“It’s here!” I said. “There must be open space behind these stones!”
“Someone’s coming!” Ben hissed. “Move!”
I jumped to my feet and shot to the stairs. Marlo’s feet were descending the steps.
Averting my eyes, I tried to douse my flare. For a panicky moment, the power wouldn’t fade. Then the sensory doors slammed shut.
SNUP.
I stumbled into Shelton, who steadied me. Spittle clung to the corner of his mouth, but his pupils were human. A quick look confirmed that Hi had also shut down.
“What’s going on in here?” In the light of his small flame, I could see Marlo’s frown. “Ya’ll getting high or something?”
The charge was so absurd, I laughed out loud.
“Sorry,” Hi stuttered. “We, uh, dropped our candles and couldn’t see.”
“All of ’em?”
Hi shrugged. “We’re extremely clumsy.”
“How come that one’s lit?”
“There you are!” A yellow glow preceded Brincefield down the steps. “Everyone’s waiting outside. Sadly, I think the tour is over.”
“On our way.” Slipping by Marlo and Brincefield, we raced up both sets of stairs, passing Tree Trunk on the way out.
“That way guys.” Chris pointed to the exit. “We ran a little long. Time to call it a night.”
“It was great.” Thrown over my shoulder. “Thanks so much!”
Outside, I gulped fresh air. Divine.
The others emerged quickly, and we hustled across East Bay.
“Don’t be a stranger!” Sallie called.
I gave her a five-finger wave good-bye. Chris was padlocking a sliding iron gate while chatting with Brincefield. Beyond them, Marlo and Tree Trunk were shuffling away down the sidewalk.
“Man, I hate basements,” Shelton whined as we hoofed it up the block. “Nasty, stinking graves.”
I checked my watch. Five past ten. Five minutes past curfew.
“Crap! I’m late.”
“Me too,” Hi said. “My mom’s gonna rip me a new one.”
“I found something right before—”
Ben cut me off. “Let’s talk aboard Sewee. For now, we haul ass.”
As we hurried to the marina, my mind was already testing excuses.
GROUNDED.
Kit bought none of my explanations.
“I said ten.” He pointed to the mantel clock. “What does that say?”
“Ten forty. But the tour ran long!”
“Did you call?”
“I couldn’t interrupt the guides.”
“Text?”
“They, um, had a no cell phone policy. Plus, we were underground.”
“Not good enough,” Kit said. “Two weeks. Lockdown. End of story.”
I groaned. Kit arched a brow, daring me to continue. Defeated, I stomped to my room, Coop on my heels.
“You gave me no choice,” Kit called after me.
“We’ll see about that,” I muttered.
“Change of plans,” I said. “We go tonight.”
“It’s always midnight break-ins with you!” Hi pulled his hair in frustration. “You’re like a Colombian drug lord!”
I’d called an iFollow conference. The boys were not cooperating.
On the ride home, I’d told them about my air-behind-the-wall discovery. Everyone got excited. Nevertheless, we’d decided on a cautious plan of attack. No big risks.
Yet there I was, not thirty minutes later, pushing for another high-stakes gamble.
“Why not just visit the dungeon again?” Shelton whined. “Take the official tour. See if we can sneak away like earlier tonight.”
“That was the plan,” Hi tapped finger to palm. “The plan to which you agreed.”
“Won’t work,” I said. “I’m grounded now.”
“How long?” Ben asked.
“Two weeks. We can’t afford to wait.”
“Bonny’s treasure has been missing for three hundred years,” Hi said. “It can sit tight another fortnight.”
“Fine.” Not a care in the world.
Hi leaned close to his screen. “What do you mean, ‘fine’?”
“Don’t come with me,” I said. “I’ll go by myself.”
The boys all spoke at once.
“Don’t be a drama queen.” Hi.
“You can’t go alone.” Ben.
“Somebody has to watch your back.” Shelton.
I bulled ahead. Crazed idea or not, I was tired of arguing. I could sense Bonny’s treasure was tantalizingly close. No chance I’d wait another night.
“The only way through that wall is to move the stones,” I said. “And we can’t dismantle masonry on a guided tour.”
Sullen looks, but no contradictions.
“We either finish the job, or give up.” I crossed my arms. “I’ve made my call. Make yours.”
“I go first.” Ben pointed with his bolt cutters. “Ten seconds, then Shelton. After him, you two count to thirty, then come as fast as you can.”
“Everyone off the street ASAP,” I added.
We were huddled behind a jewelry store, one block south of the Exchange Building. Dressed in black. Just past three in the morning.
I carried only my backpack. Inside were a pen, four flashlights, bottled water, an electric lantern, and Bonny’s map.
“If Shelton can’t pick the door quickly, we bail.” Ben looked hard at me. “Right away. No exceptions.”
“Agreed.”
“If I see a car, my ass is hauling,” Hi said. “Usain Bolt style. I’ll swim home if necessary.”
“I’ll pop the lock,” Shelton promised. “But if the building has an alarm …”
He didn’t finish. No point. We had to pray for low-tech security.
“The rally point is Washington Park,” Ben said. “Miss that, meet back at Sewee.”
“Of everything we’ve done,” Hi said, “this is by far the stupidest. Just wanted to get that on record.”
Ben closed his eyes, inhaled, then charged around the corner.
“One one thousand … two one thousand …”
At ten, Shelton took off like a shot.
As I counted to thirty, Hi did little toe jumps at my side. Finally, after an eternity, we hit our mark.
“Go!”
We sprinted the short block to the building.
Success! The gate was open. Hi and I slid through and pulled it shut.
I turned and scanned the street. No movement, no signs of life.
“Keep going,” Hi said.
We streaked down the staircase. The door at the bottom swung open. Ben waved us through, then closed it behind us.
I clapped Shelton’s back. “Nice work!”
“No sweat.” Shelton’s face was drenched. “Okay, a lot of sweat, but that lock was a joke.”
We thumbed on our flashlights.
“This place is scarier at three a.m.” Hi whispered.
“A tad.” Shelton’s voice quavered.
I didn’t disagree.
We crossed the basement and descended the second set of steps. At the bottom we paused to regroup.
“Flare time.” As usual, three of us had no problem.
SNAP.
“Damn damn damn!” Ben. Struggling.
“Try to relax,” Hi suggested. “Let it come to you.”
“Relax?” Ben hissed. “What are you, an idiot? That never works.”
“Over here.” I’d already located the oddly mortared stone.
Shelton and Hi hurried to my side, leaving Ben to stew alone.
“The air seems to flow from behind,” I said. “Help me push.”