فصل 09 - بخش 11

9

The Hole’s arched entryway was blocked by two dozen wooden planks, attached by huge rusty bolts to the cement plug beyond. With such double coverage against unauthorized explorers, there was hardly any need of No Trespassing signs, but there were a couple, anyway. Plus a few fading spray-paint tags – left, Ralph presumed, by the same kids who brought their ATVs out here.

‘Anyone think this looks tampered with?’ Yune asked.

‘Nope,’ Alec said. ‘Why they even bothered with the boards is beyond me. You’d need a good charge of dynamite to put a hole in that cement plug.’

‘Which would probably finish the job the quake started,’ Howie added.

Holly turned around and pointed over the hood of the SUV. ‘See that road on the other side of the gift shop? That goes to the Ahiga entrance. Tourists weren’t allowed to go into the cave that way, but there are many interesting pictographs.’

‘And you know this how?’ Yune asked.

‘The map they gave out to tourists is still online. Everything is online these days.’

‘It’s called research, amigo,’ Ralph said. ‘You should try it some time.’

They got back into the SUV, Howie once more behind the wheel with Ralph riding shotgun. Howie started slowly across the parking lot. ‘That road looks pretty crappy,’ he said.

‘You should be okay,’ Holly said. ‘There are tourist cabins on the other side of the rise. According to the newspaper stories, the second rescue party used them as a staging area. Plus there would have been lots of media people and worried relatives once the news got out.’

‘Not to mention your ordinary garden variety rubberneckers,’ Yune said. ‘They probably—’

‘Stop, Howie,’ Alec said. ‘Whoa.’ They were a little more than halfway across the parking lot now, the SUV’s stubby nose pointing toward the road that went to the cabins. And, presumably, to the Hole’s back door.

Howie braked. ‘What?’

‘Maybe we’re making this tougher than it has to be. The outsider doesn’t necessarily have to be in the cave – he was hiding in a barn out there in Canning Township.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning we should check the gift shop. See if there’s signs of a break-in.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Yune said.

Howie opened the driver’s door. ‘Why don’t we all go?’