reached the mine, Joel parked the SUV and quickly jumped out. He had found his toy for the day, and no one was going to take it away.
CHAPTER 4
The goat trail had widened into a relatively flat, peanut-shaped clearing about half the size of a football field. Junipers and Douglas firs formed a protective barrier on three sides. Numerous tire ruts marked much of the open space, suggesting that the property had enjoyed a second life as a parking lot for outdoorsmen.
On the far side, three badly weathered wooden buildings and a boarded black hole defaced what topographical maps called Colter Mountain. The tallest building, an enclosed, silo-like structure, rose eighty feet and leaned five precarious degrees off its vertical axis. Gravity and the elements had rendered it a bowling pin for the next earthquake.
High above, the spring sun shined brightly. Absent most of the day, it grudgingly emerged from cotton-ball clouds to provide modest warmth. Adam could not believe that any place in the lower forty-eight states could be this cool on the cusp of summer. He stepped out of the car, walked past the Tower of Pisa to a large boulder near the entrance of the mine, and watched his friend make full use of his boy brain.
Joel got right to work. Rechargeable flashlight in hand, he climbed a short incline to the main attraction, stopping only to remove a prickly weed that clung to his jeans. When he arrived, he ran his fingers along thick gray beams that framed the entrance, paused for a moment, and frowned, as if realizing that breaching the mine might involve more thought and effort than a chip shot from a bunker. A patchwork of unpainted boards and posts covered ninety-five percent of the opening.
Adam knew it was only a matter of time before Joel attempted to reduce that percentage, so he put his hands behind his head, reclined on the boulder, and settled in for the long haul. He had seen this sort of thing before.
"Joel?"
"Yeah."
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"How is your English progressing?"
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering what part of 'Keep Out' and 'No Trespassing' and 'Danger' you don't understand."
Joel let go of a loose board and looked back at Adam. He smiled, formed a pistol with his right hand, extended it toward his questioner, and fired with his thumb.
"Good one. I'll be sure to write that down." Joel returned to the board. "I think I can work this free. Why don't you give me a hand?"
"No, thanks. I'd rather watch you get splinters." Adam sat up. "Come on, Joel. It's been more than fifteen minutes. Let's go. We still have to go back to the diner."
"We will. I promise. But first I want to check this out."
Joel stepped away from the entrance, scanned his surroundings, and then started down the path. He appeared defeated, not inspired.
"Finally!" Adam muttered to himself.
But before Adam could lift his sore butt off the boulder, Joel picked up a chunk of limestone the size of a cantaloupe and marched back up the hill. Twice he dropped the rock, barely missing his light-duty hiking boots. Twice he wiped debris from his hands, picked up the object, and continued his ascent. When he reached the top, he put the chunk on the ground and brushed himself off. He turned toward Adam and grinned.
"You didn't think I was going to give up that easily, did you?"
Joel hoisted the rock high above his head and sent it crashing through the boards. He kicked and yanked the remaining wreckage from its moorings, tossed it aside, and stared at his creation: a two-foot gap that now allowed easy passage. Joel retrieved his flashlight, flicked the switch, and directed a beam into the abyss.
"Looks inviting to me!"
"It's a good thing Montana doesn't have laws against trespassing and vandalism," Adam said. "The sheriff might even give you points for persistence. Now, let's go."
"In a minute. I just want a look."
"What do you think you're going to find in there? Carmen Electra? Come on. I'm serious. We have a long
CHAPTER 4
The goat trail had widened into a relatively flat, peanut-shaped clearing about half the size of a football field. Junipers and Douglas firs formed a protective barrier on three sides. Numerous tire ruts marked much of the open space, suggesting that the property had enjoyed a second life as a parking lot for outdoorsmen.
On the far side, three badly weathered wooden buildings and a boarded black hole defaced what topographical maps called Colter Mountain. The tallest building, an enclosed, silo-like structure, rose eighty feet and leaned five precarious degrees off its vertical axis. Gravity and the elements had rendered it a bowling pin for the next earthquake.
High above, the spring sun shined brightly. Absent most of the day, it grudgingly emerged from cotton-ball clouds to provide modest warmth. Adam could not believe that any place in the lower forty-eight states could be this cool on the cusp of summer. He stepped out of the car, walked past the Tower of Pisa to a large boulder near the entrance of the mine, and watched his friend make full use of his boy brain.
Joel got right to work. Rechargeable flashlight in hand, he climbed a short incline to the main attraction, stopping only to remove a prickly weed that clung to his jeans. When he arrived, he ran his fingers along thick gray beams that framed the entrance, paused for a moment, and frowned, as if realizing that breaching the mine might involve more thought and effort than a chip shot from a bunker. A patchwork of unpainted boards and posts covered ninety-five percent of the opening.
Adam knew it was only a matter of time before Joel attempted to reduce that percentage, so he put his hands behind his head, reclined on the boulder, and settled in for the long haul. He had seen this sort of thing before.
"Joel?"
"Yeah."
"I have a question."
"Shoot."
"How is your English progressing?"
"What?"
"Well, I was wondering what part of 'Keep Out' and 'No Trespassing' and 'Danger' you don't understand."
Joel let go of a loose board and looked back at Adam. He smiled, formed a pistol with his right hand, extended it toward his questioner, and fired with his thumb.
"Good one. I'll be sure to write that down." Joel returned to the board. "I think I can work this free. Why don't you give me a hand?"
"No, thanks. I'd rather watch you get splinters." Adam sat up. "Come on, Joel. It's been more than fifteen minutes. Let's go. We still have to go back to the diner."
"We will. I promise. But first I want to check this out."
Joel stepped away from the entrance, scanned his surroundings, and then started down the path. He appeared defeated, not inspired.
"Finally!" Adam muttered to himself.
But before Adam could lift his sore butt off the boulder, Joel picked up a chunk of limestone the size of a cantaloupe and marched back up the hill. Twice he dropped the rock, barely missing his light-duty hiking boots. Twice he wiped debris from his hands, picked up the object, and continued his ascent. When he reached the top, he put the chunk on the ground and brushed himself off. He turned toward Adam and grinned.
"You didn't think I was going to give up that easily, did you?"
Joel hoisted the rock high above his head and sent it crashing through the boards. He kicked and yanked the remaining wreckage from its moorings, tossed it aside, and stared at his creation: a two-foot gap that now allowed easy passage. Joel retrieved his flashlight, flicked the switch, and directed a beam into the abyss.
"Looks inviting to me!"
"It's a good thing Montana doesn't have laws against trespassing and vandalism," Adam said. "The sheriff might even give you points for persistence. Now, let's go."
"In a minute. I just want a look."
"What do you think you're going to find in there? Carmen Electra? Come on. I'm serious. We have a long
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