Midnight's Lair Read Online Free Page A

them and entered the grotto.
        It had been the size of a small, round closet when Darcy first saw it two weeks ago. Now, it was slightly larger. Near the entrance was a wheelbarrow loaded with chunks of limestone hacked from the walls. A pickaxe was propped against the side of the wheelbarrow.
        Cuhby Wales, Ethan Mordock's handyman, had been down here during the weekdays, enlarging the grotto.
        Once it was big enough, Ethan planned to install a chemical toilet for the convenience of the tourists.
         Too bad this is a Saturday, Darcy thought. Would've been nice to have another able-bodied employee on hand.
        She set the flashlight on the wheelbarrow's piled rocks, pointing away from her. Its beam spread out against the side wall, filling the small enclosure with light.
        As fast as she could, she took off her shoes and socks. The floor was gritty under her bare feet, so she spread her jacket and stood on it. She kept her back to the entrance as she removed the rest of her clothes. Though the garments were sodden and cold, she felt worse without them. The chilly air of the cave seemed to seep into her damp skin. She crawled with gooseflesh and her nipples felt hard and achy. Her jaw muscles were sore from clenching her teeth together.
        For a while, she stood there shivering, hunched over slightly, legs clamped together for warmth, and briskly rubbed her hands over her nubby skin. That didn't seem to help much.
        With a palsied hand, she lifted her panties off the wheelbarrow handle, balled them up and squeezed. Water spilled through her fingers. When she couldn't force out any more drops, she shook the flimsy garment open. Hopping from foot to foot, she stepped into the leg holes, and drew the panties up. They were damp, but much better than before. The snug cling of them felt good.
        Not good enough. She was still shuddering with cold as she leaned forward and pulled her trousers off the wheelbarrow. She struggled to slide the belt out of the loops, and then emptied the pockets, dropping her change purse, keys, comb and handkerchief onto the jacket at her feet.
        She twisted a long, blue leg of the trousers into a tight hilt and water splattered the tops of her feet. Gathering up the other leg she began to wring it out… and flinched at a quiet, scraping sound behind her. A footstep? She whirled around, Kyle stood in the opening.
        She jerked her trousers up to cover her breasts. 'Damn it,' she snapped. 'Get out of here!'
        In the dim glow from the flashlight, she saw Kyle form a narrow smile. 'I thought you might like to have this,' he said, holding his jacket towards her. 'It's dry,' he added.
        'Thanks.' Her voice shook. She clamped the pants against her breasts with a forearm, and took the jacket with her other hand.
        'Let's see if it fits,' he said.
        'I'm sure it will.'
        'Oh, come on.'
        'You've already seen me, Kyle.'
        'Not on purpose. I just came over to do you a favour.'
        'And I appreciate it. Now, please go on back. I'll be along in a minute.'
        His grin stretched wider. 'Do you want my pants?'
        Darcy shook her head. 'Your jacket's plenty. Thanks.' She was about to suggest again that he leave. Instead, she asked, 'Do you have any idea what happened to the lights?'
        'Maybe someone switched them off.'
        That possibility had never occurred to her. She'd understood, from the start, that the lights had gone off because of a power failure. If they were only turned off, then the elevators could still be working.
        'Glad I asked,' she muttered.
        'But I don't think that's it,' Kyle said. 'I think it's the generators. I mean, who'd turn off the lights?'
        Darcy shook her head. 'I don't know. Anyway, thanks again for the jacket. See you later.'
        He turned around and vanished into the darkness. The sound of his footsteps