Cool air rising up from the bin felt wonderful. The ice cream wasn't as hard today, and it was easier to scoop out the icy treat. The steady hum of the air conditioner was an endless undercurrent to the conversations in the snack shop.
"One Strike It Rich Sundae, please."
As Jason straightened up, he banged his elbow on the side of the case, sending a numbing shock up his arm.
"Ahhh," he yelped and rubbed his elbow against his side. He felt a flush creep up his neck as he stood face to face with the girl he had waited on earlier in the week. Instead of a ponytail, her hair was plaited into two long braids, and her cap was now burgundy. He dropped the scoop, and it rattled in the bottom of the bin.
"Has the mine played out?" she said. With a smile she tilted her head to one side and peeked over the counter.
With an exclamation he grabbed the scoop and tossed it into the sink. He gave her a lopsided grin. "Maple Walnut?" he said as he dug in with a new scoop.
She leaned her elbows on the counter. "Don't forget the gold dust, gold nuggets AND the covering of liquid gold."
"Nuts, heath bar, and caramel. Got it." His hand shook a bit as he handed her the bowl.
She glanced around the room. "Looks like I'm your last customer for the rush hour. Do you get breaks?"
Jason turned around to find the Hummer looking his way. She nodded. "Take some ice cream."
They sat down at a small table by the window. Daniel still had a long line of people at the cash register buying souvenirs.
"My name's Jason," he said.
"I know."
His hand stopped halfway to his mouth. The caramel started to drip.
"Careful," she said and pushed the bowl underneath the spoon.
"How do you know me? And what's your name? Did I see you in the cave?"
She laughed. "I've been on several tours. You might have seen me then. My name's Nita. And you were in our shop yesterday to see my grandfather."
Jason thought furiously. "Standing Bear is your grandfather?"
She nodded. "He works at the University as the Professor of Native American Culture. Your cross made quite a hit. He logged onto the University website and spent all evening on the network doing research. He'll tell you all about it when you come back." She put her spoon down and leaned on the table. "Can you tell me how you found it?"
"First tell me something. Were you wearing one of the dresses in your shop and sitting by the pool in the cave?"
Her eyes got big with surprise. "Not me. You've been to the pool? Isn't that a bit off the tour route?"
He nodded, never taking his eyes off her.
"What about the gate?" she asked.
"The lock is broken," he said. "We went through and I looked down the passageway. You were sitting by the pool in a deerskin dress. The fringe on the bottom was draped over your feet. You were wearing beaded moccasins like the ones in your store window and had a leather band around your head."
Nita looked serious. "Honest, it wasn't me."
"If it wasn't you, she could be your twin."
Nita frowned. "Grandfather put that gate in with the lock. There are petroglyphs down that tunnel, and he wants them preserved."
"What are petroglyphs?"
"Native American art that is chiseled into the rock. Down by the pool, the walls are covered on both sides with all kinds of pictures. Didn't you see them?"
"I wasn't looking at the walls. I was looking for the girl. And then I saw that bottomless pool."
She giggled.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"It's an optical illusion. The pool is about six inches deep. What you see is a reflection of the ceiling."
He felt his face get hot as he realized how dumb he must appear. His voice took on a defensive tone. "I suppose the girl was an illusion too?"
"Not unless she was sitting on the ceiling," she said and smirked. "But I think that would be just as hard to explain."
"She was beside the pool - not in it," he said.
"You were in what we call the Place of Seeing. Many visiting that place have come away with strange stories. I don't doubt you saw someone, but it's hard to say if she was real."
"I've met several people in the cave," he said. "I think Daniel believes I'm making it up or imagining things. I'm beginning to doubt myself. Have you ever seen anyone there?"
"I haven't. But I think my grandfather has. He doesn't talk to me much about it, but I've heard him discuss it with Bradley."
"Bradley? From the museum?"
She nodded. "He stops by quite often. Sometimes they go out to lunch. Other times Bradley brings things in and they go in Grandfather's appraisal room and shut the door."
Jason thought about Bradley slipping things into his pocket. Was he taking artifacts from the museum to Standing Bear?
Daniel stepped up to the table with a bowl of ice cream. "Can I join the party?"
Jason slid over making room and introduced them.
Daniel grinned at Nita. "So why is a shop miles away from the sea called Turtle Island? Is that wishful thinking that you were on a desert island?"
She laughed. "My ancestors' name for North America was Turtle Island. I guess from their point of view I am on a desert island. Sometimes the weather here makes me feel like it's a desert."
Jason felt like an intruder as the two of them laughed and talked. There was movement at the window, and he caught a glimpse of an old man passing by. He frowned. Was that Silas again?
When he turned back to the table, Nita was looking at him. It seemed hot in the room, like the air conditioner wasn't working. A small smile tugged at her mouth as she looked at Daniel. Was she laughing at him? He was glad when Daniel's ice cream finally melted, and Nita left to go back to her shop.
Daniel picked up his bowl. "I think she likes you."
"How could you tell? She hung on every word you said." Daniel looked puzzled. "Didn't you see the way she kept glancing at you?"
"She just wanted to know about the cross we left with her grandfather."
"I think that was an excuse. So, did she confess to being in the cave?"
"No. She was serious when she said it wasn't her. I believe her."
"Well, that leaves us with ghosts, time travelers or space aliens. All those are kind of eerie."