I pointed to the fireplace. “Do you think that might have a trap door. This building is old enough to have been around during the trials.”
“The chances are slim.”
I knew this, but I hoped there was some sort of explanation to Vickie’s disappearance. Mike walked over to the fireplace and inspected it. I loved that he indulged me as we looked around at the old masonry to find a sign of something, anything. “If there’s a lever, it will be small—like the little notch on the bookshelves.”
There was nothing on the old stone. Mike leaned under the fireplace and peered around using his phone’s flashlight. This would be a great place to hide a secret room. With a fire burning, people would keep their distance.
“Holy shit, Syd, look here.”
Inside the fireplace toward the front, there was a Truth-seekers symbol. “Mike, look! There’s a symbol on the lever.”
He blew some of the dust away. “Maybe if I pull hard enough it will move.”
After a few seconds of pulling, Mike let out a frustrated sigh.
“What if you pushed up?” I asked, peering up at the lever.
Mike looked at me and rolled his eyes. “Up? Why would it push up?” The second he pushed up, we heard a loud crack come from beside the fireplace.
Mike looked at me with a shocked expression, and I smiled. The back of the wall moved, exposing a dark tunnel. An old, musty smell wafted into the room. It was like one of those creepy horror movies and had me leaning a little closer to Mike. But we had found something. And from the cobwebs when Mike shone his flashlight down the wood staircase, we could tell no one had been in there for years.
“Oh my word! Oh my word! Mike, we found a secret staircase.”
I jumped into his arms, and he spun me around. “We did. I need to get my gun and two flashlights from the car.”
My face fell. “Wait. What? A gun?”
“To be safe. We have no idea what we’re walking into.”
Is there something that might harm us on the other end of that tunnel?
Sydney
The stairs were in decent shape—Mike tested them first, and then had me come down. At the bottom of the stairs was a narrow tunnel. It was filled with cobwebs that were illuminated by the glow of our flashlights. Mike cleared them as much as possible. Inwardly, I sighed at his chivalrous actions. It was cold and damp. The further we advanced, the more nervous I grew at what we might find. Mike was taking it slow, checking out everything thoroughly before we took our next step. There was something sexy about the way he held his gun and angled his body in front of mine. It sent a shiver through me how protective he was. Of course, he was a cop, so it was probably second nature, but I felt cherished.
Something scurried across the floor, and I screamed, grabbing onto the back of his shirt. “What was that?”
“A rat. I don’t think anyone has been down here in a long time.” Mike was intense and focused.
I hoped he was right. In the narrow passageway it was slow going, which only added to the creepy feeling. I kept imagining that something creepy was lurking in the darkness. I was glad Mike had brought his gun. After what seemed about thirty feet, we came to an old wooden door. I held onto Mike’s waistband and took a breath. What are we going to find? The door creaked open when Mike pushed it.
“Stay behind me, sweetheart.”
“That won’t be a problem,” I assured him. There was no way I was leaving his side.
He pushed open the door with his foot and stepped into the room with his gun drawn. The beams from our flashlights danced about the room. When the light shone to the left, I let out a scream at the sight of a skeleton laid out on the floor. It was nothing but bones, clothing, and cobwebs. Mike quickly shone the light around the room before putting his arm with the flashlight around me. He held his gun in the other. I buried my face in his chest.
“Mike…”