“She might be. That’s why I’m here.” She shivered. “Though I don’t want to be. I hate this place.”
“Because of the children,” Jill said. “I understand.”
“Yes. No.” She shook her head. “It always frightens me. I want to leave here.” She said impatiently, “But I’m here, so what do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Jill said. “But you told me when you first got here that you couldn’t tell me anything on the phone. You said you would have had to come here anyway. Why?”
“Because you think you understand, but you can’t. I knew I’d have to show you.” She whirled on her heel and strode along the bank toward the tall boulders that bordered the north side of the brook. “Let’s get it over with.”
Jill was running after her. “Where are you going?”
“The boulders.” Dalai was hurrying down the path. “Now don’t talk to me. I’m nervous about this, and I’m afraid I’m doing the wrong thing. I’ve never trusted anyone but myself before. I still don’t.” A moment later, they’d reached the edge of the creek, and she was skirting around it until she reached a group of tall boulders that bordered it to the south. “The third one…”
Then she fell to her knees and was digging at the dirt at the base of the boulder. “Yes.” She had revealed a nine-inch-square keypad. Then she froze, gazing down at it. “Give me a minute. I’ll be all right in just a minute.”
“What the hell is this?” Jill fell to her knees beside her. The girl was clearly terrified. She reached out to take her hand. “What’s wrong? Let me help you, Dalai.”
“No one can help me.” Dalai was staring down at the keypad. “That’s what she said. No one can help you, Dalai.”
“Zahra?” Jill was frowning in confusion. “She was the one who said that to you?” Then she stiffened. “Zahra was here?”
Dalai drew a deep breath. “Of course she was here. She’s always been here. She regards Robaku as her special place. She brought me here several times a year from the time my father sent me to her. Usually at night, when she considered it safe.” She pulled her hand away from Jill’s. “And she hated it when you got in her way.”
“You mean when she built the museum?”
“No, she thought that was a triumph. It was all your stories and keeping those villagers from being moved.” She was looking down at the panel, bracing herself. “There’s a code.” She was punching in a four-letter code. “She gave it to me when she first started training me to help her take care of this place. She waited almost a year before she trusted me with it.” Her lips twisted. “When she thought that I’d been taught to obey every rule she’d set out for me as a slave should.” She paused. “And the consequences if I failed in any way.”
“Dalai, what are you talking about?” Jill asked quietly.
“You wanted to know about Zahra Kiyani. I’m telling you about her.” She met Jill’s eyes as she punched in the final letter. “This is who she is. Shall I tell you what the four letters of the code are?”
Jill was beginning to make a wild guess.
Then she heard a click, and the rocky ground around the boulder appeared to shift. The next instant, it slid open to reveal a trapdoor with a metal ladder.
She heard Novak mutter a soft oath behind her.
“The ladder is very sturdy and safe,” Dalai said. “So is the cavern below. It was built by Zahra Kiyani’s great-grandfather, but the Kiyani family kept it updated and repaired through the years. You can understand why she didn’t want the village disturbed in any way.”
Jill was gazing down into that darkness. “You’ve known about this for years?”
“She needed someone to come with her to check and make certain all was in order. She trusted me. She made certain I could be trusted.” She reached in her cloak and pulled out a flashlight and thrust it at Jill. She made an impatient gesture toward the ladder. “Go and see for yourself. I can’t go down there yet.”
“Stay here, Jill,” Novak said. “It could be a trap.”
“She’s still shaking. Just look at her,” Jill said. “For heaven’s sake, it’s no trap. I’m going down, Novak.” She turned on the flashlight. “You can keep an eye on her if you want—” Novak was already climbing down the ladder. “It’s okay, Dalai. You can wait