The other three grinned at his reluctant concession.
"It's gonna be hard for us to move that thing with our hands," Reece said. "It would help if we had some rope."
"Huh," Tommy said. He fired an "I told you so" glance at Sean. "I'll be right back."
Sean put his hands on his hips, incredulous. "I can't believe you brought the rope again."
Tommy trotted down the slope toward the car and didn't look back as he responded. "You're welcome!"
A moment later he was back at the rock and looping it around the top. He secured it with a tight knot and then gave it a firm tug to make sure it was secure. Then he whipped out the rest of the slack down the hill from the stone.
The others had been watching him with curious interest as Tommy worked.
"So, we gonna do this like a tug of war?" Sean asked.
"Yep."
"Okay. Sounds like a plan. Reece, take the anchor spot."
The big Aussie nodded and grabbed the end of the black rope, looping it around his waist. He held it firmly in both hands. His forearms flexed as he readied himself for the pull. Sean took position in front of him, then Adriana, and then finally Tommy closest to the rock.
"On your mark, Tom," Reece said.
The four gripped the rope tight and waited for Tommy's signal.
"Ready?"
Everyone else echoed the word. "Ready."
"Pull!"
The group tugged hard, too hard. They weren't ready for the rock to budge so easily. The big stone toppled over on the first pull, and the four visitors lost their balance.
Reece fell straight on his back. Sean tripped over him and landed on top. Adriana felt the slack and deftly dove to the left of the two men. Meanwhile in the front, Tommy staggered backward several steps, waving his arms wildly until he lost his balance and collapsed onto the other two men.
Adriana put her hands on her hips and stared down at the goofy pile of guys near her feet. The men scrambled to get off of each other, but not before she started laughing.
"Okay, fellas. Break's over."
She stalked back up the hill to the rock and crouched down to have a closer look. Once the guys were back on their feet, they joined her — huddling around to see if there was anything under the stone's base.
Adriana wiped away some of the dirt sticking to the bottom. A small colony of insects scattered on the ground — probably seeing the light of day for the first time in their lives.
"Rows of circles within circles," she said.
"That's how the Aborigines kept time," Reece said. "They based everything on the rising and setting of the sun."
"Lots of ancient cultures did," Tommy added.
"Right. Looks like there are forty-five circles in all."
"Must be the forty-five suns Mathews's paper mentioned," Sean said.
"Yeah," Tommy agreed. "But look at what's etched below them."
Four sets of eyes gazed at the two rows of letters. Underneath each letter, a symbol was carved into the rock.
"Get a few pictures, Tommy," Sean said.
His friend snapped out of a mesmerized haze and gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Yeah. Picture." He took a couple of pictures with his phone and then put it back in his pocket. "Turned and unturned," he whispered the words from the Mathews document. "Mathews must have found these circles and then put the rock back after he carved these symbols and letters into the base."
"Sounds like an awful lot of trouble," Reece said. "I'd have just left it there."
"Then anyone could find the key," Sean said. "He had to keep it hidden. Whatever Mathews and his friend were looking for must be pretty important."
"Or valuable," Adriana added.
"We need to get this rock back up where it belongs before someone comes around and notices," Tommy said, already starting to worry.
"Good idea."
The group flipped the rope around and carried it uphill.
"This is gonna be a lot tougher than knocking it over," Reece commented. "Better put your backs into it."
When Tommy gave the signal, the four pulled on the rope. This time, it didn't move easily like before. They grunted, dug their heels into the ground, and leaned back with every ounce of strength they could muster.
The top of the rock began to rise.
"It's moving," Tommy grunted. "Keep going."
Their arms flexed. Leg muscles burned. The rock rose slowly from its temporary resting place. As it reached the apex, the burden suddenly shifted.
"Whoa," Tommy nearly shouted. "Easy now."
The four eased up on their efforts and pulled less to make sure the thing didn't topple over the other way.
The rock's base hit the ground with a thud and came to rest exactly where it had been for so many years before. Beads of sweat collected on the foreheads of the visitors. The sun loomed higher in the sky now, beating down on them with an ever increasing heat.
"Let's get back to the air conditioning of the car and grab a bite to eat in town," Sean suggested. "Looked like there were some good places we passed on the way in."
The others agreed and started down the hill toward the car. Sean stayed by the rock for a moment, looking across the hills and meadows. The little alarm in his head was ringing. He didn't know why, but something was off.
It was a sense that he'd had since the days of working for Axis. Tommy called it paranoia. Sean called it survival instincts. He didn't feel it all the time — only when trouble was near. The drive up from Sydney, he'd not felt it in spite of keeping an eye on the rearview mirrors to make sure they weren't being followed. That, too, was an old habit.
This was something different, though. It was the overwhelming sense that they were being watched.
Chapter 12
"What do you usually eat for breakfast around here, Reece?" Tommy asked as the group got back in the car to leave. Sean brought up the rear, getting in the back seat with Adriana.
"Fried kangaroo."
Tommy had started to turn the key in the ignition but stopped and looked across at his friend with an appalled expression. "No. Seriously, that's gross."
Reece burst out laughing and glanced at the two in the back. Sean and Adriana snickered at the joke.
"Nah, Tom. Come on, man. We eat the same sort of stuff as you: bacon, eggs, toast, you know."
Tommy eyed the Aussie for another second before he was satisfied the man was telling the truth. He started the car and drove it back out onto the country road leading into town.
"There were a few promising spots we passed on the way in," Reece said. "Even though it's a bit late for breakfast, I bet they're still serving it."
"Doesn't matter to me," Tommy said. "Now that you mention it, lunch would be fine too." He didn't tell Reece that he was still thinking about the fried kangaroo comment.
Adriana turned to Sean. "We need to get Tommy a girl," she said quietly.
Tommy looked back at them in the rearview mirror, certain he'd heard his name. He missed the comment, though.
Before he could say anything, Reece interrupted. "What's this guy doing?"
He pointed at an old truck sitting sideways in the middle of the road. The vehicle looked like many Reece had seen in the outback on his adventure tours — used mostly by locals to haul stuff around on their property.
Tommy tapped the brakes. "I don't know, but we can't get around him."
The man next to the pickup truck was wearing a white T-shirt and gray pants. From a distance he appeared to be tall and muscular. His face seemed friendly enough. Maybe he was just happy to finally see another driver approaching. After leaving the Milbrodale city limits, the visitors hadn't seen another car coming or going.
The stranger waved eagerly to the oncoming car, and Tommy stopped only twenty feet away. He shifted the car into park and started to get out.