The tent took all of ten minutes to set up this time because they knew where all the pieces went. They decided to leave the coolers sitting on the bed of the cart for easy access, but Perry had brought several other bags.

"You sure brought a lot of stuff ... Oh," MT said as Perry pulled the helmets out of a bag.

"I figured we might decide to explore the caves again," Perry said.

"You mean the mine ... I know that hasn't been out of your head since we went up there."

"We could," Perry said. "I think I can open that door now."

He pulled a small black case out of the bag and unzipped the side. Inside were the tools a locksmith might use to pick locks.

"I found a picture of that huge lock online, and better yet it showed me the key. But there was also a diagram of the mechanism."

Perry removed several sheets of paper from the bag and handed them to MT. Sure enough, the picture looked just like the lock on the mine's door. The key was shaped funny and not at all like a normal house key.

"That's a railroad lock, I discovered. They used to put them on freight car doors. But the lock is still a pin and tumbler operation. You press up on the pins until they all line up and the tumbler will turn and release the shackle."

MT laughed. "I have no idea what you just said. Have you ever done this before?"

"On small padlocks, yeah. This big one is going to be a challenge," Perry said. "That is if you want to go up there again."

"We can, maybe tomorrow. I'm just as curious to see what's behind that door. Oh, I brought my own little surprise," MT said, and he pulled the box of condoms out of his backpack.

Perry grinned. "Where did you get those?"

"The drugstore," MT replied and then proceeded to describe the scene with Elvis and the Reverend's wife. They both had a good laugh about that and then Perry stopped laughing and moved in close.

"You want to try it, don't you? I mean me doing it to you."

MT nodded. "I ... I think it's only fair. You made it look so easy and I really enjoyed it. I want you to have the same pleasure."

Perry slid his hands up to MT's neck and kissed him once again. Then with a sigh he laid his head on MT's chest.

"I've never done it to anyone before ... they always did it to me," Perry said. "I guess I got used to being on the receiving end. There was no other choice because no one ever offered me the chance."

"I ... well I got the condoms so you could try," MT said.

Perry nodded. "Okay, we will. So, how about we go for a swim?"

It was so tempting to take off all their clothes and run naked through the woods, but then it was broad daylight and they had no idea who might be out and about once they climbed the fence. They each grabbed a towel and headed for the trees.

The creek was deeper here, the water held back by a small section of rapids further downstream. But it was still cold enough to shrivel up any dangling parts of the human body. They undressed and MT could still see the purplish bruise on Perry's shoulder where the shotgun had left its mark.

Perry was the first to take the plunge and then he stood up, looking down at the reduced state of his equipment.

"See ... when it looks like this I feel like I'm five years old," He groaned.

"I think you've grown some more hair," MT said.

"Seriously? No, you're joking."

"The lack of hair doesn't affect the way it works," MT said. "I think nature is testing your patience."

"Nature should have just made me a girl and been done with it."

"No way, I like you just the way you are," MT said.

Perry smiled, turned around and spread his ass cheeks. "Prove it."

"Here? You must be crazy if you think ... " And they both heard the sound of a small engine revving up in the distance.

MT was the first to reach the bank of the creek and he pulled Perry up behind him. There was a trail along the far side of the creek and just as they hid behind a screen of ferns a small dirt bike motorcycle came barreling up and passed by.

The rider was a young guy, but his features were covered by the helmet he wore. The clothing however was quite familiar since Jason was still wearing his work shirt from the lumberyard. He moved quickly along the trail and headed north, disappearing into the trees. MT stood up and pulled Perry to his feet.

"Great, Jason Wicket, just what we need out here. I wonder where the hell he was going." MT said.

"Will he come back?" Perry asked.

"Maybe, but that bike is pretty damn loud. Come on ... let's get out of these woods."

They returned to the campsite and for the first time MT noticed the small pile of firewood stacked against a tree. Perry admitted they had brought it down from the house that morning so they wouldn't have to scour the woods for deadfall to keep a fire going.

Perry sat fiddling with the lock picking set while MT laid a fire they would light later on to cook their supper.

"I think this is going to take both of us," Perry said. "I may need your help turning the cylinder."

"Just show me what to do," MT replied, and then he laughed. "I bet the mine tunnels are filled with cobwebs and mice. I doubt if anyone has been in there for years."

"Are you trying to scare me?" Perry asked.

"Scare you? Hell no, you're the guy who unloaded both barrels on Bates."

"That was by accident and you know it. I could have dislocated my shoulder."

"So what's for lunch?" MT asked.

"Bernice sent fried chicken and said it might be the last good meal we get if we plan to do our own cooking."

"Oh that is totally unfair. I know how to cook," MT said.

"I brought the stuff to make a stew," Perry said.

"Really? We could do that tonight and save the hot dogs for tomorrow. Uh, do you know how to make stew? Don't we need pots and pans?"

"You think I'm ignorant? Our cooking gear is in the other duffel bag. So what should we do this afternoon?"

"We could go collect golf balls," MT suggested.

Perry laughed. "Now why would we do that?"

"They make good targets. Alvin and I used to collect them up at the golf course and then shoot them with his .22 rifle."

"Okay, that sounds like fun. Where's the golf course?"

"Up there," MT said, pointing towards the foothills of the mountain. "It's only a couple of miles."

They sat and ate Bernice's fried chicken and some biscuits before they left the campsite. After an hour's climb Perry realized that a couple of miles would have been an easy hike except this one was all uphill. MT had brought his backpack and a couple of bottles of water for the hike. Fortunately, there was a dirt road beneath the power lines which ran up the side of the mountain so at least the footing wasn't difficult.

"This isn't one of your hard ways up and easy ways down things is it?" Perry asked.

"Nope, we come back the same way," MT replied.

A road ran across perpendicular to the one they were on and Perry looked at it. "Where's that go?"

"It branches off over there in the woods. The left fork goes to the back of the golf course and the right goes down to the Confederate mine."

"Ah, so there is a road to the mine. I wondered how anyone got in there," Perry said.

"We'll follow the creek over there tomorrow so at least we won't have an uphill hike ... especially if you plan on bringing all that climbing equipment."

"We might need the lights and the rope. Who knows what's in there?"

The golf course was a huge swatch of green carved into the ridge of the mountain. The community up here straddled the Georgia/Tennessee border in what was once a rich man's playground. But the fancy mansions of the wealthy had given way to middle class families who now dwelled among the trees. What made this town different was that almost every resident was white.

"I think that's the seventh green," MT said, staring out from the tree line across the finely trimmed grass.

"You play?" Perry asked.

"No, golf is an expensive game. We country boys fish, swim and hunt, those are our sports. But you play golf at school, don't you?"

"I had some lessons, but I'm no golfer. So where do we find all these golf balls?"

"Imagine me telling you about golf," MT laughed. "Okay, see the way the course is laid out? When they drive a ball towards the hole a lot of people overshoot the green and their balls go into the woods over there."

MT led the way across the corner of the course, looking to make sure there weren't any golfers in sight. The seventh hole had a dogleg in the approach and Perry figured MT was right, a lot of balls didn't make that turn. They reached the trees on the far side and started looking for balls.

"There's one," Perry said. "Jeez, there are dozens of them."

"Yeah, there always are," MT said. "There must be some lousy golfers up here."

They picked up a couple dozen of the balls and dropped them in MT's backpack. Perry was not very aware of his surroundings and several times MT cautioned him not to stick a hand in the bushes without careful observation. The point was made clear when a snake slithered across the leaves and disappeared under a fallen tree.

It was still early afternoon, so on the return trip, instead of taking the left fork in the trail, MT led them under the power lines and up a slope. Ten minutes later they were standing on a hill overlooking the scenic parkway that led up to Lookout Mountain.

"Looks like a lot of traffic," Perry said.

"Not all of them are tourists; there's a good sized town up there. You see that tower over there? That's the Presbyterian college. If you were to sit up here at night you could see the lights of the amusement area in Rock City."

"You've been up here at night?"

"Once ... a few years ago. Alvin and I came up here. My parents don't know about that. They thought I was in bed."

"Alvin was special to you, wasn't he?"

MT nodded. "Yeah, we were such bad little boys. I was just beginning to figure him out when they moved away. I think we might have become something if he'd been able to stay."

"I'm sorry you lost your friend," Perry said.

MT laid a hand on Perry's shoulder. "I have you now, and it seems like you're going to stick around. Let's go back to the camp."

Perry didn't have to ask what MT had in mind; he was feeling the same way. Neither of them felt any anxiety about lying down together and satisfying the urges every adolescent boy felt. It would happen when it did ... if not today, then surely tomorrow.

The tent was hot inside despite sitting under the branches of the pecan grove. It was almost July hot, where the sweat poured off your body after any kind of exertion ... and their sex was doomed to become a sweaty activity.

Neither of them had mentioned the condoms; it was too hot for that kind of closeness. But Perry performed an oral masterpiece and MT tagged along until they reached a mutual conclusion and lay back covered in sweat.

"Tents certainly do keep out the breeze," Perry said.

"What breeze? There isn't one at the moment, but it's probably cooler outside."

"I thought you didn't like having sex outside. You said it was risky."

MT laughed. "I just meant we should get out of this tent."

Perry started peeling potatoes, cutting up carrots and tossing everything in a pot to set over the fire. His cooler contained frozen chunks of beef which were now nearly thawed. That went in the pot with a small bag of spices Bernice had whipped up.

"Now we'll have to let it simmer for a few hours," Perry said. "Why don't you start the fire?"

"Okay, do you have any matches?"

Perry gave him a blank look. "Oops, I didn't bring any."

That got them both laughing until MT pulled a worn-looking book of matches out of his backpack. "I always carry matches," He said.

Perry balanced the pot on several rocks and added a generous amount of water. It would take a while to boil which left them time to go take another plunge in the creek. By the time they judged the stew to be done the sun was dropping over the mountain.

There was little they could do once it got dark except sit around the fire and talk. Perry was curious about the town and the school he would be attending. MT had been here his entire life and knew all the key people around town, which meant he was a good source of information.

"Do you have many friends at school?" Perry asked.

"The people I know come in three categories," MT said. "I have a few close friends that I trust. Some of them are black which puts me in conflict with the second group, the assholes like Jason. Of the black boys I'd say that Leon Ball is the closest. He's Missy's little brother but my age.

"Like most of the Ball men he's a big muscular kid and nobody fucks with him, except Jason and his crew of idiots. Leon has a bullet hole in his right side and you can see the scar plain as day. He was just out riding his bike when someone shot at him from the woods. Everyone kinda figures it was Jason or one of his pals, but the bullet went clean through Leon and they never found it as evidence.

"So Jason is a real piece of work and just about everyone I know hates him. Most of those in the last group are the farm kids. White, black, and in-between as they say. Some Mexicans, some foreigners. Trogdon is a mixed community. My father sees that as a strength and says that diversity means we'll survive where others fail."

"Pops feels the same way," Perry said. "Color is a bad reason to hate someone, but I know that crap is still around. Mom says it isn't any better up north, but that money has always been the reason for most hatred. Too many black folks on welfare, and the schools in their neighborhoods are for shit."

"Marsh High isn't a bad school," MT said. "Some of the teachers look like they ought to have retired years ago, but they still teach pretty well. The smartest kid in my class is a black girl named Leona Jackson."

"The smartest kid in my class was named Lenny Chung, a Chinese boy. So how hard will it be to attend Marsh High and not go out on dates with girls?" Perry asked.

MT smiled. "I don't know, but I have the same problem."

"Are there any gay kids?"

"Oh hell ... no, I don't think so. Doesn't mean they aren't there, but that would be the biggest secret anyone could have."

"Like us, you mean," Perry said.

MT nodded. "I don't know what gay means, Perry. I sure don't feel gay except for what we do. Look at Elvis ... no one acts like that in school."

"Gay doesn't mean acting like that. It's his choice to be that way," Perry said. "I have to teach you more about the internet. If you look around there you'll find all kinds of gay things. I've seen some pictures of gay guys that make Elvis look positively straight."

"It's pretty confusing," MT said.

"Yeah, kinda like the real world, isn't it? If you look at racism most of that is a lack of understanding. Black people are no different than us except some white folks refuse to see that. Gay people are all different and just like normal people; they all want to be accepted for who they are."

"You ought to be a politician," MT said.

"In my family? Hell no, we have too many secrets to keep."

"Oh? Are you talking about that Trogdon sheriff?" MT asked.

"That? If that's all everyone remembers I'll be happy. Besides, now the family has a gay Trogdon to worry about."

"You think they're going to find out about us?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out anytime soon. What about your parents?" Perry asked.

MT didn't have an answer to that. The fire snapped and crackled in the following silence as they sat, each with their own thoughts. The flames cast a little bubble of light under the trees, but out in the darkness nature was still on the move.

A barn owl flew across the pasture, night birds chattered in the trees overhead, and small creatures moved in the woods beyond the fence. The breeze finally began to flow and brought cool air down from the heights like it did most evenings.

"Ah, that feels so good," Perry said. "I ... " And then his radio squawked.

"Perry?" A disembodied voice said.

Perry grinned. "That must be Dave." He reached for the radio and pushed the button on the side. "Go ahead, Dave."

"Coming your way on patrol. Just thought I would give you a heads up."

"Great, we'll be waiting," Perry said.

"Aren't you supposed to 10-4 or something else?" MT asked.

Perry laughed. "You watch too much television. All I have to do it push the button and I get the Brinks guy."

"That's handy."

It was only a few minutes later when a shadow appeared out of the darkness. Dave walked up to the fire and sat down on the ground.

"Howdy, Gents," He said. "Nice night for a campout."

"Dave, this is my cousin, MT," Perry said.

"Nice to meet you," Dave said.

"Hello," MT replied.

The man was wearing the dark blue Brinks uniform, but everything else he had on said military. His uniform pants were tucked into high top combat boots and he wore a web belt with various pouches around his waist. But he carried two other items that held MT's gaze. Around his neck hung a pair of night vision goggles and he had an M-16 rifle slung across his chest.

"I didn't see you drive up," Perry said. "Are you walking around?"

"I am," Dave replied. "I prefer a quiet look around."

"How can you see anything?" MT asked.

"I have the goggles, but I see better in the dark with my own eyes. I have a few years of experience on night patrol."

"Dave was a Marine, weren't you?" Perry said.

"Still am," Dave said, and pointed to his head. "It's something that's hard to forget."

"You saw combat?" MT asked.

"Yes," Dave replied, and MT got the definite impression that was all the man was going to say.

"My father has a guy named Whit working for him who went to Iraq when he was in the Army. He worked in the motor pool but he still got wounded. He won't talk about it much," MT said.

Dave nodded. "Combat experience is very personal; you boys ought to know that. Some guys can't stop talking about it while the rest of us don't like the memories. There was nothing heroic about it ... it was just a job we had to do."

Perry nodded. "Well I'm glad you're here. Makes me feel safe."

"That's my job," Dave said with a smile.

"What are you looking for when you walk the patrol?" MT asked.

"From my briefing about this assignment it seems we are concerned with one individual. He may be wounded thanks to Perry, and that may slow down any further response he has. But this is a grudge fight. He's mad at Mr. Trogdon for losing his still. The way I see it is if he plans any further incursions then he'll bring some help.

"I'm out looking for broken gates, cut wire, or boards removed from the fence. If they do get on the property that way then there will be tracks on the ground to follow, just like I followed your cart tracks down here."

"How can you see our tracks in the dark?" MT asked.

"Grass is bent over from the tires and it will stay that way for a good while. Besides, even that little campfire makes enough light for these goggles to see from up at the house. I'm not too concerned that Mr. Bates will be returning anytime soon. He failed the first time at what he probably thought would be an easy task so he'll need to think of something else."

"Would you shoot him if he came back?" Perry asked.

"I would, but I hope I don't have to. I think it would be more entertaining to see a trial and watch him go to prison for the rest of his life. But I'm here to protect your family, the employees and the property. Bates will make his own decisions and if I have to shoot him it will be his fault."

"I just wish I'd had more than birdshot in that shotgun," Perry said.

Dave grinned. "A warrior, huh? Well, I'm sure you got his attention. You know, just about dark some damn kid rode by the front gates on a dirt bike. He was flying down the road and yet he took a hand off the handlebars and gave me the finger ... "

"Jason," MT said. "If you shot him the town would probably give you a medal."

Dave laughed. "I don't shoot idiots, and he almost lost control of that bike. Well, guess I better get on out there and look around. I won't bother you anymore tonight."

"No bother, Dave, glad to see you," Perry said.

"You boys have a good night," Dave said, and then he was gone.

"He's cool," MT said.

"Outstanding," Perry said with a sigh. "He kinda turns me on."

MT laughed. "Everything turns you on."

"I just wonder ... never mind."

"So big hunky Marines turn you on?" MT asked.

"I guess ... well, I would have no way of knowing, it's just a fantasy."

"Fantasies are good, sometimes inspiring."

"I never fantasized about a big man like that before," Perry said. "Come on ... let's crawl into the tent."

They put out the fire and scattered the ashes. The tent was a lot cooler now, which meant they wouldn't spend the night covered in sweat. But it was dark, damn dark, and MT waited for Perry to say something. Perhaps he wasn't in the mood to do anything and that would be all right.

"I was just thinking," Perry said. "Why do you suppose Jason rode by and gave Dave the finger? You think he knows we have security guards now?"

"I don't know where Jason gets his information, but he knew about the moonshiners pretty fast. I suppose he had to use the road to go home because it was dark. He must have stayed out wherever he was too late to use the trail."

"You said there were some guys that wouldn't like to see another Trogdon in town. Is that why we haven't been to see any of your friends?" Perry asked.

"I'm not afraid of them," MT said. "Guys like Jason know what will happen to them if they fuck with me ... or you for that matter. We could go see Leon tomorrow if you want. You haven't seen Lively Corners yet."

"I thought we were going to the mine?"

"Oh, we can ... you decide," MT said.

"I'm tired ... is it all right if we don't fool around tonight?" Perry asked.

"Sure, no hurry."

A silence fell around them and MT thought Perry had gone to sleep.

"MT ... you know I really, really like you ... maybe I even love you," Perry said.

MT grinned up at the ceiling of the tent. "But ... I'm waiting for the rest of that."

"I've never felt like this ... have you?"

"No ... I had feelings for Alvin but we never got this far," MT said.

"I want to do this the right way," Perry said. "I think this could be very important for the both of us. Love is something beyond sex, don't you think?"

"Yes, it probably is ... but I don't understand it either."

Perry giggled. "We are so pathetic ... we don't know shit about being in love."

"Maybe that's why we have sex," MT said. "At least that's something we understand."

"I agree ... I just need to think about this some more. I think we should keep having sex because it's fun, but it also keeps me focused on you. Maybe after we've done it a hundred times I'll discover that what makes it fun is the love we share."

"A hundred times? Do you know how expensive condoms are?" MT laughed.

Perry giggled again. "I have a bank account so we can order them online."

"Oh yeah, just make sure they don't get sent to my house."

More silence, broken only by the night sounds around them. Perry rolled towards MT.

"You didn't kiss me good-night," He said.

MT leaned over in the dark and missed his target, kissing Perry on the nose. A slight readjustment and their lips met for a brief kiss.

"Good Night. We'll have breakfast and head out to the mine after we're done."

"Yeah," Perry said, and then he rolled over to sleep.

It took MT longer to settle down with all the thoughts in his head. This would definitely be a summer to remember. What Perry didn't know was that he already had those deeper feelings for the boy. It wasn't the sex at all. He was attracted to the intelligence and the way Perry was so willing to share.

The boys he had grown up with were not like this. It was as if they thought everything had a price. Alvin wasn't like that, but then he came from nothing and was grateful for any little gesture of kindness. But even though he was best friends with Leon at school, their life outside of that wasn't really close.

What would Leon think of a Trogdon in their midst? By now that scene in church would have spread around town. Bernice and Missy did not carry gossip home with them about what they saw and heard on the job. But he was sure Leon knew he was related to the Trogdon family by now.

Perry did not act like some spoiled rich kid, probably because he had something to hide. But the gay thing would come up at school as a taunt since most of the bullies and idiots saw that as the ultimate put down. It would remain to be seen how Perry would react to that kind of stupidity, but MT was not worried for himself. The last jerk who had called him a fag got his ass kicked.

No matter what Mr. Trogdon thought, Perry would face the same issues his father, Robert Trogdon, had endured. That would put MT in a similar position as his own father. Wow, history did repeat itself. Yes, MT knew he had to help Perry develop some close friends who could stand up and be counted.

MT didn't know when he fell asleep; just that he awoke to the unfamiliar feeling of a naked body snuggled in close to his own. It was dawn and the valley was filled with the cool refreshing night air, cool enough that Perry had sought warmth.

There was a quiet beauty in the face of the sleeping boy, and MT felt something stirring in his mind. Everything that had happened this past month had brought them closer and the feelings had evolved. He felt protective, and yet Perry was not some helpless little kid. They had overcome all those difficulties together. They were partners. Maybe this is how love began.

He could lie here all morning and wait for Perry to wake up, or he could get up and start the day. The latter seemed more important since he had the urge to pee. The sky was just showing color as MT watered one of the trees out behind the tent. He then laid a fire and quietly placed a pot of water beside the flames to boil.

MT's mother had packed a half dozen eggs and some frozen bacon the day before, that was all ready to go in a pan by now. He reached into the cooler which was filled with a cold slush. They would need to get more ice today.

The water was starting to boil when MT found the little baby food jar filled with his favorite mix of instant coffee, sugar and powdered creamer. He looked at the jar and wondered where his mother had come up with it. Knowing her it had been in the back of a cupboard since he was little. She saved things like this.

Either the noise he made with the fry pan or the smell of bacon brought Perry stumbling out of the tent.

"Oh My God, what time is it?" Perry asked.

"Half past dawn," MT replied.

"Sunrise is around six o'clock these days."

MT smiled, figures the boy would know that. "Coffee?"

"Uh, okay. It got chilly last night. I think I snuggled up to you for warmth."

"You did, I didn't mind at all," MT said, pouring Perry a cup of the sweetened brew.

"Hot," Perry said after taking a sip. "But it tastes good."

MT flipped the bacon and rummaged in the supplies for some paper towels to absorb the grease. Perry sat quietly watching the operation. In short order they had fried eggs, bacon and the last of the biscuits warmed on a rock.

"Good breakfast," Perry said. "Do you cook a lot at home?"

"Not in my mother's kitchen. I'm lucky if she lets me boil water. You were pretty handy making that stew last night."

"Cooking lessons. We got them at school."

"It figures," MT said. "So let's clean up and get moving. It might take you a while to pick that lock."

What took a while was the hike along the creek to reach the mine. There was only one event along the way that made them stop, and that was when MT halted in his tracks and held out his arms.

"Back up slowly," He said.

"What's going on?" Perry asked.

"Back up," MT said, pushing his way backwards for about ten feet. Perry leaned around and gasped when he saw the snake coiled and ready to strike lying right in their path.

"Full grown rattler," MT said, keeping his eye on the snake.

"Jeez, we could have walked right into him."

"I told you the woods can be dangerous. See? There he goes. I guess we aren't the threat he thought we were."

The snake had uncoiled and slowly slithered off the trail and into the debris beneath the trees.

"He's still in there," Perry said.

"Yup, we'll give him a few minutes to move along."

Five minutes later MT moved quickly past the area and kept on going. Nature was always a challenge, but this was the snake's territory not theirs. The best thing to do in these situations was to yield the ground and then avoid contact. There would be other snakes; the woods were full of them.

It took almost two hours to reach the trail up to the mine. They could see the cliffs rising up above the blocked entrance and feel the sun beginning to heat up the open ground covered in slag. MT walked right up to the doorway and examined the lock.

"Hard to tell when the last time was someone opened this thing," He said. "So how does this work?"

Perry took off his backpack and extracted the lock picking set. He held the picture of the lock mechanism and tried to ponder just what tools he would need.

"I need to inset three picks, one for each of these pins. They're spring loaded and probably of different lengths, but without seeing the key I don't know how long they are. So I have to fiddle with pressing the pins and see if I can feel when they clear the cylinder. That's the fun part."

"What can I do?"

"I'll let you turn the cylinder with this tool," Perry said, handing MT a small flat bar with small teeth on the sides.

"Just tell me when."

Perry could feel the pick engaging the end of the pin, and after each successful contact he added another pick for the next pin in the row. He finally had all three picks in place and began the delicate balancing act of holding the tools and gently applying pressure.

"Okay, slide your flat bar up in there real slowly," Perry said. "When you bottom out just stop and wait for me." MT held his tool and Perry fiddled a bit. "Good, I can feel the pins moving. I want you to give the cylinder a very slight turn counterclockwise. That's the way a key would open ... yeah, gently."

Perry used both hands to manipulate the picks and whatever he felt going on inside the lock seemed to please him. "Yeah, now apply a little more pressure until you feel the cylinder start to give and then turn it fully halfway if you can ... there you go, give it a twist." And the shackle popped open.

"Wow," MT said," you did it."

"Piece of cake. How long did it take, five minutes?"

"Something like that. How did you know how far to push in those pins?" MT asked.

"Whoever keyed the lock was lazy. The pins were like one, two, three, with each getting progressively longer ... not very smart at all."

MT unhooked the lock from the two pieces of heavy chain that held it in place. The shackle looked to be a half inch thick, the chain even heavier. The lock must have weighed ten pounds as he held it in his hands.

"Okay, Mr. Magician ... you may have the privilege of opening the door," MT said.

"Be my pleasure," Perry replied.

He grasped the chain welded to the door and pulled. MT expected to hear a squeal as the rusty metal rubbed against itself, but the door opened quietly until Perry peered into the gloomy interior.

"This is not at all what I expected," Perry said, and he stood aside for MT to get a look.

Just beyond the doorway stood a stack of shiny new metal barrels, there must have been twenty or thirty of them.

"I don't like this," MT said. "Someone has been in here recently."

"Looks like it," Perry agreed. "I still want to see what's in there, don't you?"

"Yes, but we'll have to make it fast. I don't like this at all."


On to Chapter Seven

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