Labyrinth by Alex Archer Read Free Book Online

fine. Now run along. Kessel is waiting.”
Jonas grinned. “Have fun.”
Annja frowned and walked out of the room. Kessel stood just outside, as Greene had promised.
“You coming with me?” she asked.
Kessel nodded.
“All right, then. Let’s get to it.”

Chapter 7
     
Kessel led Annja back down the carpeted corridor and broke left near the entrance, taking her through a massive kitchen that could have easily handled the workload of two restaurants. Annja marveled at the shining cookware and six-burner cooktops with names she recognized from the fanciest restaurants. She whistled quietly. Fairclough certainly knew how to live.
A single heavy door led from the kitchen out to the backyard. But yard wasn’t quite the appropriate name for the sprawling lawn that greeted them. Floodlights illuminated a pair of tennis courts in the distance, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a beautiful flagstone patio area complete with its own outdoor kitchen and bar area.
Annja frowned. Fairclough didn’t seem like the type to do much entertaining and yet this home seemed custom-made for it. Then again, it would provide interesting cover for his underground maze. Perhaps he’d invested in this elaborate setup to simply help hide the book he sought to protect.
Either way, the place was luxurious and amazing. Annja found herself staring in wonder at the carefully trimmed plants and bushes they passed.
Kessel, for his part, seemed unmoved. He simply kept striding ahead toward a distant spot concealed behind a low rise in the yard. As they crested the grassy slope, Annja saw the outline of a large building and assumed this was the barn.
It looked old, in stark contrast to the rest of the estate. She could tell by the clapboard weathered to a fine slate gray that it had been built more than a hundred years ago.
Kessel stopped in front of the main door and pointed. Annja glanced at him. “You’re not going to get the door?”
He just stared at her.
Annja sighed. “Look, if you’re coming into the maze with me, we need to get some basic communication down. I take it you’re familiar with hand signals?”
Kessel didn’t respond for a moment but then finally nodded once.
“All right, then, we’ll go with those. And improvise if something comes up we can’t describe, okay?”
Kessel nodded again, this time a little faster. Annja grunted and pulled on the massive wooden door.
It creaked and then swung open. The smell of horses and hay enveloped her and she sneezed twice. So did Kessel, and it was the first time Annja heard him make any sort of noise.
“I’ll walk out of here with a massive allergy attack if I’m not careful,” Annja said. Kessel grunted behind her and she turned. “See? That’s not too much to ask, is it? We might even get along, you and I.”
Kessel raised an eyebrow.
Annja smiled. “Maybe not.”
She found a switch on the wall and threw it on. Instantly, light flooded the stalls and she saw the one marked number three. Annja pointed. “I think that’s our destination.”
She led him over to the stall and looked inside. Nothing but hay and dust. A giant spiderweb hung in the upper corner, carefully crafted by a master weaver who was apparently hiding. Annja shook her head. “Don’t care for spiders much.”
Kessel nudged her into the stall. Annja looked around. “What do you think? Trapdoor? Would it be that easy?” She knelt and hauled back a whole pile of hay. But all she saw was a dirt-covered wooden floor.
Annja stood back up. “Guess not.”
She backed out of the stall and examined the entry. But the simple latch over the gate didn’t seem out of place at all.
Kessel, for his part, stood still, studying every inch of the stall with his eyes. Annja looked at him. “See something?”
Kessel shrugged, stepped forward and touched a single nail jutting out of the closest wall. Annja heard the click and then saw a portion of wall slide back and in, revealing a black crawlspace.
“Well, look at that. Your