rah-Rah! A ROPE," Joop whooped happily, turning around to reach for the length of hemp. "I toldya dat my nigga would-"

WHAM.

Joop splashed back and sank underneath the waters as Rah-Rah stepped forward to grab the handle of the rope, noting that it was knotted at intervals all the way up. He looked back at the place where Joop went under the water. "Sorry, ‘cuz'," he said then; "but yo time wit Mar iz done- he's mine now."

Looking up at the rope, Rah-Rah jerked on it, and felt an answering jerk in response. He smiled grimly. "I'm comin, baby," Rah-Rah grunted with dark promise as he began to hoist himself up.