Beverly Connor - Dead Secret

She arrived at the new tunnel entrance-and suddenly a strong and distinctive odor hit her. She stopped and stared, seeing nothing but the upward-sloping passage filled with rocks. The others stopped and looked in.

“What is that smell?” said MacGregor. “It’s not bat dung.”

“No,” said Mike. “I don’t know what it is.”

But Diane knew. So did Jin. They looked at each other. Diane felt sick, as though someone had desecrated a church or the museum.

“Wait here,” she told the others. “Jin and I will go.”

But they didn’t wait for her and Jin. They followed close behind them into the tunnel. The smell increased until all of them had trouble controlling their gag reflex. The tunnel suddenly widened into a room, littered with storage, or. .

“Oh, my God,” cried Neva.

MacGregor ducked away and leaned against a wall, heaving. Mike grabbed Neva and held her.

Diane and Jin stared at what was before them. She understood now. It was as clear as bright daylight. When they had entered the cave and found Caver Doe, it was like stumbling over a tripwire that set in motion all the events that culminated in the shooting of Emmett Taggart. What they didn’t realize at the time, what Diane saw now with lightning clarity, was that they had touched off another tripwire completely unknown to them. The first time in the cave they had almost stumbled upon what they had now discovered: The other entrance to the cave and the lair of a serial killer.

Sunlight filtered in through the cracks of an ancient wooden door to one side. Metal tables lined the stone walls of the room. Chained on top of the tables were rotting dismembered female corpses. These were Jermen Sutcliff’s rabbits.