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longer.”
    “No. But we can come back next weekend,” said Mike. “What do you say?”
    “I’m leaving for a two-week vacation in the mountains tomorrow. How about in three weeks? Can you wait that long?”
    “Doc, I can wait for you forever.” Mike grinned. “But we’re going to have a little problem with MacGregor. He can’t get though the squeeze, and right now I can’t see an alternate route to the cavern.”
    Diane stepped back out into the main passage. “We’ll figure something out. Maybe more members of the caving club can join us and we can split up and look for another entrance to the cave system.”
    “Good idea. There must be another way in.”
    As they walked back to the cavern, Diane kept an eye out along the way for any clue that might have been left behind by their mummy friend. She saw nothing. But it was only luck that she had found the button. There were thousands of rocks littering the tunnel from one end to the other that could be hiding something.
    They rounded the last bend and came in sight of the cavern. Neva’s lights illuminated the cavern, casting the large stalagmites and stalactites in a dim, shadowy golden glow. Diane stopped a moment to look.
    “Breathtaking,” said Mike.
    “It’s one of the reasons I love caves,” said Diane. “So many gorgeous views.”
    They walked to the opening, and Diane climbed down the wall first. It took her several minutes to get back down. Mike, more experienced at rock climbing, made the descent in less than half the time.
    “A button,” said Neva, holding the bag and peering at the silver disk. “David will be happy with this. Did you know he’s constructing a button-recognition database?”
    Mike raised his eyebrows. The expression on his face was obvious: He was wondering if maybe David had too much time on his hands.
    “David lives for databases,” Diane said.
    “And recognition algorithms,” added Neva.
    “But buttons?” said Mike.
    “Well, we have a button that needs recognition,” said Diane.
    “I found a rope among the rocks by the wall over there.” Neva pointed to a pile of rubble not far from where Diane and Mike had climbed in and out of the opening. “It’s pretty rotten. Our guy here ate Moon Pies.” She held up two wrappers, then dropped them in an evidence bag.
    “Early energy bars, I guess,” said Mike. “Jin ought to be here by now. I’ll go meet him.” Mike made his way across the rubble to the rope hanging from the chamber above, ready to climb up.
    “Hi, guys!” The voice came from above them, and they all looked up to see Jin peering down from the hole in the ceiling.
    Dammit, Diane thought as the image flashed through her head of him traipsing over rocks and across ledges, oblivious to the dangers. “Jin, you were supposed to stay outside,” she yelled up at him. “How did you get here?”
    “Dick MacGregor brought me as far as that really narrow tunnel. You guys do this all the time?”
    “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here? This is not a cave for a novice. You’ve never been in a cave.”
    “Come on now, Boss. You don’t expect me to hear a story about you finding mummified remains in a cave and just stay outside the door. I got my hiking backpack, extra flashlights and batteries, a bota bag of water, and a hard hat. I’m good to go.”
    Mike looked over at Diane. “I’ll go up and help him down.”
    Mike climbed the rope and lowered Jin’s duffel bag, a crime scene kit, and a large backpack on a frame. Diane noticed a spray of dust come down with the equipment. She looked up at the ceiling but didn’t see any loose rocks. Must be dust and rocks left over from her fall, she thought. She heard Mike warn Jin of the instability of the rocks around the hole as Jin climbed down after his equipment.
    Close to the bottom, Jin jumped off the rope and dusted off his hands. Diane and Neva gawked at him. He sported a construction hard hat and a shirt and jeans that were