Phantom of Execution Rocks

by MJ Miller

  “What have I done this time? I can tell I've annoyed you.”

  Truthfully, Luce knew he’d done nothing at all. It was that girl, Cherise, who rather than some escort floozy turned out to be Jackson’s sister.

  “Nothing, OK? It’s not you. Though if you don’t quit staring at my boobs it will be.”

  “Can’t help it. It’s a guy thing. You’ve got good ones.”

  “You’d think you’d have gotten your fill at dinner,” Luce grumbled softly, causing Andy to burst out laughing.

  “Oh shit I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Luce grinned. She couldn’t help it. It was a relief almost to say it. Put it out there and relieve some tension.

  “Don’t tell me you were jealous, Luce,” Andy’s voice was deeper, raspier, teasing.

  “Moi? Certainly not,” Luce whispered softly, her attention solely focused on his face now, as she noticed him drawing nearer.

  “Maybe just a little?” He breathed out slowly, lifting a hand and reaching toward her, causing her to lean back away from him.

  “What are you doing?” Luce could hear her own voice tremble.

  “Eyelash,” he said softly as he slid one finger gently over her cheek. Luce shivered.

  “Cold?” he asked, answering her question.

  “No,” she whispered. He wasn’t looking at her chest anymore. His face was now only inches away. He’s eyes locked on hers.

  Luce was as sure as ever what she wanted now, though terrified all at the same time. Licking her lips, she took a breath and braced herself. She knew kissing Andy would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions. She also knew she might regret it if she didn't.

  His palm on her cheek, his thumb sliding across her bottom lip, he leaned in.

  The instant his lips met hers, their world seemed to explode. She felt lightning bolts run through her veins as he explored her, first with his tongue, then with his hands. They were everywhere as Luce reached over and placed both of hers behind his head to draw him closer. It had been building for so long it was as if this were the grand finale.

  A sudden noise caused Andy’s eyes to glance just over the rails. “Holy fuck,” Andy’s words breathed into her mouth, just before he pulled back. “Look over there, by the jetty, Luce.”

  “That can’t be,” Luce whispered, staring at the spot he was pointing to.

  “Let’s go. Come on,” Andy said as he took her hand and pulled her up. “Throw on some real clothes and let’s go have a look.”

  “Maybe I should get Jamie, film this?”

  “No, just us.” Andy’s voice was strange. Detached, Luce thought. But it didn’t matter. She somehow knew he was right, somehow. Whatever was happening down there wasn’t to be shared. At least not yet.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Where do you think he went?” Luce whispered, one hand on Andy’s back as she stood crouched behind him. The massive rocks in the stone jetty appeared untouched. But they both agreed they’d witnessed someone walk right into an opening that seemed to have vanished.

  Andy felt around carefully with his fingertips, looking for holes, holding his head sideways, listening for air pockets, anything to hint that it was a façade. But it was dark, nothing but moonlight to guide them. He hesitated to shine a light; he didn’t want to be seen. He was sure someone else had been out here. He crouched down, and, reluctantly, turned on the bright light from his phone and scanned the sandy area for footprints.

  “Andy look,” Luce tapped on his back to get his attention. “Above you, something shiny, glinting.”

  He aimed the light towards the top of the jetty and swayed it back and forth until he spotted it. A lever of some sort.

  “What is that?” Luce tapped his back again, leaving her hand there.

  “Only one way to find out,” Andy replied and chuckled. He thought about offering up a snarky remark about her being handsy, but was enjoying it too much. He reached up and pushed down on the rusty metal lever as he leaned in, then felt the rock grudgingly give way as it swung inward, slowly, about a foot, then stopped.

  “A trap door? Made of stone?” Luce murmured, following him in.

  He stopped and turned. “Luce, stay here. I mean it. Just stay here. If I’m not out in 15 minutes, go for help.” Andy’s voice brooked no argument. Though Luce did give him her best scowl.

  “Fine but be careful. Okay?” she grumbled as she exited the cramped dark space. Truthfully she didn’t want to be in there, so outside was better. But patience wasn’t her friend at that moment. She stood at the entrance as he disappeared inside, and listened as his footsteps echoed softly, the sound fading away.

  Andy estimated he was about 100 feet in, when the damp hallway seemed to veer off to the left. Following the wall with his hands, keeping the light off so as not to alert whoever had entered the passageway before him. He paused every few yards, listening. He heard nothing but the slow steady sounds of condensation dripping. The wall abruptly came to an end, his hands touching air. Hearing nothing still, assured nobody was there, he switched on the light and realized he had stepped into a large chamber.

  “Son of a bitch,” he said softly, shining his light around the room, taking it all in. Heading over to the far wall, he crouched down, examining what looked like fossils at first. But on closer examination, they were bone fragments. Human or animal, he couldn’t tell. He needed better light. More tools. He knew he’d have to come back. In fact, Luce may have been right all along. They should have brought Jamie. This was going to be a fabulous scene for the show. More importantly, he felt the first twinge of real excitement, outside of the fun he was having with Luce. He’d only agreed to play TV adventurer to be near her anyway. Part of his overall plan.

  He heard a scream and quickly stood up, tuned in. It wasn’t a yelp or a mild, help me I’ve fallen scream. It was blood curdling. And he’d know that voice anywhere.

  “Luce! Luce where are you?” He yelled impatiently. Her shouts had come from somewhere she shouldn’t be. Too close. He’d left her with strict instructions to stay put. How hard is that? He shook his head in frustration.

  “Luce!” He was getting worried now.

  “Rats, Andy, there are rats.” Luce came stumbling into the chamber, eyes wide.

  He wanted to wring her neck, but the look on her face told him she’d learned a lesson. Instead, he shook his head softly and stepped over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

  “You still don’t follow orders very well, do you?” He whispered. Still unsure of their surroundings. “It’s OK, Luce. They’re just mice.”

  “Tell them that,” she replied, still shaken by the little rodents that had scampered by her feet. Leaning her head against his chest, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then pulled back.

  “OK, I’m fine. Just startled. What did you find?” Her voice still shook, indicating she wasn’t fine at all, causing him to bite back a smile. Luce was always the one to put on a brave face. It’s one of the things he admired about her. But no time for that now.

  “I was just beginning to look around when you gave me a heart attack,” he said quietly. “It’s a treasure trove in here. Look over there, by that puddle, there’s a set of boxes. And over there? Some very old books. I was just digging into this little pile over here,” he aimed the light. “I think they might be old bones. I thought they were fossils at first.” He stepped back over, paused to slip on some gloves, then crouched down again. Lifting a small object, he weighed it in his palm, then plucked it up with his other hand to study it.

  “I have to get this on film, Andy.” Luce took out her phone and began fiddling. “Just keep doing what you’re doing…” her voice trailed off as she began recording with the nighttime setting on her video. Luckily, her phone was pretty new and the camera was amazing. She tried to keep steady as she recorded though she really wanted to crouch down next to him. She also wanted to go through the books and boxes though she knew she had to remain in the background. This was Andy’s investig
ation. She thought about calling Chris though. He should be here too.

  “We should come back tomorrow night with Chris, and film this properly, right?” Luce was torn between being the consummate professional and giving in to her curiosity.

  “I suppose you’re right Luce, though I would like to look around a bit more. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all, I’m just going to peek at one thing myself,” she replied. “Just one.” She smirked knowing she’d have a hard time sticking to that. Heading over to the books first, she spotted exactly what she wanted right off the bat.

  It lay flat, off to the side. She crouched down and blew off the dust and sand that had settled on it. Using the light of her phone, she could tell it was unusual. The cover appeared to be a light colored embossed leather, but the spine had what looked like a cloth binding. She peered closer to read the inscription.

  MorningStar

  Bowers Shipping LTD

  “Andy! Look!” Luce stared at the book in awe.

  “Well I’ll be damned.” He whistled softly, crouching next to her.

  “Do you think it’s the ship’s log? Journal? Whatever they called it?”

  “More than likely. Can you open it? Here put these on,” he said, quickly peeling off his gloves and handing them to her.

  Luce didn’t bother to put them on, instead using them as she would a cloth, to gently pull on the cover to lift it. “Nope. Wait. There’s a lock.”

  Looking at each other the realization was immediate.

  “The key,” they both said in unison. He grinned and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Hard and fast. Just enough to celebrate the discovery, not enough to cause a distraction.

  Luce grinned back. Somehow, for the first time in a long time, her body hummed with excitement. Whether it was Andy himself, their adventure or their newfound something more than friend’s relationship, she didn’t know. And she didn’t care right then and there. She was going to live in the moment for once. And she leaned in and kissed him right back.

  “I don’t want to leave it here. Maybe we can take it with us and hide it, then bring it tomorrow night when we come back? Not show it to anyone?”

  “Luce, this is a reality show, right? Wouldn’t that be considered cheating?” Andy frowned. He didn’t want to participate in anything that wasn’t on the up and up.

  “You’re right of course,” Luce sighed with disappointment. “What happens if we come back and it isn’t here?”

  “A chance we have to take. I know exactly how to play this, OK? Do you trust me?”

  Luce sat back on her heels and pulling her head back to gaze at him, she studied his expression and nodded.

  “Tell you what, just go ahead and get a few shots of it now, just in case.” Andy didn’t want her to stay awake all night worrying about it. Something he knew he would do himself. That is, if he didn’t have other plans.

  Chapter Thirty

  It took everything in Luce’s power to hold onto their secret. The discovery of the chamber and the book had to look genuine, so it had to be an honest reaction from Chris. Andy would be edited out of the initial scene when they find it so that the audience wouldn’t doubt its authenticity. There was a twinge of guilt, as Luce normally would never do this, but she had no choice. They had been exploring where they shouldn’t. There’d be no hidden cameras, no hint that they’d already been there. The trick was how to rediscover the secret entrance. Andy told her he would come up with something, but she hadn’t heard from him all afternoon. She’d been interviewing in the library. Mrs. Bowers, Peabody, Rodney; one after the other getting their initial stories. Andy and Chris had gone off to explore the house and would be captured on the hidden cameras. Scouting locations for additional scenes and investigating, according to Andy.

  She’d texted him several times and ended up with nothing but frustration. She tried again to get some details.

  What’s the plan?

  Don’t worry your pretty little head, all taken care of.

  Luce snickered. Pretty little head?

  I need to know, preferably in advance

  Oh, you will, I guarantee it