The clay held.
Again, but harder.
The brick cracked.
What the hell?
He slammed the iron bar into the surface, which shattered, revealing a dark hole. He switched the crowbar out for the light and shone the beam inside. Something glittered back.
Like glass.
He regripped the bar and carefully broke away the rest of the brick labeled IV. His right hand was beginning to ache from supporting his weight, though his feet, locked together around the rope, bore the brunt. He stuffed the crowbar back into his boot and swiped away the remaining fragments. Before he stuffed his hand inside he used the light one more time to see what awaited him.
A small object.
Maybe eight inches wide and a couple of inches tall.
Definitely glass.
He clenched the small flashlight between his teeth and removed the prize. He angled his chin down and the light reflected off the glass. He could see something sealed inside. A quick check with the beam showed the hole in the wall was now empty.
Mission accomplished.
He walked through the woods at a leisurely pace, allowing his right arm and hand to relax after their strain. That shouldn’t have taxed his muscles so much. He was going to have to increase his workouts.
The rope was coiled over his shoulder. One hand held the crowbar, the other the glass receptacle. Definitely something sealed inside but he was not tasked with determining what. Stephanie had told him to retrieve and return whatever was there to her. Fine by him. He wasn’t upper management, and he liked it that way.
He’d replaced everything at the temple. Surely, either tomorrow or soon after, someone would notice the broken mortar joints. They’d raise the concrete hatch and discover the hole in the wall. What it all meant would simply be a mystery. No answers, no evidence. Nothing to point to any culprit. All in all a good night. He’d not only struck pay dirt in the ice pit, he had Katie’s phone number. He just might take her up on her offer and connect. He was due some downtime in another week.
He found his car and tossed the rope and crowbar into the trunk. He slipped back inside the Mustang, no cabin light betraying his presence. He laid the glass on the passenger seat and inserted the key in the ignition.
Something moved in the backseat.
He came alert.
A head appeared.
Then a face in the rearview mirror. Katie’s.
She was holding a gun—the one he kept in the glove compartment—aimed at him.
“You know how to use that?” he asked, not turning his head around.
“I can squeeze a trigger. The back of your seat is a big target.”
“You turned me in?”
“I knew you weren’t any army man. You’re a thief. I followed you back here and waited for you to make a move. Then I called the sheriff.”
“Now, darlin’, that hurts to the core. And I thought you and I were gettin’ along real good.” Then it hit him. “That phone number you gave me ain’t real. Right?”
“I only went to eat with you because I wanted to see what you were up to. I’m not a tour guide. I was just filling in today. I work on the restoration staff. I have a master’s degree in American history, working on my doctorate. Madison is my specialty. That house is important. Thieves like you ruin it for all of us. And what do you think? That phone number is for the local sheriff.”
Her being here was a big problem. What had Stephanie said? Don’t get caught. “I’m not a thief.”
“Then what’s on the front seat?”
He lifted the hunk of glass and handed it back to her.
“Where’d you find this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“That’s because Madison hid it in his ice pit.”
“How did you know that?”
He did not answer her.
“We’re going to the sheriff,” she said.
“Unfortunately, I can’t do that. You might be some bigwig academic, but I’m an agent for the U.S. government and we need what you’re holding.”
“You don’t expect me to believe that.”
He heard sirens. Again.
“Come on, Katie. What did you do now?”
“I called the sheriff back when I saw you coming.”
He turned around and faced her. “You’re rapidly becoming a pain in my ass. Look, I’m telling you the truth. I have to take that back to my boss. You can come with me, if you want, to make sure it’s cool.”
The wail grew closer.
“Did you tell them where we are?” he asked.
“Of course. How else are they going to find you?”
This just kept getting better and better.
“Make a decision, Katie. Shoot me, get out, or come with me. Which is it?” He saw the indecision in her eyes. “I really am an agent and this is damn important. Tell you what. If it makes you feel better, keep the gun and that hunk of glass back there with you.”