Beneath the Mall of Madness (A Jaspar Windisle Mystery Book 1) by A.D. Folmer

Author:A.D. Folmer [Folmer, A.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Melete Publishing
Published: 2014-12-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15: So that’s what cyclopean means

There was quite a turnout for the building of the wall of Jericho. Fiona and Mrs. Whateley had set out tables behind the hotel and covered them with baked goods. There was plenty of coffee, tea, and cider. I took the coffee. Gregory was sitting in the middle of the fruit selection disguised as an extra-large strawberry.

“You’re not fooling anybody,” I told him. He turned yellow and stretched himself out.

“No.” He shrank and inflated, turning dark purple as he did so.

“Cut that out,” Fiona said. “And get away from there. Those are for everybody, not just you.”

“Why did you bring him?” I asked her. She leaned towards me.

“I don’t, usually, but I didn’t like the way that professor was looking at him. I’m keeping him close until I get a chance to upgrade my security.”

“Good morning Mr. Windisle,” Pastor MacReady said. “Are you here to help out?”

“He’s working on another project,” Fiona said.

“If I’m back in time I will,” I promised. I looked at the pile of materials and the flags marking out where the wall would be. “Is this really going to take only one day to build?”

“We tell ourselves that every year,” the pastor said. “Every year we’re wrong, but I think we can get the frame up today. After that, we’ve got a whole week until the reenactment itself. If the weather isn’t too bad, we’ll finish in plenty of time.”

Steve and Mordecai showed up at almost the same time. Earl and Zebulon arrived shortly afterward.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Steve. He nodded.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve gone after a magical site like this,” he reminded me.

When Cecilia arrived, we were ready to go. She was wearing a thick jacket and carrying a backpack.

“Are we ready?” She asked. We all answered in the affirmative.

“Has everyone got a lunch? And water, a flashlight, and extra batteries?”

“Take some food,” Fiona urged us. “We’ve got plenty, and you don’t know how long you’ll be gone.” I complied. Sparks didn’t like it and moved from my pocket to my collar.

“Has everyone gone to the bathroom?” Cecilia asked when we were finished.

“Cici!” Zebulon snapped. “We’re not children!”

“Well, I don’t want to have to come back early,” she said.

“We’re fine,” Earl said.

“And you’ll be fine here?” Cecilia asked Fiona. Fiona nodded.

“I’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Great! See you later!”

***

If anything it had gotten colder and more miserable since the last time I’d been in the marsh. Everyone except Cecilia had sunk into the mud by the time we got to the hill.

“It’s at the bottom,” I told them. Earl seemed to hesitate.

“Will we have to go into the woods?” He asked.

“You can’t,” Mordecai said flatly, starting down the hill. “You can try, but it’s not possible. So the tunnel entrance must be in the clearing somewhere.”

“Close,” I said. I started working my way down. It was easier going than last time since I had the luxury of choosing my path. Abner and Obadiah had both come down here many times, but there was no good way to do it.

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