First Wife Club

by Sterling, Rex

  Bella laughed. “What did you expect?”

  “I don’t know. Something more exotic? She looks like a Latin princess.”

  “She’s gorgeous,” Brooke said.

  “Yeah,” Sam said, longingly. “Is she in a… family?”

  “No,” Bella said, smiling. “She’s my best friend.”

  Bella glanced at me as if to see if I made the connection. That’s who fed Bella all the insider info. “How old is she?”

  “Brooke’s age,” Bella said. “Twenty-five. Don’t let her beauty fool you. Sawyer scored a perfect sixteen hundred on her SAT and graduated from Standford with honors in Chemistry.”

  “Damn,” Sam said. “Some girls get all the brains.”

  “Does she work for her dad?”

  “She sure does,” Bella said. “She’s learning the oil business. It will all be hers someday.”

  “How many kids are in the family?” I asked.

  “It’s a bit of a sore subject,” Bella said. “She’s Peter’s only child.”

  Brooke gasped. “How many wives?”

  “Four,” Bella said. “Well, three now. One passed from cancer last year. It was tragic. She wasn’t even thirty.”

  “That’s so sad,” Sam said.

  “Sawyer told me that ever since Lucy passed, Peter hasn’t been the same,” Bella said. “It’s like he shut down.” Her voice trailed off as if lost in her own memories.

  If anyone understood loss, it was Bella. When she was twenty, she lost both her parents in a small plane accident. I took Bella’s hand and squeezed it softly. “Thanks for the intel. Can I buy you a drink?”

  Bella squeezed back and gazed up at me, smiling. “I thought you would never ask.”

  We mingled with the crowd but kept mainly to ourselves, eating appetizers and drinking a second glass of champagne. I had expected something a bit more unsavory than the relatively normal party unfolding before me. By the time we sat down to dinner, I was feeling much more at ease. The champagne buzz wasn’t hurting either.

  When dinner arrived, we joined Peter at his table. I expected his wives to join him, but he said they were spread out at other tables serving as hostesses and he would introduce me later in the evening. We made small talk throughout the salad appetizer and during most of the entrée. Peter asked each of us specific questions about our lives he could only know if he had done a thorough background check. It was slightly offsetting but not surprising. I already guessed that he had me tailed and he no doubt knew right where to find the figurine.

  That he hadn’t made a move to steal it from me was the most surprising bit of all. I asked Hazel to move it, which she did, but if Peter leaned hard enough on her to divulge the figurine’s whereabouts, she would sing like a sparrow. A man with Peter Patlee’s resources could have bought and sold me a hundred times over and screwed my life in a dizzying variety of ways. I sat through dinner waiting for the shoe to drop. Where were the threats? They were coming, but when? Shortly before dessert arrived, I found out the answer.

  “Mr. Ashford, would you mind joining me after dinner, downstairs in my office?”

  Under the table, both Sam and Brooke squeezed my hands so hard it hurt. “That’s no problem. I assume you don’t mind if Samantha, Brooke, and Bella join me?”

  He tipped his head in acquiescence. “I assumed they would. Sawyer will likewise join us. I think the conversation will be to your liking.”

  Chapter 12

  After dinner, we followed Peter down a short flight of stairs and through two heavily fortified steel doors he opened using retinal scans. The girls and I exchanged nervous looks, and I leaned into Bella and whispered. “Have you ever been to his office?”

  She shook her head and stared straight ahead. Her expression was as nervous as Sam’s and Brooke’s.

  As if sensing our angst, Peter turned and offered a reassuring smile. “I think you’ll soon see why the security is so vital. I promise that there’s nothing menacing afoot.”

  Sawyer strode down the hall on his right and when we reached an ornate, mahogany double door, she stepped forward, placed her thumb on the reader and office doors clicked open.

  We followed Sawyer and Peter through the double doors and into an office that left me dumbstruck.

  Dozens of golden Aztec artifacts layered with jewels lined tables and shelves. Ancient art work hung from the walls and rich carpets covered the entire room. An expensive leather sofa and matches chairs surrounded a gas fireplace that started up as soon as we entered the room. Warm lights illuminated the space with accents highlighting many of the priceless antiquities. But the room’s most valuable artifact sat among the furniture, serving as a coffee table.

  My heart thundered, and my eyes widened.

  Three of the stone tablets that made up the missing treasure map were arranged in a frame under glass that doubled as a coffee table.

  “From your expression, I see you recognize the fabled map leading to Itzcoatl’s tomb,” Peter said. “Please. Have a seat and relax. We are all friends. You may leave at anytime of your own free will. I won’t stop you. But if you hear me out, together we might crack the seal on the tomb once and for all.”

  The girls and I traded looks that told me they were in for listening, and I nodded at Peter. “You can call me Trap or Tim if it makes you more comfortable,” I said.

  Peter grinned, flashing his pearly white teeth. “Excellent. You may call me Peter.” He clapped his hands together and looked like a kid who had just robbed the candy store. “Please, sit. What can I get you to drink?”

  “Nothing right now,” I said.

  Sam, Brooke, and Bella all declined and the four of us sat together on the big leather sofa with the map pieces laying before us. I recognized one stone slab from the tattoo on Sam’s back. That meant Butch had played a part in securing at least one piece.

  “Your father helped locate the third fragment,” Peter said, tracking my gaze. “That’s the fragment tattooed onto Miss Monroe’s back.”

  Sam whirled around to face him. “You know about that?”

  “Of course,” Peter said. “I suggested the idea to Butch. We made it a game to test Trap’s problem-solving skills.”

  “My father never mentioned it to me,” I said.

  “I swore him to secrecy,” Peter said. “Your father was a man of honor and integrity. Which is the primary reason you’re here. I believe you to be a man of character, honor, and integrity just like your late father.”

  He sounded so sincere that my cheeks flushed warm and I flashed a nervous smile. “Thanks. My dad had his flaws, but he would give you his last penny if you needed it.”

  “Where did he get the piece?” Brooke asked.

  “From the king’s third wife’s tomb,” Peter said.

  “What?” I stared at him, confused. “There’s more than one tomb?”

  Peter paused and studied me. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves.” He came around the couch and reclined casually on one of the leather chairs across from Sawyer, then turned his gaze on me, his expression serious. “What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t expect you to believe it all without proof, but that can and will be supplied. I will tell you everything I know, leaving nothing out. What I’m offering you is a partnership.” He turned his gaze on Bella. “And I know Miss Carson will make sure we make our arrangement fair and legal. I think once you hear me out, you’ll understand why I need your help and you need mine.”

  I nodded. “I can live with that, but I’m not agreeing to anything.”

  Peter nodded. “I expect nothing less.”

  “You’re familiar with King Itzcoatl? I believe Miss Katz’s research on the subject is excellent.”

  “Yes,” I said. “She showed me an ancient book that depicted a seal of the king and his five wives.”

  “The mark of the harem master,” Peter said. “It’s at the heart of the treasure.”

  “I told you,” Sam said triumphantly and whirled on me, clapping her
hands with a grin.

  Peter grinned. “You are as beautiful as you are correct. Allow me to explain.” He rubbed his chin and frowned. “King Itzcoatl came to Florida in search of the fountain of youth. Whether or not he found it, the king eventually died preceded by his five great loves.”

  “His wives,” Brooke said.

  “Precisely,” Peter said. “For each wife, he built a tomb laden with a handful of artifacts and, more importantly, with a map to his tomb. He broke the map into four pieces and buried each with his first, second, third, and fourth wives.”

  “Have you found the tombs?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “Those were discovered a long time ago. We aren’t the first adventurers to seek King Itzcoatl’s treasure, but hopefully we are the last. The first tomb contained a piece of the map and a figurine. I believe you found those on the Lady Dancer.”

  There was no point in lying anymore. He already knew, anyway. “I did.”

  Peter’s eyes lit up with glee. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “What is the significance of the figurine?” I asked.

  “Hold on to that question,” Peter said. “Allow me to continue.”

  I nodded and shut my mouth.

  “Your father located the fourth tomb three years ago. From there, we retrieved this piece of the map.” He pointed to one of the three stone slabs under glass. “I recovered the second and third pieces from the tomb of the King’s second and third wife, respectively.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but now that we’ve located the first piece, the map is complete,” Brooke said.

  Peter’s eyes twinkled. “The location of the tomb isn’t in doubt, Miss Fox.”

  That surprised me. “If you know where it is, then what are we doing here?”

  “Accessing the tomb isn’t as easy as using a backhoe and unearthing it,” Peter said. “If that were so, the treasure would have long since been recovered.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Then why go to the trouble of collecting the map pieces?”

  “It’s a key,” Sam said, as if she had an epiphany.

  “Correct,” Peter said. “It’s one key, and so is the figurine. But we’re missing a third key and a means to use them all together.”

  “The third key is in the fifth wife’s tomb,” I said.

  “It is,” Peter said. “It’s a gold emblem that seals the map.”

  “Do you know where the fifth tomb is?” Brooke asked.

  “The location isn’t the mystery. We know where to find all five tombs, and we’ve scoured each for the artifacts.”

  “This is where the mark of the harem master comes in, right?” Sam asked.

  “You’re a very quick study, Miss Monroe,” Peter said, smiling at Sam. “And once again you are correct.”

  Sam grinned proudly and sat up a little straighter while she smiled at me.

  “Okay,” I said, letting go of a deep breath. “So where’s the emblem?”

  “Protected by the goddess,” Peter said. “This is the part of the story where I’m asking you to suspend your disbelief.” He glanced over at Sawyer, and she gave him a brief nod. “The mark of the harem master is the key to winning the favor of the goddess.”

  “I’ll go there with you,” I said. “If all it takes is a tattoo, then we can get Hazel’s book, go see a tattoo artist, and we’re in.”

  Sawyer laughed out loud and her father shot her a withering glare. Peter turned back to me. “If it were only that easy. May I show you?”

  “You have the tattoo?” Sam asked, leaning forward to perch on the edge of her seat.

  “Yes,” he said. “An incomplete version.” There was pain in his voice and Bella’s face softened. “Do you mind if I remove my shirt?” he asked.

  The girls shook their head, and I stared at him with rapt attention.

  Peter removed his tuxedo coat, unbuttoned his shirt, and turned his bare back toward us.

  Sam gasped, and Brooke’s eyes widened. Bella’s jaw dropped and a spike of adrenaline left my legs weak.

  An incredibly complex tattoo of twisting shapes and a multitude of vibrant colors adorned Peter’s back. It resembled the tattoo in Hazel’s book, but it was different. Instead of the old King’s wives, there were four faces tattooed on Peter’s back, each with a more modern look. The faces were abstract with sweeping curves but no less beautiful, and it was easy to make them out.

  “There’s only four?” Sam asked. “Where’s the fifth?”

  “And we get to the heart of the problem. To gain the goddess’s favor requires a priestess in tune with her energy to allow the goddess to inscribe the markings herself.”

  “The goddess drew those?” Sam asked, her jaw hanging open.

  “Yes,” he said, and his eyes flickered to Sawyer. “My daughter can channel the goddess. It was through her hand the goddess drew the last three faces.”

  We turned to Sawyer, and she shrugged. “It turns out I have a gift.”

  Sam giggled, and Bella smiled. Brooke looked stunned.

  “But you see, even if I were to take a fifth wife, I could never open the king’s tomb. It takes the three keys and the harem master working in concert with his five wives to earn the goddess’s favor and unseal the king’s tomb. My wife, Lucy, passed last year.” He choked on the sentence and paused as if to collect himself.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” I said, mustering as much compassion as possible.

  We sat in silence until Brooke spoke, navigating the conversation back to safer water. “Do the wives get their own tattoo?” Brooke asked.

  Peter regained his composure, and the warm smile returned to his face. “That’s an excellent question. Yes, they do. It’s required, and it bonds the wife and husband more than any modern ring ceremony ever could. It signifies a permanent and lifelong union. The tattoos also offer benefits, although slight, that will surprise you. One such benefit is always having a sense of where to find your partner. Another is an innate understanding of your husband’s emotional state.”

  “That’s amazing,” Sam said, lacing her fingers in mine. “It’s like built in GPS?”

  Peter laughed. “It’s more like a homing device. Right now, I can feel my three wives’ individual spirits tugging on me from above.”

  Brooke gazed at him, her attention rapt. “What’s the catch?”

  “Brooke,” Sam said, glaring at her. “That’s not polite.”

  Peter chuckled. “It’s a valid question. Are you asking what’s stopping anyone from channeling the goddess and forging their own tattoos?”

  “Yes,” Brooke said.

  Peter nodded. “Another excellent question. The goddess will only make the inscriptions if those seeking her blessing are truly in love with each other.”

  Sam nodded, as if it all made sense.

  Brooke frowned. “The goddess knows how?”

  “Through the energy flows,” Peter said. “Just because we can’t see a thing doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”