Page 97 of Secrets in the Dark
Just how thorough had the workmen been in 1935?
She began to go over every brick, every nook, every cranny. It occurred to her to think about geography. Where would a tunnel correspond to something that could lead beneath the ground and across the street?
In the back, in the little room corresponding with those where one man had kept an office and others had kept supplies, she found a wooden bookcase flush against the wall. It was filled with old volumes—and new ones. Nonfiction and fiction, reading materials perhaps for the officers who had taken their rest alone and weren’t into streaming the latest series or playing Ping-Pong.
She frowned, noting a slight break in the brick behind it.
The thing was heavy. She was strong—hours in the gym with other agents—but she didn’t know if she was strong enough. That was all right. She could get Mason and the others if...
She managed to budge it, inch by inch, pulling it away. There was the slightest crevice in the brickwork, but...
The brickwork was old and hastily constructed. She sought for something to work against it and found a bottle opener out by one of the couches.
She used the metal against it and a brick fell to pieces and when it did, she was stunned to see the others in a two-foot area crumble and fall. Only a little light filtered into the darkness beyond, but she had to step through, just a few feet, to see if she had, indeed, found a tunnel.
She was right, thanks to Lucretia! This tunnel led somewhere, and that somewhere would be where Jesse Miller was hiding, dropping into the earth...
Disappearing for all intents and purposes.
She turned to head out, to hope that Mason had made it back.
She couldn’t wait to explore the realm of darkness that beckoned beyond!
Mason had reached the first step to head back downstairs when a physical occurrence added to his gut feeling of apprehension.
The house fell into stygian darkness.
He was tempted to call out quickly to Edmund and the others; he didn’t. Instead, he carefully and quietly made his way down.
He felt a moment’s dizziness as he did so. He gave his head a serious shake. He moved forward again, his hand automatically falling to the Glock in the holster at his waist. He was fine for another few steps, then the wave hit him again.
It was almost as if he’d been...drugged.
Impossible. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in ages except for the bite of yellow rice.
The yellow rice.
He fought the dizziness, telling his physical self to get over it—he’d had one bite. But when he reached the foot of the staircase, he had to carefully make his way to the table.
He couldn’t see, but he could feel. Mentally seeing the layout of a table, he found the chairs and his hand fell on a head;Edmund’s, he thought. He quickly sought a pulse at the man’s throat. Edmund was alive, just out. Moving around the table, he found François and Jeanne—both in the same condition, out cold, but having a pulse.
Drugged. They’d made a major mistake. They’d ordered out. Jesse Miller had watched the house; they knew that. And he was quite capable of charming people, paying them to do his bidding. There was no telling what he’d managed to tell the pretty delivery-girl. But he had managed to get his hands on their food. God knew what was in it. He needed help for the men, and he knew that he desperately needed to find Della.
Find her, or get help first?
He never answered himself. He felt a presence at his side. Abigail Scott.
“He’s in here!” she whispered. “I never know what he I s doing sometimes, I thought he was wandering...whatever, but he’s managed to cut the lights to the entire block and I don’t know what else, but it’s cut the cameras and the security at the door. Dear Lord! These men... But I don’t think they’re meant to die.”
“Just Della. With none of us stopping him,” Mason said.
And the dizziness was gone. He felt a horrible fury seize him and he knew that he had to fight it as well.
“She’s not upstairs,” Mason said. “But you know she’s in the house.”
“I saw her come in. She didn’t leave.”
“Then check the bedrooms upstairs. I’m going to try the basement.”
