“None of your business.”
He rose to leave.
“Thank you, by the way.”
Quarry turned looking surprised. “For what?”
“You saved my life. But for you, I’d be at the bottom of that mountain.”
“You’re welcome. But don’t try anything like that again.”
“Can I see Diane again?”
“Maybe.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know? It’s a pretty simple request.”
“Why do you ask so many questions when I’m not answering any of them?” Quarry said, evidently both frustrated and intrigued by the girl’s tenacity.
“Because I keep hoping that sometime you will start answering them,” she said brightly.
“You’re not like any little girl I ever met before. I take that back. You do remind me of somebody.”
“Who?”
“Just somebody.”
He locked the door behind him and slid the thick board into place on the outside of the room. Even if Willa somehow managed to pick the lock once more, she would not be able to swing open the door.
As he walked along he pulled the pieces of paper out of his pocket. These papers were the reason he had flown here today. He reached the door and knocked.
Diane’s tremulous voice said, “Who is it?”
“I need to talk to you,” he called through the door. “Are you decent? Cleaned up after your little trip outside?”
“Yes.”
He unlocked the door and walked in.
Like Willa’s they’d set the space up with a cot, small table, a lantern, portable toilet, water and soap for bathing, canned food and water, and some clothes. Diane had exchanged the dirty clothes she had been wearing when trying to escape with another pair of slacks and a white blouse.
Quarry closed the door behind him. “I just talked to Willa.”
“Please don’t hurt her for what she did.”
“I’m not planning on hurting her.” He added in a grim tone, “Unless you two pull something like that again. There’s no way out of here even if you do get out of the mine.”
“Why are you doing this?”
He sat down at the table and held up the pieces of paper. “This is why.” He nodded to the only other chair in the room. “You want to sit down?”
“I want to go home.”
“You need to look at this.”