The Secret Crown

instead of an opening. But now that the blue light was on, he was able to see the arched gap above the water.

Heidi reappeared beside them. ‘Pretty, isn’t it?’

Payne nodded. ‘Believe it or not, I think I’ve seen pictures of the actual cave. As soon as you turned on the light, the image popped into my mind.’

‘I’m not surprised. It really is quite famous. And the designers did a wonderful job.’

Jones stared across the lake. It looked vaguely familiar to him, too. ‘That’s all well and good, but what are we supposed to do now?’

She shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’

Payne turned to Ulster for advice. ‘What do you think?’

Ulster paused in thought. After a few seconds of analysis, he broke into a wide grin. ‘I hate to say it, but I think the hippo should get back into the water.’

Payne cracked a smile. He wasn’t used to being teased by Ulster. ‘That’s strange. I don’t remember seeing you in the water earlier.’

Ulster laughed and patted his own belly. ‘Touche.’

‘Seriously, do you think there might be something back there?’

‘Obviously, I’m far from certain, but I think it would be foolish not to check. After all, we are a long way from home.’

Payne nodded in agreement. ‘How big is the cave? Any idea?’

Heidi answered. ‘I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been back there before. But the one in Capri is huge. The only thing that’s small is the opening. To enter the Grotta Azzurra, people have to lie flat on their backs in rowing boats or else they would bump their heads on the entrance. But once inside, it expands into a massive cavern.’

Payne studied the gap on the far side of the lake. It was much more narrow than the one in Italy; a toy boat would struggle to pass underneath the stone archway, let alone a rowing boat. Then again, that might have been done on purpose. If it were too inviting, it might have attracted too many unwanted guests.

Payne hopped into the water. ‘Screw it! I’ll take a look.’

Jones followed his lead. ‘Me, too.’

The instant Jones hit the water, Heidi remembered the object he was carrying in his grasp. ‘Please be careful with the key! Try not to get it wet.’

He laughed at the anxiety in her voice. She sounded like a first-time mom. ‘Heidi, you’ve got to relax. The key is shaped like a swan. A little water won’t kill it.’

60

With flashlights in their hands, Payne and Jones trudged through the chilly water of the lake while Heidi and Ulster urged them on. For Payne, his journey had come full circle. Everything had started with a phone call while he was exploring the depths of the Ohio River. Now he was back in the water, hoping to find a secret treasure in the heart of the Blue Grotto. All things considered, searching for gold was a lot more exciting than finding a bottle opener.

As they passed the front end of the cockleshell boat, the water was barely up to their knees. After that, the lakebed start to slope away – much like a swimming pool near the deep end. Heidi had warned them of the possibility. She knew the lake had a depth of ten feet in certain parts; unfortunately, she wasn’t quite sure where since she had never been in the water. In some ways, Payne and Jones were glad they didn’t know. It only added to their excitement.

By the time they reached the entrance to the Blue Grotto, Jones had to stand on his tiptoes or else the water would have been up to his eyes. Meanwhile, Payne had the luxury of an extra six inches. Although his height allowed him to stay comfortably above water level, it forced him to duck his head as he passed under the stone archway that led to the cave.

Lit by coloured lights, the ceiling in the cavern glowed a magical shade of blue. But the lamps were so bright it actually prevented them from seeing clearly.

Payne called towards the shore. ‘Please cut the lights in here.’

Heidi disappeared behind the control panel and flipped the switch. The Blue Grotto quickly turned dark. ‘Is that better?’

‘Much,’ he shouted as he turned on his flashlight.

Jones rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to adjust. Wherever he looked, he saw light blue splotches. ‘Is it just me, or do you see Smurfs?’

‘Seeing them is one thing. If they start to talk, we have problems.’

Jones stared at him. ‘Holy crap. You look like that chick from Avatar.’

Payne laughed. ‘If you touch my tail, you’re a dead man.’

Jones rubbed his eyes some more and hoped for the best. Slowly but surely, he became used to the darkness. Once he had, he flipped on his flashlight and headed deeper into the grotto where Payne was examining the ceiling. ‘What are we looking for?’

‘Anything that doesn’t belong.’

‘Like my black ass in a lake?’

Payne smiled. ‘That would qualify.’

Unlike the spacious Grotta Azzurra in Capri, the cavern was relatively small. Approximately twelve feet in width and length, the Blue Grotto’s most dominant feature was a giant stalagmite near the rear wall that towered five feet above the surface of the water. At first glance, Payne assumed the stalagmite concealed one of the roof’s support beams, but that notion disappeared when he shone his light on the vaulted ceiling and realized there was seven feet of clearance above the top of the stalagmite. That meant the two of them weren’t connected.

Payne called over his shoulder. ‘Take a look at this.’

‘At what?’ Jones said as he tiptoed closer.

‘This rock. It doesn’t look right.’

‘That’s because it’s fake.’

Payne thumped on it. ‘I mean its shape. It looks like a volcano.’

‘Knowing Ludwig, it is a volcano. If you piss off Heidi, she’ll turn on the lava.’

‘I’m serious.’

‘Me, too. That girl’s a firecracker.’

Running his hand over the rough texture of the cement, Payne moved to his right and studied the stalagmite with the beam of his flashlight. His interest soared when he spotted a series of notches, cut vertically into the cement. They started well below the surface of the water and continued up its side. ‘I think I found something.’

Jones looked at him. ‘Like what?’

Payne handed him his light. ‘Here, hold this.’

‘What did you find?’

‘A ladder.’

‘Really?’

Instead of explaining, Payne placed his right foot in one of the notches and propelled himself out of the water. He quickly wrapped his arms round the stalagmite to steady his balance, then placed his left foot in the next notch and climbed higher. A few seconds later, he was sitting on top of the fake rock. Unlike the stalagmites they had seen near the shore, the top of this one was flat like a plateau. ‘Throw me my flashlight.’

Jones tossed it up to him. ‘Is there room for me?’

Payne shone his light behind the stalagmite and realized there was a narrow ledge between the stalagmite and the rear wall of the grotto where both of them could stand. It was just above the surface of the lake. Payne shuffled into position, then reached down and helped Jones out of the water. Dripping wet and slightly out of breath, they studied the top of the rock – which was just below eye level – and spotted a circular seam that looked like a hatch. It was six inches from the outer edge of the rock and sealed tight. They tried to wedge their fingers into the gap, but it was far too narrow.

Payne glanced at him. ‘Suggestions?’

‘A crowbar might work.’

‘Do you have one?’

‘Nope.’