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“Come on, Platt.” Gold beckoned to his son. “I’ll show you the knot your mom taught me on our honeymoon.”
“I don’t need the details,” Platt said as they set about binding their captives.
When they had finished, Maddock led everyone into the empty room adjacent to the cavern. “Look around and tell me what you notice.”
“Rocks,” Dakota said.
“Look carefully at the walls.”
“Can’t you just tell us instead of acting all superior?” Bones grumbled.
“This section of wall is different.” Spenser walked to the far wall and ran her fingertips over its surface. “It’s flatter, more regular.”
“It’s a false wall,” Bones said. “We only had a few seconds to look inside before those Dominion assclowns showed up.” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Let’s knock it down.”
“Hold on a minute,” Spenser said. “I still have a job to do.”
In the chaos, Maddock had briefly forgotten they were technically here to film a television show. They waited while she smoothed her hair, and then Platt recorded her as she described the discovery of what they believed to be a false wall.
“Could Brigham Young have ordered this place sealed up to hide the treasure?” she asked Maddock.
“Possibly.” Maddock was uncomfortable on camera and eager to investigate, but he could tell she wanted him to elaborate. “The clues have brought us this far, so I’m hopeful we’re nearing the end of the hunt.”
“Why would someone create a false wall if not to hide something valuable?” Spenser asked.
Bones sidled into the shot. “The other likely reasons are to conceal a secret or to seal off something dangerous.”
“Breaking through this wall might be unsafe?” Spenser looked to camera with trepidation on her face. “What might be in there? Poison gas?”
“Poison gas, deadly spores, a Celine Dion album on repeat. Treasure hunting can get ugly.” Bones winked at the camera.
“What secret is hidden behind this wall?” Spenser said to the camera. “We will find out in a moment.”
They did not have any tools appropriate for the task, so they resorted to bashing the wall with sharp rocks.
“Caveman style,” Bones said.
“Cave person,” Kendra corrected. “Only joking. That sounds stupid.”
“Cave thot?” Bones suggested.
“That’s enough,” Spenser said. “We’ve got enough video editing to do without your casual misogyny.”
“I’m not serious. Man, people really don’t like to laugh anymore.”
“I laugh when I see you naked,” Kendra said. “And yes, I know you just saved my life again, but I’m a smartass by nature, just like you.”
“Fair enough.” Bones turned and continued hammering away at the false wall.
Cracks soon appeared and rapidly spread across the surface. After a few more strikes Bones took a step back and drove his heel into the center of the wall. The rocks shattered, leaving a foot-sized hole.
“How do we know if there’s poison gas?” Dakota asked.
“Come over here and take a big whiff. If you die, there’s poison gas.”
“Can do.” Dakota leaned down but Bones shoved him away.
“Holy crap, dude, I was kidding.”
Maddock, Bones, and Kendra continued to chip away until they had opened a gap large enough to step through. They directed their flashlight beams inside and were rewarded when the lights shone upon heaps of gold and jewels.
“Jackpot!” Bones said. He and Maddock climbed through first, followed by Spenser and Platt. “Holy crap! Check this out.”
A shining mound of treasure lay heaped in the middle of the small chamber. Maddock and Bones knelt, picked up double handfuls of gold coins, held them up, and let them spill between their fingers.
“It never gets old,” Bones said. They sorted through the pile, describing their findings for the benefit of the camera. Spanish pistoles, loose gemstones, jewelry, golden crucifixes, sterling silver utensils, and broken shards of fine ceramics lay atop the crumbling remains of the canvas bags in which they had once been stored. Behind the pile was a stone slab like an altar. Atop it stood a large golden cross, and a golden statue of Jesus.
The figure was exquisitely rendered, down to the hairs of his beard and the folds of his cloak. He held a shepherd’s crook in His left hand. The right hand reached out in an inviting gesture. His placid face gazed back at them. A wave of calm rolled over Maddock. It was truly a remarkable work of art.
“What would you say a treasure like this is worth?” Spenser asked.
“The gold and gems are worth a mint on their won,” Maddock said. “But the craftsmanship and uniqueness of the Golden Jesus, and the history attached to this trove, make it priceless.”
“What’s back there?” Dakota pointed to the far wall, where a deep alcove had been hewn into the wall of the chamber.
They moved closer and Spenser gasped at the sight. Inside the alcove lay the skeletal remains of a hominid, but it was not human. The being was short, no taller than Kendra’s five and a half feet. Its bulbous head was disproportionately large. It had a tiny nose and big, round eye sockets.
“It’s an alien!” Gold exclaimed. “I always thought that program was a pile of crap.”
“It could be,” Maddock said, “but let’s not jump to conclusions.” He and Bones knew there were places other than outer space from which strange-looking beings might have come.
“This must be Brigham Young’s ‘devil’,” Spenser said.
“I still can’t believe he didn’t take the treasure and leave the skeleton,” Gold said.
“Some people believe strongly in curses,” Maddock said. “He was afraid the treasure had been tainted, but he wasn’t so confident that he could bring himself to destroy a magnificent work like the Golden Jesus.”
Spenser turned to Maddock. “Now that we’ve found the treasure, what do we do with it? We can’t exactly keep it a secret.”
“We should let the authorities deal with it. But not the locals—someone we can trust. Someone who is accustomed to dealing with the Dominion.” He was thinking of their friend Tam Broderick and her Myrmidons—a team of which Maddock’s own sister was a part.
“Agreed,” Bones said. “But we deserve a finder’s fee after almost getting killed. Not the unique stuff, of course.” He turned to Platt. “Don’t get this on camera.”
“It’s turned off.”
“Nice.” Bones scooped up a handful of pistoles, tossed one to each member of their party, and pocketed the rest. He did the same with a handful of the loose gems. “If any of you need help arranging a private sale, I can help you out. My uncle Crazy Charlie has connections.”
“You are confusing man, Bones Bonebrake,” Gold said. “I’ve known you for a while and I still can’t decide if you’re one of the good guys or not.”
“Life is lived in the gray area. I trust my gut. The public deserves to see the treasure, but I want to make sure the government doesn’t totally screw us. We did the work, we took the risk, we deserve to make a few bucks out of the deal.”
They recorded more video, took photographs, and made notes before making their way back out. When they entered the sinkhole-filled chamber, they found Mutton Chops and Lerryn still tied up. Rattlebones was gone.
“Where is your buddy?” Gold pressed the muzzle of the Colt against Lerryn’s forehead.
“He got loose a couple of minutes ago. He was going to untie us, but then he panicked and ran. Said he would come back.”
“Dammit,” Gold swore. “I should have used a different knot.”
“We’d better make sure these two are secure before we go,” Maddock said. “And keep an eye out for Rattlebones.”
“You’re not going to leave us in here,” Mutton Chops said.
“You’re right. We ought to give you a sporting chance.” Bones’ voice was ice cold, his gaze flinty.
“Good idea,” Gold said. “When they all wake up, we’ll give them a five-second head start. Then it’s an afternoon at the pistol range for the good guys.”
“I was thinking we toss them into a sinkhole and let them swim for it. Who knows? There might be a way out from down there.”
“No!” Lerryn cringed and tried to scoot away. “You don’t understand. Zollner is dangerous, and he’s got dirt on all of us. And his wife is a million times worse.”
“How so?” Bones asked.
“She is unfeeling. They call her the Ice Queen.”
“Your call,” Bones said. “If you don’t feel like swimming, I guess you’ll have to stay here until the authorities arrive.”
“Whatever,” Lerryn said. “Just stay away from us.”
Bones smirked. “Ironic coming from someone who has been following us for days.”
Bones and Maddock tightened the men’s bonds and then dragged them over to a place where water dripped from the ceiling and formed a pool. They had no food to leave for the prisoners, but at least they would have drinking water until Tam and her crew arrived, which would not be long, knowing how she operated.
“Let’s hope Segar is okay,” Maddock said as they departed the chamber and climbed back down to the underwater channel where they had entered. As they approached, they heard grunting and muffled curses. They drew their weapons and hurried forward.
They emerged on the ledge beside the channel to find Steven Segar straddling Rattlebones’ chest. The thug’s face was the color of Sangria. His eyes bulged and he gasped for breath.
“Help,” he wheezed when he spotted Maddock. “Can’t... breathe...” He sucked in another breath. “Too... heavy.”
“Mister Murdock, it’s about time you showed up,” Segar said. “This man was trying to sneak up on you all, but nothing gets past me when I’m meditating.”
“You let their entire team slip past you,” Bones said.
“Obviously not.” Segar pointed down at Rattlebones. “And once again, you are welcome.”
Bones took an aggressive step forward, finger pointed at Segar. “Let me tell you what really happened.”
“Don’t bother,” Kendra said. “His sponge was full a long time ago. No room to soak in anything new.”
“I don’t care. That dude needs...”
What, exactly, Segar needed was squelched as Kendra kissed Bones firmly on the lips. “Forget him. Get me back to the hotel so I can shower the remains of this day off me.” She bit her lip. “I’ll even let you scrub my back.”
“Segar, get off of that guy so we can tie him up,” Bones hurried over and roughly hauled Segar to his feet. He quickly set to the task of hogtying the Dominion man.
“Steven Segar, the actor?” Rattlebones blinked twice, looked again. “I’ll be damned.”
“Yes, you will if you continue on this path, compadre.” Segar turned to Terry Gold. “Still questioning my martial arts pedigree after I subdued this enemy agent?”
“You were hiding behind a boulder, and you stuck your foot out when I ran by you,” Rattlebones said.
“I swept your feet out from under you using a kick I invented,” Segar said.
Maddock turned to Spenser and pulled her close. “Tell me again why we brought him along?”
She flashed a cheeky smile. “He is paying the bill. Technically he brought you along.”
“Haven’t you two learned?” Terry Gold came up from behind them and draped his arms over their shoulders. “This is Steven Segar’s world. We are all just living in it.”
