Nobody's Fool Y'all

51

 "Well," she muttered, "this is a fine kettle of fish I've managed to get myself into. Maury and Lou Edna have no idea where I am. And neither do I."

"You sound like my granny."

The flashlight blinked on. Hadley whooped and jumped at the same time.

The small child was standing in the center of the tunnel on the right side.

"I'm not a granny," Hadley said, "but I'm old enough to be one. I am surely glad to see you, Ollie."

Ollie smiled.

"You thought you were sneaking up on me, didn't you."

"Guilty," said Hadley.

"This way," Ollie whispered. "And be real quiet. I don't think we're alone down here."

A cold chill skittered up Hadley's spine. Friend or foe? An old woman and a small child. A dead iPad and a heavy old flashlight. Not much in the way of protection.

"Listen," Ollie said.

Hadley heard the faint echo of voices.

"Shh," Ollie said, cupping the flashlight to dim its glow.

Hadley followed a few steps behind. There was a faint light up ahead. She noted the walls of this branch of the tunnel were dirt. There didn't seem to be much timber shoring up the top or sides of it, either. A clod of dirt fell between the child and her.

She looked up. How sturdy was this thing? Not very, she felt sure, but in this dim light, it was impossible to tell. How many tons of earth was bearing down on them? Hadley's neck shrank into her shoulders a couple of inches. She didn't want to think about it.

Buried alive.

Not a nice thought. No one would ever be able to uncover them. Shoot. Nobody knew where she'd wandered off to. Once more, she mentally kicked herself for her impulsiveness. She should have stayed in the safety of her cottage. But there was Ollie to think about. Such a small child. No, she thought, I belong here with Ollie.

They came to a place in the passage where a large rock blocked half the opening. The rays of a bright light poured out the open half.

"I don't like it here. Not one bit."

"It's stuck. I tell you," said a male voice. "We need dynamite to blast it out."

"And bring this whole mountain down on top of our heads."

That was Percy's voice! Hadley was sure. She edged up closer to the rock and peeked into the earthen room where Percy, Bo Dean, and Nylette stood looking down at a metal box wedged between two rocks.

"Do you think it's a booby trap?" the woman said.

"Nylette, don't be a fool," said Percy. "The rocks in these mountains probably shift all the time. I think it was wedged in here by Nature's own hand."

"I don't like the sound of that," muttered Bo Dean.

"I don't like a lot of things, but there's nothing we can do about it now," said Percy angrily.

"Percy!"

"Don't Percy me! We wouldn't be in this fix if you hadn't given Molly the old heave-ho!"

Nylette started crying.

"Molly was a witch! Who was she to act all high and mighty in front of me? How was I to know she was going to crack that hard skull of hers on the corner of that table? It was an accident! You both know I never meant to hurt her. I just wanted to scare her a little."

"Nobody will ever believe it was an accident," said Percy, "not after your little brother's burst of kindergarten creativity with the glue."

Bo Dean laughed. It was a wicked laugh, full of the sounds of evil.

"You put the fear of Moses in her, alright," said Nylette's brother. "And with that little disappearing act we tried on Molly, we're all in this up to our necks. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the news! Can you believe three people with such rotten luck!"

"I think Molly might agree it was four," said Percy.

Bo Dean got down on one knee and strained and pulled at the box, but it held tight.

"What made you think the loot was here, anyway, Percy? And why didn't you think of it sooner?"

"Dumb luck. I remembered Molly was drunk one night a few weeks ago when I drove her home from Vince's Bar."

"You and Vince are pretty tight."

"Yeah," said Percy. "He didn't want the sheriff arresting her, so he called me to make sure she got home safely. She was really sloshed. I think she was half asleep, but she kept mumbling something about the car shed and a trap door and a tunnel. I figured the loot had to be here."

"I'm glad the memory floated to the top," said Bo Dean. "Use more muscle, Percy. We gotta act fast. Now that the cops have found Molly they'll be lookin' for somebody to pin a murder on! And if I have anything to say about it, it ain't gonna be me."

Nylette began crying louder.

"I was preoccupied," Percy said. "Too many things on my plate, I guess. That's the only reason I can figure why I didn't think of this sooner. Unlike some folks, I actually work for a living."

"You call what you do work?" said the bearded man. "Try some manual labor, Percy. See what it's like to get your hands dirty."

"Shut up," said Percy. "We need something for leverage. A crowbar or something."

"See any lying around?"

More dirt pelted them, dislodged from the ceiling above.

"Stop it," Nylette said. "You're only making things worse."

Percy got down on one knee. He wedged his hands around the box, and together the two men tugged with all their might.

"I think I feel it budge," said Percy between gritted teeth.

"It's moving!" squealed Nylette. "I seen it move! Keep trying! Keep trying!"

The rusty metal box was indeed inching out of its rock prison.

With a thud, it landed on the dirt floor. Percy and the Bo Dean landed on their behinds.

"We're home free, now," Bo Dean said.

Percy began to open the box. The room started shaking. A distant rumble was heard far in the tunnel.

"Get out of here!" Percy yelled. "It's coming down!"

"What about the loot?"

"Bo Dean, forget about it!" Percy said. "Run!"

Dirt was falling like snowflakes. Hadley grabbed Ollie's hand and turned to run the way they'd come.

"We'll never make it," Ollie yelled. "This way!"

Ollie pulled Hadley down another path. The cone of light from the flashlight wobbled, and twice she almost stumbled and fell, but somehow she kept her balance and kept running. The mountain was coming down on them. The small passage where Ollie led Hadley was filling with dirt and debris at an astonishing rate. Hadley was coughing and sputtering. The dust was like a thick fog. I will die here, she thought, scrambling to follow Ollie and not lose sight of him.

How far had they gone? Miles? A few feet? How much farther could she go before her heart burst inside her chest? She lurched forward, falling face first into a large rock which cut a gash into her cheek. She was so pumped on adrenaline, it felt like a tiny nick. She picked herself up and continued running.

How could she save Ollie? She wasn't worried about herself. She had had a good life. Harry was the best. She'd miss her friends and family. But here was this child. This little child who had barely had a start on living.

It seemed so unfair.

More rumbling. The ground moved beneath her feet. Now, she knew what those poor folks in California felt like during an earthquake. A huge ball of dust and dirt mushroomed and threatened to consume the two.

Wait? Was it possible? Could they be so lucky?