Chapter 9
The figures in the ruins moved with practiced efficiency, their flashlights sweeping methodically across the muddy ground and remaining brick pillars of the old mill. From their hiding place behind the oak tree, Leo watched as one of the men knelt down near a collapsed section of the floor, shining a bright beam directly into a dark opening beneath the concrete slab.
"They're looking for the cache," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible over the distant croaking of bullfrogs and the low rustle of the wind through the pines. He shifted his weight, his sneakers crunching softly on a stray twig.
Mark raised a hand to silence him, his eyes never leaving the two figures in the ruins. The dim light glinted off something metallic in one of the men's hands—a small crowbar used to pry up the heavy wooden beams that still littered the site.
"We can't let them find it," Sarah whispered urgently, gripping Mark’s arm. "If they destroy whatever your father left down there, we'll never know the truth."
"We need a distraction," Mark said, his mind calculating the risks with cold precision. "If I circle around to the north side of the foundation and make noise, I can draw them away from the entrance. Once they move, Leo, you need to slip inside the cavity beneath the floorboards and grab whatever is hidden there."
"No, Dad, that's too dangerous," Leo protested immediately, shaking his head in the dark. "Let me draw them away. You know the layout of the foundation better than I do."
"I'm not arguing with you, Leo. Do as I say," Mark commanded in a fierce, low whisper, brooking no further debate. He gave Sarah a quick, reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "Stay here with him. If I'm not back in ten minutes, head straight back to the road."
Before Sarah could object, Mark slipped away from the tree trunk, melting silently into the dark underbrush toward the northern edge of the mill ruins.
Leo watched his father disappear into the shadows, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Every second stretched out like an eternity as they waited for the distraction to begin.
A sharp, metallic clang echoed loudly from the far side of the ruins, followed by the sound of falling bricks and Mark’s voice shouting a deliberate distraction. "Hey! Over here! What are you trespassing for?"
Instantly, the two figures in the ruins stopped moving. Their flashlights snapped around toward the source of the noise. With muttered curses, both men dropped their tools and began running urgently toward the northern wall where Mark had made his sound.
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"Now," Sarah whispered, pushing Leo gently forward. "Go!"
Leo didn't hesitate. He burst from behind the tree, keeping low to the ground, and sprinted across the muddy clearing straight toward the dark opening beneath the crumbling concrete slab of the mill.
