Ash leads me into a tavern called the Dirty Stone, which is aptly named, considering the soles of my boots immediately stick to the floor. We don’t stop at the bar or at one of the scuffed wooden tables. We walk straight to the back, through a swinging door, and into a small pungent-smelling kitchen where the foods all appear to be fried.

I give Ash a questioning glance, but he continues through the kitchen like we’re doing the most normal thing in the world. Even stranger is that the kitchen staff doesn’t look at us. They just go about their business like we aren’t there.

Ash opens an unmarked door at the other end of the kitchen, gesturing for me to go through it. I stare at what appears to be a supply closet and consider telling him that I’ve changed my mind and we should go back to the car. But instead, I take a breath and reluctantly step into a space that smells of lemon and bleach. The door closes behind us, dropping us into blackness, and my heart makes one loud thump. There’s a click as Ash pulls a cord to an overhanging light and the bare bulb swings back and forth, casting wild shadows in the tiny space.

“Ash?” I whisper, and he gives me a quick reassuring smile.

He stares at the back wall of the closet and I stare at him. He touches the wall, running his fingers over the wood and concentrating. Then all of a sudden, his face relaxes and he presses a panel. To my surprise and possibly horror, the wall pops open, revealing a door. Boisterous noise spills into the little closet.

“After you,” he says, and I slip through the opening, telling myself that whatever helps me find my dad is worth the risk.

As the room comes into view, my heart rate speeds up. A secret pub! Only it’s vastly different from the one we just walked through. It looks older, plainer—large wooden beams frame its stone walls, the rustic wood furnishings are weathered but neat, and a huge fireplace has a large pot of what appears to be soup hanging over the flames. Iron candelabras with real candles dangle from the ceiling over long communal tables fitted with benches instead of individual chairs.