LITMIR.BIZ

      The light from his head-lantern cast deep shadows along the cave walls. Ink-black phantoms seemed to dance across formations like evil spirits, but the man wasn’t afraid. Nothing scared him, except, perhaps, the thought of running out of money. Well, he didn’t have to worry about that, not now. His flashlight felt heavy in his hand as he aimed it at the delicate cave balloon, as fragile and translucent as a soap bubble. It always amazed him what people would pay for a tiny thing like this. He’d have to give part of the payoff to the rock surgeon, but he’d pocket the rest. Easy money.

      It was then that he heard the sound.

      “You hear that?” he demanded.

      Ryan looked up, the blade of his tool glinting in the lamplight. “Hear what? Hey, the Hodags got you spooked? You know, we’re pretty deep in the belly of the cave, all alone in the bowels of the Earth. Legend has it that when the Hodags slither out from their hiding places to—”

      “Just shut up and get back to work,” the man snapped. “I’ll tell you one thing—I learned a long time ago to make sure there ain’t no witnesses. If a Hodag-thing is down here, watchin’ what we’re doing, I’ll kill him dead.”

      “Yeah. I’m sure you would.” Ryan just shook his head.

      CHAPTER ONE

      “I can’t wait! How much longer until it happens?” Ashley asked, squinting into the desert sky streaked orange by the setting sun. In front of them, the cave entrance loomed large and dark, like a gigantic, yawning mouth. Jack tried not to notice the pungent odor that wafted from Carlsbad Cavern and concentrated instead on adjusting his camera lens, focusing in, then out. Hundreds of park visitors were seated in the stone amphitheater, watching, pointing, waiting for the first wave of bats to spiral out of the entrance. Shifting to get a better view, Jack snapped a picture of cactus that seemed to bubble up from the rock itself. Perfect. With the play between light and shadow, he knew he could get some real quality shots.

      “Hey, save some film for the bat flight,” his sister, Ashley, told him.

      “I will. I’ve got another roll.”

      “Aren’t you excited for them to come out? ’Cause you don’t look too excited.”

      “I’m excited,” Jack answered, zooming in on a rock squirrel.

      Leaning back on her elbows, Ashley cocked her head and gave him a knowing look. The amphitheater benches were deep, almost three feet of stone and concrete still warm from baking in the day’s sun. With her head tilted that way, Ashley’s dark braids curled like question marks. “Come on, Jack, admit it. No matter what the rangers say, you’re still afraid of bats. You think the bats’ll suck your blood and leave you shriveled up like a raisin.” Pointing a finger, she said, “Remember how you used to try to scare me every time we went camping? You’d say bats always go for girls with long, curly hair. But it was really you who was scared.”

      “No way!” Jack snorted. Now that she was 11, Ashley had a little more attitude, but, being two years older, Jack could handle it. Turning to their newest temporary foster child, Jack said, “Sammy, you’ve got to ignore all this blood-sucking stuff. You heard the ranger. The only blood-sucking bats live far, far away from here. The ones in Carlsbad are Mexican free-tailed bats. Free-tailed bats eat tons of bugs, so they’re good bats,” Jack declared. “And I was never afraid of any bats.”

      “Liar,” Ashley laughed. “So who do you think is telling the truth, Sammy? Me, or my mean brother, who used to terrify me with spooky stories when he was really the one who was scared?”

      Ducking his round, blond head, Sam whispered, “I d-d-don’t know.” He began to fidget with the end of his dirty shoelace so that, Jack guessed, he wouldn’t have to look at either one of them. Although he’d been with their family for three weeks, Sam still didn’t know the Landons well enough to understand the way Jack and Ashley teased. Well, from what Ms. Lopez, Sam’s social worker, had told them, there hadn’t been much in the boy’s life to laugh

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