Omaha, Nebraska
July 2019
Squirrels scurried up the low poles and scampered into the eaves that hung low over the window. The magpie chirped at them and flew close to the window. It perched at a distance on the windowsill. The parrot chatted endlessly about all that happened during Eric's absence. Some boys had wandered up to the cottage and stolen some fruits after teasing the parrot, and it wasn't too pleased about this.
"Naughty lads! Naughty lads!" the parrot chirped from its high perch.
Eric laughed at the parrot’s chattering as he boiled some milk for porridge. The macaque ran around his legs as he made an early dinner for all of them. It was good to be home again with his fur friends with all the chattering and squeaks.
The macaque went over to the table and clambered up the legs to the top. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and scurried over the floor to Eric.
"I see what you are doing there," Eric laughed. "But I can't use the apple for the porridge, so you can have it and get some for Master Hu. Maybe it'll take his mind off the naughty boys, and he'll take a break from talking nineteen to the dozen," Eric chuckled.
The macaque flashed its teeth and made a low gibbering noise. He found Master Hu's babbling very amusing. But before he could dash another apple, Master Hu was already saying, "No apples, no apples. Peanuts, please."
The macaque grunted and climbed up the kitchen table to eat his apple in peace.
Master Hu flew off his perch and landed on Eric's work table. He stood beside the small laptop, and with his head cocked to one side, he focused his beady eyes on the screen where a picture of April and a friend stared back at him.
“Maybe pretty!" the parrot squawked and began to peck at the keyboard furiously. He picked off one of the keys and broke off half of it, which he swallowed.
"Get off there, Master Hu!" Eric yelled at the parrot. He shook the cooking spoon at the parrot as he hurried over to the table to rescue the laptop from more damage. The web pages he was working with were already closed, no thanks to Master Hu.
"Not the keys again!" Eric yelled and threw his hands up in despair. "Now I have to put you in your cage. Time out, Master Hu." Eric nodded toward the cage.
"Awww, nooo," Master Hu squawked and flew into his cage, where he spent the next five minutes complaining about how helpful he was trying to be.
Eric closed the laptop and put it in the holder beneath the desk before returning to the dinner he was making. Twenty minutes later, he was done, and he carried the hot bowl of food to the small kitchen table. All his pets took their favorite position around him as he dished the food into individual small bowls for each of them.
Eric was about to settle down to his meal when the Labrador ran toward the door and barked loudly. The action was slightly unusual because the Labrador hardly ever barked at anyone or anything. The loudest was usually a low growl. The dog stood on its hind legs against the door and continued barking furiously. Eric looked outside the window, but no one came up the lane that led to the cottage.
The macaque took one look at the door and scampered under the table to hide. Eric had to get up from his seat to better look through the window, yet he could see no one there. There was nothing unusual about the yard. He headed over to the door, opened it, and looked around the front porch, but there was no one there either.
The Labrador had stopped barking, and there was an eerie silence inside the cottage. Even Master Hu was quiet. Eric returned to his dinner, but he was so unsettled and couldn't eat anything, he went to his room instead. He stood back and opened the door slowly just in case some intruder was lurking in the bedroom. Eric walked in gingerly and took a good look around the room. There was nothing out of place. The files on his shelf were still in the same order he had left them.
There was a noise outside the bedroom window, and Eric quickly went to his bedside drawer and pulled out his G48 automatic. Pointing it before him, he stealthily approached the window. There was more noise, and Eric cocked his gun, ready to shoot at any unwelcome intruder. A cracking sound followed a scraping sound. Eric hid behind the curtain, waiting to teach the invader some lessons he would not soon forget. He held his breath as the sound drew closer and stopped. Eric came out of his hiding to get a better look and found his pet squirrel dragging a nut across the windowsill.
"Oh, it's just the squirrel," he muttered to himself.
I was almost frozen with fear.
Eric closed the window and returned the weapon to the drawer before he returned to the kitchen. The macaque clambered up to his shoulders and curled its tail around Eric's neck.
"Oh, it was only the squirrel. Come on, everyone, let's get back to our dinner," Eric said as he went over to the stove to heat his food. He was about to carry it to the table when he felt someone standing behind him.
Eric froze in fear, and the bowl shook so much that the hot porridge spilled all over the stove.
"Hello! I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to invite myself to dinner," an unfamiliar voice said gruffly behind him. Eric tried to stay calm; he wished he still had his G48 with him. But, instead, the Labrador snarled at the stranger, and the macaque ran up the kitchen cabinet, knocking over crockery that crashed to the floor.
The man led Eric to his table and made him sit down. Eric was still too scared to take a look at his captor. The Labrador snapped at the intruder and lunged at him, but the man was way too tough and fast. He kicked the dog right in the face, and the limp body was flung into a corner of the room.
"What have you done to my dog?" Eric snapped at his captor.
“Something I certainly wouldn't hesitate to do to you if you defy my orders," the man replied. "Just hand over the notes, and I'll leave. Then we can pretend I was never here."
"What notes are you talking about? I have no notes on me," Eric replied calmly.
The man's fist made contact with Eric's jaw and sent him reeling over the chair. Eric felt the tiny blood capillaries under his skin burst and seep more blood into his mouth. While he still lay hurdled on the floor, the man searched under the desk and found the laptop in the holder. He turned it on immediately and went through it.
There was a knock on the door, and although Eric rarely ever had visitors, he prayed it would be someone who had come to help out. Still pretending to be knocked out on the floor, he held his breath and waited while the man went to the door. Eric heard the man walk in and drop something on the table, and then he heard the door lock. From the look of things, whoever had come into his cottage was no savior.
While Eric tried to figure out what to do next, the macaque took matters into its own hands. It stealthily stole across the kitchen and opened the cage for Master Hu, who had been silent all this while. The two went up to a higher perch and watched what was happening in a silent conspiracy.
"Have you searched the house?" the second man asked his accomplice.
"Yes, and there's nothing here except for a few stupid old-man objects which I guess he clings to for sentimental reasons."
"Found anything on the computer?"
"Yes. Not exactly all we want, but enough to get us on in the next line of action. Now, what do we do with him?"
One of the men dragged Eric up from the floor and forced him to sit down. Eric still closed his eyes to make his attackers believe he was still too weak. That was his ploy to stop them from hitting him again.
"Thank you so much for this." The man waved his hand towards the laptop. "You have made our job more uncomplicated than we anticipated. Now to show our sincere gratitude, we thought you might like a good dinner. It's something much better than plain old cottage porridge."
The second man pulled out a food bag from the box on the floor. "Here's yours," he said as he placed it in front of Eric. "Now, be good and eat up."
Eric stared at the food bag; it was some Chinese takeout, which he avoided because he felt it was not a healthy option. He wasn't going to eat it no matter what they did to him; it could be poison
ed for all he knew.
"I'm sorry, but I can't eat right now," Eric told the men quietly.
"You haven't even tried it," the darker one replied. He opened the paper bag and helped himself to some of the food.
Maybe it isn't poisoned, Eric thought.
But what if there was something else in it that could harm him? These men weren't exactly his friends. Eric looked at the men, and they appeared calm but sinister.
"Are you going to spend all evening staring at us, or should we get dinner going?"
Eric nodded and began to eat. The men took some food for themselves and joined Eric. It looked like ordinary people having a regular meal from all appearances, but Eric wondered what they were up to with each passing minute. Suddenly, he felt ravenous, the food tasted better than he had anticipated, and he craved more.
Throwing all caution to the wind, Eric asked, "Is there more where this came from?"
"Certainly; you can have it all if you want to. I told you, you would like it." One of the men smiled slyly at Eric.
Eric spent the next thirty minutes gorging on the food. After eating six bags of Chinese food, he couldn't take any more.
"Eat on," the darker man urged him. "You'll get us pissed if you let all these go to waste."
Eric struggled to talk. "I c-can’t take it—"
"Then we will make you."
In a flash, the men were beside Eric; their massive forms loomed menacingly over him. The looks on their faces told him they were no longer in a happy mood. One of the men held him down against the chair, and the other gave him a hard slap across the face before forcing his mouth open. He quickly shoved mouthfuls of food into Eric's mouth.
As Eric struggled and choked on the food, the macaque made for the man holding the food because he had no idea Eric was in deep trouble. All it wanted was some food.
"Get out of here, you virus-infested primate!" the man yelled at the macaque. But it wouldn't budge; it kept trying to reach the food. The macaque and the man fought over the food while Eric struggled for breath. He began to feel dizzy and felt intense palpitations in his heart.
The macaque lunged at the man and scratched his face in a bid to get the food from him. Master Hu squawked and flew over to get a bite or two.
"Hey, help me get these awful creatures off my face," he called to the second man. Immediately, Eric was left by himself, but he was too weak to move. He bent over the table as pain seared through his body.
The macaque jumped on the second man who tried to get him off and sank his canines into his arm and then the back of his head.
"C'mon, let's get out of here!" the darker man screamed, and they made for the door.
___________
Taj Aravali Resort & Spa
Udaipur, India
"This is beyond beautiful!" April beamed as they walked down to their pool villas at the Taj Resort. Two bodyguards walked ahead of them, and the other two walked behind them. There were about six porters who dragged the heavy suitcases along the terrace.
"What do you think, Dad?" April asked her father.
"Not bad," came his dry reply. Harry would rather be back in the United States, sealing deals and overseeing the affairs of his empire. There was no doubt he had capable hands that he could trust to see things even if it required a long absence. But he was already missing the rush and fulfillment he got from being at the heart of things.
April continued clicking away on her phone when they got to their villa. She wasn't going to miss out on any detail of this treasure hunt. Harry got on the phone as soon as they had settled in. He knew Bernice would be beside herself with worry because she was starving for his attention, and she needed to reel out a list of souvenirs or gifts she expected him to bring back from his trip.
While he spoke on the phone, April went off to her villa. He was still on the phone an hour and a half later when April returned looking like an Indian princess. She was dressed in a sari and jewelry. Harry had always known his daughter was beautiful enough to break hearts, but he had never seen her looking so divine.
"You're off to see the Singhs?" Harry asked.
"Daddy, how amazing do I look?" April asked eagerly.
"You look gorgeous, April, and if anyone messes with you, I will snap their necks in a beat."
April giggled and pecked Harry on the cheek. "I have to leave now, Dad, and the limo is here already."
Harry dipped his hand into his pocket. "Here's a hundred thousand rupees, in case you need it."
"Thanks, Dad." April took the wad of notes and stashed it in her purse.
April had known the Singhs from the United States. They were a very wealthy and influential family in India who also had strong business relations with Harry. She had agreed to have dinner with them because she wanted to get as much information as she could from Natalia Singh, the current matriarch of the Singh family. Natalia was a woman who had strong and deep connections not only in India but in Europe and the United States as well. She knew the good, the bad, and the ugly and ran her empire with an iron hand.
No sooner had April left than Harry received a call informing him of Eric's death. It was reported that Eric had died of a cardiac arrest in his cottage. A large quantity of monosodium glutamate was found in his stomach—after bingeing on Chinese food. A large amount of the chemical in his bloodstream had triggered a heart attack. It was not clear why Eric would decide to binge, but Harry had a feeling that something wasn't right. Eric was murdered. Someone else was on the treasure hunt too. This was no longer a whimsical adventure that April had dragged him along on. Someone else, who was probably just as dangerous, also wanted the painting.
Harry decided it was about time he got involved. He called up an old friend from Australia. Dr. Marquise was a seasoned archaeologist who worked at Sydney University. Harry sent him pictures of the painting with an instruction to give him feedback within twenty-four hours.
April returned well after midnight, and it wasn't until the following day that she was able to see her father. The news of Eric's death scared her to her bones, and she canceled her plans for the day. Her visit to the Singhs had not turned out as April planned. All her questions had only received very vague answers, and at some point, Natalia Singh had hinted that she was asking questions that were not only way above her age but also dangerous. She had sternly warned April not to go about sticking her nose in a hornets' nest.
Harry and April waited for Dr. Marquise's report as they deliberated on staying much longer in India or returning home. They decided on the former until they heard what the archaeologist and his team had to say.
Dr. Marquise brought back a report sooner than Harry had expected. The Well of Thomas, the mine in Kerala, and the goldmine in South Africa were notable points of call that led to another clue.
Harry became more worried than ever. Did Eric's murder have something to do with a hidden clue in the painting? And why would his goldmine be in the picture? Harry wondered if all these codes and hidden messages led to another mine he could explore. It would give his business a good boost if it did. He toyed with the idea of spending the next few weeks in India to find out all he could. Perhaps he should visit Natalia himself, and he felt he could weasel out more information if he had his way.
April stared at the painting in her hands, wondering if it was more than mere fate that she had come across it that day at the exhibition.
What if the clues only led to some ancient ruins? she thought. It wouldn't be a bad idea if it did.
Later that afternoon, Harry sat by the poolside, soaking up the sun while April floated in the pool, sipping her margarita. She was making another vlog for her website. Harry had turned off his phone for an hour of quiet. He knew there would be people on the other end banging their heads on the wall because they couldn't reach him on the phone.
He opted to check his emails on his laptop instead. About a hundred emails were screaming for his urgent response. He decided to check the reports on the goldmine in South A
frica first before other things. The screen blurred as Harry read the details of the report.
The last thing he heard was April screaming for help.
5
Chapter Five
Mumbai, India
Harry heard his phone chime in his pocket. He picked it up and saw that he had received a video from an unknown number. Being influential, it was nothing new to receive tons of spam emails each day with people proposing things to him, begging him for something, or even threatening him. However, his number was very private, so getting any message from someone he did not know was highly unusual.
He looked up to see if April was paying any attention to him, but she was busy clicking away at her laptop and sipping coffee. He reached into his pockets for his earbuds and plugged them into his ears so that no one else could hear anything in case it was a problematic video.
It was.
Harry reeled back in shock as he watched a massive explosion cause a minefield to fall over what seemed like dozens of people. There was a location and time stamp on the video showing that it had happened at the Wordsworth mine nearly fifty years ago. His jaw clenched as he remembered what he was told about that accident. Nineteen people had died, with dozens more injured. Was the video some sort of threat? He was not sure what to make of it.
"Dad?" April called out to her father. He looked up at her as she stared at him with concern.
"Yes, pumpkin?"
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Are you sure? You got all tense all of a sudden. Did something happen?"
"No, don't worry, April. I just got some work emails, and it's no big deal. Although I have to travel to New York City."
"New York? What for? Did we get a new lead?" April's excitement always made him remember her as a curious little child.
"No... I just need to take care of work stuff, will you come with me? We can visit some fun places together while we try and figure this thing out," Harry offered with a smile. He felt a little guilty about not telling her what he wanted to do, which was visit a former employee at the mine who was present at the explosion and could maybe give insights into what had happened.
The Lost Treasure of the Aztec Kings Page 4
