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Grimm held his cell phone in front of them and read, “Beware the false goal. Just when you get what you think you wanted, you realize it might not be the treasure you needed. It might not be a treasure but a trick that could trap you with a life of disappointment and an early, miserable death.” He tipped his head toward the vein. “My bet is that’s fool’s gold, and the vertical shaft in front of it was a trap designed to stop thieves from entering through the backdoor.”
“It’s very effective and deadly.” Dezi shivered. “I was fooled.”
Grimm pulled her into his arms and held her for a moment. “We’re going to make it through this and look back on it as one grand adventure.”
“That’s right. One grand adventure,” she murmured, her cheek pressed against his shirt. She leaned to the side, looking around his arm. “I’m glad you’re here to keep me safe.”
“Me, too.” He stepped back and looked around. “The tunnel turns here.”
They continued into the mine, moving slower while making sure every step was onto firm ground.
Not far from the vein of fool’s gold, the iron rails stretched across another vertical shaft, dangling above the hole.
“The rails look intact,” Grimm said.
“Nope. We aren’t going across that.” Dezi shook her head. “Nope, nope, nope. What was it my uncle said on the next line?”
“Tread lightly or fall victim. Better yet, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump to a better way.” Grimm glanced around at the tunnel. “Where is the better way?”
Dezi picked her way around the hole in the floor. A boulder that had fallen from the tunnel’s ceiling lay beside the track. She eased her way around it and found a narrow fissure in the tunnel floor, no more than a couple of inches wide. Beyond the fissure, the floor appeared solid again. Dezi stepped over the fissure, crossed the rock floor and came to a wide gap a little more than three feet wide. For her short legs, she’d need a running start to ensure she made it to the other side.
Grimm stepped up beside her. “This must be the part about the hop, skip and jump.”
“You won’t have to do it. With your long legs, you can step over the barriers. I’ll need that running start and someone on the other end to make sure I get there.”
“I’ll be there,” Grimm assured her. When he started to step over the chasm, Dezi’s heart flipped. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “It looks like a long way down.”
“It’s not that wide a gap,” he assured her. “I can walk over it, no problem.”
She clutched his shirt a moment longer and then squared her shoulders. “Okay. I’ve got myself together.”
“Good.”
“When you’re ready, just do it.” Dezi closed her eyes.
Grimm laughed. “You’re not going to watch?”
“Hell no.” She opened her eyes long enough to shoot him a glare. “Did I mention that I’m afraid of heights?”
“You did.”
“Well, it’s transferable,” she said. Now, I’ll be afraid of heights for you.”
Grimm bent, bestowed a kiss on her pretty lips and then stood at the edge of the gap. “One…two…three.” He stepped over the gap with no problem. “Now you,” he said, holding out his hand.
Dezi had to lean over the gap to capture his hand in hers.
“On three, I’ll pull you over. Be ready to jump.”
She nodded.
“One…two…” Before he reached the number there, Grimm pulled hard, jerking Dezi across the gap and into his arms. “See? Piece of cake.”
With her arms locked around his waist, she murmured, “I want cake.”
Grimm laughed. “Come on. We have to be getting close.”
“Seriously. If I recall, the tread lightly clue was the last tricky one. Whatever my uncle wanted me to find has to be coming up soon.” She came to a halt in the middle of the tunnel and shined her light down. “Read the next clue.”
