“Yeah,” Jayme said. “If you don’t chain us, we can help you. We’ll set the sleeping bags up. Warm up some dinner.”
“I’m not gonna have to worry about you girls running off,” he said. “Stand on the mattress, close enough so I can lock this chain to the wall.”
“But, please, mister. Jayme’s right. We could help,” Delilah insisted.
“Do as you’re told,” he ordered.
Delilah edged forward, stood on the mattress and waited, Jayme beside her. The man strung the chain through the anchor’s loop, then retrieved a padlock out of his pocket, pushed the shackle through two links and clicked it shut.
Out of a dark corner, the man pulled two lanterns and switched them on, sending a warm glow through the chilly cave. He put them down, one near the girls and the other in the center of the cavern. “I’m getting the supplies. Don’t try anything. I’ll be right back.”
Drained from the hike, Delilah sat down on the mattress. “You think he’ll unchain us when he’s done bringing in the supplies?”
Jayme’s frown sunk lower as she eased down next to her. “Not likely.”
They watched warily as the man carried in bread and fruit. In the corner, he had a cooler he slipped the perishables into, including a half-gallon of milk. Delilah saw water bottles and twelve-packs of beer stacked beside canned goods. She spotted blankets next to the mattress. “We’re cold,” she said. “Is it okay if we use these?”
“Sure.” He walked over, grabbed a blanket and threw it at them. “We’re gonna be really cozy here.”
“How long are we staying?” Jayme asked.
“Long as we need to,” he replied.
Once he had the supplies unloaded, Gerard led the stallion in and tied it off to an anchor on the opposite side of the grotto, just inside the opening. “They’ll have the helicopters with the heat equipment out. Can’t have the horse visible,” Gerard said. “See, girls, I know what they’ll do. I know how to hide out until they give up and go home. Even that damn sister of yours, Delilah.”
“That’s good,” Delilah said, as if pleased. All she could think of was what she and Jayme talked about when they made their plan. They had to convince the man to trust them, so he’d unchain them. Only then could they find a way to escape. “We could make you some dinner.”
The man sized up both the girls, as if unsure. “Nah, I’ll cook. I got some canned chili I’ll heat up. Give you girls a treat.”
“Jayme, how’s your elbow?” Delilah asked, loud enough so she was sure the man would hear.
“Swollen,” she said. “I think it’s broken.”
He walked over toward them. “Bad, huh?”
Jayme grimaced. “Mister, it’s real bad. Did you bring anything for pain?”
“No. Never thought of it. Just some Band-Aids and stuff.” He pushed her right sleeve up on her reed-thin arm. Delilah nearly gasped, seeing how near-starvation made the older girl’s bones stand out. Right below her elbow, Jayme had a bruised lump the size of a quail egg. The man rotated her arm, and Jayme let out a shrill cry.
“That really might be broken,” he mumbled.
“I could help,” Delilah whispered. Gerard looked over at her, questioning. “I can make a poultice of mashed herbs, especially comfrey if I can find any,” she explained. “Mother Ardeth always used it to stop the pain and help things heal. We can wrap it on Jayme’s arm and find a piece of wood for a brace.”
Gerard stared down at her. “You know how to do that?”
“I watched our mother Ardeth make poultices. She’s like a doctor,” Delilah said. “She taught me.”
“OOOOWWWWWW,” Jayme cried again, her eyes filling with tears. “It hurts bad.”
“Shit.” Gerard stared down at Delilah. “I’ll think about it. Maybe, if you two behave, in the morning we’ll look for those herbs and stuff. Too dark out there now.”
“Thank you, mister,” Jayme said, and she smiled up at him.
“Right now, after dinner, bed,” he said. “Tomorrow we’ll have a big day.”
“How come?” Jayme asked.
He grinned. “My dad, the great prophet, never trusted me with a wife. Now he’s in prison, and I don’t need his permission. I got the two of you without him.”
“But what’s happening tomorrow?” Delilah wondered if she really wanted to know.
“Tomorrow, you and me are getting hitched, little one. You’ll become my wife in every way. And we’ll be sealed for eternity.” Gerard smirked at her, and Delilah felt nauseous. “I’ll teach you what it means to be a wife.”
Forty-Seven
The helicopters flew to St. George to refuel about 4 a.m. They’d return in the morning. We’d had a few more false alarms, but no more sightings. Not long after, we tied off the horses on the trail to rest and wait for sunrise. The dogs had apparently lost the scent. Somehow, we must have gone past where Gerard left the trail. In the daylight we’d be able to look for clues. We had a few hours to go, and an overwhelming fatigue plagued all of us. It had been a grueling day and as taxing a night. I felt like I’d aged decades since the previous morning. My bones and joints ached as if we’d hiked to Salt Lake and back. The men slumped in their saddles. I thought of Delilah and feared stopping, but we couldn’t go on.
“The dogs are confused. We exposed them to Evan’s scent, but now we’re after Gerard,” one of the trainers explained. “I’m surprised they could trail him without being given anything of his to smell. The only thing I can come up with is that they’ve been picking up the scent of his horse.”
In our hours together, I’d learned that Officer Conroy was a pragmatic kid, one who had a tendency to see through it all and get to the bottom
