Page 22 of Peak’s Code

"I burned one of them," he said, smiling fondly at the memory of doing so.

"You what?" she asked.

"I was twelve, and I set one of the paintings on fire. My grandfather never forgave me."

"You sound kind of proud about doing that," she said.

"I was." She giggled, but the laughter faded almost immediately. Peak stopped walking and crouched near the floor, running his flashlight across the dirt.

"What is it?" she asked.

He didn't answer right away. "Dust,” he finally whispered. Maeve stepped closer. There was a clean line across the tunnel floor. It was perfectly straight—too straight. Someone had dragged something through there recently. Peak reached out and touched the dirt.

"It's fresh,” he whispered.

Her pulse quickened. "How fresh?"

"Within a day,” he said.

She looked farther down the passage. "Then someone knows this tunnel exits in the marsh."

Peak slowly stood. "Maybe."

"No." She pointed farther ahead. "Look." She spotted another mark, and this one was smaller and circular, as though something heavy had rested there.

Peak's eyes narrowed. "That mark was made by a tripod."

She looked at him. "You think?"

"I'm sure of it,” he said.

"Do you think maybe a survey crew made it?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I don’t see any other construction markings. There’s no paint, and no measuring stakes." He looked farther into the darkness. "They were setting up equipment."

Her stomach dropped. "Do you think that they set up cameras?"

"No, worse,” he whispered. Peak extinguished the flashlight, and darkness swallowed them instantly.

"What are you doing?" she breathed.

"Listen,” he said, holding up his hand to quiet her. Maeve held her breath as she listened. At first, she heard nothing, but then she could hear a faint metallic clicking. It sounded rhythmic—almost mechanical, and it was coming from somewhere ahead.

She barely whispered. "What is that?"

Peak's jaw tightened. "I don't know." The clicking stopped and then came a soft electronic chirp.

Maeve felt the blood drain from her face. "It’s a motion sensor," she whispered.

Peak looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"I've installed enough of them,” she admitted.

"You installed security systems?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, for my old contracts."

Peak muttered a curse. "So the tunnel isn't abandoned."