Deception Cove

Chapter 34

DRAKE CAME TO A HALT AT THE GRAVESTONE. THE others caught up with him, breathing hard. The weeds and grass around the weathered grave marker had been trampled by a pair of heavily booted feet on more than one recent occasion.

Houdini jumped up and down on the stone, making urgent noises.

Fletcher frowned at the name on the stone. “William Bainbridge. Why does that sound familiar?”

“Because it’s engraved over the front door of the library and it’s the official name of the town park,” Myrna said. “Bainbridge was a smuggler who worked the Amber Sea area years ago. Technically speaking, he’s the guy credited with founding Shadow Bay.”

Fletcher grimaced. “Oh, yeah, right.”

Houdini continued to bounce up and down. He was becoming increasingly agitated.

Drake crouched beside the flat stone marker. Methodically he ran his hands around the edges. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. He pushed the concealed lever.

The gravestone opened ponderously with only the faintest of groans. Someone had been keeping the hinges well oiled, he thought.

Currents of Alien psi wafted out of the opening. He looked down at the flight of glowing quartz steps that descended into a tunnel illuminated with eerie green light.

“Son of a ghost,” Jasper said. “So there are some catacombs here on the island, after all. Always figured we’d find them someday.”

“Looks like old Bainbridge stumbled into a hole-in-the-wall,” Fletcher said.

“If Bainbridge isn’t buried here, what happened to him?” Rachel asked. “Not that it matters now.”

Houdini darted down the steps, pausing expectantly.

“I should have done a more thorough investigation after I saw that so-called ghost wandering around here in the middle of the night,” Drake said.

Jasper shook his head. “Not like you’ve had a lot of spare time to investigate anything. Doubt if you would have found this trapdoor, anyway. Hell, Fletcher and I have been living here for a couple of decades—spent our former careers in the tunnels—but we never stumbled onto this entrance.”

“Well, at least we now know how Egan managed to contact Tucker frequently without having to go through the Preserve,” Charlotte said.

“And how he kidnapped Alice without having to carry her through the fence and across a lot of psi-hot territory,” Drake said. “I’m betting that this tunnel is a shortcut to the Chamber ruin. He can’t be too far ahead. I’m going after him.”

“This island has never been under the control of the Guilds,” Fletcher said. “That means the catacombs down below have never been cleared of ghosts. Egan is a hunter. He can handle ghosts. But you don’t have that kind of talent. Looks like you are going to need some backup.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Drake said.

He started down the glowing staircase. Jasper and Fletcher followed him into the catacombs.