Page 92 of The Promise
"Not just any mining tunnel. One in the Promise. The main shaft goes laterally into the mountain with other tunnels branching off to either side?—"
"The north and south sides." Patrick interrupted his brother. "The slant is then either to the west or east."
Cara nodded with understanding. "So the directions are for the third tunnel on either the south or north sides with a westward slant."
Michael shot her a quick smile. "Exactly. With this, we can narrow it down to two tunnels."
"But what good does it do us to know where, if we don't know what, and more importantly, why?" Loralee asked.
"Patrick and I think it must have something to do with Father's ramblings."
"About the silver?" Loralee leaned forward, elbows propped on the table, her eyes on the paper in Patrick's hand.
"Right."
Cara frowned as something nagged at her brain. She tried to focus on it, but whatever it was it remained just on the edge of her subconscious. Reluctantly, she let it go and focused again on the conversation.
"That and the fact that Vargas may have been related to Striker."
"The great grandfather." Cara thought back to Nick's confession. "His name was Amos."
"Exactly." Patrick smiled. "So somehow it's all related."
"And what's more important is that Striker knows how." Michael's face hardened in the glow of the candles.
"And killed our Father because of it." Patrick's face tightened, too.
Cara was grateful suddenly that they were on her side. These were not men to be trifled with. "So you think that Amos is on his way to the Promise now?"
"Maybe. If there's really something up there, then he'd want to get it before everything blows sky high."
Patrick grimaced. "And Striker doesn't hit me as the type to abandon something he obviously believes is worth killing for."
"True enough, and Duncan was awful excited about the silver." Loralee put in.
Suddenly, the little thought pushed its way into the forefront. Cara sucked in a breath. "He saidthesilver, not silver."
"What?" Three heads turned to focus on her.
"When you all talk about it. You say silver. As though it's not specific. But whenever Loralee talks about what your father said, she always refers tothesilver. Specific silver." She groaned with frustration as three pairs of eyes looked equally blank. "Don't you see? Nick had books about the lost silver. That's what he was looking for.Thesilver."
She watched as the impact of her words sank in, satisfied to see comprehension dawning. Michael was the first to see it. "You think Amos found the silver from the Promise?"
"I think it's possible."
"So then what? My father found it, too?"
"It would make sense. That would explain his excitement."
Michael ran a hand through his hair. "But if he found it, he would have told Owen." He looked over at his brother.
Patrick frowned. "He tried. Or at least that's what Sam said. But Owen was out, so Father got drunk instead."
"And came to see me," Loralee added.
"That must be when he put the note in the locket," Cara said, her mind trying to put it all together.
"It's possible." Loralee scrunched up her forehead in thought. "In fact, it makes sense. Duncan had my locket with him. I'd broken the chain and he said he'd fix it for me. Never let anyone have it before. But I trusted him." She looked up to meet Patrick's gaze.
