surface, was a small hexagon of clean wood.
Six sides, just like their little pyramid.
Gotcha-gotcha-gotcha!
It took all Jack?s will not to call Weezy over and show her, but he didn?t want to risk an explosion.
He could think of only one reason they?d remove it before his tour: It was the same pyramid he and Weezy had found in the mound. The fact that the Order had been able to steal it from where they had testified to the group?s long reach.
Maybe it had been theirs to begin with. Maybe it had been stolen and, for some reason known only to members of the Order, buried along with the murdered man Jack and Weezy had found.
If it had been the Order?s originally, fine. Say so and claim it. But they?d said nothing. Why not? Afraid to draw attention to their oh-so-secret Lodge? What ever the reason, they?d chosen instead to steal it from Weezy and Jack.
Well, because the Order had never claimed it, as far as Jack was concerned, finders keepers. It belonged to Weezy and him.
And he wanted it back.
But how to get it?
Well, it had been stolen from him, so he guessed it would be only right for him to steal it back.
He?d composed himself by the time he turned to face Mr. Drexler again. Weezy was staring at him, the question writ large on her face. He gave away nothing.
“Really cool,” he said. “What?s upstairs?”
“We won?t be going there. It is divided into smaller rooms, leftover from the day when the Lodge had residents. Eggers and I are using two of those now, but there?s nothing of interest there. Same with the basement: used simply for storage.”
Jack wandered over to the front door. From past experience he knew it was steel, but he hadn?t realized that the lock was a double-key dead bolt. The key sat in the inner keyhole now.
“I, um, thought you?d have an alarm system.”
Mr. Drexler?s eyebrows lifted. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, the place is empty all the time—I mean, until you showed up. Someone could come in and rob you.”
He gave his sort-of smile. “It might prove rather entertaining if someone tried.”
“No, really.”
“Rob us of what? There?s nothing of value here except the furniture. And to take that they?d have to back a van up to the front door. We have bars on the windows and locks on the doors.
Quite enough, I think.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”
The first-floor windows were all barred, but even though the ones on the second floor were not, he couldn?t imagine any way to reach them short of a ladder.
Mr. Drexler clapped his hands once. “End of tour. I hope your curiosity is satisfied.”
Weezy?s expression became stony. “I?d really like to see the rest of the place.”
“Sorry. Not included.”
Jack gave her another be-cool look. He saw her take a deep breath and set her lips in a thin line.
But as they passed between the front room and the rear conference room, she froze.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Jack hadn?t heard a thing.
“It sounded like a child.”
Jack?s skin tingled. He almost said he?d heard something like that right outside last night, but held back. He wasn?t supposed to have been right outside last night.
A heavy, dark oak door stood closed to her right. She pulled it open, revealing a stairway down to a dark basement.
“What is this, now? I thought we agreed you would confine yourself to what I showed you.”
“But I heard—”
“You heard nothing. You are merely looking for an excuse to hunt for your imaginary artifact.”
Weezy stood at the top of the stairs, eyes closed, listening. But what ever sound she was waiting for never came. Mr. Drexler pushed the door closed and gestured toward the rear of the Lodge.
“Thanks for the tour,” Jack said as they reached the back door.
Weezy said nothing.
On the way out he noticed the rear door was steel too, with a double-key dead bolt to boot. He figured he might be able to pick it, but man, oh, man …
Sure. Easy enough to say he?d steal it back, but if he got caught he was certain the Lodge would use all its many connections in high places to make sure he was prosecuted to the max.
Breaking in here … an awfully big step. Risky. He?d be crazy to try.
Had to be another way.
4
“I
“A cat?” she said when he finished. “That didn?t sound like any cat to me.” “I didn?t hear it, so I can?t say. And you didn?t hear it again.”
She sighed. “No. I guess it could have been something else.”
He waited until they?d reached the curb before saying, “Maybe it was the
pyramid crying out to you—because they?ve got it.”
Her eyes widened. “You?re sure?”
“What do you think: The mantel is dusty but there?s a hexagon of clean wood
right where I saw something black and pointy.”
She spun and started toward the Lodge. “I?m going back!”
He grabbed her arm. “And do what? He won?t let you in. Probably won?t even
answer the door. Let?s not tip our hand.”
“We?ve got to find a way in there!”
“Easier said than done. He hardly ever goes out, and even if he does, the place
is locked up like Fort Knox.”
“We?ll think of something. And we?ll do it together.” She put out her hand.
“Deal?”
“Deal.”
They shook.
“And while we?re thinking,” she said, “maybe we should take another look at the
big pyramid—for inspiration.”
“You think it?s the same one in the painting?”
“I?d bet my copy of the Secret History of the World.”
“But you don?t—”
“If I did, I would.”
“And what do we hope to find there? Another little pyramid?”
Her dark eyes sparkled. “That?d be nice. No, I?m thinking we might find evidence
of what ever was kept in there—maybe remains of the thing itself. Another piece of the Secret History. Wouldn?t that be something?”
“It would,” Jack said, looking back at the Lodge, “but I?ve got to finish up the
weeds and trim all the bushes by tomorrow afternoon.”
