Page 22 (1/2)

"Sure," Alice said, "and if not, we havedown there," Valerie insisted

"Soht as well try my stuff first," Alice said "Because it’s true We didn’t take Jane’s height into consideration"

They h the costu-table chair and Valerie leaned against a prop box Henri seemed interested in her possible choice of costue’s costureat!" he said

While Jane pulled out the costume and oohed and ahhed over it, Sloan walked to the back of the roo down "What’s this?"

"Huh?" Henri joined hi brass pull on the floorboard, I guess"

"It’s a trapdoor Where does it lead?"

"Well, it could only lead to the basement--or to more floorboards," Alice said

"Do not open it!" Valerie shrieked "Not if it leads to the baseht’ve been a cubby where the old actors and actresses stuffed their valuables," Alice suggested

"Or it ht’ve been for extra costume pieces, accessories, stuff like that," Jane ht of herself as a weakling, so she was glad to see that, at first, it seeainst it and pulled harder--and the trapdoor opened

It didn’t lead to the baseliht and pointed it down into the hole that was about two feet deep

Valerie let out a screaht lead to the basement!"

"That--that’s not the baseetting out of here No, no, I’ anywhere alone Oh! Lord, what’s happening in Lily?"

Sloan looked at her "It’s all right, Valerie They’ve been here for a very long time You can see that the fabric--the dress--is nearly decayed It looks as if a body was left here and it decayed andit must have smelled like hell I wonder why someone didn’t find it back then"

"Oh, how horrible," Valerie said

Henri was down on his knees, horrified as he stared into the hole

"Someone’s found it recently," he said, a catch in his throat

"How do you know?" Alice asked

"Because this body is lacking so it should have," Henri said

"What?" Valerie demanded

"Her head," Jane said softly

It did see a trick on the cast at the theater--had found the space beneath the floor, taken out the skull and set it on a wig stand Despite the fact that he knew the bones had to be as old as the mummified remains discovered in the desert, Sloan called in the county medical exa roo She’d switch with either Brian or Cy after Silverfest had coone

Once the hoopla over the bones had ended, the afternoon earing on and Henri, though pensive, was also eager to get his cast out onto the street to start entertaining the locals

At three o’clock, Sloan and Jane were finally able to leave the Gilded Lily "Want to go exploring?" he asked her

"Sure Where? But should I be working on the skull? I just worry that I’ what you wanted out here"

"Doesn’t e And now I’m virtually certain we have the rest of her As soon as that’s confirmed, I’ll plan a proper burial for her We have our own version of Boot Hill here--except ours is called Dead Horse Hill I would like to see that she’s buried and I think that’s an appropriate place"

"I’ll still finish," Jane told hiht the entrances were all sealed"

"So did I But I went by the mine entrance off the trail today and it has a few loose boulders I hadn’t brought a flashlight or anything with o into an oldwhat I was up to Of course, I had my phone, but"

"If we’re both in the mine, ill knohere we are?"

"Johnny Bearclaw," Sloan said "I trust him with my life"

"And you don’t trust your own officers?"

"I do But I’ out what I suspect until I’ve had a chance to prove it"