The Inca Con: A Rex Dalton Thriller

by JC Ryan

  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 the 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 catc
h 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.

  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.

  Rex had never used that command before, didn’t know how he’d remembered it in the moment. It must have lodged in his subconscious from when he’d watched Trevor practicing with Digger so long ago. For a moment, he stared at Digger, astonished at the incredible volume of the sound he’d unleashed. But it had the effect he’d hoped.

  “We may have made a mistake in believing Alexandro ran away because he was guilty. Maybe he was frightened. If he comes back, we will give him a chance to explain himself. Will that satisfy everyone?”

  Murmurs of assent rose, and then everyone fell silent. Rex judged that most of them agreed, so he asked, “Can we count on your silence and cooperation when Junior comes back?”

  A few shouts of yes and none of no assured him that his gamble had paid off. Now he asked Pidro to come and stand next to him, and then suggested they choose a new leader.

  If this is not subtle influence, then I don’t know what is. He subdued a smile.

  Not surprisingly, they chose Pidro, but not as Inka Mallku. He refused that title, because he said he was not a healer. His title would simply be leader, and he would step down when Alexandro returned and proved to be innocent or a new Inka Mallku took Alexandro’s place.

  ***

  A FEW HOURS later, Rex, Luciana, and the
Markses were relaxing after dinner and discussing the meeting when a commotion outside set Digger to barking in alarming tones. Rex immediately recognized the agitation in Digger’s bark, sprang up, and rushed out to see what was going on.

  The others were only a step behind him, and they found themselves staring at the business end of the automatic weapons in the hands of four mean-looking strangers. The men shouted in Spanish, but Rex had already raised his hands. Now the others followed his lead.

  Rex immediately saw this was an explosive situation, and the only way to not escalate it was to be nice and submissive. Unarmed people seldom win aggressive arguments with people who had guns pointed at them. The most important thing to do now was to not piss these guys off—try everything he could to defuse the situation, keep everyone calm, and protect Digger who was all tensed up, growling and restless. One wrong move from the dog, and these bastards would shoot him. And if they did that, Rex knew he would not be able to control himself. He snapped his fingers to get Digger’s attention and said softly, “Quiet boy. Stand down. Relax. I’ll handle this.”

  Then he turned to the four men and said, “Good evening gentlemen. To what do we owe the honor?”

  “Shut up and listen,” said one of them. “We know you have discovered treasure. It belongs to our people. We’re here to collect payment. You pay us money, you can keep the artifacts.”

  Rex could hardly believe it. A protection racket. Peruvian mafia? All the way up here in the Andes. I would not have believed it if anyone told me before tonight.

  “We don’t have a problem to pay you. The problem we have is we don’t have money with us. You’ll have to give us time to get it for you.”