Tap.Clack.
Tap.Thunk.
He frowned.“...That one does sound different.”
“Right?”
I crouched beside the base of the column.Years of dust covered the floor, except around this one.The concrete looked different.Not newer, just smoother.Like someone had patched around it decades ago.I brushed away more dust with my palm, and a faint line appeared, almost impossible to see.I leaned closer.“No...”
“What?”
I pulled the tape measure free and measured from the wall.Measured again and then grabbed the blueprint.My heart started beating faster.“Wheels...”
He knelt beside me.“What?”
“This column...”I pointed.“...isn’t where it should be.”
He stared.“What do you mean?”
“The others are evenly spaced.”
I pointed across the basement.“Twelve feet.”Another.“Twelve.”Another.“Twelve.”I pointed at the odd column.“This one’s eleven feet, seven inches.”
He looked back at the row.“Damn.”
“I don’t think this was part of the original basement.”
He slowly stood.“You think somebody moved a support column?”
I looked back at the patched concrete.“No.I think...”I ran my fingers over the floor.“...they built one.”
Wheels looked around.“You saying this thing’s fake?”
“I’m saying it wasn’t on the original plans.”
He rubbed his beard.
“So why put one here?”
I slowly turned toward the nearest wall, because if this wasn’t structural, then it was hiding something.I walked ten slow steps and studied the concrete.Nothing.
Another five and I stopped.The wall here looked exactly the same.Except...it didn’t.
I crouched again and ran my fingertips across the surface.One section felt smoother.Like newer concrete had been feathered into old.
“So subtle...”I whispered.
“What?”
I stood and knocked once with my knuckles.Solid.Moved two feet and knocked again.Solid.
One more step.Knock and the sound changed.Barely, but enough.
I hit it again.A low, dull echo answered me.
I smiled.“Wheels.”
His eyes met mine.
