Chapter 31

They ate quickly once the burgers were cooked, both of them wanting to get down to the basement to start their search. Gregg offered to do the dishes while Spence changed clothes, and did.

“So how do we do this?” Spence asked after they crawled into the first storage area.

“Look for mortar that seems newer, I guess.”

“After ten years, it should all look the same,” Spence replied, shining his flashlight on the wall closest to him. “Dirty gray.”

“Okay. Then tap the bricks. If something other than earth is behind them, you should get a hollow sound. Right?”

“That sounds reasonable.”

For the next hour, they searched the two storage areas. In the end, all they succeeded in doing was to become dusty and dirty.

Feeling defeated, Spence said, “We need showers and clean clothes before we try to rethink things.”

“Works for me,” Gregg agreed, brushing off as best he could and rinsing his hands in the sink by the washer. “I’ll go home and—”