Thief in the Woods

Chapter 7: Buried Treasure

New Haven. October 4, 2006.

Sam hadn't returned to the Townsend mausoleum since they'd emptied the warded cache. At the time Mozzie had been convinced they'd unearth treasures comparable to Tutankhamun's tomb. He'd left deeply disappointed. What would he think if they found an even larger document repository?

Sara had never entered an abandoned tomb. She had the enthusiasm of novice ghostbusters everywhere. But Dean's glee was something new. Was it because he'd found the Latin clue? Whatever. He was grinning like he'd been invited onstage at a rock concert.

Sam had shaken off his dismay over the veiled woman. Chloe tested the book and discovered it was enchanted. Sam told her he'd felt a ghostly presence but hadn't given any further details, and she didn't quiz him about it. The book was now safely inside a curse box. Hopefully, the nightmares would stop as well.

The interior of the mausoleum held five recessed caskets and a number of small marble urns used for cremated remains. During previous visits, they didn't bother clearing away cobwebs. It must have been a good summer for spiders since the webs were now much more numerous.

"Where do we start?" Chloe asked, looking to Neal for guidance. He'd become their go-to man for hiding spots.

"We're working on the assumption that there's a storeroom," Neal said, scanning the space. "The mausoleum is too small for it to be concealed on the ground level. That means we're looking for steps leading to a subterranean vault." He pointed to the wall next to the recessed caskets. "For instance, one of the stones could be a fake panel."

"The technology would have been no later than the 1950s and probably much earlier," Dean cautioned. "It couldn't have been very sophisticated."

"Not necessarily," Sara said. "Some mechanical devices from the Renaissance are surprisingly intricate."

She and Neal began tapping stones. Sam joined the other men in checking around the caskets and urns while the women searched for any hint of magic or enchantment. They'd left the door ajar to allow some light and fresh air to penetrate the gloomy interior. Midafternoon there likely wouldn't be many visitors to the cemetery.

"Could I have quiet, please?" Neal called out.

Everyone froze in place as six pairs of eyes glued upon their expert's every move. Neal placed his ear next to a stone about five feet from the floor and gave it a sharp tap. He nodded with satisfaction at the plunk. "Do you hear the difference?" he asked, tapping it again and then performing the same action to the stone next to it.

"The first one sounds hollow in comparison," Chloe said, her face lighting up.

"Exactly," Neal said. He winked at Sara. "And this is a lucky day for buried treasure."

Dean frowned as he examined the wall. "Kids, I like your enthusiasm but the mortar looks solid."

"That's to be expected," Bobby said, opening up his toolbox. "Think about the circumstances. Henry's great-grandfather got the key to the mausoleum probably around 1958. The last dated document we've found is for 1957. We know that Abaddon was hell-bent on wiping out the Men in Letters in 1958. Chapter houses were no doubt furiously trying to secure their most precious resource—knowledge. If there is a secret room, it would have been sealed up tighter than a miser's money bags." He rubbed his hands together, eyeing the stone. "Dean, you with me on this?"

Dean grinned. "Already got the chisel out." He slapped on a pair of safety goggles.

The rest of them stood back and watched as Dean and Bobby chipped the masonry away.

"I see something!" Dean exclaimed, his voice ringing with excitement. He shone a flashlight at the gap. "It's part of a blue metal plate."

"We'll get this sucker out in a minute," Bobby said. Bits of masonry started to fly from their chisels. When they finally removed the stone, a blue electrical plate was revealed. Next to the switch was a pull-down lever, probably meant to be used if the switch wasn't working.