Keepers of the Cave Read Free

So, what we’ve done is replace the director of the school with an agent. A paper pusher, but an agent nonetheless. He’s been there nearly seven months, getting a feel of the community, gathering information. He suggests we bring in two agents.” He glanced at them one by one. “A couple.”
    “A couple?” CJ looked at both Ice and Billy and shook her head. “Oh no. No way am I going to pretend to be a couple with one of these guys.”
    Howley gave a quick smile. “That’s not exactly the type of couple I meant,” he said. “It’s an all-girls school. Most of the teachers are women. In fact, all but two, actually.”
    “And?”
    He glanced at Paige. Paige’s eyebrows shot up into her bangs.
    “A couple? Us ?” she asked, pointing to CJ.
    “Based on what Avery has told us—he’s the agent posing as the director—that’s the best course of action, if we want to fit in.”
    “What do you mean?” CJ asked. “What kind of couple?”
    “What kind do you think, CJ? A couple. A lesbian couple,” he said.
    She arched an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
    “Seriously. Avery says there are eight lesbian couples on staff. He thinks that’s the best way for us to get a team in and to fit in.”
    “Eight couples?” CJ glanced at Paige. “That’s pretty high, isn’t it?”
    Paige shrugged. “It’s an all-girls’ school. Stands to reason the teachers would be female.”
    “God, can you imagine the drama? Who’s sleeping with whom? Who’s cheating, who’s fighting.”
    Paige laughed. “You’ll fit right in.”
    “Ladies? Let’s stay on task, please.” Howley handed them both another piece of paper. “That’s your backstory. Memorize it.”
    She and Paige both scanned it quickly. Paige was the first to speak.
    “Six months? We’ve been together only six months?”
    “What’s wrong with that?”
    CJ laughed. “At six months, you’re still fucking like bunnies.”
    They all laughed, even Paige, who responded by tossing her pen at her. CJ read on, smiling. “Oh, cool. I get to be a campus cop.”
    “A gym teacher?” Paige groaned. “Really? I’m a gym teacher?”
    “Look, I didn’t write this, okay,” Howley said. “I’m just passing it along. Live with it.”
    Paige tossed the paper on the table. “Okay. Just what does this all mean? We’re a couple. What’s the plan?”
    “The plan is to infiltrate the teachers and hopefully the community.”
    “Where will we stay?”
    “Housing is provided at the school. It’s tight as a prison,” Howley said. “The school is secured with a high fence and a locked entry. Remember, this takes the place of juvenile detention. A security guard operates the gate at all times. Dorms for the students, cottages or cabins for the staff. All the teachers live on campus. The only locals who work there are janitorial and cafeteria staff, and that’s part-time. Less than two hundred students, thirty staff, give or take. Sixteen teachers. Your objective is to infiltrate the main staff—two of which are locals. Fiona Hogan, a science teacher. And Gretchen Hogan, the nurse.”
    “So we’ll live on campus too?”
    “Yes. Like I said, you’re going in as a couple. This isn’t going to be a quick fix, ladies. It’s likely to run several months.”
    CJ glanced at Paige, seeing the stricken look on her face. “Months?”
    “As you’ll see in the file there, there have been documented cases all throughout the years, very random. The most recent records are more accurate, as far as where the victim was last seen and so on. Earlier records are speculation only. The victims are not necessarily from this area. In fact, they rarely are.” He pulled up another file on the monitor. “This is Ester Hogan. Descendant of the original Hogan who founded the town. Avery tells us she’s the matriarch.”
    “Age?”
    “We have no idea. It’s a very closed-off community. Everything we have is speculation. It took months to get as much as we have.” He glanced from