EIGHTEEN

 

 

October 18th, 2018

Boise, Idaho

 

WADE FOLLOWED DAWN out of the front door of the institute library to a white Cadillac SUV parked at the curb. A man was sitting behind the wheel and Dawn indicated that he and Sophie get in the back seat while she climbed into the front seat.

“My husband, Madison,” Dawn said, introducing Madison Rogers, another famous historian as if he was just her cab driver. Madison had on jeans and a tan shirt that looked like it was comfortable and well worn.

Wade managed to not choke and beside him Sophie coughed.

Madison Rogers was one of the top experts on the mining wars that had gone on in the west and his books were the bibles in anything to do in that area. Wade had read them all a number of times and used one in his classroom in LA.

“Nice finally meeting you both,” Madison said. “Heard a great deal about both of you.”

Wade just choked again.

“Wonderful meeting you as well,” Sophie said.

“Look what they found just today,” Dawn said, handing Madison the picture.

He looked at it and then laughed, handing the picture back to Dawn. “Wow, great timing. You two are as good as your reputations led us all to believe.”

Dawn laughed as well, but Wade wasn’t sure what was so funny. Or even what Madison had meant.

“Hang on and we’ll start explaining everything in a few minutes,” Dawn said, turning to buckle her seat belt.

Sophie reached over and took Wade’s hand and he felt better just knowing they were going into this together.

Whatever it was.

It took only a minute for Madison to pull the Cadillac into the driveway of the institute main building.

The main garage doors opened as he went past the big house and toward the garage and he pulled into a spot.

The garage doors closed behind him.

“Is it clear, Goldie?” Madison asked into the air as they all got out.”

“Yes,” Goldie said.

Both Sophie and Wade glanced around.

Dawn smiled at them. “All the interactive computers in the institute are called Goldie, even here in the big garage.”

“Makes sense,” Sophie said.

“First off,” Dawn said as they all stopped near the back of the Cadillac, “I need to remind you about your Do Not Disclose agreement. Do you both stand by that still?”

“Completely,” Sophie said.

“Completely as well,” Wade said.

He felt odd that she had asked them that here in a garage, but clearly he and Sophie were about to be shown a secret of the institute that Dawn and the others didn’t want out.

Sophie took his hand and they both moved to follow Dawn and Madison.

Madison headed toward a wall that held a workbench covered with some gardening tools hanging on pegs. As he approached, a hidden door opened.

Sophie squeezed Wade’s hand in sudden worry.

“If you love secret rooms and passageways,” Dawn said, “you’re going to love what we are about to show you.”

Wade wasn’t sure how he felt about secret passages, but he didn’t say anything as they went into what appeared to be a fairly modern tunnel that was well lit and allowed he and Sophie to walk side-by side.

“We are going in under the main institute building,” Madison said as he and Dawn walked ahead.

After about a hundred paces the tunnel opened up into a small room and Madison opened a door and indicated they go on ahead, following Dawn.

On the other side of the door was a staircase leading both up and down.

“Up goes into a hidden room in the main building above,” Dawn said as she headed down. “This goes down into the main cavern below the institute.”

“Cavern?” Wade asked.

“All safe and very large,” Madison said from behind them. “The large mansions on either side of the institute building are also part of this property and the caverns down here are three levels deep and run under all three properties.”

Wade couldn’t even begin to imagine that size and Sophie said nothing, just held onto his hand tightly.

After what felt like two flights of stairs, Dawn opened a door and led them out into what clearly was a large cavern carved right out of the dark lava rock.

Wade just felt stunned. The room was huge and with very high ceilings carved out of stone. What looked like a dozen couch and chair groupings filled the main part of the area, many of them turned to face a large stone fireplace.

Along the far wall was a long kitchen counter with a modern kitchen behind it. Two other people were there, one sitting with his back to them, the other was a woman standing behind the counter.

“Welcome,” the woman said.

At that point the man turned around and smiled at them.

Wade wasn’t sure his legs would move. The man was wearing a cowboy hat and had on a long oilcloth duster.

The man was Marshal Duster Kendal, the same man who had been in a bunch of photos they had found.