“What did Madeleine say to you?” Dianne answered.
“The north wall,” Bruce murmured back, orienting himself. “The bricks that line it. She said to look there.”
He turned to the north wall. It stretched unbroken from one end of the room to the other—and sure enough, lining the bottom third of the wall was a layer of old brick, dark against the white paint above it. Bruce headed toward the closest end of the room, stopped right in front of the wall, and bent down. He ran a hand along the bricks. They were all covered in a fine layer of dust, just like everything else here.
So, Madeleine was right about this, had known the north wall would have bricks lining it. She must have been here before.
“Anything? What exactly are you looking for?” came Dianne’s voice.
“Something unusual,” Bruce replied. He suddenly felt foolish as he ran one hand along the bricks, slowly making his way down the room. He had no idea what would count as unusual, either—only that if he found it, he would know.
He had made his way across almost the entire length of the room before his hands paused on one of the bricks. Something felt odd about the texture of this brick—slightly smoother than the rest, as if it were handled more than the others. Bruce frowned and leaned down to get a closer look.
“Hang on,” he whispered. “I think I found something.”
“What is it?” Dianne asked.
“This brick feels weird.” He gingerly pushed on it. “It’s not sealed in like the rest. The edges don’t quite meet the mortar holding it to the others.”
Bruce pressed harder. Nothing gave, at first. Then—all of a sudden, the brick pushed inward by an inch, and the wall shuddered. He jumped back, nearly dropping his phone. When he looked up, he saw that a part of the brick wall had slid sideways by half a foot, revealing a gap of darkness.
Bruce stared numbly for a moment. Then he took a tentative step into the black and felt with his shoe for a foothold.Stairs.There were metal steps behind this wall, leading down a narrow shaft to somewhere beyond view.
“Dianne,” he whispered, eyes wide. “There are stairs behind this wall.”
Dianne uttered a curse over the phone.
Madeleine actually told the truth.Bruce shivered, wondering why she would help him—wondering if perhaps she wastrappinghim instead.
“Don’t go down there.” Dianne echoed his thoughts. Bruce could hear fear in her voice now. “Whatever you find won’t be good.”
He shook his head. “I’m going. Keep an eye out up there. Let me know if you see anything suspicious.”
“You’dbetter find something suspicious down there,” she retorted, “with all the trouble you’re going to. You owe me big-time—you owe me so much you’ll be paying off loans for years.”
Bruce chuckled, then turned back around and wedged himself through the narrow opening. Down into the gloom. It was slow going—the steps were narrow and high, and wound down in a spiral. He stopped and tested his foothold at each step before putting his weight on it. Gradually, he descended through the darkness, one stair after another, until his foot finally hit what felt like a concrete floor. He was in a narrow space, and the air here was tight, full of dust. He forced down a cough.
“I’m at the bottom,” he whispered, hoarse. Nearby, he could make out the dim outline of an abandoned construction barrier.
“Where the hell are you?”
“I have no idea,” Bruce whispered back. He stood up and lifted one arm slightly above his head, trying not to bump anything. His hand hit the ceiling. It felt rough, like unfinished concrete. He held out his phone in front of him and turned on its flashlight.
The phone illuminated the space several feet ahead of him. It was a tunnel that led into pitch black. To Bruce, the tunnel reminded him of the narrow passageways in the cave near his family’s estate, and the bats that sometimes poured out. He half expected them to come barreling toward him now.
What are you so curious about?The thought raised goose bumps on his skin, but he tightened his jaw and stepped forward. He kept his footsteps completely silent. “I’m heading in,” he murmured.
The tunnel went on longer than Bruce expected, and the ceiling grew lower and lower. Why would Madeleine send him down here? What did she know about this place? What if the tunnel collapsed?
What if someone else is also down here?Bruce suddenly pictured an armed man waiting for him at the end of the tunnel, gun pointed straight at him.
He kept going.
Finally, the tunnel before him opened up into a larger space. He stumbled as the ground fell a half step.
The ground was different here—polished, finished. His phone’s flashlight cast a small glowing circle on the wall. He shone the light farther until he saw a switch. There.
He flipped it on.
