Tomb of the Snake (Leah Stone Archaeological Thrillers Book 1) by David Berens & Nick Thacker

Author:David Berens & Nick Thacker [Berens, David & Thacker, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Conundrum Publishing
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

“So, what you’re saying is that you know this place?” Jack jabbed a finger at the picture on Leah's phone.

“Been there many a time, young man.”

“Where is it?” Leah asked.

Claude laughed. “Ya cain’t exactly tap it into yer GPS, missy. Ya gotta trek to that one with the stars guidin’ yer way.”

“Okay,” Leah shook her head as she said it. “I have no idea what that means.”

He twirled a stick between his teeth, chewing as he spun it over and over. “Means it ain’t easy to get there. It’s one of those places that don’t want to be found.”

Jack started whistling and Leah almost laughed as she realized it was the Twilight Zone theme. Claude snapped his head toward Jack faster than Leah would’ve thought he could. The man might look old and slow, but he moved like a viper, or a puma. Jack swallowed his tune back into his mouth.

“But you could find it, couldn’t you?” Leah asked.

The prospector cleared his throat, stroked his chin, and chewed on his stick. For a long moment, he said nothing. Leah began to wonder if he had forgotten the question.

“Reckon I might could.”

More silence — or at least as silent as the late afternoon and early evening could be in the desert. The crickets and cicadas were beginning to fire up. Their chirping sounded like a million kazoos and squeaking basketball shoes filling the air. Leah realized with a start that they had been out here all day.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jack open his palms skyward. “So? Will you take us there?”

“Jack, shut it.”

“No point in beating around the bush.”

She glared at him and showed him her palm. “I’ll handle this.”

He surrendered with a shrug.

“Devil’s Canyon ain’t a place to be trekkin’ off to for a day hike,” Claude said looking at Jack. “Desert’s rough enough as it is, but that place… It’s like the dirt opens up and sends all its snaky minions after you there.”

Leah was shocked to hear the man use the word snaky, but she did her best to keep from showing it on her face.

“Claude,” she said trying to figure out what she wanted to reveal to the man, “we need to get there. It could be a life or death situation.”

“Might be your life or death if you ain’t careful.”

“That’s a chance we have to take.”

He took a deep breath and looked upstream. He seemed to be staring in a way Leah thought was too specific. It wasn’t that far away, considering the options kind of stare. No, Leah thought, he knows exactly where it is. He stood up and started stuffing his cookware and panning equipment into a sack. He had filled two large pouches with water and slung them over his shoulder.

“I suppose we can make it a good ways tonight before dark if we head out now.”

“Now? You mean, hike there now?” Jack asked.

“Claude, we can’t go right now. Jack’s not in any condition to — ”

“I’m fine, Leah.

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