He did so, and she led him the first few steps. He heard her gasp and then the lantern swayed as she braced herself with a hand on the wall of the cave. The space they occupied was narrow and compact. They were both slightly hunched to keep from hitting their heads. Simon put a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
“Take the lamp,” she said through what sounded like clenched teeth. He took it and lifted it to see her face. Her eyes were scrunched closed in pain. He started to ask if she had remembered something else, but decided against it and kept quiet until she put a hand on his arm.
“I knew I recognized him,” she said.
“Who?”
“That smuggler. The one who didn’t speak when he was at the house.”
Simon shook his head, wishing for the first time he’d been able to take the men’s names. Obviously, the use of names was forbidden. Anonymity was best. “Which one was that?”
“He was a bit heavier than the others and wore a blue coat that reminded me of a naval officer. I didn’t like him, and I didn’t know why until now.”
Simon’s belly tightened. “Go on.”
“I’d seen him before.” She pointed at the ground. “Here. He confronted me with a knife and demanded the map. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about, and he slapped me across the face.”
“I will kill him.”
“If anyone kills him, it will be me, but we need him. We need to find out who he’s working for and how he discovered our plan.”
“What happened after he slapped you?”
“I’m not sure. I think he hit me with a rock or the handle of the knife. I don’t remember, but if I had to guess he hadn’t meant to knock me unconscious. He probably thought I was either dead or he’d make sure I didn’t survive to reveal he was a traitor. I woke up in the back of the cave with the water rising fast.”
Simon took a breath and tried to calm his thudding heart by letting it out slowly. If she hadn’t awakened when she had...
“He found me. Now we see if he also found the map,” she said. “I have to think not or he would have gone back to whoever hired him with it. Can you lift the lamp?”
He held it higher as she looked up toward the roof of the cave. They moved deeper into it, and then she whispered, “Here.”
Simon stepped toward the wall of the cave and spotted a slight natural ledge in the rock at about the height of his eyes. Marjorie reached up on tiptoe and felt behind the ledge.
“There you are!” she whispered as she pulled down an old brown bottle. She removed the cork and dipped a finger inside, pulling it out along with a rolled paper. “The rendezvous point,” she said.
“I’ll take that.”
They both whirled in the direction of the voice behind them.
Nine
Marjorie didn’t know if it was a product of her amnesia or actual déjà vu, but the sense of familiarity struck her hard as she looked at the man who had now threatened her for the second time in a week.
“Hand it over,” he said, gesturing with his pistol.
Over my dead body. No doubt he really would have killed her this time, but she had Simon with her, and that gave them an advantage. Bits and bobs of memory were trickling back to her now. Thank God the rush had tapered to a drip, and her aching head no longer felt as though it was being torn asunder. She didn’t need much of her memory right now, though. Dealing with this turncoat would require instinct and training more than anything else. She cut her gaze at Simon, who was still holding the lamp outstretched. His hand was steady, and he was looking at her. She gave him the slightest nod, and he lowered his eyes to acknowledge he understood.
But, of course, he’d understood. He could handle this. He was one of the best.
“How did you find us?” Simon asked the traitor.
“Just hand me that bottle,” he said.
“We kept the lamp dark all the way down.”
That’s right, Simon, talk to him while I form a plan. She hadn’t pulled the map all the way out of the bottle and now she let it slip back inside. Could she hit the conspirator with the bottle? Probably not without being shot first.
“I didn’t need a lamp to see you. I’ve been sitting down here every night. Once I saw she was still alive, I knew she’d come back. Have to admit, I thought I was done for when you saw me earlier, but then I started thinking maybe you didn’t get a good look the first time.”
