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In the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles, Vano turned on a saw with a small, circular rotating blade. The two men were impressed by how quiet the saw was as Vano cut the floor completely around the perimeter of the four one-foot square floor tiles. Even the attached vacuum cleaner was relatively quiet as it kept the dust from spraying around the area. After the tiles were cut free, they attached a handle with four suction cups that adhered to the tiles, and they lifted the cut square in one solid piece from the floor. Zurab pulled up on the handle while Vano gently pried up the inch thick marble tiles around the edges. After they lifted and moved the tiles to the side, a wooden floor was now exposed. Vano replaced the circular stone blade with a larger wood blade that cut through the wood like it is nothing. He left enough of the wood around the perimeter of the hole to support the marble tiles when they seal up the hole. Zurab used an adhesive to attach the marble back onto the wood flooring so it was back in one piece.
When they shined their flashlight inside the hole, they saw a two-foot gap or crawl space between the floor and the dirt ground under the cathedral. Zurab lowered his head into the hole and could see that the crawlspace ran the length of the inside of the building and the floor was supported by upright posts every ten feet or so.
“What are you waiting for,” Vano said, “Go in and start digging.”
“Okay, and what are you going to do when I’m down there?”
“As soon as you clear enough room for me to work, I’ll be right in, otherwise we’ll just be throwing the dirt in each other’s way.”
As Zurab lowered himself into the tight area, Vano said, “The cloak is supposed to be buried somewhere under the right side, so you’d better throw the dirt as far to the left as you can.”
The men took turns digging for the remainder of the night and had cleared out enough room for the two of them to sit in the hole comfortably along with their tools.
“Tomorrow we’ll bring the ground drilling equipment in, and God willing, by Sunday, we’ll be a lot richer than we are today,” Vano said.
“Aren’t you afraid of the stories that we’ve heard?” Zurab asked.
“Old wives tales, I don’t believe any of it.”
“Regardless, I have no intention of touching the coat anyway.”
“Once we find it, that will be entirely up to you, no one’s going to force you to do anything.”
“What did the old man say he was going to do when he sees it for the first time?" Zurab asked.
“He said that he’s not afraid, but I’ll bet you he doesn’t touch it either.”
“Do you think it’ll have any powers?”
“All I know is that it has the power to make me rich. I don’t give a damn about any other superstitions or anything else, so would you kindly change the subject.”
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