raid the site.
‘You’re next,’ Payne said to Jones. ‘I’m fifty pounds heavier and the ground is unstable.’
Jones nodded and carefully approached the opening. As he did, his heart pounded in his chest. Not from fear of the unknown but for the promising possibilities. The last time he had felt this way was in Greece, right before they had found the treasure that had changed his life for ever. Until then he had been making a decent living, running a detective agency out of free office space at the Payne Industries Building. A solid life, for sure, but not nearly as exciting as he had hoped it would be. Then again, compared to his time with the MANIACs, what could possibly compete? In many ways, he felt like a star athlete who had been forced to retire at the height of his career. No matter what he did to stay near the game - coaching, scouting or broadcasting - the thrill just wasn’t the same as it was in his former life.
But moments like this came close.
Grabbing the ladder with his right hand, Jones stretched his left leg over the opening and placed his foot on the metal step. A moment later, his second foot followed. As it did, the top of the ladder rattled and swayed. Not enough to be dangerous, but more than enough to get his attention. While waiting for the ladder to settle, Jones peered into the dark void below. A single beam of light danced underneath him, revealing nothing but a glimpse of the bunker’s floor. It looked old and dusty, like a pharaoh’s tomb.
‘Hurry up,’ Payne urged. ‘It’s getting darker by the minute.’
‘Trust me, Jon, it doesn’t matter. It’s like a black hole down there.’
‘Speaking of black a-holes, what are you waiting for?’
Jones smiled. ‘I’m waiting for the ladder to settle.’
Payne rolled his eyes. ‘And you wonder why I normally go first.’
‘You know, if I were you, I’d want to stay on my good side.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘I’ll be invisible in the dark.’
‘Great! We can play Marco Polo without closing our eyes,’ Payne teased, referring to the children’s game. ‘Now hurry the fuck up and climb down the ladder.’
Jones laughed as he started his descent. When he reached the bottom, he pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on. Thirty seconds later, Payne was standing next to him, doing the same thing. Suddenly the room around them came into view.
At first glance, nothing about it seemed remarkable. Eleven feet long and twenty feet wide, the chamber’s walls and floor were made of white concrete. Over the years, cracks had formed in two of the walls, allowing moisture to seep in. The tiny fissures were surrounded by patches of lime-green mildew that appeared to move in the light like something from science fiction or something from outer space. On closer examination, Jones realized it was simply an optical illusion - light refracting off different surfaces - yet the effect was still creepy.
‘Take a look at this,’ Payne said from the other side of the room.
Jones whirled and spotted him behind the scaffolding. He was crouched down, examining a large object wrapped in a plastic sheet. ‘What is it?’
‘The murder weapon.’
‘The what?’ Jones asked, confused. A few steps later, he saw the face of the dead boar pressed against the plastic, its bloodstained tusks poking through. ‘Holy balls! Look at that thing. It’s huge!’
‘It’s the biggest boar I’ve ever seen.’
Jones knelt next to it and patted its side. Even though it was wrapped in plastic, the scent of death lingered in the air. Grabbing one of its tusks, he said, ‘This little piggy had roast beef.’
Payne smiled. ‘No wonder the other piggy had none. This one ate the whole cow.’
Jones laughed. ‘Hey Kaiser, is this why we’re here? To see the nursery rhyme pig? If so, we’re a little late. No way Hogzilla is going to market. He’s a little too ripe.’
‘Actually,’ Kaiser said from the far corner, ‘I brought you down here for this.’
Payne stood. ‘For what?’
‘For the other room.’
Jones stood, too. ‘There’s another room?’
Kaiser nodded, and then twisted a small handle in the wall. Made of metal, the recessed lever had been painted white to conceal its existence. Intrigued, Payne and Jones shone their lights in the corner and watched in amazement as a door suddenly appeared in the concrete.
One moment, it looked solid. The next, there was a slight opening.
‘How’d we miss that?’ Jones whispered.
Payne shrugged and walked forward to examine it.
In a brightly lit space,