Part 61 (1/2)

”Maybe Tara will get us out when she's ready.”

”When's that gonna be? And why we down here anyway?”

Gia shrugged. ”I don't know. Maybe she just wanted us out of the way.”

”That don't make no sense.”

Gia had to agree, but did a ghost have to make sense? Look at what she'd said before the ground opened up: I want to be a mother I want to be a mother. What did that mean? How could she be a mother? She was dead. But that wouldn't stop her from wanting what she couldn't have, Gia supposed.

”At least we're not hurt.” She pointed to her shoulder bag lying on the dirt floor. She'd dropped it when they fell. ”And we won't go hungry because I have a couple of power bars in my-” She dropped to her knees beside the bag as she remembered. ”Oh, G.o.d. My cell phone!”

She rummaged through the jumbled contents and pulled out the phone, but when she turned it on, nothing happened. No light, no beep, no power.

”d.a.m.n, it's dead.”

Charlie knelt beside her. ”Like I said. We trapped. She wouldn't let us up the steps and I bet she ain't lettin' n.o.body down. All we got left is prayer.”

”And hope that Jack figures out I'm here.” Gia cursed herself for not leaving him a note, but she thought she was going to to him. ”Once he knows, he'll get us out.” him. ”Once he knows, he'll get us out.”

Charlie looked at her. ”You say that like it a done deal.”

”In a way it is. He's inventive and relentless and he won't quit on me. Ever.” The simple truth of that was a balm on her nerves.

”That ain't no done deal. That's just a hope.”

Gia smiled. ”No... it's faith.” She looked around at the high dirt walls. ”But we ought to be trying something something to get ourselves out.” She reached out and touched the pin on Charlie's sweats.h.i.+rt, ”wwjd. Not a bad idea in a situation like this.” to get ourselves out.” She reached out and touched the pin on Charlie's sweats.h.i.+rt, ”wwjd. Not a bad idea in a situation like this.”

”True that. What Would Jesus Do?”

”I was thinking more along the lines of What Would Jack Do?” A thought occurred to her. ”Where's Lyle, by the way?”

”Out mackin' some ladies group. Shoulda been back by now.”

”I'd guess you can count on him doing what he can to get you out of here as well, right? WWLD-What Would Lyle Do?”

Charlie looked away. ”Anything he could. He never let me down before, not 'bout to start now.” Gia heard a catch in his voice. ”More'n he can say for me.”

”I don't understand.”

”Long story.”

”I think we've got time.”

He shook his head and looked ashamed. ”Nuh-uh.”

As Charlie folded his hands and bowed his head to pray, Gia scanned the walls again looking for something, anything. She remembered Jack asking her once if she wanted to take up wall climbing. She'd laughed him off. The last thing she wanted to do with her spare time was cling to a wall like a bug. Now she wished she'd taken him up on it. Not that this wall offered much in the way of handholds, but at least- What was that?

She spotted something s.h.i.+ny up on the wall. There. About six inches or so above her head. Keeping her eyes fixed on the spot, she reached up and touched it. Something hard stuck in the dirt. It felt metallic. She dug her fingernails into the dirt around it, clearing some away, but it was too hard.

”Charlie? I've found something.”

He was beside her in a flash. ”What? Where?”

”It's some kind of metal.”

Charlie's extra height put him at eye level with it. ”Look like bra.s.s or copper. Probably just sc.r.a.p from when the place built.”

”Let's dig it out. Who knows? Maybe it's something we can use.”

”A'ight. Let's see.”

As Charlie dug with his hands, Gia knelt and dug into her shoulder bag again. Finally she found it.

”Here,” she said, holding up a metal nail file. ”Try this.”

He took it and began stabbing at the dirt, loosening it and then digging it out with his fingers. Soon it became clear that they'd found some sort of metal bar. When he'd exposed enough of it, Charlie grabbed the end and began wiggling it back and forth.

”Here we go!” he said as dirt began flying everywhere. ”We got it now!”

Suddenly it came free and he stumbled back, falling against the opposite wall. He shook off the dirt and held up what he'd unearthed.

Gia gasped. ”A cross!”

A cross with no top piece worth mentioning. Exactly like the crosses left on the wall after the whirlpool had receded. This one's crosspiece was slightly bent and twisted and looked like nickel or silver; the upright was bra.s.s, or something that looked very much like it.

Charlie stared at it. ”Gotta be one of the tau crosses from the blocks in the wall. They musta buried them after they pried them out. But we found one!” He held it high. ”It's a sign!”

”It's a digging tool!”

”Dig? I think we deep enough already.”

”Not down-in. We can use this to dig footholds and handholds so we can climb out of here.”

Charlie grinned. ”Why didn't I think of that?” He gripped the base and swung the cross at the wall. The cross-piece dug in and sent dirt flying. ”Oh, yeah! We on our way. We beat this ghost yet.”

12.

”s.h.i.+t!” Jack rose and stepped back from the door. ”Latch won't budge. We'll have to do this the hard way.”

The hard way? Lyle had thought they were already doing it the hard way. Here he was standing in his socks on a rooftop in Soho while the guy he was with tried to break into the building below. He felt exposed, as if he were on an open-air stage. At least there was no moon, but plenty of light leaked in from the city around them. All someone had to do was look out a window in one of the higher buildings nearby and see them trying to jimmy the lock on the roof door. A 911 call would get them arrested for criminal trespa.s.s, attempted B and E, and who knew what else.

Still, better to be caught now than after they'd picked up what they'd come for; kidnapping was a capital offense.

Half an hour ago Jack had left Lyle at a bar named Julio's; he'd returned a few minutes later in a different set of clothes and carrying a gym bag that clinked and rattled with the metallic sound of tools. They'd driven here in Jack's car and parked outside. Jack had stood across the street from the building and studied it for a few minutes, then moved on. Half a block down they'd sneaked up a fire escape and traveled across three other roofs to reach this one. Sure, easy for Jack; he was dressed for this sort of thing. Lyle was still in a dress s.h.i.+rt and suit pants-and black leather shoes no less. Jack had made him take them off when they reached this particular roof.

So, if what they'd been doing was the easy way, what was the hard way?