Kari felt a chill that had nothing to do with the room's temperature.David Silver wasn't just studying the original murders—he was recreating them.And tomorrow night, at Shadow Cave, he planned to complete what had begun fifty years earlier.
With Ruth as his final victim.
Her grandmother's cryptic note suddenly made sense:Where it began.Where it must end.Ruth knew about Shadow Cave, understood its significance to the original murders.She'd left Kari a clue to where Silver would take her—assuming he hadn't already.
As Kari raised her phone to call Ben, a map detail caught her eye—handwritten notes beneath the Shadow Cave location:
Original power source.Where father failed.Where son will succeed.The Shadow's threshold awaits the final vessel.
"My God," Kari whispered, the full picture finally coming into focus."Remy Silver wasn't investigating the murders back then.He was committing them."
And now his son was finishing what his father had started.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kari's Jeep bounced violently over the rough terrain, headlights cutting through the darkness as she followed the route marked on Silver's map.She'd memorized the directions before leaving his house, her mind racing as quickly as the vehicle beneath her.
There was no telling how much time, if any, Ruth had left.
Her phone rang through the vehicle's speakers.Ben's voice filled the cabin, tense with concern."Kari?Where are you?"
"Heading to Shadow Cave," she said, navigating around a large boulder in her path."Silver's behind everything, Ben.His father was the original Shadow Walker, and he's completing what his father started fifty years ago."
"What?How do you know this?"
"Hidden room behind a bookcase in his house," Kari said."Full ceremonial altar, maps marking all the murder sites, detailed plans for tomorrow night.And Ruth's the intended final victim—just like she was supposed to be fifty years ago."
Ben cursed."I'll talk to Daniels and have him mobilize teams at Silver's house and office.Where exactly is this cave?"
"Northwest sector, about fifteen miles beyond Black Mesa," Kari said, slowing as the trail narrowed between towering rock formations."Remote area, difficult access.I'm about twenty minutes out based on these directions."
"Wait for backup," Ben said."Daniels can redirect the helicopter unit from Whipple Creek.They could be there in thirty minutes."
"Ruth might not have thirty minutes," Kari said, her grip tightening on the steering wheel as the Jeep lurched over a wash."I'm going in."
"At least wait at a safe distance," Ben insisted."Silver's dangerous, Kari.If he's killed three people already—"
"I'm not waiting when my grandmother's life is at stake."
Ben sighed, frustrated."I'm on my way with a tactical unit.Forty-five minutes at best.Text your exact coordinates when you locate the cave."
"Will do," Kari promised."And Ben—there's more to this.Silver's father, Remy, was my grandfather's partner."
"I know that," Ben said.
"No—I mean Remy was the original Shadow Walker.My grandfather suspected him but couldn't prove it.That's why Joseph kept separate records."The revelation still burned in her mind—Joseph Chee investigating his own partner while maintaining a professional facade.
"That's...hard to believe," Ben said, clearly struggling with the implication."Remy Silver was respected throughout the department."
"The perfect cover," Kari said grimly."I'll explain everything when I see you.Just get here fast."
She ended the call and focused on navigating the increasingly difficult terrain.The map had marked a point where vehicle access became impossible, and she was rapidly approaching it.A massive boulder field stretched ahead, forcing her to park the Jeep in the shadow of an outcropping.
The night air hit her like a physical presence as she stepped out, cool and dry.Stars blazed overhead in a moonless sky, offering minimal illumination for the path ahead.Kari checked her gear: service weapon, flashlight, spare ammunition, the medicine pouch Ruth had given her.She sent her coordinates to Ben, then activated the small GPS unit on her belt that would allow the tactical team to track her location.
According to Silver's map, Shadow Cave lay less than a mile ahead, up a narrow ravine that wound between towering sandstone walls.As Kari moved forward, she used her flashlight sparingly, relying instead on her night-adjusted vision whenever possible.The ravine gradually narrowed, forcing her to turn sideways in places to squeeze through gaps between rock faces.
The sound reached her first—a low, rhythmic chanting that seemed to emanate from the stone itself.Kari immediately extinguished her flashlight, proceeding by feel along the canyon wall.As she advanced, a faint glow appeared ahead, spilling from what must be the cave entrance.
