The Secret of the Stones by Ernest Dempsey (reading fiction .TXT) 📕

near the promenade of his university. Laughter filled his ears as visions of someone he’d not seen in a long time scorched his mind’s eye.

“Sean?” Joe interrupted the flashback. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry. Just trying to piece things together.”

“We should probably get going. Red Clay’s another hour from here at least. We’ll need to get there to see what they have in the museum, maybe talk to the ranger there to see if they can give us any information that might help.”

Sean nodded, agreeing to the plan. He detached the camera from the computer and returned the borrowed cord to the pleasant lady behind the desk. “Thanks again for your help,” he offered as they walked through the metal detectors.

The librarian simply smiled as she wound the cable back to its original circle shape. “You’re very welcome.”

As the three made their way back out the large doors and down the steps of the brick building, Sean spoke up. “Allyson, you never said why Axis was so interested in all of this.”

“That’s right,” her face was stoic. “I didn’t.”

She didn’t offer anything else as she climbed into the front seat of the truck.

All he could do was shake his head with a smirk while he walked around to the back door.

42

Southeastern Tennessee

It had only taken the black Hummer fifty minutes to make the drive through the rolling hills and farms to Red Clay State Park. The ancient Native grounds were located in a very rural area near the Georgia-Tennessee border. Replicas of one-room log cabins, barns, and meeting halls dotted the meadows surrounded by the sacred woods.

Tommy had barely noticed the incredible display of fall colors during the journey. His mind had been busy considering when his luck would turn on him. So far, things had gone his way. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of doom though. It was encouraging that Sean was on the trail, but how would Sean know how to decipher the code on the boulders?

Ulrich guided the giant SUV into an empty place right outside of the park’s museum. Two other cars sat idly by to the right. The museum was designed to keep with the country-rustic aesthetic of the area. Wooden beams angled up from exterior trusses, and brown paint covered the natural paint siding of the entire building. It was capped with a cedar-shingled roof. A large deck was situated on the entire front of the building and wrapped around the right side. On the lengthy porch, old-fashioned rocking chairs silently rested, unoccupied.

Crows loudly bellowed from some high branches overhanging a picnic area while four college-aged kids were carelessly throwing a Frisbee in a field nearby. The crisp air was filled with the aroma from a tall stand of pine trees behind the museum.

“What now?” Ulrich inquired as the four men simultaneously set foot on the ground, exiting the vehicle.

Tommy nodded his head in the direction of the museum. “I guess we should check in there. They will have a bunch of information about the area. Maybe we’ll find something.”

The group casually walked up the front steps toward the building. Upon entering, they were greeted with what Tommy considered to be a pleasantly familiar smell. Museums of differing types always seemed to have a similar odor. It was only natural for Schultz to associate the scent he was now inhaling with the vision of ancient relics, pottery, weapons, or ordinary daily devices and utensils that people thousands of years ago would have taken for granted.

Behind the welcome desk, a man with reddish-tan skin and long black hair stood in a tan, short-sleeve, button-up shirt and green park ranger pants. He was busily typing on a computer that sat on top of the information counter. The nametag on his shirt read, Cooper. His job must have got boring.

Tommy figured the ranger could complete a round of solitaire in record time by now. The guy was probably not used to visitors during the week that were not part of a school group or some kind of educational tour.

“Can I help you?” the man asked as he stopped whatever he was doing and turned his attention to the four men, smiling with bright-white teeth.

Jens gave Tommy a nudge forward. Clearing his throat, Schultz tried not to act like a hostage. “Yes,” he began, “I was just showing some of my friends around the area. They’re not from around here,” he continued, pointing at the other three who looked at each other, seeming confused. “I thought it would be cool to show them a little bit about some of the local history.”

The dark-skinned ranger looked pleased. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to take a look around our museum, just through those doors there. You can find all kinds of information about our rich past as well as many artifacts that have been discovered through the years right here on the property.” Then he added, “If you would like, we have a twenty-minute video that will be showing in a few minutes.”

Why would they have a movie at set times if there was no one there to watch it? Tommy didn’t ask the question. The guy was obviously eager to share information with someone who didn’t arrive on a yellow bus.

“Thanks. We’ll just take a look around for a few minutes and maybe walk through the park.”

“All right. Just let me know if you need anything or have any questions.” Satisfied he’d done his job, the ranger went back to whatever he was previously doing on the computer.

Tommy nodded in appreciation and led the two flattops and Ulrich through the large double doors into a small museum area. Once inside, they were greeted by six-foot-high placards with pictures of