A Second Chance at Murder (8 page)

Dad leaned in to me. “Uh, isn't there a tortoise-and-hare story in that almanac of mine?” he teased. “Now might be a fine time to talk about alliances!”

Cooper overhead Dad and laughed, his body shaking and jerking in that way he had that made it impossible to keep a straight face.

I ignored everyone and sat down on the cool stone and thought. Where would Becca hide a clue? Because it was certain that she had hidden it or had arranged to have it hidden. We all entered the monastery and toured around. The cloister contained a series of biblical scenes that were arranged in chronological sequence. The stone halls and passageways were filled with marble and stucco medallions recalling historic battles. The second floor had a royal pantheon of the kings of Aragon and Navarre.

The other teams began to get bored with me and realized I didn't have the inside info they thought I had. Everyone started to head in different directions, fatigue and exacerbation between the pairs mounting.

Dad and I continued to meander down one of the stone corridors.

Dad pressed me. “Well? What do you think? Where's the clue?”

I leaned against the cool wall rock, pressing my forehead against it. “I can't think, Dad. I have no idea.”

He patted my back, “Don't worry, honey. We'll find it. Not even Cheryl or Becca is smarter than us.”

Exhaustion bore down on my shoulders, but I smiled despite myself. “That's right, Daddy.”

In one of the other rooms, voices were carrying and sounded like the beginnings of an argument. Dad stepped away from me and peered into the room.

“What it is?” I asked him.

He retreated from the doorway as if stung. “Let's not get involved in other people's business.”

“Who's in there, Dad?”

He shrugged. “It's Todd and Parker. I just thought . . . I heard something strange . . . they mentioned Scott.”

A chill crept down my spine.

Why would they be discussing Scott?

I crossed over to the other room, but it was now empty. They'd left through a different exit.

When I returned to where Dad was he asked, “Is there a rule we can't split up?”

“No,” I said. “Only that we both need to cross the finish line together.”

“Right, right,” he said. “So why don't I start down the trail now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'll hike on ahead of you. It takes me longer. You find the clue, then hike down and catch up with me.”

“No, Dad, it's a bad idea. What if the clue tells us to go in a different direction?”

He clucked at me. “Georgia there's no other way down the mountain but the way we came.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He nodded.

We looked at Miguel for confirmation. He touched his nose and lowered his eyes in agreement with us.

Dad and Miguel tore off down the mountain. Meanwhile, I paced the monastery, fidgeting with my paracord bracelet. I unraveled it as I paced and reviewed the note from the night before in my head.

Long haul.

Or long hall . . .

Suddenly, I recalled one long hallway with the stucco medallions, each one depicting a historic battle. I raced toward the hallway. That was it! I was sure of it.

I found the hallway and looked at each stone; on the fourth one I saw it. A picture of the Last Supper, Jesus holding up a chalice.

The Holy Grail!

In the painting Jesus was standing on the edge of a cliff, under a huge rock. He was standing in the same location as the huge rock of the monastery south wall.

I raced outside toward the rock.

Footsteps pounded behind me. “You know where it is, don't you?” a voice screamed.

It was Victoria.

She was in hot pursuit, but there was no way she was beating me to the chalice. We raced over to the wall.

“Tell me what you know!” she shouted.

I ignored her, my eyes raking the wall. I saw it then. A small box made of stone, cleverly hidden from view, camouflaged between the rock and the edge of the cliff. I dove for the box and pried it open.

Inside was a replica of the chalice along with four golden keys. Victoria lunged at me. I grabbed the chalice and threw the box at her.

“Give it to me!” she yelled.

“No,” I shouted, turning away from her.

She tugged on my arm while I batted her away. She grabbed at the paracord rope bracelet I held in my hand and it unraveled between us. She clutched at the cord and used it to whip at my face.

“Stop it!” I yelled, backing away from her.

“Give me the chalice!” she screamed.

“You're acting crazy!” I shouted.

She lunged for the chalice and I leapt backward, losing my footing on the dirt trail. Suddenly the rock wall fell away from me and I had the sickening sensation of falling through the air.

EXT. WOODS DAY

Helen is looking into the camera, her sandy-colored hair is pulled back away from her face and her skin is radiant. She is dressed in a bright azure top that accentuates her blue eyes. She is standing in front of one of the tall trees that lines the perimeter of the Monastery.

HELEN

(
smiles
) Hello! I'm Helen Burke, one of the contestants on
Expedition Improbable
. I'm competing with my son, Eric. (
She motions at someone to join her.)
I'm so excited because we were the first team to make it up to the monastery, but that's only the
first leg of the competition. We still have to figure out the clue.
(Eric walks into the shot and she puts her arm around him.)
My son, Eric!

ERIC

(waving at the camera)
Hello, America!

HELEN

Do you have any clue about the clue?

ERIC

No. But we better figure it out or I'm afraid we're going to end up in last place. And, I know that Georgia already sent her dad back down the trial. I'm wondering if you want to do the same.

HELEN

(
standing straighter at attention
) Gordon, that hunk of a man, has started down already? This might be my chance! (
She smoothes her hair with one hand.
) I better hurry!

(Shouts and screams are heard from off camera.)

ERIC (O.S.)

(turning in the direction of the noise)
What was that?

(Helen and Eric run in the direction of the commotion, the camera follows them, the frame shaking and jostling intensely.)

•   •   •

I
screamed out, clutching the paracord in my hand for dear life. The cord tightened and I smashed against the side of the cliff, the granite rocky edges of the surface cutting my face and knocking the wind out of me.

My hand clamped onto the cord fiercely, my heart hammering out of my chest.

Oh, my God! I was suspended above a free fall of over four hundred meters.

Victoria screamed. “Georgia, don't let go!”

I craned my neck upward only to see Victoria's face over the edge of the cliff and a huge dark Panavision Primo camera pointing at me.

Dear Lord!

I was going to fall to my death and Cheryl would end up in ratings heaven.

Cooper appeared next to Victoria. “Girl, don't let go!”

I was paralyzed with fear and couldn't even squeak out a response. Was one even necessary? I mean, of course, I wasn't going to let go!

Cooper grabbed hold of the paracord, thrusting my body against the face of the cliff again.

I screamed.

“Hold on, baby girl!” he yelled. “I'm going to haul you up. Lord! Give me strength!”

“Can you grab a toehold?” Victoria screamed out.

I tried to press my foot against the cliff, but granite and gravel slid under my shoe.

Oh, no, I was going to cause my own avalanche.

“Don't! Don't do that,” Cooper warned.

“Pass me up the chalice,” Victoria said.

I suddenly realized that the chalice was locked in the grip of my right hand. More faces appeared over the side of the cliff: the mother-and-son team, Double D, Parker, Todd, and a whole slew of cameras. There were loud screams and gasps from the ladies, while the men generally shouted out commands, like “Get away from the cliff!”

“Don't worry. I got you,” Cooper said, his voice calm. “I ain't never dropped the ball, girl. You know that? Once these hands have the ball, ol' Coop goes right into the end zone. That's a fact!”

I stared up at his huge hands. They were the size of frying pans; callused and strong. I don't think I'd ever seen anything more beautiful in my life.

“Pass me up the chalice,” Victoria said again.

“Vicky!” Parker said.

She shrugged. “I'm only trying to help!”

Cooper hauled me up, inch by inch, until I was in reach of Parker and Todd, both of whom grabbed my wrists and pulled me over the edge. I landed in a clump on top of Cooper, who wrapped his arms around me and laughed in his hearty jiggling way.

“Lord Almighty, in Heaven above!” Cooper said. “I ain't never dropped the ball and I ain't never dropped a
girl!” He planted a sloppy wet kiss on my forehead and whooped out. “I saved your life!”

Trembling, I rolled off of Cooper. “Thank you, Cooper! Thank you. I owe you.”

“Well, great! You owe us! You can give us the chalice then,” Todd said.

“What?” Victoria screamed. “If anything, I want it! Parker helped pull her up, too!”

“Don't be crazy, girl,” Cooper said to Victoria. “Georgia got the chalice fair and square. How can you all be fighting over it, when she almost died!”

DeeCee and Daisy suddenly scampered over to the box and grabbed a golden key. They screeched out in delight and tore off toward the dirt trail. Their cameraman lurched into action behind them.

Helen from the mother-and-son team screamed out, “Come on, Eric!” She rushed to the box, pulled out another key and then they tore off after Double D, their cameraman in tow.

Victoria looked around frantically. “Hey! Where's your dad? Did you send him down ahead? That's cheating!”

“It's not cheating,” Cooper said. “That's smart!”

“Is it alliance-with-Georgia time?” Parker asked Victoria.

Victoria gave me the fiercest dirty look imaginable. “Hell no,” she spat.

Parker sighed, then took a key from the box and waved Victoria toward the dirt trail that led to the finish line.

“Come on, come on!” Todd yelled, as he picked up the last key from the box. “Let's go,” he said to Cooper.

Cooper helped me to my feet. When I stood my ankle throbbed.

Oh, no!

I must have twisted my ankle when I lost my footing off the cliff moments ago.

Todd started down the trail. Their cameraman was stuck in the middle, filming Todd as he left, then panning over to capture Cooper and me.

Todd yelled back at us, over his shoulder, “Hurry up, Cooper!”

Cooper noticed my limp. “What is it? Are you hurt? Hold up, Todd.”

“You got to be kidding me!” Todd complained. “What? You're going to want to stick around for a medevac for her now? Leave her behind or we're gonna be in dead-last place and you know what that means!” With that, Todd spun on his heels and disappeared out of sight.

Cooper put an arm on my shoulder. “Lean on me, girl. If I have to, I'll carry you down the hill.”

“You can't do that Cooper. You're already in last place. Let me give you the chalice. I'll have them call for medev—”

“Wha'?” Cooper screeched. “What you gonna call for a medevac for, when you got ol' Coop! Come on, girl. You know how many training runs I did in the NFL with three-hundred-pound men on my back? Why, a little nothing waif of a girl like you, ain't gonna slow down ol' Coop.”

He swooped me over a shoulder and started jogging down the trail.

Oh, my goodness!

There was no way we'd make it down the six-hour hike like this, I thought. But when Cooper showed no signs of stopping, I revised my initial thought. There was no way
I'd
make it down the six-hour hike like this.

“You've got to put me down,” I said, finally.

“Nah. I'm good,” he said.

We were closing in on Todd.

“Put me down!” I insisted.

“No,” Cooper said. “Not until we get in front of the others.”

Silently and without Cooper noticing, I lifted the flap on his knapsack and dropped the chalice into it.

Todd looked over his shoulder as we approached. “I should have known,” he said, snidely. He pointed ahead. “The rest of the gang isn't that far ahead of us. I can hear them every time I hit a switchback.

On the next turn, we caught up with Parker and Victoria. They were silent when we joined them, although Victoria gave off a serious hate vibe.

We stopped to rest and Cooper finally put me down.

“I'm feeling better now,” I lied. “Thank you for helping me.”

Cooper gave me a warm smile and winked.

We all started off together down the trial and finally caught sight of Double D, Helen and Eric, and my Dad. They were trotting along slowly, looking worse for the wear.

DeeCee grumbled when she saw us. “I'm so sorry, Daisy, but I have to rest!”

Double D stopped by a creek to wet their hair and cool down. Helen and Eric continued walking slowly, but Dad ran toward me.

“Georgia! Oh, my goodness!” He embraced me. “I heard about your near miss.”

I filled Dad in as we walked. We were all in a clump now, except for the mother-son team and Double D, who were lagging behind. As we proceeded down the trail, they dropped out of site.

The heat of the day had receded and we hurried to make it down to the end of the trail before dark. Since we were with the others I hadn't had a chance to tell Dad that I had given the chalice to Cooper, but I was sure he wouldn't mind.

In the distance we saw the crew bus and a blue tarp laid out. Painted on the tarp was a bull's-eye and standing on top of the tarp was Harris.

Cooper and Todd took off in a full sprint. Victoria and Parker followed suit, but weren't as quick. Dad eyed me. “Are you in pain, honey?”

I nodded. “I need an ice pack and pain relievers in a big way, but I'll live.”

“Well, we certainly don't have to run,” Dad said. “We'll have a two-hour advantage tomorrow, and Lord knows, I need it—”

“Dad, I gave the chalice to Cooper. I'm sorry.”

Up ahead we saw Cooper and Todd reach the finish
line first. Moments later Parker entered the bull's-eye circle and Victoria trailed.

Dad smiled and grabbed my hand. “You don't have be sorry, honey. I'm so proud of you.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence and stepped into the bull's eye.

Harris, the host, clapped his hands. “Georgia! Gordon! Welcome to the finish line. I'm happy to say you are the third team to arrive and are therefore safe from elimination. However, I understand you have the chalice, so you'll enjoy a two-hour head start tomorrow!”

“I don't have the chalice,” I said.

The others, who were standing off to the side, suddenly came to attention.

“Did you drop it?” Harris asked. He attempted to look concerned, but with all the Botox he'd had, his face didn't quite cooperate. “I understand you had a little excitement after finding the chalice.”

“I didn't drop it,” I said. “I gave it to Cooper.”

Victoria shrieked and looked ready to cry.

“What are you talking about, girl?” Cooper asked, surprised.

“Without your help, I wouldn't be standing here, Coop. Check your bag.”

Cooper shrugged off his knapsack and peeked inside. “Well, I'll be!”

Harris clapped his hands again, this time repeatedly in unrestrained host delight. “Why, how
very
generous!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cheryl preening. She'd be happy about today. She'd use the clip of me hanging off the cliff to garner new audiences far and wide. My giving Cooper the chalice was icing on the cake to her.

Dad and I moved to join the others by the side of the tarp and waited to see who would emerge from the dirt trail next. The sun began to set as we waited. On the side of the crew bus was a red clock that kept track of the time. So far the other groups were seventy-two minutes behind us and counting.

Finally, we heard voices and footsteps. From the trail emerged the mother-and-son team and Double D. All were struggling. DeeCee and Daisy had their arms linked and were running together as if in a sack race. Helen hobbled along, looking like she had blisters on her blisters. Eric trotted along the quickest, but still looked exhausted. Both teams moved forward neck and neck, screaming at each other.

Eric grabbed hold of his mom to try to usher her along, but he tripped her up and she fell.

There was a loud gasp from the cast. We knew all too well how exhausted Helen was.

Eric scooped her up, but DeeCee and Daisy crossed to the finish line.

They collapsed onto the tarp with Harris clapping his hands in childish delight. “DeeCee and Daisy, welcome to the finish line. I'm happy to say you are the fourth team to arrive and are therefore safe from
elimination. You will begin tomorrow's challenge exactly”—he glanced at his watch for dramatic effect, although we were all keenly aware of the red clock that hung on the crew bus—“one hour, seventeen minutes, and ten seconds after team three begins.”

DeeCee squeezed Daisy's hand. “One hour! See, we're not all that far behind!”

“Which will be exactly three hours, twenty-one minutes and twenty-seven seconds after team one begins,” Harris clarified.

DeeCee's shoulders dropped and Daisy buried her head in her hands.

Helen and Eric lumbered into the circle.

Harris put on his serious host face. “Helen, Eric, We're so happy you made it down the trail safely. But I'm sorry to say, you are the fifth team to arrive and are therefore eliminated.”

Helen and Eric embraced each other. Helen was in tears and kept apologizing to Eric.

My heart sunk. Even though I hadn't really had time to get to know them, I knew losing was tough. And likely Eric would have enjoyed winning the prize money to help welcome his new baby that was on the way.

“You can take a moment and say you're good-byes,” Harris said.

Eric said, “Thank you, everyone. We've really enjoyed the experience. Don't feel bad for us, please. My wife's at home and she's expecting our first baby.
It's really a blessing to be able to go home and be with my family.”

Helen looked at Eric and squeezed his hand. “You're right, honey. You're so right. We have to get out of here while we can. What with all we've seen in the short time we've been here, we're lucky to be alive!”