The Jaguar Queen

by Betsey Kulakowski

  Chapter 1

  “You want to do a show about what?” Lauren looked up at Rowan sharply. The phone on the table between them was set to speaker mode. Cable television’s newest power couple sat on the balcony of their condo, over-looking the harbor and Coronado Island. The show was on hiatus. Rowan and Lauren hadn’t expected the call, and they certainly hadn’t expected to be called back to work any time soon.

  “The Mayan Apocalypse,” Jacob enthused. “The end of the Mayan calendar? Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

  Lauren ran her hand over her face in disgust. Her fingers knotted in her hair and tugged tufts of it from the bonds of her braid. “No, I’ve heard of the Maya Apocalypse and the end of the Maya calendar,” she corrected him curtly.

  “Iceberg, Goldberg ... what does it matter?”

  “The proper expression is—”

  “It matters,” Rowan cut his wife off before the argument ensued. She glared at him knowing he knew how she felt about it. He gave her a stern expression that said drop it.

  “Sure we’ve heard of it, but...that’s in just a few weeks,” Rowan said. “There isn’t time to put everything in place to do a show that quickly.”

  “Have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind?” Lauren groused, unable to keep her ire in check.

  “To speak to Rowan’s point, I know your team can pull it off,” Jacob said. If Lauren knew him, the Network boss was probably sitting in his corner office on the tenth floor overlooking the Gas Light District in downtown San Diego. Lauren could see him with his feet on the desk; his favorite Friday afternoon pose. “You have the Network’s full support. Lauren, I understand you won’t be able to go, but if you are up to it, you can work here on research and production support.”

  She narrowed her brows, glaring at her husband, but angry at her boss. “Why now?” Lauren pursed her lips.

  “Haven’t you heard?” Jacob snorted. “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”

  Rowan rolled his eyes. “We’ll think about it.” He hit the red button on the screen.

  “Bloody hell.” Lauren leaned back, her hand going to her protruding belly. “I’m going to kill that little nerd.”

  * * *

  With several hours to calm herself, Lauren sat in her favorite wicker chair on the balcony watching the sun set with her new journal in her lap. Mindless of the rocking motion of her chair, that mimicked the pace of the waves on the distant shore, she was no longer brooding. Instead, she was giving serious consideration to this whole idea of a show on the so-called Maya Apocalypse. After a day of reading up on it, she jotted notes in the leather-bound book. She had a dozen more like this one packed in a box on a shelf in her closet. Each one documented her life’s work and the mysteries they had explored. She loved the feel of the gel ink pen as it glided across the page in her own personal font; a script she’d been perfecting.

  At the end of the 13th b’ak’tun, the ancient Maya predicted the world would end. Or did they? Their stone circle calendars simply stopped. Some read that to mean the end of the world was inevitable. The end had already come for the ancient civilization. Many of their cities had been reclaimed by the jungles. Others had been excavated and stood for tourists to snap selfies in front of. The ruins were also Meccas for scientists to study. Yet Maya people still lived in the Yucatán Peninsula, to this day.

  Lauren paused, collecting her thoughts. She’d decided that much of the confusion arose from the various interpretations of how the ancient Maya calculated time. If one method were correct, the world would supposedly end on the 21st of December in 2012. This was the date marking the end of the 5,125-year Maya long-count calendar. This was the commonly accepted date of the prophesied apocalypse. Already in many countries, frightened citizens were storing away food and hoarding – of all things, toilet paper. One group in France assembled on a mountain called Pic de Bugarach, to await rescue by aliens, whom they believed would come and spirit them away to the Heavens before the world ended.

  Rowan joined her and handed her a bottle of water. He had a beer. “I can see your gears turning,” he said as he sat down beside her. “What’s on your mind?”

  “You know, I think I have it figured out.”

  “Oh?” His brow arched.

  “You know how the Science Channel has been getting slammed over that stupid pseudo-documentary about how the earth’s wobble was going to spin the planet out of orbit and we were going to crash into the sun?”

  “I think we can both agree,” he said. “That was the dumbest thing our sister-station has ever done. I mean, it was only mildly entertaining at best.”

  “Laughable if you ask me,” Lauren said. “I mean the whole mermaid mummy thing they tried to pull off ten years ago should have been a lesson learned. Only Ripley’s Believe it or Not could get away with something like that.”

  “I agree, but what’s your point?”

  “Well, with that whole fiasco, their credibility is wounded. You don’t think they’re relying on us to pull them out of a jam, do you?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past them,” Rowan said.

  “The idea of this being the end of the world is provocative, but hardly anything to get excited about.” Lauren continued. “The Exploration Channel clearly wants in on the action. I just don’t understand why it has to be us?”

  “Who else would they come to for the truth?” Rowan suggested.

  Ever since the Bigfoot episode won awards and accolades, Lauren and Rowan were the most popular celebrities on cable television. The Veritas Codex was now the #1 rated travel/adventure show on cable.

  Lauren was not happy at all with the whole idea. “I was afraid this would happen,” she bemoaned.

  Rowan shook his head. “We don’t have to do it.”

  Lauren knitted her brows. “As much as I hate the idea, I hate telling the Network no even more. You can lead the team just as easily as I can.”

  “It’s your show,” Rowan said.

  Lauren softened. “It hasn’t been my show since you joined the team. It’s our show.”

  “But I don’t want to be away from you now,” he protested.

  “I’m not due ‘til February.” She shook her head. “You’ll have plenty of time to go and still be home before the baby comes.”

  “We’ll be down there at the exact time the world is supposed to end.” Rowan drained his beer.

  “You don’t believe that. Do you? Really?”

  “I believe that if the world ends, this is where I want to be.” He reached a hand to rest on the swell of her abdomen. A tiny foot pressed against her stomach. The baby stretched and rolled under his hand. Rowan’s whole countenance glowed at the thought of being a father, but Lauren winced. “Surely, it’s not getting cramped in there already, is it?”

  “This kid is kicking a lot more these days.” She leaned back in her chair, stretching her aching back.

  “How could I miss all of this?” He stood and paced at the balcony rail. “I’m not going,” he said. “We told them when we found out you were pregnant that we didn’t plan to do any traveling for a while. Your health comes first. Our family comes first. Besides, we’ve got a real estate deal to close. We’ll want to get started moving as soon as the papers are signed.”

  That made Lauren smile. They had less than three months left on their lease and she was anxious to get settled into their new home. She’d longed for a house over-looking the beach and that dream was about to come true. “So, how are you going to break it to the Network?”

  “Screw the Network.” He turned back around, throwing up a hand in disgust. “I’m not leaving and that’s final.”

  It was an argument he would not win.

  * * *

  Lauren dropped him off at the airport three weeks later. He leaned in the car window and kissed her. “Call me on the satellite phone if there are any problems.” His hand snaked across her stomach. It was a silent farewell to his child.

  “Just hurry up and come home,” she said. “W
e’ll be fine. You heard what the doctor said this morning. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “That only helps me feel slightly better about leaving you.” He kissed her again. He collected his bags from the back of the SUV before he closed it. He gave the back of the car a hearty slap to let her know it was safe to go. He waved as she did. Jean-René and his small team were waiting for him on the curb with their equipment.

  “Come on, guys. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Lauren sat at her desk on the sixth floor. Her office overlooked the harbor. In the distance, she could see the Navy Pier, and the USS Midway. Smaller sailboats and yachts lined the harbor. Her thoughts were a million miles away. Her head ached as she tried to wrap her mind around the mystery before her.

  Lately, she could barely reach her keyboard. Her abdomen was in the way. It was getting harder and harder to get comfortable. Her feet were starting to swell if she sat too long, and her back ached. She couldn’t even put shoes on by herself. She sat now with her bare feet up in a second chair, her keyboard on her legs. The basketball that took up most of her lap made it hard to see the keys. Fortunately she was a competent typist.

  She tried to convince herself that keeping busy was the best thing for her while Rowan was gone. Still, it was difficult to keep her mind on her work. “Come on, focus.” She scolded. “Let’s figure out how to read this Maya calendar.” She opened the internet browser. The baby inside her stretched and pushed a foot into her ribs. “Settle down, you.” She poked back. “It’s your nap time.” It didn’t help. “Okay. So by the long count, a kin is a day, uinal equals 20 kin or 20 days. A tun equals 18 uinal, or 360 days. A katun equals 20 tun, or 7,200 days and a b’ak’tun is 20 katun, or 400 tun or 7,200 uinal or 144,000 days. Got it. Easy peasy.” Except she didn’t have it and she knew it. “Stupid placenta brain.” She’d been having a hard time concentrating. She blamed it on being pregnant and sleep deprived. It wasn’t getting any better. “Stupid, stupid, stupid ...”

  “Lauren?” Bahati poked her head into her office. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She grimaced. “My brain isn’t working today.”

  “Maybe it needs something to eat,” Bahati said. “It’s almost lunch time.”

  Lauren glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Where did the morning go?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m starving,” she said. “Do you want me to go get you something?”

  Lauren stood, stretching her back as she set the keyboard aside. “I need a break,” she said. “A walk in the fresh air might do me good.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “As long as it’s a short walk.”

  It was a beautiful day in San Diego, despite being December. It was one of the reasons Lauren liked living there. After spending several winters roughing it in Yellowstone, she didn’t like being cold. She didn’t hate it as much as Rowan did though. Today, it was 74 and sunny with a light breeze. Perfect.

  “What sounds good?”

  “Food,” Lauren growled. “Meat.”

  Bahati mused. “Iron deficient much?”

  “Not according to the doctor,” she said. “This kid is going to be a carnivore; I can tell you that much. I’m craving meat.”

  “So Tu Tio’s or Zorba’s?” They paused at the corner, debating which way to go.

  “Zorba’s,” Lauren said. “I can smell it from here.”

  “You picked it because it’s closer, didn’t you?” Bahati asked as they crossed the street and headed towards the Greek Restaurant.

  “Of course.”

  Once they had their food, they found a covered picnic table nearby. “Have you heard from Rowan yet?” Bahati asked.

  “No.” Lauren glanced at her cell phone on the table. “I figure they got in late last night. If I know Rowan, they found some dinner and hit the sack. I’m sure they got an early start this morning. There’s a professor at the University in Mexico City they have to interview before they could head to Chichén Itzá.”

  “Jean-René told me,” Bahati said. “I bet their first stop was for tacos.”

  “I hope he gets sick on tacos.”

  “So, you want tacos too, don’t you?”

  “No, I just want him to hurry home.”

  “Rolling stone...” Bahati began.

  “That’s Rowan. Gathering no moss.” Lauren sighed wearily. She didn’t sleep well when he traveled. It was rare either of them went anywhere without the other. Lauren didn’t like being left alone.

  “What’s the latest on your house?” Bahati asked.

  With the query, Lauren deflated. “The whole deal fell through.” She looked away.

  “What?” Bahati’s face twisted in surprise. “What do you mean the deal fell through? I thought it was a done deal.”

  “We were supposed to have the papers signed before Rowan left, but the sellers got a better offer at the last minute. We scrambled to come up with additional financing. We just couldn’t beat it. We’re back at square one.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Start looking again,” she said, taking a bite of her gyro. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then swallowed. “I found one in San Clemente that looks promising. It’s small, but it’s close to the beach.”

  “That’s going to be quite a commute, isn’t it?” Bahati’s brow narrowed. “What about Chula Vista?”

  “Might as well move to Tijuana.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin, wadding it up and tossing it aside. She sighed. “It’s just really a bad time to be buying a house.”

  “I’d be happy to tag along if you need a second opinion.”

  Lauren brightened. “I’d enjoy the company.”

  “So what are you looking for?”

  While they ate, Lauren detailed the ideal home she and Rowan wanted to raise their children in. Unfortunately, the market wasn’t good. Properties were expensive and there weren’t many available single family homes in their price range. Lauren sold her condo when they got married. They were living in Rowan’s one-bedroom town house. They needed a place for their family to grow, preferably one with a yard. Something close to the beach. They’d been spending a lot of time at the shore lately. Lauren had the tan to prove it. Her naturally light copper skin had gone russet brown since they weren’t traveling all over the world these days. It had been a welcomed break from their normally hectic schedule.

  “You may have to look further north,” Bahati suggested. “Los Angeles isn’t that far away.”

  “I don’t want to live in Los Angeles.” Lauren wrinkled her nose.

  “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” Bahati asked.

  Lauren lifted a shoulder. “We’ve been to so many beautiful places. It would be hard to pick one.”

  “I’d live in the North of France,” Bahati said without hesitation. “I lived there for a time when I was a girl. I’ve always wanted to go back.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “We stayed in a little village called Cappelle-la-Grande, not too far outside Dunkirk,” Bahati said. “The winters were cool, and the summers were warm. The food was good. All French cuisine is, of course. I became quite fond of poulet à la bière.”

  “Really? Chicken in beer? That sounds fancy,” Lauren said. “Rowan would like that.”

  “There were museums and bicycle races. We would take the ferry to London from time to time. Sometimes we took the train down to Paris. Weekend trips to Switzerland weren’t uncommon.”

  “What took you to that part of the world?” Lauren asked.

  “My father taught physics. He took a job at the University there.”

  “Why did I think your dad was an astronomer?” Lauren asked.

  “He was. He worked as an astronomer at the University when I was older. Before that, he was a physics teacher.”

  Lauren gazed out across the ocean. “I think I could be very happy in Hawaii.”

  “Which island?”

  �
�The Big Island. They call it the land of fire and ice ...”

  “Ice?” Bahati recoiled. “You’re talking about Hawaii, right?”

  “They actually have snow on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea from time to time,” Lauren said. “When Rowan and I were there on our honeymoon, we rented a bungalow outside of Hilo near a little town called Laupahoehoe.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Bahati effervesced.

  “It means a leaf of lava,” Lauren said. “The bungalow overlooked the ocean. We drank coffee on the lanai every morning. It was warm and it rained almost every afternoon. We spent much of our time... indoors.” She blushed.

  “That’s what one would expect on a honeymoon.” Bahati grinned. “But I thought he took you to some uninhabited island?”

  “He did, but our flight from Tahiti took us to Hilo and Rowan arranged for a long layover. We spent a week there before we flew back to the Mainland,” she said. “He tricked me into thinking we were going there on an investigation. I got to go to a luau and see the volcano. We rented a car and drove all the way around the island. We spent an afternoon on the black-sand beaches. It was lovely.”

  “You’re so lucky.” Bahati said. “Rowan is awesome.”

  “Yes, but he’s in trouble with me at the moment.” She rose abruptly, pushing away the rest of her food. She walked away. “He should have called by now.”

  “He’s not used to traveling without you,” Bahati said. “Why don’t you call him on the sat-phone?”

  “That’s only for emergencies.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I keep telling myself I’m being irrational.”

  “You’re pregnant,” Bahati said. “You have every right to be irrational.”

  “So I am being irrational?” Lauren whipped around.

  “I thought irrational and due-any-day were synonymous.” Bahati clucked her tongue. “Rowan just left. You’re getting ready to give birth. You just lost the house you’d been dreaming of. So you have every reason to be irrational.” She stood and came over taking her friend by the arms. “Look, Rowan knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he’s fine.”