by David Wood
“I think we’ve got another problem.”
CHAPTER 18
The falling ceiling chased Dane and Bones the length of the meeting hall. Their lights bobbed in front of them, slicing through the dusty air. Dane searched frantically for an escape route.
“There has to be another way out!” he shouted over the din. “They wouldn’t want to be stuck in here if someone triggered the booby trap!” He winced as a chunk of falling stone the size of his head smashed a chair into sawdust.
“Any ideas where?” Bones called.
“Have you seen the crossed circle anywhere?” He dodged to his right to avoid being crushed by more falling debris.
“I have! On the tomb. Grab the lanterns.” Bones left Dane behind, his long legs eating up the distance between them and Washington’s tomb. He scooped up one of the fallen lanterns and dashed ahead.
Dane grabbed the other, hoping against hope that Bones was right. He hadn’t noticed any crossed circles on the tomb.
“Up here!” Bones pointed to the top of the pedestal. “There’s an indentation on each corner, just like the ones at the entrance.”
Although the world crashed down around him, Dane managed a smile. Bones was just tall enough to see over the top of the pedestal. “Guess I need to keep you around,” Dane shouted and felt for the indentation. Finding it, he slid the lantern home.
“I’m also good for reaching things on high shelves. Still got my Zippo?”
Dane fished the lighter out of his pocket and, praying that all the kicking around hadn’t destroyed the lanterns, lit the wicks.
It seemed the chamber would surely collapse on them long before the passageway opened. They stood there in the dust-choked air, shielding their heads from falling debris. He looked back and saw what looked like a wall of stone creeping toward them. They had only seconds.
And then the face of the tomb slid open. Dane and Bones squeezed inside, grateful to be out of immediate danger.
“See a way out?” Dane asked.
“All I see is a coffin.”
Despite the peril, Dane couldn’t help but pause to look at Washington’s final resting place. He’d been to Mount Vernon and visited Washington’s tomb, but now he knew the truth. He and Bones were the only living men to see the true tomb of the father of their country. It both thrilled and saddened him.
“Maddock! Back there.” Bones trained his light on the far end of the tomb, where a trapdoor had opened. They crawled through and found themselves in a tunnel twin to the one through which they had entered the meeting hall.
Dane regained his feet and sprinted up the passageway. The sound of the collapsing room faded as they climbed higher, racing toward freedom. They rounded a turn and came to a sudden halt.
A heap of rubble barred their way. That had run directly into one of the many passages that had collapsed decades, maybe centuries ago.
“Now what?” Dane couldn’t believe they’d escaped with their lives, only to have their way barred.
“We can’t go back. The ceiling came down over the trapdoor we came through. The only way is forward.”
Dane sighed. “We’d better roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Holding their Maglites in their teeth, they set to clearing the rubble. They worked in silence, sweat and dust coating them from head to foot. It seemed a Sisyphean task. Every stone they cleared revealed only more rubble, but neither spoke of giving up.
While they labored, Dane reflected on the whirlwind events of the past few days. He realized that, though he and Bones certainly had their differences, they were shallow, superficial things. Bones had no reason to join Dane on this crazy adventure, and could have abandoned the chase at any point. But no matter the danger, his resolve had never wavered. And now, faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, he worked with a single-minded determination.
Dane grabbed hold of a chunk of bricks and mortar the size of a scuba tank, and heaved. Cool air blew across his face, and his light shone into an open passageway.
“I think we did it!”
“Hell yes!” Bones exclaimed. “But if we come across another blockage, I’m going to need a couple of beers before we get to work.”
Laughing with relief, they cleared a hole large enough to worm their way through, and soon found themselves back in the passageway they’d followed into Faneuil Hall. That had been only hours ago, but it seemed like days, weeks even.
They reached the exit at the base of Paul Revere’s statue and paused.
“It’s the middle of the day on the Fourth of July. What are people going to think when we climb out of here?”
“You know what, Maddock? I don’t care.”
They pushed the cover aside and Bones gave Dane a leg up. Blinded by daylight after so many hours in the dark, he squeezed his eyes closed against the glare, and opened them to find himself surrounded by a crowd of men, women, and children, all decked out in star spangled attire and gaping at him.
“City inspectors. Checking out some problems with the sewer system.” Dane reached down, grabbed Bones’ hand, and hauled him up.
“You folks enjoy your holiday,” Bones added. “And remember us poor suckers who don’t get a day off on the Fourth. Gotta love Uncle Sam.” He winked at a leggy blonde who giggled and blushed.
The crowd broke apart as Dane replaced the trail marker. When he stood and turned around, Bones was chatting up the blonde, who had been joined by her friend, a curvy brunette with big, brown eyes.
“Maddock, this is Courtney and her friend Melissa. I think we should blow off work and hang out with them.”
Dane managed a nod, transfixed by Melissa, the brunette. He’d never seen eyes so beautiful. “Yeah, how about Bones and I get cleaned up and we’ll meet up in a couple of hours?”
“Where should we meet?” Courtney asked.
“How about that bar where they film Cheers?” Bones asked. “I’ve always liked Sam. That dude is a player.”
“The Bull and Finch?” Melissa said. “You know they don’t actually film...”
Dane cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t bother,” he whispered as Bones and Courtney debated the merits of Coach versus Woody. “He’ll pretend he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. He’s not dumb, but he’ll drive you nuts pretending he is.”
“You two make an odd pair.” Melissa looked him up and down, but Dane kept his eyes locked on hers. How did she manage to hold his gaze like that? “Of course, so do Courtney and I.” She lowered her voice, “Unfortunately, she is as dumb as she acts, but she’s sweet.”
“I wouldn’t call Bones ‘sweet,’ but he’s all right.”
“Sometimes, the Yin and Yang friendships are the ones that last.” Melissa took his hand and held it up, frowning at the black dirt beneath his fingernails. “You’ve got a seriously dirty job. I’d find a new line of work if I were you.”
“Actually, that was just a cover story so people wouldn’t wonder why we were down in the tunnels.”
“Really? This sounds interesting.”
“It is, but it’ll take a long time to explain.” He glanced over her shoulder to see Bones fix him with a disapproving look. “Actually, it won’t take that long. We’re history junkies and we heard there were old tunnels under the city that dated back to Colonial times. We decided to check it out and the ceiling fell in.”
Melissa laughed. “I can see why you’d want to make up a cover story.” She checked her watch. “We’ll meet you in two hours. And don’t you dare stand me up.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
As they made their way back to the spot where they’d left Andrews’ car, they discussed their options.
“What do we do?” Bones asked. “I mean, do we report what happened?”
Dane considered the question. His first instinct was, and had always been, to trust in the truth. In this case, however, he couldn’t see any way that telling the truth would accomplish anything other than complicating their lives. He
sighed.
“I think we should forget the headquarters even exists. There’s nothing left of it anyway, and if it were excavated, we’d have to explain two dead bodies.”
“So the plan is?”
“We run Andrews’ car through a carwash, take it back to his house, put it in the garage, and wipe it down for fingerprints, just to be on the safe side. Of course, as far as anyone knows, his death was an accident, so it’s not like there’ll be an investigation.”
“And Jillian?”
“The crazy cat lady who never puts down roots? She skipped out on her lease and moved a little earlier than expected. She doesn’t have any relatives who’ll come looking for her. I suppose the Sons of the Republic might miss her.”
“But they’ll figure she’s just another victim of their twisted game of King of the Mountain.” Bones clapped a hand on Dane’s shoulder. “I think you’ve got all the bases covered. Maddock, I am definitely rubbing off on you.”
CHAPTER 19
“The prodigal sons have returned, and in one piece, I’m glad to see.” It was a relief to find him so relaxed after their encounter a few days earlier. “You two didn’t try to kill each other?”
“Actually, we got along okay. Much to my surprise.”
“He’s got a long way to go yet, but I’ll get Maddock straightened out for you,” Bones added.
“You didn’t get him into any shenanigans, did you, Bonebrake?”
“I can honestly say I didn’t get him into any trouble.” Bones covered a laugh, but Maxie, his attention diverted by the morning paper, didn’t notice. “We downed a few brews, he dragged me to some historical crap, I scammed on the ladies and Maddock took notes. The usual.”
Chuckling, Maxie closed his newspaper and dropped it on the desk. “I read about a tunnel collapse yesterday in downtown Boston. Formed a big sinkhole in an abandoned lot. You didn’t see that, did you?”
Dane and Bones spoke over each other in their hurry to reply.
“No.”
“We didn’t do it.”
Maxie’s features froze in a blank stare. They stood there in silence for a span of ten heartbeats, waiting to see what he would say next. Finally, his shoulders sagged and he dropped his chin to his chest. When he looked up again, Dane saw fatigue and a touch of amusement in his eyes.
“Do I need to make some calls?”
“I don’t think so.” Dane couldn’t quite meet Maxie’s eye.
“Good.” Maxie returned to his newspaper and flipped to the sports page. He studied it for a minute, leaving Dane and Bones standing there. Dane was just about to ask if they were dismissed when Maxie spoke from behind the paper.
“Remember the questions I asked you both?”
“Which ones?” Bones asked.
“Tell me about Maddock.”
“He’s still got a stick up his butt, but it’s smaller.” Bones cleared his throat. “And his instincts are good. He’s somebody you can trust.”
“Maddock, tell me about Bonebrake.”
“He’s a little reckless, but he’s tough and loyal. He’d run through a brick wall to help a friend.”
“Or tear one down,” Bones added with a grin.
Maxie gave them another long look. “It’s a start. I’ll make SEALs of you two yet. Dismissed.”
Dane had his hand on the doorknob when Maxie called out.
“By the way, Maddock.”
Dane froze and slowly turned his head toward Maxie. “Yes?”
“Paccone’s an ass. Nice work.”
Bones guffawed and shoved a dumbstruck Dane out the door and into the warm California sun.
“That,” Bones proclaimed, “calls for a beer. How about I stand you to a pitcher?”
“Only if you let me buy the second one.”
“It’s a deal.” Bones paused and gazed thoughtfully up at the sky.
“What?” Dane craned his neck to see what had captured Bones’ attention, but saw only blue sky.
“I was just wondering. Do you think we’ll ever have another adventure like that one?”
“Not a chance, my friend. Not a chance.”
~The End~
About the Authors
David Wood is the author of The Dane Maddock Adventures series, as well as several stand-alone works and two series for young adults. Under his David Debord pen name he is the author of the Absent Gods fantasy series. He co-hosts the ThrillerCast podcast and is a contributing author at Thriller Central. When not writing, he coaches fast-pitch softball and tries to find time to read. David and his family live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit him online at www.davidwoodweb.com.
Sean Sweeney’s love of reading began in 1988, when he was handed J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Hobbit, and was given a needed reading boost with John Grisham novels and the Star Wars Expanded Universe in the 1990s. His passion for writing began in 1993, as a sophomore in high school, when he began writing sports for his local newspaper. Sweeney has written for several newspapers and radio stations. Since then, Sean has written fifteen novels along with a handful of novellas and short stories. Sean lives in Bolton, Massachusetts with his girlfriend, Jennifer, their three horses, five cats, a bunny, and the betta fish that makes Sean’s office its home.
Enjoy this sneak preview of
ATLANTIS
Sofia Perez mopped her brow and looked out a across the sun-baked flats of the Marisma de Hinojos. Heat rose in waves off from the parched earth, shimmering in the summer sun. Workers milled about, excavating the circles of canals that ringed the site. It was hard to believe the transformation this drought-ridden salt marsh outside of Cadiz, Spain had undergone since they’d begun work in the early spring. With the kind of funding they were getting, they’d better make progress.
“Hot as Satan’s buttcrack out here.” Patrick fanned himself with his straw pith helmet. His fair skin was not holding up well under the Spanish sun. In fact, his entire body glowed red beneath a thick layer of sunscreen. “I don’t know how you handle it.”
“I’m from Miami. This is nothing.” That wasn’t entirely true. She kept going to her backpack for the can of spray-on sports sunblock to protect her olive skin. She hated sunburns. She raised an eyebrow at Patrick. “So, are you going to stand there trying not to smile, or are you going to tell me what’s up?”
“You’re needed at my dig site.” He stopped fanning. “We think we’ve found the entrance to the temple.”
Now it was Sofia’s turn to keep her emotions in check.
“No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo,” she said under her breath.
“What’s that, now?”
“Something my abuela used to say. It means, don’t sell the bearskin before you hunt it.” Now she did permit herself a sad smile. Her grandparents had been so proud when she’d graduated from college. They weren’t as impressed by her choice of archaeology as a vocation. They’d been praying for an attorney in the family.
“It’s more colorful than, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, I’ll grant you that. Now, are you coming?”
They navigated the busy work site, waving to workers who called out greetings to them. Spirits were high. This had been a controversial undertaking from the start. Sofia had been skeptical, but the money was too good to pass up. Since then, their results continued to vindicate them. The circles originally spotted in satellite imagery and scoffed at by almost everyone had proved, upon excavation, to be ringed canals. And at the center…
“The Temple of Poseidon,” Patrick whispered. “I can’t believe we’ve really found it. It’s almost like a dream.”
“You’re a scientist, Patrick. Be professional.”
“Even if it’s not what we think, it’s still a spectacular find. The architecture is classic, the golden ratio is everywhere. We uncovered a shaft that runs down into the temple at precisely the same angle as one of the shafts in the Queen’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid, except it’s much bigger. A few inches wider and I’d have climbed down there
myself. It’s a great find, Sofia. We’re going to be in the history books.”
“We can’t draw any conclusions until we get inside and see what, exactly we’re dealing with. It would be pretty embarrassing if we told the world we’ve found the legendary temple at the heart of Atlantis and it turns out to be a grain storage building.”
Patrick looked away, a guilty expression on his face.
Sofia stopped in her tracks, grabbed him by the shoulder, and yanked him around to face her. “Tell me you didn’t.” But the look in his eyes said that he had.
“I only sent one text. I was supposed to report in if we found anything promising. You’ve got to admit this,” he pointed to the peak of the roof they had uncovered, “is interesting.”
She couldn’t argue with him. The temple, for it was clear that’s what it was, had been remarkably well preserved. The carving on the pediment, the triangular upper portion of the temple facade, showed an angry Poseidon slamming his trident into the sea, sending ferocious waves in either direction. They’d uncovered only the two center supporting columns so far, massive pillars fluted with parallel, concave grooves. At their peaks, the capitals, the head pieces that flared out to support the horizontal beam beneath the pediment, were carved to resemble the scaled talons of a sea creature, giving the impression that the roof was in the clutches of a primordial beast. The sight of it sent chills down her spine.
“Who did you tell?”
“Mister Bishop. I mean, his assistant. That’s the only number I had. They’re staying somewhere nearby.” His voice took on a pleading tone. “Come on, Sofia. They’re footing the bill for this entire dig. They’ve given us everything we could want. You think we could have written grants to find Atlantis in southern Spain and gotten anything but ridicule for our trouble?”
“I know.” She hated to admit it, but he was right. “It’s just weird that the Kingdom Church is paying us to find Atlantis. Noah’s Ark, I could see, but this? It’s weird.”
“I don’t care as long as the checks keep coming. Now, how about you quit worrying and let’s get down there so they can open this door. You said not to open anything without you, and we took you at your word.”
