Buried Secrets

by Margaret Daley

  “You didn’t?” She pulled the black object out of her laptop and examined it. “Then what is this?”

  “I can be there in an hour. My first class isn’t until one. Will you be at work?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “See you in an hour then.”

  He hung up before she could tell him it wasn’t necessary to come all the way to Santa Fe. A part of her wasn’t ready to see him so soon. But then there was a part that was wondering if she should change into something more feminine than tailored black slacks and a long-sleeved white shirt.

  Zach stared at the phone he had put back in its cradle. He couldn’t believe he had said that to Maggie. Why was he torturing himself by insisting he come see her? All that was going to do was prolong the pain. Hadn’t he settled this with himself last night?

  No. That was just it. He hadn’t slept at all, even though he had been so tired he hadn’t thought he could keep his eyes open. He’d proven himself wrong. He’d lain in bed, staring up at the ceiling. By the early hours of the morning, he knew he didn’t want to end what they had started. He loved her and wanted to see if there was a way they could work it out.

  When the phone rang again, he jumped, not expecting another call so early. Would it be Maggie, telling him not to come? He almost didn’t pick up the receiver until he spotted his caller ID and saw that the number was the rehabilitation center where his grandfather had spent his last days.

  “Dr. Collier, this is Cassie. I know we talked a few days ago, and I told you no one remembered anyone else. Well, I was wrong. I saw Fred this morning in the break room reading the newspaper when I took my lunch in to put it in the refrigerator. He commented on the picture on the front page, of Señor Santos. When he saw the photo, he remembered seeing him at the center with Dr. Kingston on the day your grandfather died. I thought I should tell you since the write-up said Señor Santos had been accused of trying to kill you.”

  As Zach listened to Cassie talk, his grip on the receiver tightened until his knuckles were white. John Kingston? One of Granddad’s protégés? Was it just a coincidence they’d been together, or had John brought Santos to the center for a sinister purpose? Why would Santos be at the center seeing his grandfather unless he was after information?

  “Dr. Collier? Are you there?”

  “Sorry, Cassie. I was just thinking about what you said. I really appreciate your calling. This might be important. Thanks.”

  He replaced the phone in its cradle, snatched up his keys and headed for his car. He would see Maggie, then pay John a visit. If the museum curator and supposed friend had betrayed Red, John would regret ever having done it.

  Maggie rose when Zach entered her office, then wished she hadn’t. The sight of Zach so close turned her legs to jelly. She lowered herself onto her chair, clasping its arms. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready to see him.

  He crossed the room, hesitated for a few seconds then took the seat in front of her desk, as though they were doctor and patient. “What did you find?”

  She palmed the black object, bent forward and slid it toward him. “I thought of opening it up, but I didn’t want to do anything until you checked it out. I thought maybe you had forgotten—”

  “I didn’t forget putting this in your purse.” His jaw hardened. “I’ve never seen this before.” He withdrew a pocketknife and pried the casing open. He lifted a microchip out of it. “I’m thinking this is a tracking device, and this is how Bailey and Huffman knew where we were.”

  “Okay, then how did it get into my purse?”

  “Good question.” He set the black object on the desk. “I got a call from Cassie. One of the orderlies who worked in Granddad’s unit remembered seeing Santos with John Kingston at the center the day my grandfather died.”

  “So you think that John betrayed your grandfather?”

  Zach nodded, the hard lines of his face sharpening even more.

  “There would be no reason Santos would visit your grandfather with John?”

  “None that I can think of, but I’ll give the man a chance to explain.”

  A memory, just out of focus, niggled her mind. “I’m missing something. This reminds me of when I was trying to remember the maps Dad used to draw of the caves.” She looked toward the door. “I want to come with you.”

  “I thought you had patients today.”

  “Not until this afternoon. I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on, but maybe I’ll think of it as we drive to the museum. Or seeing John will jog my memory.”

  Zach shot to his feet. “Okay, then let’s go.”

  Maggie remembered touring the museum less than a week ago with Santos as her guide. The man behind all the murders had been so polite and gentlemanly, so close to her that evening he could have strangled her. She shuddered.

  How did a person really know anyone? Again her opinion of someone had been totally wrong. Doubts beset her as she walked toward John’s office at the back of the museum.

  The man’s secretary welcomed Zach with a huge smile. “I read about your latest adventure in the paper this morning. My, you live quite an exciting life.”

  Zach winced. “Exciting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Is John in?”

  “For you, anytime.”

  Zach crossed to the door while the secretary informed her employer he had visitors. Maggie wondered just how thrilled the curator would be when he heard why they were there.

  With a smile on his face, John came around his desk. “This is unexpected. Are the authorities going to release the items in the cave sooner than you thought when you called yesterday?”

  Zach kept a few feet between him and John. “No, I came about something else. Why did you betray my grandfather?”

  John blinked, then stiffened, a scowl marring his features. “Betrayed…Red? I—I—would never…” His words came to a splattering halt.

  “I discovered this morning that you took Santos to see my grandfather the last day he was alive. There was no reason for Santos to visit him.” The hardened edge to Zach’s voice knifed through the silence.

  “How could you think that?” The older man’s face reddened. “Your grandfather and I were good friends.” John’s gaze slid away, then returned to meet Zach’s.

  “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Sarcasm dripped off Zach’s words. “Why did you do it? For money?”

  The curator opened his mouth then snapped it closed, his eyes pinpoints as they drilled into Zach.

  “How did you know Santos? Are you dealing in the black market? What else from the museum have you mishandled? I wonder what would happen if the records were audited.”

  John marched to his door and wrenched it open. “Get out. You don’t have a shred of proof, or the police would be here instead of you.”

  “That’s where Maggie and I are going next. I think they’ll be interested in my little theory. It has to be for money. How much was my grandfather worth to you?”

  “Get out, or I’ll call the campus security to come and remove you.” The curator’s voice rose several levels.

  Zach grabbed Maggie’s hand and headed toward the entrance into the office. When he passed John, Zach paused and stabbed him with a lancing gaze.

  Suddenly Maggie recalled what had been bothering her earlier. John had bumped into her in the science building when Zach and she were leaving to go to Evelyn’s the day they had come for the copy of the map. John had helped her pick up her purse and put the contents back in it. He’d had the opportunity to plant the tracking device in it—he was the only one she could think of who had handled her bag. When they were outside the museum, she told Zach what she finally remembered. “Did you see him look away when he said he was a good friend of your grandfather’s?” she added.

  “No, I was too angry.” Fury etched harsh lines into Zach’s features.

  “He was lying, but I don’t know if we have enough for the police.”

  The anger siphoned from his expression, to be replaced with a hard m
ask of determination. “I know. But I think I know how we can rattle his cage. Let’s go. I want to visit the college president and persuade him to ask for an audit.”

  “Why would he do it?”

  “If he wants the Aztec codices in the museum, he’ll have to agree.”

  If sheer resolve had any impact on the records being audited, they would be by the end of that day. Maggie marveled at the force behind Zach, but then she thought about how wrong they both had been about the people involved.

  Maggie looked around her living room, the last area she had put back in order after the break-in. Although there wasn’t any more chaos in her house, she felt her life was a big mess. It had been five days since she had seen Zach and gone with him to the president of the college to pressure him into doing an in-depth audit of the museum’s finances and its contents. Five days of trying to keep herself so busy she didn’t miss him. Five days of pushing thoughts of Zach out of her mind, only to have them immediately return to plague her.

  Her house, even Gramps’s, was back the way it had been. She was seeing her patients, worked full days with no breaks except a few minutes at lunch to grab something to eat. She fell into bed at night totally exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep.

  She couldn’t sever the connection she’d experienced with Zach. He dominated her every waking moment—and even what little sleep she managed. She had it bad.

  And what are you going to do about it? See Zach?

  Yes.

  No.

  The conflicting emotions swamped her. She buried her face in her hands.

  Lord, what do I do? I love him. I can’t fight it anymore. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I feel needed, safe with him.

  The sound of the doorbell jerked her up and around toward the foyer. She’d had her fill of visitors wanting to know all about her little adventure. She was tired of telling the story. Maybe if she ignored whoever was on her porch, the person would leave.

  The bell rang again.

  Go. Open the door.

  She couldn’t ignore the strong urge that propelled her forward. She placed her hand on the knob, then remembered to check the peephole. When she saw Zach, she quickly turned the handle.

  He filled her entry with his commanding presence. Her gaze trekked up his long length to rest on his face, lit with a big smile and eyes only for her. She went into his embrace and instantly felt she had come home.

  “May I come in?” Zach finally asked.

  She leaned back, peering up at him. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair, to kiss his mouth, to continue holding him. But they needed to talk, to figure out what to do, how to make a relationship work between them.

  He settled his arm along her shoulders and walked into the living room. “I’m glad you got everything taken care of here.”

  “I finished about half an hour ago.”

  “I guess I came at the right time then.” He lifted one corner of his mouth as his gaze snared hers. Shifting to stand in front of her, he framed her face between his large hands. “We need to talk. I can’t keep ignoring how I feel about you.”

  “You can’t,” she squeaked out in a breathless rush. The warm feel of his palms against her cheeks cemented her resolve. She wanted so much more, and until she had seen him, she hadn’t realized just how much. She wanted him in her life—somehow.

  “This may sound crazy, but I’ve fallen in love with you. I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I love you, Maggie, and I want us to be together.”

  His declaration wiped a response from her brain. All she could do was stare at him with what she hoped was love in her gaze.

  “Say something.” He ran his thumb across her lips as though that would urge her to speak.

  “I—I’m—speechless.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Humor danced in his eyes.

  She brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders, to give her time to compose her thoughts. “It’s good. I love you, Zach. I’ve spent the past week trying to deny it. I can’t. I do, and that isn’t going to change because we spend months together getting to know each other. I’ve seen you in some of the worst situations and I like what I’ve seen. I feel like I’ve known you for a long time, not just a few weeks.”

  Tenderness pushed the humor from his eyes. “That’s the way I feel. These past five days I’ve forced myself to stay away. Thankfully I’ve had a lot to do, especially with John’s arrest and the expedition.”

  “The police finally arrested John?”

  “Yes, I came right over when I heard from the detective. They caught him trying to leave the country and have charged him with a whole list of crimes, from fraud, to conspiracy to commit murder, to being a part of a black-market ring. Bailey is finally talking, and they’re working on the connection between Santos and John. There’s a paper trail. There usually is when money is involved.”

  “And it all started with that audit you insisted on. Our grandfathers will have justice after all.”

  “Yes,” he whispered, hauling her to him and planting a kiss on her mouth. “Finally.” He walked her backward until her legs encountered the couch, then he gently pushed her down. “We need to talk about what we are going to do with the rest of our lives.”

  “Yes.” Now that she had found him she didn’t want them to be apart every summer while he did his research in some exotic place in the world.

  “When I figured out that I wasn’t going to forget you, I knew I had to come up with a way for our relationship to work, because, Maggie, I want us to get married. I see how happy my sister and Slader are and I want that again. They didn’t know each other for long, either, and they only have eyes for each other.”

  She wanted that, too, and if that meant she didn’t see him three months out of twelve, then so be it. She would make the nine months last as if they were twelve. “When you return from the Amazon, we can work through it.”

  He took her hands and held them in his lap. “No, I want you to go with me. I know I’m asking you to give up your practice for three months, but you can still be a doctor. The people I encounter on my expedition always need medical care. Often they have never seen a doctor, or only a few times in their life. You could reach so many people in need this way. Would you consider doing something like that? We would live here for nine months while I teach at the college. Then, in the summer, I can do my research trips.” He quirked his mouth. “I would even move to Santa Fe.”

  As he explained his plan, Maggie sensed a peace spread through her. This was the Lord’s answer to her prayer. She wouldn’t have to give up being a doctor, and in fact, could help in places where there was little medical care. Perfect. “I would have to make arrangements with my partner, but I think it can be worked out. We have been talking about adding another doctor, anyway.”

  He grasped her arms. “Is that a yes to my proposal?”

  “You want to marry me before you leave to go to the Amazon?”

  “Why not? I don’t see why we should wait. I know the jungle isn’t the ideal place for a honeymoon, but we’ll be together.”

  She smiled. “That’s all that’s important.” She threw herself into his embrace, their mouths meeting in a kiss.

  EPILOGUE

  Maggie gripped the railing of the steamer as it headed down the Amazon River. In the distance a wall of green indicated the shore. The warm air encased her in a sheen of perspiration, but she was so happy she didn’t care that she didn’t like to sweat.

  “Are you glad you’re going home?” Zach came up behind her and cradled her back against him, his arms enveloping her.

  Watching the muddy water rush past the boat, she said, “In my usual decisive way, I have to answer yes and no. I’m looking forward to returning to Santa Fe, but only because you’ll be there.”

  He swung her around to face him. “No regrets?”

  She shook her head. “None. I have felt so alive these past three months. I have helped many people who desp
erately needed my help.”

  “Remember that little girl in the last village we visited?”

  “Yes.” A picture of a child no more than five or six flashed into her mind. Adorable, but suffering from a massive infection.

  “You gave her a chance to live, and her mother wanted me to give you this.” He retrieved from his backpack a basket, beautifully woven in colors of red, yellow and black.

  A toucan on the inside bottom drew her attention. She took it and ran her fingers over the painted bird, marveling at the artistry. “This is—this—”

  “I think I’ve rendered you speechless for the second time in your life.”

  She peered up at her husband, tears of happiness blurring his image. “I love you, and thank you for opening up another world to me. I feel so alive and complete.”

  “Sharing with you one of the things I love to do puts me in awe that the Lord brought us together,” he murmured, right before he kissed her as though he had been gone for three months and had missed her every second.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-0745-9

  BURIED SECRETS

  Copyright © 2007 by Margaret Daley

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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