by Kim Koby
Abby pulled up not long after. He got out of his truck to greet her.
She slipped around back to get Shadow, then joined him. “Hey.”
“Hi, how are you?” He couldn’t help noticing how pretty she looked with her hair pulled back off her face. She was naturally radiant and didn’t need a lot of make-up. Her highlights glinted in the sun. The urge to run his fingers through her hair was stronger than he’d anticipated.
“I’m good. Are we ready?” she asked.
Ben nodded. “I spoke to the homeowner. Mrs. Anderson said she’s fine with us poking around, but to be careful since a lot of the area is overgrown now with weeds. Basically, watch our footing.”
“Oh, great. You mentioned you knew the family?”
“Yeah, I went to school with one of their sons. They have six kids. It was bound to happen.”
Abby smiled, then reached down to stroke Shadow’s head. He stood faithfully by her side.
“Does he always wear the vest?” he asked.
She nodded. “Mostly when we’re out. At home he doesn’t have to. It’s more to alert those around us that he’s working so they don’t distract him. It also helps when I go into businesses, since they normally are touchy about pets. It’s a quick visual that Shadow’s a service dog.”
“Great.” He clapped his hands together. “Okay, are you ready?”
“More than you know,” she said, then followed him as he crossed the street to the other side of the property. “I’ve been waiting for this. I have no idea what we’ll find, or if we’ll find anything, but the fact that we’re trying is a start.”
“Absolutely. I can understand that.”
Even in jeans and hiking boots, Abby was all feminine. He couldn’t help but notice. Together, the three of them made their way to the site of where the barn had once stood. It was mostly burned to the ground, with plenty of vines and weeds overtaking the area, but a few pieces jutted out from the ground, showing them precisely where the barn had stood.
Abby sighed as she looked at the mess. “I probably shouldn’t have waited so long. It’s going to be near impossible to find anything.”
“We can at least try.” He wasn’t giving up hope that easily.
She shook her head. “You’re right. I’m kicking myself for letting two years pass before I came out here to look around.”
“You might not have been ready. Don’t discount the trauma you went through when you learned of your father’s death.”
“You’re right. It’s just that…well, this,” she waved her hand around, “is going to make things twice as hard.”
Ben squatted down and moved some vines. “It’s not too deep, but it’s thick.”
Abby let Shadow off his leash. “Stay close.”
Shadow plopped down on the ground and waited for them while they felt around the brush, trying to see what was beneath it.
Ben pulled at the vines, trying to open an area. He really should have come better prepared. Maybe they could pick up some trimmers and other tools to help with the process. He had a couple of basic tools in the truck, but nothing that would give them a hand up.
Shadow’s tail wagged. A squirrel stood not far from him and twitched his tail this way and that. Shadow barked. The squirrel darted off to the side with Shadow chasing after him.
“Shadow, no!” Abby turned just as Shadow shot off after the squirrel. She chased after him, scolding him for not listening. He was usually more in tune with her, but there was something about squirrels. Not cats. Not other dogs. Just squirrels.
The squirrel shot to the left, then into a pile of brush about thirty feet from the barn. Shadow stood barking, then started to dig at the brush in search of the small animal.
Abby sighed and clipped Shadow’s leash back on. “You know better than that. If you’re not going to behave, you’ll need to wear your…”
Abby’s eyes went wide. She turned toward Ben and waved her arms. “Ben!”
Ben’s head shot up. He looked over at Abby. She was flagging him down. He ran over to her.
“Look!” She pointed to where Shadow had started to dig. “What do you think that is?”
He knelt on the ground and tore away the vines and weeds that covered most of it. Abby leaned over and yanked at bits and pieces a couple of feet over. A large board, easily eight feet by ten feet covered the ground, completely out of place. She glanced around, trying to figure out why it was there.
With enough of the foliage pulled back, he could grip the edges of the board. He shifted it this way and that, trying to free the rest of the remnants that sat on the wood slab. Abby reached over and grabbed an end.
“On the count of three,” he said, “let’s pull. One, two, three.”
They were able to finagle it from the tangled weeds and move it from the spot it had settled.
They stood and stared, astonished. Beneath the board was a handle to what appeared to be a cellar door.
“What is it doing here?” Abby whispered.
Ben cocked his head. It didn’t make sense. He glanced back over at the barn, then back to the newly found boarded area. What was this doing here, when the barn was over there? “I’m not sure, but it sure seems out of place, don’t you think?”
“I mean, yeah. I guess. What do you think?”
He reached down and pulled at the latch, trying to see if it would open. A large creak greeted them as he yanked on the rusty cellar door. They both gasped at seeing what sat beneath it.
Chapter Five
Abby’s gasped and cupped her hand over her mouth. She was stunned. Shadow sat by her side. She reached down with her other hand and pushed her hand through his thick coat almost out of habit. “What’s going on here? Where does it lead?”
Ben scratched his head. This wasn’t a simple hole in the ground, there was a tunnel. The primitive stairs were more like a tilted ladder. “I don’t know, but there’s one way to find out.”
“Wait! No. What if it’s not stable?” The last thing she wanted was for him to wind up hurt on her account.
He hesitated for a second, then knelt at the edge. He wanted to get a solid look at the structure, but without entering it, there was no way to know. “You stay here. I’m going to test the ladder and see what I can figure out.”
Abby’s heart raced. It was unlike anything she thought she’d find. But would it help them find answers?
Ben cautiously stepped down the ladder and tested his weight on it. He bounced a bit. “I’m impressed, it’s actually pretty sturdy. There’s no give at all. Let me get to the bottom and have a look around.”
“Be careful,” she called after him.
He pulled a small flashlight from a loop on his belt and aimed it at the walls of the structure. He called up to Abby. “Wow. This is something else. It’s pretty big in here.”
“What is it?” she asked, curiosity eating at her.
“It’s a cavern. And it looks like a tunnel that leads toward the barn. I can’t be certain, but at this point it appears that way. But what was it for? Why would they need something like an underground tunnel?” He poked his head back to where he could see Abby peering over the edge.
“Do you think it’s safe for me to come down the ladder?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s a strong structure. It may be sort of rustic, but this was meant to be used. It’s not crude at all. In fact, along the edges of an offshoot there’s metal shelving. It’s almost like a bunker one would use to…oh. Wait. Maybe it’s for tornado warnings, though we don’t get those too often around these parts. Is it a bomb shelter? I’m not so sure. I’d expect the top would be different.”
“It’s getting harder to hear you,” she shouted down as he wandered to the mouth of the tunnel passage. Curiosity was growing, but fear talked her down. What if the ground collapsed or something happened? She turned to Shadow. “What do you think?”
Shadow whined, took the edge of her shirt and gently pulled her back from the edge.
“I
can’t leave him alone down there.” Her voice quivered the slightest bit as her adrenaline shot through the roof. Would it lead to answers, or was it purely coincidental?
Ben made his way back toward the ladder and looked up at Abby. “I’m going to follow the tunnel and see where it leads. If you don’t hear from me in ten minutes, either check on me or call for help. Okay?”
She nodded. “You don’t have to do this. I’m nervous.”
“It will be okay. Let me see what I can learn.”
A small crush was developing rather quickly. He was brave and daring, something that was certainly not her strong point. She loved the way that he was willing to jump in and explore without hesitation. But there she sat at the top of the opening, barely able to convince herself to climb down and look around. She wrapped her arms around herself and waited to hear from him.
Ben disappeared from Abby’s view. It didn’t take the full ten minutes, but more like six or seven. When he showed himself again, she sighed as relief washed over her. “It looks like the stability toward the other end of the tunnel gave way. I can get most of the way. I’m guessing it leads to the barn from the length. Maybe we can find the other end from above ground. Let’s see if we can make sense of this. Afterward, let’s go talk to Mrs. Anderson. She might know what the tunnel was used for.”
Ben climbed the ladder back to the surface. Abby couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was. It was like he’d gotten even more handsome since the last time she’d seen him a few minutes prior. She held back the desire to jump into his arms once he was safe with her.
The image startled her. She blushed, realizing how out of character it was. The idea of intimacy…she glanced away from him, embarrassed by the new thoughts.
“Somebody put a lot of effort into building that. I’d like to know what it was for,” he said. “There’s shelving down there for storage. There were no cans or water stored, like it was going to be prepped for shelter. That’s the odd part. I’m not sure what they’d need to store underground, thirty feet away from the barn. Can you think of anything?”
Abby shook her head. “No. I’ve got no idea. The oddest part to me is why it’s so far away from the barn. Why not put it closer, so you didn’t have to plow such a large tunnel out. That must have taken a ton of work, don’t you think?”
“I’d say. And they put in support beams and everything. Whoever put that together knew what they were doing. That was meant to last. I can only guess that the other end collapsed due to the trauma of the fire or it wasn’t completed. Very odd. Hey, do you want to grab a bite to eat when we finish up here?”
“That would be great.” Embarrassed, Abby’s gaze dropped to the ground. She was afraid he might notice the spark in her eyes when she looked at him.
“Shadow can go to restaurants, right?”
She nodded.
Ben put his hands on his hips. “Great. Let’s go see what we can find over by the barn, then we’ll talk to Mrs. Anderson and see if she has any knowledge of the tunnel and what it’s for.”
“Thank you so much for doing this with me,” she said. The way he stood, his sense of confidence and control jumped out at her. She wished she projected confidence. Either way, it sure looked good on him.
“I’m glad I get to do it with you. I just hope it doesn’t lead to a dead end in your case.”
Together they walked toward the barn’s overgrowth and tried to figure out where the tunnel would have come up at. It was hard to tell with so much brush. They pulled and moved vines but didn’t find the definitive location.
Abby froze.
“What is it?”
“I got a chill is all. I probably shouldn’t be tearing this apart. It’s where my father died. I suddenly feel disrespectful digging around, like I’m violating the space.”
Ben moved closer to her. Shadow slid between them, giving her space. She reached down gently and let Shadow know she was okay.
“Do you want to leave?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She furrowed her brow, taken aback by the change of heart. One moment, she was digging looking for answers, the next reality slapped her with the harsh reminder that her father’s remains were found on that very site. She stepped back and brushed her hands on her jeans before taking another step back. “I don’t think I can do this right now.”
“And you don’t have to. Come on, we’ll go talk to Mrs. Anderson then go get some lunch.”
“Thank you for understanding. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She closed her eyes and tried to center herself.
“There’s no need to apologize. I’m sure there’s a lot of emotional baggage connected to all of this, the fire, losing your father. It’s completely understandable.” He put his hand on the small of her back and gently led her away.
The slightest touch sent a tingling sensation through her, like a current of electricity. Her breath hitched. She forced herself to relax. Finally, her shoulders softened and dropped.
“Are you okay?” He pulled his hand away, realizing how quickly she’d reacted. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“It’s okay. It was nice,” she admitted.
“Yeah?” He cocked his head to the side.
She gently bit her bottom lip, then picked up her step, moving forward.
Ben didn’t say anything but followed her lead.
She wanted to reach down and hold his hand. How silly. Like a small school girl with a crush, she thought of winding her fingers through his. She hadn’t wanted to touch anyone in a long time. Her history…anyway, it was a nice feeling, although almost eccentric.
They crossed the street together and walked up the long driveway. Ben rang the doorbell when they got to the farmhouse. It only took a couple of minutes for Mrs. Anderson to come to the door.
“Hi, Mrs. Anderson,” he said, greeting her.
“Did you find what you were looking for? You must be the girl Ben spoke of. I’m sorry your father was the one they found. Do you know why he was here?” she asked.
“I don’t.” She wasn’t sure what to say. A bout of shyness crept up on her.
Ben continued. “We found something interesting. Not quite what we were looking for, but something that might help explain a few things. I was wondering if you knew about the tunnel and underground cavern that stands about thirty feet away from the old barn?”
She scrunched up her face. “A tunnel? What are you talking about? There shouldn’t be a tunnel. That’s quite peculiar.”
“There was a board covering up cellar type doors. When we opened them up, there was a ladder that led to a cavern. There are metal shelves in place, and then a tunnel that seems to lead toward where the barn stood. I couldn’t go all the way through, as part of it appeared to have collapsed at one point. Does any of that sound familiar?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I wonder if my husband knows about it? You’re sure about that? I can’t imagine why there’d be a tunnel on our property.”
“Is Mr. Anderson around?” he asked.
She pointed toward the new stables. “He’s over there working. I’m not sure if he’s in the fields and pastures or at the barn, but you could try there.”
“Thank you. If you learn anything, could you give me a call?” he asked.
“Absolutely. I’m sorry it wasn’t the answer that you were looking for, but this is quite an interesting turn of events.”
“That’s what we thought. Okay, thank you for your time. I’m going to head over to the barn and see if we can find your husband.” He turned toward Abby. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, then thanked Mrs. Anderson for her time and for being allowed to search the property.
Ben and Abby headed toward the new stables, to see if they could locate Mr. Anderson. Somebody had to know about the tunnel.
They found him working on a tractor.
“Mr. Anderson, Ben Foster,” he said, extending his hand.
“Ben, how have you been?” He stood
and wiped his hands on his overalls. “What can I do for you?”
“I was speaking with your wife, and she said we could find you here. This is Abby. We’re here about the fire and the barn. Abby’s father was the victim they found.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry,” he offered. “Such a tragedy.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“We were doing a little digging, hoping to find more information. I know it’s been a while, but it’s important for Abby’s sake to see what we might discover. Anyway, I got your wife’s permission to search the area, to see if we could learn something new. While across the street, we stumbled on something odd. There was a cavern and tunnel about thirty feet past the barn. Do you know anything about that? Why it might be there? What it was used for?”
Mr. Anderson turned away and looked at the tractor he’d been working on. “No. It’s probably not a good idea to be poking around over there.”
“Do you know that the tunnel leads to the barn?” Ben pushed.
“I think you should leave. Good day.” He turned back to his work, not saying another word.
“Mr. Anderson, please,” Abby begged. “If you know anything…”
“Young lady, I’m terribly sorry about your father’s passing, but I think it’s best that you leave this in the past.”
Ben stepped up closer. “What do you know?”
Mr. Anderson glared at Ben. “It’s better for everyone if we pretend this never happened. You should leave. We’re finished here.”
Chapter Six
Abby’s stomach knotted. She wrapped her hand across it. Anxiety crept up her spine. The familiar dread shallowed her breathing. Shadow nudged against her for comfort. Her heart raced like a thoroughbred running down a track. She could hear it thundering in her ears. Thump. Thump. Thump. The space in front of her got smaller and smaller.
Shadow whimpered and nudged Ben’s leg next, to get his attention.
Ben looked down. “What is it, boy?”