Page 82 of Wild Oblivion

I reached into the box and picked up the crystal. It was warm to the touch. “Is this a natural crystal, or something created in a lab?”

Henrik smirked. "That is a very good question."

He knew the answer. He just wasn’t going to say.

“How does it work?” I asked.

“How does anything work?”

I’m not sure Henrik knew the answer to that one.

I didn't really know what the hell it was, but I wasn't aboutto let this thing out of my sight. I slipped it into my pocket. "I'll hang onto it for now.”

We closed up the box, put it back, and locked it. We called the manager, and he inserted his key into the slot and locked it as well. I thanked him for his cooperation but didn't offer any further explanation beyond the urgent kidnapping situation.

"I hope everything works out for the best," he said.

"Me too.”

We left the bank and loaded into the public works vehicle, then drove back to Willow Bend to see how things were coming along.

Everything was just as we’d left it. No progress had been made.

Juan and Jesus weren’t anywhere to be found. It’s not like we could pick up the phone and call them from here.

Jack looked at me and shrugged. "Contractors."

We’d probably never see them again.

JD and I started cleaning up as best we could, trying to get the place back in order. By the time we were done, it looked pretty good, apart from the square hole in the middle of the living room floor.

The sun angled toward the horizon, and it would be dark before long. We had burned through an entire day fooling with this stuff. I didn't have my cell phone turned on for obvious reasons, and wouldn't be able to take a call from Klaus. I expected to hear from him soon.

I was anxious to get out of there.

43

Avehicle rumbled as it pulled to the curb outside. Doors opened and shut, and a cargo door slid open.

I hurried through the house and peered out the window to see Juan and Jesus. From the van, they shouldered 50-pound sacks of backfill and trudged up the driveway.

A relieved breath escaped my lungs. I didn't think we were going to see them again.

They entered through the back door, carried the sacks into the living room, and threw them down onto the tile with a slap.

"Where have you guys been?"

"We had to go to three different tile places to find something that matched," Juan said.

They went to work, dumping in the backfill, then tamped it down and leveled it. Then they drilled into the old slab andset in short lengths of rebar. Jesus mixed up the quikrete, and they poured it in and troweled it. They did a damn good job. The guys were pros. That much was certain.

“How long is that going to take to set?” I asked.

Juan shrugged. “Probably ought to wait at least 24 hours.”

“We’re a little pressed for time,” I said.

“We can rush it. Might be dry enough in 4 or 5 hours, but I can’t guarantee how it will hold up.”