When I look closely, there are still a few black marks from the fire.
Just like she said.
An occasional chunk of damp, rotted wood from the gazebo itself, but it’s mostly been burned to nothing.
But there, right in the middle of where the gazebo once stood, my foot scrapes the unexpected. A little dip in the grass that has me digging, pulling out clumps by hand. And then—
An overgrown door straight from a dream.
It’s the kind of thing you’d find on an old storm shelter, metal and rusted, sunk into the ground and overgrown.
I swallow roughly.
This wasn’t on the property description. Holden Verity and Jackie Wilkes are detailed to a fault, but I’ve read the thing at least a dozen times and there was nothing about a hidden door.
Gramps never mentioned it either.
In fact, now that I think back, this little plot of land was fenced off when we were little. Just a few small wooden stakes, like something thrown up as an afterthought to keep rabbits away from a vegetable patch.
We always figured that’s all it was, but now…
What is this?
What was under the gazebo?
An old-timey storm shelter? A root cellar?
I crouch down, scraping away the loose plants growing around the sides. I must spend twenty minutes ripping up grass and weeds, tossing the debris to one side until the door looks clear.
The handle feels rusted shut.
When I try yanking the door open, it snaps off in my hand, staining my fingers brown.
“Jeez!” I yell, wrinkling my nose with disgust.
“What did you find?” Kane calls from the dock.
He must’ve brought the boat in while I was clearing the overgrowth.
Dan’s squirming his way off the canoe, not bothering to take off his life jacket in his enthusiasm.
“Not sure yet!” I call back. “Underground cellar, maybe? The door’s stuck.”
Kane grabs Dan’s arm and points him at the work shed, then motions Sophie to follow them.
They head over while I finish clearing a few more plants around the edge.
When they return, Kane has a crowbar, and Dan has a couple cans of WD-40.
“This dungeon was here the whole time? Crazy!” Dan whistles.
“It’s where the old gazebo used to be,” I explain. “I decided to walk through here and the ground felt funny. So I started digging.”
“You’ve never been down there before?” Kane asks, studying the dusty door.
“Nope. Never knew it was here. Nobody ever mentioned it.”
His eyes search mine, and I know we’re sharing the same thought.
