Sedona Law 4 by Dave Daren (free ebook reader for ipad .txt) 📗

plot of dusty earth. This was everything Arizona was known to be, painted deserts and a couple of Saguaro cacti off in the distance. But there was no house anywhere.

“I don’t see anything, Susan,” I said as I kicked the dust.

“That’s the whole point,” she giggled and even bounced a little.

“What?” I asked.

Wordlessly, she took us further out into the field. Dust, shrubs, and even a tumbleweed all baked in the Arizona sun. About fifty yards into the field, we arrived at a cluster of bushes. On the other side of the bushes, was a trench with concrete steps.

“Come on down,” Susan gestured.

We followed her down the steps five feet down and arrived at a glass door.

“It has a warehouse bay shutter,” she gestured above us, where I could see a metal door that could be pulled down.

“It’s underground?” Vicki asked. “I don’t know.”

“You will love this place!” Susan squealed. “Come on, let me show you. This used to be a military bunker for when they would do secret testing out here, you know, for aliens and all.”

Susan nodded somberly and held open the door for us. Vicki and I entered into a small foyer with white linoleum.

“It was sold and remodeled into a private home,” she said. “It is just gorgeous.”

I had to admit, as we walked around the small space, that it was remodeled quite nicely. It looked like a modern apartment that could be found in any big city. Brick walls, and wood floors, and white carpet everywhere.

“Look at this bathroom,” Vicki squealed.

I followed her into the bathroom where there was a gigantic jacuzzi style tub, that looked like something from that Nickelback song about being a rock star.

“Whoa,” I said. “That. Is. Impressive.”

“It’s about the size of the bed in that last place,” she said.

“Bigger,” I said as I investigated the whirlpool jets. “We could definitely be swinger weirdos here.”

“If they could find us,” Vicki replied.

“Now,” Susan squeezed past me. “The best part of this, is this.”

She leaned over and flipped a button. LED lights switched on and changed colors as we watched.

“When it’s filled with water, it is just fab,” Susan flicked her wrist with emphasis, and I nodded.

“I love it,” I said. “That is ‘fab’.”

We walked around the rest of the bunker, and looked at the bedrooms, and another bathroom. Everything looked decent, until I opened one of the closets in the hall.

“That is still property of the U.S. military,” Susan said.

It was full of old instrument panels that looked like they’d come from the Cold War era.

“They were installed as part of the military testing,” she said. “But, they are still operational. The agreement with the government, is that the buyer has to keep these here, and that once or twice a year, agents from the military will come to do readings on the instruments. They also reserve the right to repair them if necessary.”

“So the military would have access to our home?” I asked.

“Just the closet,” she said. “And they give advance notice. But, whoever buys this place, gets a monthly stipend from the military in exchange.”

“The military rents our hall closet?” Vicki clarified.

“Yes,” she said. “But the last owner lived here for twenty years and said she only saw them about every five years or so.”

I peered over the closet, full of ancient dials and metal boxes. I snickered as I thought about what Landon would have to say about us renting our closet out for military testing. I shut the closet door.

“Aside from the military closet,” I said. “I don’t think this place is for us. We’re definitely looking for a private getaway, but I think this is too private.”

“Right,” Vicki said. “We want something that’s more in-town.”

Susan nodded. “I hear you. So, an urban location?”

“Exactly,” I said. “And something more traditional.”

Susan cocked her head. “Traditional? How do you mean?”

“Well,” I said, “just a regular house.”

“What do you mean ‘regular’?” she looked genuinely confused.

I made a boxy gesture with my hands. “Square, or rectangular, or--”

She snapped her fingers and smiled. “I know just what you mean. I’m so glad we could get on the same page.”

Susan made a sweeping gesture around the three of us gathered in the bunker’s entryway. “Communication is the key to any great relationship, and we’re communicating now. I know, now, exactly what you need.”

I shrugged at Vicki, and we followed Susan out of the bunker and back above ground to civilization where we belonged. She took us around the back of town and ended in a beautiful place near the Red Rocks. She stopped in front of a gorgeous towering glass structure.

“Wow,” Vicki said as we sat in the car. “That is cool.”

It looked like a piece of abstract art. I counted three stories, rising in severe boxes and rectangles, stacked at angles with each other, in cubed layers. Only each story was roughly about the size of our cottage. At least I thought, it was difficult to ascertain, considering that the stories and levels were divided into segments for artistic layering purposes. But the real kicker was the whole thing was made of glass, all of it. From the driveway, we could see the staircase, couches, and even the ultra-modern bathroom appliances.

“It’s definitely boxy,” I said.

“It’s all that great communication,” Vicki said.

From her Land Rover, Susan motioned for us to park in the garage. The garage was simply an open glass rectangle, directly beneath an experimentally modern looking bathtub. We all got out, and a Japanese inspired garden stood between our car and the front door.

“That’s a nice touch,” Vicki said. “We should get plants.”

I nodded as Susan hiked up the driveway to us.

“See?” she said and waved her finger at us. “I know