All in Bad Time

by Yvonne Montgomery

  Andrea lifted her hands to one ear and delicately removed the rubber stopper from her earring. She pulled the wire from her lobe and handed the earring to Neal.

  "Oh, baby. You want to do the honors?"

  Andrea looked up again at the purported hole. "I'm too short. I can't even see it. You do it."

  "Here goes." Neal felt along the wall with his finger and slid the tip of the wire into the hole. Silently the wall in front of them swung open about two feet.

  "Whoa." Kerry shared a smile with Andrea. "I adore pinholes. How the heck did you know it was there?" she asked Neal.

  "Been reading about hidden treasures." He measured the opening with his eyes. "Who wants to go first?"

  "You found it," Kerry said. "And I don't know that I'd fit." She nudged Andrea toward the opening. "You're the smallest."

  Andrea turned sideways and eased through the crack, moving the door open a little farther. Neal sucked in his stomach and pushed his way through. The other two edged around the partly open door.

  Andrea and Neal stood amidst rows of canned food and bags of flour and sugar and tortilla chips. Mesh bags of onions and potatoes swung at their shoulders, and spices lined narrow shelves above them.

  "What in the world...?" Kerry said from behind them.

  Andrea reached for the doorknob in front of her and turned it. They came out of the pantry into the Wisdom Court kitchen.

  Chapter 13

  Eve and Brenna advanced slowly down the rough passage. It was barely tall enough for them to stand upright, and the ground was hard earth. Small lamps were recessed every few feet in the earthen walls, emitting enough light to show the floor.

  Brenna lowered her camera. "I'm not enjoying this. I think it's getting more cramped in here."

  Eve glanced around, measuring the shadows. "You want to go back?"

  "Not yet." Brenna slanted a look at her over her shoulder. Her dark hair framed her face, pale as chalk. "It's reminding me of nightmares I had when I first got here. Of walking through endless corridors, not knowing where they went. Spooky."

  Eve felt a quiver down her back. "Sounds nasty."

  They kept going, watching their feet. Eve stumbled on a rock, nearly turning her good ankle. She pushed the stone over to one wall and stepped forward, right into Brenna's back. She'd stopped in the middle of the passage.

  "Do you hear music?"

  "What? Music?" She stopped, cocking her head to listen. "No, I don't—wait a second. I do hear something."

  It was high-pitched, almost tinny. "Can you tell where it's coming from?"

  Brenna shook her head, simultaneously scooting closer to Eve. "It sounds like ice cream trucks going through neighborhoods. Those tinkling nursery-rhyme tunes they play till you go insane."

  Eve closed her eyes, hoping it would sharpen her hearing. The bare clink of metal on metal drifted like an idea. "It's ahead of us, I think."

  Brenna followed her this time. After a few steps, the tunnel curved to the right. The only light they could see was a good three yards ahead. "You still have that flashlight?"

  Brenna pulled it from her pocket and switched it on. The shaft of light bounced off water pooled on the floor. She pulled the beam up the wall, finding drops trailing like tears from the housing for a dead lamp. The two women exchanged a quick look.

  "What is this place?" Brenna's whisper rustled in the close air of the tunnel. "Why would anybody build this?"

  Eve lifted one shoulder. "You've been here longer than I have. Didn't somebody say something about hidden journals?"

  "Sure, we've been reading the ones we've found. But nobody ever dreamed there were tunnels under the buildings." Brenna started walking again. "We need to bring you up to date about Wisdom Court and how everything got set into motion." Her laugh was short. "We haven't had the time."

  They reached the next functioning light in the tunnel and saw another turn. Eve looked back the way they'd come. "Do you have any clue of where we might be?"

  Brenna panned the camera around them, recording the location. "We started under your rooms in the west associate house. I figured the first door we hit was south of the trapdoor, and with the twists and turns, we could've gone west or even further south." She leaned against one wall of the tunnel and Eve heard bits of earth falling on the floor.

  Brenna gazed at the arch of the tunnel above her head, her hair almost brushing against it. "There's a fountain in the courtyard. Thanks to me, a pickup truck smashed into it a couple of days ago. That might be the source of the water on the floor back there." She glanced back toward it. "It could've leaked through the cobblestones."

  "Which would put us roughly under the fountain." Eve was becoming aware of a dull reverberation. "Do you hear that?"

  "Yeah." Brenna put out one hand, touching the tunnel wall. "I can feel it, too."

  Eve pressed her palm against the wall near Brenna's hand. "Like vibration." They exchanged a sick look.

  "Holy hell," Brenna said in a scared voice. "What if water's soaked into the tunnel walls? What's to keep them from collapsing?"

  "We'd better call somebody." Eve pulled her cell phone from her pocket and speed-dialed the Wisdom Court number. When nothing happened, she glanced at the screen. "No service. How about yours?"

  Brenna exited her camera app and went through the same drill of numbers and waiting. "Nothing." She went back into camera mode. "I hate cell phones."

  "Yeah." Eve edged around the curve in the passageway, straining to hear any falling rocks. "It seems pretty quiet ahead." If they went the wrong way and the tunnel collapsed on them, they could die down here. "We have to decide right now." Eve took a shaky breath. "We need to get out of here. Do we go back or forward?"

  Brenna's eyes cut down the way they'd come in time to see several chunks of earth fall to the ground. "No-brainer," she gasped. "Forward, we've got to go forward. Run!"

  Eve felt a stab of pain in her leg and then forgot about it. The sounds of falling rock were closer, like footsteps racing toward them from behind. They ran faster, using the lights along the wall as their guides.

  Then the lights flicked out. "Shit!" Eve slowed, waiting for Brenna to switch on the flashlight.

  As she did, a loud thud shook the ground. Brenna swung the beam around and they saw a large rock some five yards behind them. "Let's go!" Brenna spun around and moved forward.

  "Come on, come on." Brenna was almost running now, so when she careened into the low crossbeam ahead of her, she dropped the flashlight and camera, falling to her knees.

  Eve came to a halt and limped to the flashlight. "Brenna." She was picking up the camera when she felt something pull at her shoulder. She spun around, thinking Brenna was trying to stand up, but she was on the ground, barely conscious. Eve bent toward her, reaching with her free hand to grasp Brenna's upper arm, tugging at her with no effect. "Are you okay?"

  Brenna groaned from deep in her chest. "Head, God, my head."

  Eve aimed the light at her forehead, seeing the dark stain across her brow. "You're bleeding." She set the camera onto the ground and turned to help her, only half-hearing the rattle of falling stones from behind them.

  "Let's get you up." Eve pulled at her, but Brenna slid out of her hold, falling back to her knees. Eve tried to keep her from hitting the ground and dropped the flashlight.

  Something splashed onto Eve's jeans and when she reached for the light her fingers touched liquid. "Oh, no." Water was spreading across the floor ahead of them. "We have to get out of here." The flashlight was at her feet. She shoved it inside her waistband and grabbed the camera, then hoisted Brenna to her feet, lodging her shoulder into her armpit. "Walk," she ordered as she pulled out the light and pointed it in front of them. "You can do it. Walk!"

  Brenna took a step, then another. Leaning heavily against Eve, her legs moved haltingly.

  Eve half-dragged her around the next curve in the tunnel, afraid to admit to herself that the flashlight was dimming. "Oh, God, oh, God," she whispered. "
Keep going."

  The clatter of rocks falling behind them increased in volume. Where could they go? If the tunnel fell in around them, they were toast.

  Breathing heavily, somehow keeping Brenna on her feet, Eve staggered forward, falling against the earthen wall as Brenna tripped behind her. Her shoulder jammed against the dirt and rocks and a chunk of earth fell from the ceiling. Yanking Brenna to one side, Eve held her with both hands as she fell against the wall yet again. It gave way and both fell into darkness.

  * * *

  "Did you call Eve and Brenna?"

  Kerry dug into the bag of chips she'd grabbed from the pantry. "Neither answered so I texted them. They're probably finding another bunch of journals down there."

  Max paused to let her enter the library ahead of him. "Speaking of which, are you sure you never came across any schematics or blueprints regarding underground tunnels in Caldicott's journals?"

  Kerry held out the bag to him and he scooped out a handful of chips. "You read them, or skimmed them, anyway. Both of us would've noticed, don't you think?"

  Max sat down at the large table. "I suppose it would have been counter-productive to describe them after building the things in the first place."

  Kerry plopped into a chair. She rubbed absently at the ache between her brows. "You're assuming Caldicott knew about them. Stanley Thornton built the house. He could have put secret passages under the property." She shook her head in confusion. "Although why he would've is beyond me."

  "It had to be Caldicott," Max muttered. "She built the associate houses. The secret room under Eve's apartment had to be dug there instead of a basement. The tunnels were most likely excavated at the same time."

  "More hiding places for journals and such?" Kerry's shoulders sagged. "The longer we look for the pieces of this puzzle, the more we trip over. Didn't the woman ever hear of safe deposit boxes?"

  Max slammed the book onto the table. "Safe deposit boxes work quite well for journals and money. Highly dangerous talismans, however, are another story."

  "I suppose. But why create so many hiding places? You don't need underground tunnels and secret rooms to hide one small stone, no matter how dangerous it is."

  Max looked at her with troubled eyes. "You might if you were trying to make sure no one else could ever find the thing. It appears to me that she was attempting to make discovering the talisman as difficult as possible."

  Kerry nodded slowly. "Which means she knew the bad guys were on her tail long before she died."

  "Exactly."

  * * *

  In the kitchen, Andrea pushed on the cold-water faucet handle and filled a glass. As she turned off the water, she felt it jerk under her hand. "What was that?" She ran her fingers over the fixture as she handed Neal the water.

  "What was what?"

  "The faucet moved, like something hit the pipe." She frowned at it. "What could cause that?"

  Neal swallowed the water, setting the glass on the counter. "That's odd. Let me look under the sink." He opened the base cabinet and knelt down to peer at the pipes. "No leaks that I can see." He stood up and closed the doors. He stared at the sink thoughtfully.

  The back door opened, Rose almost falling in behind it. "There's a sinkhole near the fountain and water is leaking across the courtyard."

  Andrea looked at Neal in dismay. "Brenna and Eve," she said. "What if they haven't come out yet?"

  "From the room under Eve's apartment?" Rose demanded. "They might be down there? We thought they were with you."

  "We don't know exactly." Neal was heading for the door. "Eve's leg was bothering her, and Brenna stayed behind with her. The rest of us followed the tunnel here to the house by way of the pantry and stopped to get a drink. Get Max and Kerry. Library." He flung himself out the door and ran down the steps.

  "Wait for me." Andrea took a step and stopped. "Are Aura Lee and Noreen here?"

  "No." Rose crossed to the phone. "Tea and all that. I'd better get them out of there."

  "Tell them to yell down the trapdoor at Eve and Brenna. Should we call the fire department? Or somebody?"

  Rose was punching in numbers. "I'll take care of it."

  Andrea raced out the back, coming around the edge of the house. She stopped when she saw water had reached within several yards of the front steps. Images of the walls in the secret chamber and the tunnel they'd followed filled her mind. Surely water couldn't erode stone mortared together as they were.

  She caught sight of Neal as he came around the edge of the east associate house. He was carrying his toolbox, making for the fountain. Andrea skirted the spreading water and passed him as he began to splash through the puddles. "I'm going to Eve's. I'll take the ladder down—" Before he could interrupt she raised one hand. "I won't go down if there's water down there. But I need to at least yell for them, let them know what's going on."

  Neal set the toolbox on an unbroken edge of the fountain. "I'll shut off the water here and get to you soon as I can."

  He grabbed her for a swift kiss and turned back to his tools. Andrea ran toward the west associate house.

  Chapter 14

  Gravel moved under Eve when she rolled onto her side. It was dark and cold. Nearby rustling brought her heart to her throat. Then she remembered. "Brenna?"

  A low groan was her answer.

  Eve scooted flush against her, reaching forward slowly to brush her fingers against her arm. Brenna shifted. Rocks stirring against rocks made a whispering sound.

  "Eve?" said Brenna in a cracking voice.

  "Yeah."

  Eve was patting the area around her, trying to find the flashlight, praying it would have some battery strength left. "How're you feeling?"

  "Like shit." She coughed and gasped in pain.

  "Your head?"

  "Feels like I got hit by a truck."

  "It was a support stone in the tunnel, I think." Eve felt the cylindrical shape of the flashlight. "Here goes nothing." She switched it on and a dull yellow circle reached into the dark, stopping at a wooden door, complete with a keyhole. They were inside a small room with walls made of lathe and vertical two-by-four braces. Dirt and rocks of various sizes were scattered across the earthen floor.

  "Let's see how badly you're hurt." Brenna leaned toward her and Eve aimed the flashlight at the top of her head. Blood was thick in her hair but not flowing, and a goose egg was forming above her brows. Eve flicked the light off. "We need to save it for getting out of here."

  Brenna didn't ask about her injuries. She shifted her weight again. "I don't know if I can walk anymore."

  A rumbling sound filled the space, thundering like hail hitting a roof. "What is it?" Brenna shouted.

  The roar was growing in volume. Eve put her hands over her ears and talked as loudly as she could. "The tunnel walls falling down and rocks hitting the wood." It was like being inside a drum.

  In a few minutes the sounds decreased and Eve uncovered her ears. "Any idea where we are?"

  "No." Brenna was breathing shakily and her voice trembled. Eve fought off a desire to turn the light back on. "We fell against a tunnel wall and the whole thing gave way. I thought I heard something as we fell, a slamming sound, maybe, especially if the door opened and then shut again."

  Another round of pounding began and ended as Eve propped herself up and reached for the flashlight. "I forgot to check for water coming in under the door."

  "Cheerful thought." Brenna lay back, wiping her hand across her forehead. She bit back a gasp of pain as she touched the lump on her forehead. "Well?"

  "No water I can see." Eve flicked the switch and darkness fell over them again.

  Eve used her hand to sweep gravel off part of the floor so she could rest her head on it. Her mind was scurrying like a mouse in a maze, considering and tossing ways they could get out. And where the hell were the others? Had they been caught up in the tunnel collapse? The possibility was so awful she tried to come up with any other distraction she could. "How's your head?" she aske
d Brenna.

  "Throbbing like whatever's hitting that door." A scraping sound came as she shifted, trying to get comfortable. "Hope I don't have a concussion."

  "No kidding." Eve's eyes were searching the darkness for any sign of light, her gaze shifting from side to side. The lack of stimulus was getting to her, so she closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.

  "What's wrong?" Brenna asked quietly.

  Eve wanted to rage at her—what wasn't wrong—but it wouldn't help. "I'm trying to keep from losing it."

  "You're not alone." Brenna took a deep breath. "I keep expecting something to jump out at us. Like that snake you saw."

  Eve stopped breathing. She hadn't given a thought to that prospect.

  "I'm sorry." Eve felt Brenna's hand patting her leg. "I didn't mean to scare you, or us. I can't believe I said that."

  Eve's laugh sounded broken. "I don't want to go there. It's bad enough without adding that to the mix."

  Brenna didn't answer for a moment. When she did, her tone was plaintive. "Where are the others? Did they forget about us?"

  Eve moved her head back and forth and then remembered Brenna couldn't see her. "They're probably trying to figure out where we are. If we'd stayed put in that alcove area, we might've been able to get to the ladder without any problem. Now, with the tunnel collapsing, they're not going to be able to get to us for a while."

  "Yeah." Brenna thought for a moment. "I'm wondering what's on top of this room. Did you see the wood supports on both sides of the door?"

  "I did." Eve pushed herself up to a sitting position. "From what I could see, this little room was fortified. I think that's the only reason we're not under a pile of dirt."

  "I think you're right." Brenna paused. "Let's turn on the light for a minute. I want to check out something."

  "Okay." Eve groped for the flashlight and pushed the switch. In the dim light the room made her think of the inside of a trunk. Beside her Brenna sat up and gazed around the area.

  "Look. The ceiling and the walls come together in right angles." Brenna forced herself to her feet.