“Have you ever visited them, Mr. Eckenrod?”
“The cellars? I have. Also the burial crypt. A few of the old tombs remain in fairly good state of preservation.”
“But where is the secret passageway?” asked Penny.
“Through the crypt. It leads into the churchyard to the west of the building.”
“Do many people know about it?”
“I rather think I’m the only one. The building owner never bothered to study the plans, because he wasn’t interested. Father Benedict may have learned the secret, but if so, he stumbled onto it by accident.”
“Is the passageway well hidden?”
“Very cleverly. From the churchyard, one enters an empty tomb above ground. A passageway leads down to the crypt beneath the old chapel.”
“Not a very pleasant way to enter or leave a building,” said Penny with a shudder.
“But convenient in a pinch,” chuckled Mr. Eckenrod. “If Father Benedict is stubborn about allowing me inside, I’ll bide my time and slip in to finish my paintings one of these days when he is away.”