Chapter 57 Section ten

The steam enveloped me, but I couldn't get the bath water hot enough.The cold seeped into my bones and into my spirit. What is that room for?I keep asking myself.Why didn't Orville, who had the building skills, not use concrete for the roof?What were the two iron pipes running along the top of the tunnel into the house for?If the house is a warehouse, is there any need for wall coverings, flooring and insulation?I can't make sense of it.unless…… "They took me as a prisoner in the basement," said the man who claimed to be my brother.Not Patty, God forbid, but Lester Dante.Why did Orville and Eunice lock their only son in the basement?The dreaded thought made my head spin.

The crudeness of the roof, which had always puzzled me, can now be explained by using the lights in the house and doing it after dark.That way, Orville dug tunnels and basements without attracting the attention of anyone driving by.Working at night, he could mix some concrete, bring it in on a handcart, and repair tunnels and the floors and walls of houses. However, the ceiling becomes a problem.To build it properly, he needs to make a slab out of concrete. However, even when the board was ready, he had to use a small crane to lift it and put it in place: the precise work required brighter light so that outsiders would notice and wonder what was behind his house. Use so many lights after dark.It is more prudent to use wood as beams for the roof, and it is easier and faster to install.Or there may be a deadline.Orville was forced to roof it that way, probably because of a schedule pressing him.

I was so miserable that I poured more hot water into the bathtub, but it still couldn't drive away the mental chill. What chilled me even more was the fear that I hadn't found everything I could have found there.I'm sure there are darker things out there.God forbid, I don't want to go back there, but I know I have to.