by J C Ryan
“Let’s hope you’re right. Even though the Ministry knows what we’re trying to do, this thing is so twisted and convoluted they may not understand it, even if they try.”
Rex chuckled under his breath. “I’m counting on that. If they don’t, neither will Junior.”
Chapter Seventeen
JUNIOR HADN’T COUNTED on Barry Marks’ response—his resilience was surprising and even more so his willingness to buy or steal antiquities. There was nothing in his past dealings with the Markses which gave an indication that they would be prepared to get involved in anything illegal.
Junior’s plans were in turmoil. What he thought was going to be a straightforward transaction; give back the money, unwind the deal, and then do exactly what Barry had hinted at – pick off a few choice pieces before everything had been catalogued, had now turned into a headache. Nonetheless, Uncle Rich had the black-market connections that could help them make a fortune, if he could only get in on the Markses venture.
I need a new plan. Quickly.
Junior mumbled an apology, broke off from the group and headed for Alexandro’s house.
Rex just smiled when he saw where Junior was headed. Sorry to disappoint you, but the CB ain’t working no more.
On arrival at Alexandro’s hut, he went straight for the CB to report the new development to Uncle Rich. They’d be able to brainstorm a solution together. When he picked up the handset, he noticed the channel indicator wasn’t lit. He checked the batteries, but they gave him that signature jolt when he touched his tongue to them. The power button was turned to on.
What the hell?
He clicked the transmit button and said, “Breaker, Rich Uncle, come back.”
No response.
“Rich Uncle, Breaker, come back.”
He kept on calling Uncle Rich, but didn’t get any response and eventually gave up.
Nothing. Dead, deceased, kaput, done for. Crap.
The loss of communication was an issue. Without Uncle Rich’s input, he’d have to wing it and trust that Uncle Rich would buy into it. He stood thinking for a few minutes, and then decided he needed to find Alexandro as a matter of highest priority.
He thought it was also important to go and ask the Markses and Davis if it was an appropriate time to see the antiquities before doing anything else.
They agreed, and Barry went into the second room and came out with an item wrapped in canvas, apparently heavy from the way he handled it. He handed it to Junior.
The weight for its size was staggering. Junior made as if he was going to drop it and noted how all four of the others jumped forward, hands outstretched as if to catch it.
Hmm, that’s a good sign. This must be genuine, or at least that's what they seem to believe.
He unwrapped the canvas and gasped.
The item in his hands was a fine piece of Inca art. The statue appeared to depict Viracocha, the creator in Incan mythology. The meso-American features on his flat face were exquisitely sculpted, his sun-like crown wrought in delicate gold filigree, with insets of emerald crystals, which also dangled from gold wire extending from the crown. In his ears, opal insets represented large earrings, and his eyes were made of turquoise. His hands clasped ceremonial blades as tall as the central figure at the ends of outstretched arms, and each blade’s hilt was created in obsidian.
No wonder they almost fell over their feet to stop me from dropping it.
Any of the gems could have come out, but most worrisome were the wires, dangling gems, and outstretched arms. So delicate, they could easily have bent, damaging the piece badly. Repairs would have lessened the value.
The piece was exquisite – and priceless.
Junior’s hands froze into claws, so reluctant was he to hand the piece back. He willed himself to let go. This piece alone was worth more than a million dollars, by his best guess. Whatever it took, whomever he had to kill or injure, from whomever he had to beg, steal, or borrow, this artifact he had to have. But he must play it cool and come up with a plan that would push the Markses, Ray Davis, and this new woman, Lucy or Lucia or Lucinda, or whatever, out of the picture.
He needed Alexandro.
“I’d like to get my hands on that scoundrel, Alexandro. He sure had me fooled,” he said, after forcing himself to let go of the statue when he handed it back to Barry. “Does anyone have an idea where he could be found?”
“Like Barry said, we, and that includes the villagers, haven’t seen him since he ran away from the ruins when we found the fake,” Rex answered. “We thought maybe he went to tell you the scam had been discovered.”
“Me? You thought I was in on it?” Junior pressed his right hand to his chest to emphasize his shock and outrage.
“What else were we to think?” Flo injected.
“I can assure you…”
Barry interrupted. “No need to respond Junior. It was just a passing thought at the time when we were still in shock. We now know you were not in on it. Alexandro is the perpetrator here. Please accept my apology on behalf of all of us.” He swept a hand around to indicate he included Flo and Ray.
Junior nodded his head graciously. “I can’t blame you. In your shoes, I would’ve thought the same. I accept your apology.
“So, Alexandro is beyond our reach, unscathed. Pity,” he added. “But now I’d like to propose we join forces. An excavation at this location will be expensive. Are you able to handle it yourselves? My uncle has connections in high places. If you’ll let me buy in, he’ll help us get grants and investors to fund the dig.”
Junior examined each face in turn. Barry and Flo looked as if they could be interested, with more information maybe. Ray looked doubtful. The woman looked neutral.
“Face it, since you said the word of the discovery was out, you’re going to have to post guards as well as hire labor for the excavation.”
“Yeah, we’re aware of all that. But what has changed in your circumstances? Not long ago you told Barry and Flo you and your uncle were broke – destitute – because of that scam someone pulled on you,” Ray objected.
“That’s true, but no doubt you also know sometimes it’s all about who you know. My uncle has very influential contacts in all the right places, I also have some, but no one nearly as good as his.
“Come on, there’s enough here to go around for all of us. I don’t want to really say this, but if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be in this position. I’m sure you’ll agree that's true. And frankly, it would help my uncle and me get back on our feet.”
Rex began, “I don’t know…”
But Flo interjected. “Barry, Ray, I’m on Junior’s side on this one. He's right. We actually do owe him a debt of gratitude. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t brought us here and sold the site to us. And I agree there’s more than enough to go around. What’s one more artifact out of the dozens we’ve seen? And who knows how much more is buried under those? Give the boy a chance.”
Junior smiled gratefully at Flo as she put her hand on her husband’s arm, pleading with him. Over Ray’s frowning objections, Barry finally relented.
“Okay. Truth be told, we could use some help. Luciana is taking care of the permits, so that won’t be a problem. She assured us it has actually been approved, they’re just issuing the paperwork, we should have that within the next week or so. The help we need is for a quick cash injection to kick the project off. As you can imagine, we need to move at speed here before we get inundated with government officials, police and such. We urgently need the money to hire workers, buy supplies, hire guards, and buy weapons, too. Once word gets out about what we have here, every criminal on the planet will want to relieve us of our fortune, hence the need for guards and weapons.
“By my calculations we need about two million US to get going. Flo and I have already put half of that down, and as we free up some of our investments in the US we’ll be able to fund the rest.
“So, I guess the question is can you put up a million in t
he next week? I know it’s a lot of money, but the payback is probably going to be tenfold, at the minimum. I’ll understand if you can’t get the money. I have a few potential business partners lined up back home. But as Flo said, we owe you a favor, so if you can put the money in, we’ll be good to go.”
“For what percentage?” Junior asked.
“Twenty-five,” Barry replied without blinking an eye.
“What! No way. I put up half the money and I get a quarter share? That’s daylight robbery. I thought I could count on your good will, but it seems to me I’ve been mistaken.”
“Hang on, Junior. You obviously didn’t pay attention. We need two million just to start this thing up. Ray and I have put half of that down already. Our estimates are that we’ll need in the order of four million or more, in total. So make your calculations.”
“Hmm… yeah well… okay. I see what you’re saying. Okay, it’s a deal.” He stuck out his hand to shake Barry’s to seal the deal.
Barry didn’t reciprocate. “Not so quick, Junior. Let’s just dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s before we shake on the deal. We’re in agreement that time is of the essence here. Right?”
Junior nodded.
“Okay, we need the million in cash in the next week. You deliver the money on time, and we have a deal on which I'll shake hands. Otherwise, the deal’s off and we go with our other options.”
Junior smiled from ear to ear. “Thanks for the opportunity. It shouldn’t take long to get the money."
***
EARLY THE NEXT morning, Junior left a note for the Markses and Rex that he’d started early to get back sooner and headed down the trail the four of them had originally taken to get to the village. He didn’t want company, because he would need to leave the trail at a hidden branch not two miles from the village.
The concealed trail led another five miles to a small valley where his helicopter and its pilot waited. When he’d convinced Uncle Rich that the investment would be worth it, he never dreamed that in the months they’d been running this scam, they’d been unknowingly sitting on top of a major fortune.
It was too bad they hadn’t discovered it themselves. If they had, the Ministry would never have heard of it, and he and his uncle could have sold off every artifact one by one. They would never have had to expose themselves to risk for chump change like fifty-thousand dollars again in their lives. But he’d come up with a plan to get fifty-million. It just required patience and what he and Uncle Rich were best at – the double-cross.
All he had to do was convince Uncle Rich to go along with it. The artifacts had to be worth many millions, if what he’d seen was any indication. He’d trade one-million for fifty-million or more any day.
***
DIGGER ALERTED REX to someone moving around outside, and he was awake instantly. He gave Digger the hand signal to be quiet and rose soundlessly. The rustling had stopped, but Digger was still on high alert.
Checking outside, Rex almost stumbled over the rock holding down the paper with a note from Junior.
“Made an early start so I can be back sooner. See you in a few.”
Rex snapped his eyes from the paper to the spaces between the houses, but he couldn’t see Junior. He quickly pulled his pants and a t-shirt on and slid his feet into his boots. There was no time to waste if he was to catch up to Junior.
“Scout,” he said quietly to Digger. “Stay close.”
As Digger moved out, Rex tied his boots and jumped out the door to follow.
With his second command, Digger would know not to lose him as he followed as quickly as he could. Within a few minutes, they’d caught up to within thirty yards of Junior, and Rex signaled Digger to follow at a distance. When Junior disappeared into the jungle after reaching the tree line, Rex knew he was on the verge of discovering the secret to Junior’s speedy travel.
He called Digger even closer to him to avoid any nasty surprises in case Junior had made them and set up an ambush. Consequently, when the noise of the helicopter starting up reached their ears, he and Digger were still well within the dense jungle. He began to run, and Digger soon outpaced him. The helicopter was well above when they got close enough to see the end of the trail break through the trees, and by the time he’d managed to stop Digger going into the clearing and peer out from cover, it was too high for him to see the call numbers.
At least now he knew he’d been right. The bastard had been able to travel close to the village all along.
Rex returned to the village with the news. “I suspect we’ll see him returning much sooner than he indicated. He must think we’re idiots not to catch on.”
“He’s used to dealing with gullible people,” Luciana said. “But that’s in our favor. He’ll be careless, thinking he’s got you where he wants you. He won’t even suspect the shoe is actually on the other foot.”
“Let’s hope you’re right. And that the money he’s going to bring with him is really theirs, not from some grant they can get. We don’t want government money, we want Roper and his uncle's money.”
Luciana smiled. “I have no doubt it’s theirs. I just heard from the Ministry. They finally got word from the National Police, and they’ve confirmed these two have been on their radar. No organization would give them a grant, definitely not the government. They’re on a watch list, but without victim and witness cooperation, they’ve avoided prosecution and jail.”
***
THE DAY PROVED even more eventful when Rex checked his email. The new one Rehka had set up for him had its first message, from a Doctor Elena Martinez. The email introduced her and indicated in direct language with no frills that she was aware of his request for a doctor, familiar with Leishmaniasis and other diseases endemic to Peru, and would be free to come to the village within a week. She named her price and asked for directions to the village.
Rex admired the no-nonsense approach and emailed back immediately that the terms were acceptable. He asked if she would require a guide or if she had any more questions about the illness.
The answer came immediately. No guide needed, just give her coordinates for the trail head out of Santa Teresa. And please forward close-up pictures of the skin deterioration he’d described.
Rex acknowledged the email and said he’d forward pictures as soon as he could. Then he found Pidro and asked to see his grandchild again.
“A doctor is coming,” he said. “She must see pictures of your grandchild to know what medicines to bring.”
It was probably more complex than that, he thought, but rather than try to explain modern medicine to Pidro, the simplest explanation that would satisfy the man would be best.
Rex noted that the child seemed sicker than before. Pidro’s daughter reported that her son couldn’t swallow and was having diarrhea. The two symptoms together were life-threatening. Rex observed that the child was now almost completely bald and was wheezing. These weren’t symptoms related to Leishmaniasis, to the best of his knowledge.
“Try to get more water down him,” he advised. “Just a few drops at a time, but frequently.” It was all he could do. He just hoped the little one could last the week until the doctor arrived.
Chapter Eighteen
NOW THAT THEY had the fish on the hook, so to speak, Rex asked Pidro if he could gather the villagers. The ten men who had been training to appear to be archaeological diggers had agreed to help him explain to the rest of the village what had been going on in relative secrecy right under their noses.
It was clear to Rex that village affairs had been deteriorating in Alexandro’s absence. He thought it was time for a new leader to step forward when it became clear that Alexandro would not return. Until someone told the village what was afoot, they wouldn’t know they needed a leader.
The adults of the village gathered in the square, and Rex sent Digger to help the older children keep the younger ones entertained, so none of the adults would miss the meeting. He didn’t see any sick children, so he made a mental note to
check on them after the meeting.
The chatter among the villagers, who were sitting cross-legged in the dirt of the square, died down as Pidro took his place next to Rex and asked them to attend the words they would hear. He said he had come to trust the foreigner as a friend to them. Then he took his place among the rest, and it was Rex’s turn to speak.
“My friends, we thank you for your hospitality in the weeks we have stayed among you. We are honored and privileged to be allowed to live among you. Now it is time to tell you why we have stayed so long, and what we think has happened to the Inka Mallku.”
In the next few minutes, he explained how he and the Markses had discovered an evil plot involving the sacred ruins, and that Alexandro had been frightened by the discovery. It was too soon to try to convince the entire village at once that their Inka Mallku had been one of the plotters. He’d let the ten men who already believed it explain that. However, he told them that Junior was the bad man and part of the wickedness going on.
“In the next few days, we expect the visitor who comes often, Junior, to return. He is the person responsible for setting up the whole scheme, and we have made plans to capture him and prevent him from continuing with his immoral actions.”
After that, he had the ten men stand and explain what Junior had done and what they were doing to help capture him. The rest of the villagers seemed spellbound, until one of the ten mentioned Alexandro’s part in the plot. Then chaos broke out, with arguments, raised voices, and finger pointing springing up among them like wild fire.
To Rex’s surprise, more than half the village was willing to agree that Alexandro had been a bad leader. About half of the rest were unsure and therefore remained quiet. The remainder were Alexandro supporters, the ones starting arguments, and it was getting out of hand.
Rex called Digger back to him and commanded, “Sound off.”
Digger responded with a howl that raised even Rex’s hackles. The villagers quieted immediately and looked toward Digger fearfully. Digger sat down and smiled, apparently pleased with the result.
