more closely.
'Haven't figured that out yet. I suppose we could search the Common. See if he was up to something there.'
'Big area,' Chester said, unconvinced. 'Anyway, why would he bring that dirt down here?'
'Don't know,' Will replied as he happened to run his eyes over the bookshelves one last time. He frowned as he noticed something at the side of one of the units.
'Hang on a minute… that's odd,' he said as Chester ambled over.
'What is?'
'Well, there's a plug in a socket down here, but I can't see where the cord goes.' He flipped the switch next to the outlet and they both looked around; it didn't appear to have had any effect.
'What's it for, then?' Chester said.
'It's definitely not an outside light.'
'Why's that?' Chester asked.
'Because we don't have any,' Will replied as he went to the other end of the shelves, peering into the dark corner between the two units, then stepping back and regarding them thoughtfully. 'Funny. The cord doesn't seem to come out again on this side.'
Taking the stepladder from beside the garden door, he set it up in front of the bookshelves and climbed up to inspect the top of the unit.
'No sign of it here, either,' he said. 'This just doesn't make sense.' He was about to climb down when he stopped and ran his hand over the top of the shelves.
'Anything?' Chester asked.
'Lots of brick dust,' Will replied. He hopped down from the ladder and immediately tried to pull the end of the shelf unit away from the wall.
'There's definitely a bit of give. Come on, lend me a hand,' he said.
'Maybe it's just badly attached,' Chester suggested.
'Badly attached?' Will said indignantly. '
They both pulled together with all their strength and, although a thin sliver opened at the rear of the unit, the shelves appeared to be firmly secured at the top.
'Let me check something,' Will said as he mounted the stepladder again. 'There seems to be a loose nail lodged in this bracket.' He yanked it out and let it fall onto the concrete floor by Chester 's feet. 'We used screws to secure this to the wall, not nails,' he said, looking down at Chester with a bewildered expression.
Will leaped down from the ladder, and they both pulled on the unit again. This time, shuddering and creaking, it swung out from the wall to reveal that it was hinged on one side.
'So, that's what the cord's for!' Will exclaimed as both of them stared at the rough-hewn opening in the bottom half of the wall. The bricks had been removed to form a hole approximately three feet square. Inside, a passage was visible, illuminated by a motley array of old neon strip lights burning along its length.
'Wow!' Chester gasped, his face a picture of surprise. 'A secret passage!'
Will smiled at Chester. 'Let's check this out.' Before Chester had time to say anything, Will ducked into the passage and was crawling along it at a steady pace. 'There's a bend here,' came his muffled voice.
As Chester watched, Will started to go around the corner and then, very slowly, came back into view again. He sat back and turned his head to Chester, his face disconsolate in the glow of the strip lights. 'What is it?' Chester asked.
'The tunnel's blocked. It's caved in,' Will said.
Will slowly crawled back out into the passage, then clambered through the hole in the wall and into the cellar again. He straightened up and sloughed off his school blazer, dropping it where he stood. It was only then that he noticed his friend's grim expression.
'What is it?'
'The cave-in… you don't think your dad's under it, do you?' Chester said almost in a whisper, barely able to contain a shudder as he pictured the horrific possibility. 'He might have been… crushed,' he added ominously.
Will looked worriedly away from his friend and thought for a moment. 'Well, there's only one way to find out.'
'Shouldn't we tell someone?' Chester stammered, taken aback by his friend's seeming detachment. But Will wasn't listening. His eyes had narrowed with the look of preoccupation that meant his mind was churning away, formulating a plan of action.
'You know, the infill is exactly the same as in the Pits tunnel — it's all wrong. There are lumps of limestone again,' he said, loosening his tie and pulling it over his head before discarding it next to the crumpled blazer on the floor. 'This is too much of a coincidence.' He returned to the mouth of the passage and leaned in. 'And did you notice the props?' he said, running his hand over one that was just within reach. 'This was no accident. This has been hacked at and pulled in on purpose.'
Chester joined his friend at the opening and examined the props, which had deep notches sliced into them. They were cut almost clear through in places, as if someone had been swinging an ax at them.
'Blimey, you're right,' he said.
Will rolled up his sleeves. 'Better get started, then. No time like the present.' He ducked into the passage, dragging behind him a bucket he'd found just inside the opening.
Chester looked down at his school uniform. He opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it, removed his blazer, and hung it neatly on the back of a chair.
14
'Go!' said Will in an urgent whisper as he crouched low within the shadows of the hedge bordering the Common at the bottom of the garden.
Chester growled with the effort as he heaved the overladen wheelbarrow into motion and then weaved precariously between the trees and shrubs. Reaching open ground, he veered off to the right toward the gullies they were using to dump the spoil. From the mounds of fresh earth and small cairns of rock already deposited there, it was evident to Will that his father had been using these gullies for the very same purpose.
Will kept a watchful eye open for any passersby as Chester swiftly emptied the barrow at the top of the gully. He deftly spun it around for the return journey, while Will remained behind to push in any large pieces of rock or clumps of soil and clay.
Once that was done, Will caught up with Chester. As they were retracing the well-trodden route back to the garden, the wheel on the old barrow began to squeal piercingly, perhaps protesting the countless trips it had been forced to make. The noise cut through the peaceful calm of the balmy autumn evening.
Both boys froze abruptly in their tracks, looking around to check whether it had attracted any attention from the nearby houses.
Trying to catch his breath, Chester bent forward with his hands resting on his knees as Will stooped to examine the offending wheel.
'We'll have to oil that stupid thing again.'
'Duh, do you think so?' Chester puffed sarcastically.
'I think you'd better carry it back,' Will replied coldly as he straightened up.
'Do I have to?' Chester groaned.
'Come on, I'll give you a hand,' Will said as he grabbed hold of the front of the barrow.
They lugged it the remaining distance, grunting and cursing under their breath but maintaining a strict silence as they crossed the back yard. They trod lightly as they negotiated the small ramp down to the rear entrance into the cellar.
'My turn at the face, I suppose.' Will gasped as they both flopped with exhaustion onto the concrete floor. Chester didn't answer.
'You all right?' Will asked him.
Chester nodded groggily, then squinted at his watch. 'I think I should be getting home.'
