CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The second cave proved to be far larger than the first, which made the women think it could be hiding something. There were no wine barrels but several wheel barrels left in the tunnel entrance.
“This seems odd,” said Aldo. “We wouldn’t need these to move the barrels.”
“Maybe they were moving other things,” said Lena. They continued to walk, the tunnel not getting narrower as they expected. Instead, it was getting wider and taller as they moved deeper into the hill.
“Does anyone else feel as though we’re walking downward?” asked Lissa.
“I definitely do,” said Lena.
“I believe you’re right,” said Aldo. “This would not have been the way the tunnel originally was built. We wouldn’t need for it to go further underground. Please, be very careful in case there are any devices that could harm you.”
The women all stopped in their tracks, looking at one another.
“Maybe we should call the guys,” said Kat. “I’m fine with putting bad guys in jail, but we don’t know anything about explosives or anything else that might be down here.”
“I think we’ll be okay,” said Erin. “The cave has been open this entire time. Surely, someone would have seen or heard something from an animal or kid who may have played down here.”
“The children were never allowed down here,” said Aldo. “It was strictly forbidden.”
“Way to make me feel better,” said Montana. “I’ll take the lead. Walk single file and try to stay in one another’s footsteps.”
Carefully, they continued, confirming that they were indeed walking down into the tunnel. Montana suddenly stopped and turned to look at the women behind her.
“Aldo? Are you certain that your family wasn’t storing things in here?” she asked.
“I am positive,” he said. “Why?”
“Everyone, step forward and shine your flashlights.” The women all stepped forward, crowding together, and pointed the lights into the opening.
“Ho-lee fuck,” muttered Kat.
“Oh, my God,” whispered Lissa.
“What in the world have we found?” asked Grace.
“I believe we found hidden gold and weapons that were intended for Hitler and Mussolini. Someone must have stored it here with the map in that book. They either didn’t have time to get to the book after they killed the boys, or it was placed there after they died. Either way, this is what they were after,” said Montana. She stepped further into the cave, watching her every step.
“Look, there are molds for bullets, cases of dynamite against the wall, rifles everywhere, and the stack of gold bars on that table. They’re all just sitting here, collecting dust.”
“What do we do?” asked Aldo.
“We have to call the authorities,” said Montana. “The children are free, and we’ve solved this mystery.”
“But how? How will the world know what happened to those boys?” he asked.
“I need you to contact the professor and ask him to get here as soon as possible,” said Montana. Aldo walked out of the cave to get a signal and called the professor. He said it was urgent and would be of great interest to him. While the women washed up and ate some lunch, they waited for him to arrive.
“What? What is so urgent? What is wrong?” he said, rushing to the back of the villa.
“Professor, we have a confession to make,” said Adele. “We took something from you the other day, but it was for a good reason. Will you listen?”
He nodded, then took a seat as Adele and the others explained what happened. They told him of removing the step, finding the book, all of it. Then they walked him to the cave and showed him what they’d found.
“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It was always rumored that Hitler and Mussolini had hidden things in case they needed to escape or something. But nothing has ever been found.”
“Well,” said Faith, “you’ve just found it. It cannot involve us. Notify the authorities that you found the book accidentally and the map. You asked Aldo’s permission to inspect the caves, and when you did, this is what greeted you. You’ll be a national hero.”
“B-but you found it,” he said, looking at them.
“No, we found a way for four little boys to make their way home. That’s all we ever wanted to do. This. This is all your discovery, and we’ll back you on it,” said Faith.
“I cannot believe this.”
Pulling up to the villa, the men leaped from the bus, running to the back of the veranda. Police and military vehicles were everywhere, news media, and even a bomb squad.
“What the fuck? What the hell is going on?” yelled Gaspar.
“Oh, hi, babe,” said Alexandra.
“Hi babe? That’s what you’ve got for me? Hi babe.”
“Yes,” she smiled. “Isn’t this amazing. The professor we visited the other day found an old diary that was written by Hitler for Mussolini! Inside it detailed a cave where they had hidden weapons, gold, all sorts of things. The professor came out earlier and asked if he could search the old caves that were used to house wine. Aldo said of course, and here we are a few hours later!”
“Back the fucking truck up,” frowned Miller. “What did they find?”
“Weapons, bullet molds, dynamite, explosives of other varieties, gold bars, and much more,” said Montana. “When he told us about it, I walked down there with him just to see if anything was an immediate danger. It’s all so old we don’t think it is, but the bomb guys are taking care of it all.”
“Isn’t it incredible,” said Grace. “All this time, it was just down there. So close Aldo and Enzo could have touched it.”
“That’s remarkable,” said Nine. “Do you need anything from us?”
“No,” said Aldo. “We will be covered with media for a while, but everything will be fine. I can try to find somewhere else for you to stay if you wish.”
“I think we’ll be alright,” said Nine. “Besides, we leave in two days anyway. We’ll try to head out early in the morning, do our sightseeing, and come back later when things settle down for the night. It’s pretty incredible, though. Your family had that right in their own backyard.”
“Yes. The professor said we would get a reward for finding it and donating it all to the museum. We’ve also given them permission to study the other cave, although we don’t believe anything is in there.”
“It’s just amazing,” said Montana, smiling at her husband.
“Come,” said Aldo. “I have made a special meal for us tonight. We celebrate, and we’ll sleep like babies.”