Page 231 of Rangers Unexpected Return

Nobody answered.

Max suddenly walked past us.

Straight to the back wall.

He sniffed once.

Twice.

Then sat.

Mace crouched beside him.

"What do you have?"

Max pawed gently at the dirt.

Will immediately held up both hands.

"Don't."

Mace smiled.

"I know."

"You keep saying that."

"Because you keep saying it."

Will photographed the area.

Then carefully brushed away the top layer of dirt.

Something appeared.

Metal.

Not a box.

A hinge.

"There," I whispered.

Trigger helped clear more dirt.

A narrow steel door had been buried beneath several inches of packed earth.

It was no larger than a briefcase.

Sheriff Tate slowly knelt beside it.

"I've never seen anything like this."

Neither had I.

There wasn't a handle.

Only...