Page 353 of Hidden Depths
Ben led us through the darkness.
Ward stayed at the rear, firing whenever one of the men appeared behind us.
Nathan refused to leave Mom’s side.
The passage sloped downward.
That didn’t make sense.
If the lower tunnels were flooding, we should have been climbing.
“Mom, are you certain this leads out?”
“It did when I was here before.”
I nearly stopped.
“You’ve been here?”
“When I was nineteen.”
Nathan looked at her.
“With James?”
“And Daniel.”
My father’s name echoed through the tunnel.
Mom’s breathing became uneven.
“Your grandfather brought us here after Daniel proposed. He said anyone who joined the Sinclair family needed to understand what we were protecting.”
“What were you protecting?” Ward called from behind us.
Mom didn’t answer immediately.
“The truth.”
We reached a fork in the passage.
The tracks turned left.
A steep stone staircase rose to the right.
Ben swept his flashlight over both routes.
“Which way?”
Mom stared at the tracks.
“The left passage leads to Blackwater.”
“And the stairs?”
“To the cliffs above the cannery.”
Ward glanced behind us.
