“We just got a call,” I tell him. “Our friends found something at Jake’s place—possibly the main cache you mentioned.”
Richard’s eyes widen. “The heart of darkness? Already?”
“We don’t know yet,” Caleb says. “But they need the cipher key we found today to make sense of the markings.”
Richard immediately begins gathering his things. “I’ll drive you back,” he offers. “My truck is about half a mile from here.”
“You’re coming with us?” I ask, not attempting to hide my lingering suspicion.
He meets my gaze steadily. “If they’ve found what I think they have, you’ll need my help to understand its significance. Besides,” he adds with a grim smile, “I’ve been searching for this my entire adult life. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away now.”
We set out minutes later, Richard leading the way down a different path than the one we had taken to reach the cabin. Scout stays close to my side, occasionally looking back at Richard’s cabin, but no longer growling—a promising sign.
“How did you know where to find us today?” Caleb asks as we walk.
“I’ve been watching the property since Danny’s arrest,” Richard admits. “When I saw you heading to the stone sentinel this morning, I knew you must have found something in Wolf’s journal.”
“So you followed us,” I say, unable to keep the accusation from my voice.
“Yes,” he acknowledges without apology. “But I wasn’t the only one.”
This stops me in my tracks. “Who else?”
“NTM security,” Richard says grimly. “They’ve had people watching Jake’s property for weeks. That’s why I slashed your tires—to get you off the trail and somewhere secure. They were closing in.”
A chill runs through me that has nothing to do with the winter air. “How do you know they were NTM?”
“Same two men I’ve seen at their regional office,” Richard explains. “Ex-military types. They don’t bother hiding their association with the company around town.”
We reach Richard’s truck—an aging Ford pickup parked on a narrow service road. As promised, it’s only about half a mile from the cabin, hidden by a cluster of young pines.
The drive back to Jake’s is tense, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I keep checking the side mirror, half-expecting to see another vehicle following us, but the road remains empty. Scout sits on the floor at my feet, occasionally resting his head on my leg as if sensing my unease.
As we pull up to Jake’s house, I spot the others gathered near the barn—Jake, Kane, Kori, Mia, Connor, and Ella, all huddled around something on the ground. Nora stands nearby, bouncing with excitement.
“They’ve uncovered something,” Richard murmurs, his voice tight with anticipation.
We park and hurry over. Kane looks up as we approach, his expression a mixture of excitement and concern.
“About time,” he says. “Who’s this?”
“Richard Green,” Caleb answers. “Margret’s foreman. He has information about what we’re dealing with.”
Kane’s eyes narrow slightly, but he nods. “Well, Richard, you’ve arrived just in time for the big reveal. We found this about an hour ago.”
He steps aside, revealing a rectangular metal plate embedded in the ground. It’s been partially uncovered, exposing what appears to be a door—a trapdoor leading underground.
“A root cellar?” I ask, bending down for a closer look.
“Not according to the property plans,” Jake says, crouching beside me. “There’s no record of any structure here.”
The exposed portion of the metal is etched with the same symbols we’ve seen in Wolf’s journal. I reach for my bag and withdraw the cipher key we found earlier.
“This should help us translate,” I say, opening the small book.
Richard leans over my shoulder, his breath visible in the cold air. “May I?”
I hesitate, then hand him the book. He studies it with reverent care, then begins tracing the symbols on the trapdoor with his finger.
