Treasure of the Mayan King (2012)

by Alehandro

  “A blow pipe, the bearded man on the bicycle wasn’t smoking a cigarette. It was a blow pipe!” Gustavo blurted out.

  Dr. Hernandez nodded in agreement. “They really had been shot. The poison acted so quickly they just didn’t have time to explain how.”

  “What kind of poison?”

  The doctor shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know. It’s some manufactured concoction. But whoever created it knew more about pharmaceuticals than the guys in our lab, and that’s saying something.”

  “So we’re looking for an expert pharmacist?” Gustavo asked. Suddenly a thundering revelation came to him.

  “Apparently so.” Dr. Hernandez added.

  De Leon looked stunned. Octavio had mentioned that he had been a pharmacist.

  “What’s the matter, Gustavo?”

  “May I borrow your phone? The battery on my cell phone is low.”

  “Certainly.”

  Gustavo grabbed the phone on Hernandez’s desk. After dialing a number, a female voice came over the speaker. “Hello and thank you for calling the Hotel Feliz. How may I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m looking for a friend of mine named Mr. Octavio Mendoza. Is he there?”

  “I’m sorry sir, he checked out a few hours ago.”

  “He did? Did he mention where he was going?”

  “No, but from the stuff I helped load in his van it looked like he was going to do some serious digging.”

  De Leon slammed the phone down; he was breathing hard.

  Dr. Hernandez had a perplexed expression. “Care to tell me what is going on?”

  De Leon stood up and clenched his teeth. “It will have to wait for another time,” he hissed and without any further explanation he ran from the office before Hernandez could say a word.

  Gustavo sat at the table with his face in his hands. He didn’t even smell the coffee Miranda set in front of him. “I’m a fool and a failure.”

  “Explain it to me again. Now you said the map was never stolen?”

  Gustavo leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair in a familiar gesture of frustration. Dropping his arms to his side with a sigh, he repeated the painful and embarrassing explanation. “When Mendoza realized that Martinez and Barrios had nearly completed the translation, he decided not to share the treasure with those two crooks. So Friday evening when he left the hacienda he simply took the map with him. Of course he wasn’t safe as long as the other two knew about the map and the treasure. Therefore phase two of his plan was simple. All he had to do was hire an amateur private investigator who is smart enough to find them and dumb enough to believe the story.

  “Since Octavio is a pharmacist, he knew how quickly and effectively the wrong mixture of drugs could simulate a heart attack. Once I’d led him to his victims, he raced past on a bicycle with his blowpipe and cactus needle. It was just plain chance that we discovered the deaths weren’t heart attacks. Octavio Mendoza is gone. I don’t know what I’m going to do next.”

  Miranda looked up at the clock. “What you’re going to do next is get to the airport in Mexico City. If you leave right now, you’ll be just in time to meet Chauncy Rollock’s plane.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It seemed to take an eternity to find a parking space at the airport. Gustavo sprinted through the crowded airport mall. He arrived at the gate just in time to see Chauncy stroll into the lobby with a small carry-on bag in his hand.

  Gustavo waved to get Chauncy’s attention.

  Chauncy approached and reached out to shake De Leon”s hand and was surprised when the investigator instead greeted him with a big hug. ‘Well, amigo, we finally meet! Welcome to Mexico, again.’

  “It’s good to see you in the flesh! Last time I saw you, you were a big movie star on television.”

  Gustavo laughed out loud. “The last time I saw you, you were swinging like a monkey from a helicopter!”

  As they drove, De Leon brought Chauncy up to date. From there the conversation drifted into Chauncy’s wistful comments about Dr. Sova and Gustavo’s frustrations over the case.

  Once they reached Cuernavaca, Gustavo turned into his driveway. The both exited and Chauncy greeted Miranda. After they sat in the living room they chatted for a while.

  “Gustavo, I can never thank you enough for saving my life. I came here to fulfill your wish for two reasons. The first is my professional obligation to keep archaeological artifacts from being plundered and second for saving my life.”

  Gustavo waved his hand. “Think nothing of it. To be perfectly honest, it was you who orchestrated the entire event.”

  “What have you got for us?” Miranda asked Chauncy.

  Chauncy took the envelope from his pocket and slid a DVD out. “After my rescue I found this waiting for me when I got home from Mexico. Dr. Sova mailed it before he was murdered and it must have taken weeks to arrive. This disc was his private message to me. This is the answer to the riddle of the treasure of the Mayan king!”

  “Let’s play it!” an anxious Gustavo blurted out as he sprang from his chair. He motioned for the others to enter his office.

  Chauncy inserted the DVD in Gustavo’s computer. He navigated his way through the barrage of built-in disc security, and abruptly the image of Dr. Sova appeared on the screen.

  Chauncy turned the volume up slightly so they could hear clearly:

  Greetings, Chauncy! This DVD was necessary because the answer to our riddle is better told with pictures than with words. I am confident that I have finally discovered the answer to the mysterious riddle that leads to the treasure of King Chac! During one of my visits to Palenque I saw the phenomenon that opened my eyes to the answer of the riddle. I finally understood. This phenomenon was previously known only in Chichen Itza. Twice a year at the equinoxes, when the sun shines on the Pyramid of the Sun, the shadows on the steps resemble a serpent.

  The textbooks say “this phenomenon has not been seen in Palenque, only in Chichen Itza.” The idiots! Just because it has not been seen does not mean that it could not be seen in Palenque. Please follow my reasoning: K” inich Aha, Quetzalcoatl, K” inich Aha, Xibalba. The “sun god,” or literal sun, points the way to the “serpent god” on the steps of Temple #22!

  As they watched, the image of Dr. Sova was replaced by computer animation.

  Here is Temple #22.

  The rotating temple came to a stop and the animation zoomed in on the steps of the pyramid.

  The Mayans worshiped many gods. One of the most prominent was the sun god, K” inich Aha. During the spring and fall equinoxes the sun casts an eerie shadow on the steps of the temple.

  The animation changed perspective and displayed an undulating shadow on the steps of the pyramid.

  As you can see, the shadow on the pyramid looks like a snake slithering on the steps of the temple. The riddle said: The sun god will show you where the winged serpent crawls. The shadow looks like the plumed serpent god, Quetzalcoatl; if you follow the shadow it points to another pyramid.

  The animation panned across a courtyard of temples. Following a straight line from the shadow serpent, it stopped at another pyramid and zoomed in.

  This is the pyramid of the sun, so we have the next portion of the riddle: The winged serpent will show you the way of the sun god. The next clue can be seen from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

  The camera moved up the steps, stopping at the top of the pyramid.

  And now, follow the sun to where it sets.

  The camera followed an animated sun as it set behind a mountain range, with the focus on a peculiarly shaped peak.

  The sun sets behind those mountains during the equinox, where there are hidden caves. Caves were also worshiped by the Mayans. They believed that the gods of the underworld were swallowing the sun at each sunset! So the riddle says: But the sun god will be swallowed up by the god of the underground. There you will find it. The treasure is hidden in a cave in that specific mountain! The Mayans were superstitious: they believed t
hat evil spirits dwelt in caves so they were not likely to disturb the treasure.

  The animation ended, and Dr. Sova appeared again on the screen.

  Chauncy, we will have to contact the Mexican authorities and the director of the Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City. Please call me immediately. I want you to be with me when I announce my find to the world.

  As the video ended, Gustavo was already stuffing clothing into a duffel bag. He slipped on his shoulder holster and looked at Chauncy. “Get ready, we’re going!”

  “What are you talking about?” Chauncy asked, shock evident on his face. He was still assimilating the information from the DVD and now this. “Going where?”

  Gustavo leaned forward and hissed through clenched teeth, “You can find that mountain faster than I can. And if I don’t find it fast, Mendoza will beat me to the treasure. Let’s go!”

  Chauncy shuddered when he recalled he had promised Anita he would not be traipsing through the jungle. “Six months ago I saw more guns than I care to remember. You’ll forgive me if I don’t join you.”

  Gustavo zipped up his travel bag and looked intensely at Chauncy. “You don’t get it, do you? Octavio is on his way to the treasure. You worked in Palenque - you know where the mountain is. I need your help to intercept him or else all is lost and the trip you made here would have been a waste of time. Let’s go!”

  Chauncy stared at the floor wishing it would open up and swallow him as he was envisioning his wife’s scowl. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I knew this when I agreed to come. Do me a favor will you? Don’t tell my wife about this.”

  Gustavo smiled. “You got a deal. Don’t worry,” he patted his holster. “I have a gun.”

  Five minutes later, Miranda watched from the front door as her husband and Chauncy raced off toward the airport.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ranchero music blared from Octavio Mendoza’s white van as he drove down the dusty jungle road toward Palenque.

  It was a sad song, but Octavio was smiling as he sang along. Soon he would be the richest man in Mexico; soon he would find the treasure; soon he would be living on Easy Street.

  He was amazed at how well things had turned out; how he had made De Leon believe that one or both of the men must have stolen the map. Poor Gustavo had labored so hard on his behalf to find the two scoundrels. He had paid the investigator handsomely, but the investment had produced fantastic returns.

  He came to a fork in the road and pulled over. Turning the music down, he consulted his map, then veered to the right. Now he could make out the tops of the pyramids of Palenque. His heart quickened at the sight.

  Parking in a small grassy area set aside for tourists, he walked to the base of Temple #22 with the scroll in his hand. He had been planning this for a long time. It was the perfect day: the spring equinox.

  Let’s see if I can pick up where Raul left off. No point wasting time climbing the pyramid. I’ll see the shadow of the feathered serpent right here.

  The temple had four corners. On one corner the sun cast an eerie silhouette that seemed undulate the entire length of the temple steps. Octavio looked around. Not too many tourists yet; good. He had to work quickly. The sun shows me where the winged serpent crawls, but now the winged serpent will have to show me the way of the sun.

  He thought about the documentary film that Raul had mentioned from Dr. Sova’s computer. The time-lapse footage of Chichen Itza had made what appeared to be a serpent seen crawling on the steps of the temple.

  Octavio followed the line indicated across the great courtyard - to the pyramid of the sun. It points directly to the Temple of the Sun! “The way of the sun!”

  Getting into his van, he drove off north toward the Temple of the Sun. Parking near its base he stood drinking from his plastic water bottle and looking up at the enormous structure.

  The solution to the rest of the riddle was at its top. As much as he hated any kind of work he had to climb it.

  By the time he got to the top, he was drenched with sweat. Just think, Octavio. Soon you’ll be so rich you’ll never have to sweat again! He sat down and consulted the scroll. It says that as the sun crosses the sky, it gets swallowed by the “god of the underground.” I’m certainly not waiting until sundown to see where the sun sets!

  He stood and drew an imaginary line through the sky with one arm following the path of the sun. Lifting his binoculars, he studied the spot where his arm had pointed at the western horizon. In the distance he spotted a series of mountain ranges. One peak jutted above all the others. That’s the mountain! “The sun god will be swallowed by the god of the underground, and there you will find it.” Of course! Xibalba is a cave. That is where the treasure will be! Oh, Octavio, you are a genius. All I have to do is pluck the treasure like a little boy picking up candy after a pinata party. Thank you Dr. Sova and thank you Raul!

  Octavio made careful note of the mountain’s location on his map. Shoving scroll and map into his backpack he made the less arduous descent down the temple steps.

  Driving toward the mountain, the jungle pressed in on him, and before long the road was nearly too rough for driving. It was more like a hiking trail. He knocked off several branches as he drove. Just when he thought that he would have to continue on foot he came to a large clearing. He was delighted to see that he was at the foot of the mountain.

  Perfect! But now I have to start the hard work.

  He pulled a wheelbarrow from the rear of the van and began loading shovels, a pick and containers of water. Pushing the wheelbarrow slowly, he approached the foot of the mountain.

  Where in the world do I start digging? The scroll doesn’t say. There must be a cave entrance here somewhere.

  He left his tools and walked along a sheer rock wall covered with vegetation. Any cave entrance was hidden by centuries of plant growth. He stared at the rock wall for a few minutes before returning to the van to fetch a machete. He began chopping at the vegetation and soon exposed a pile of loose rocks. This must be it!

  Three hours later he collapsed on the front seat of the van. Drenched with sweat, he swatted at mosquitoes as he chewed on a cold bean burrito and contemplated his fate.

  Fool! I may need a week or more to carve into that mountain! What was I thinking?

  He finished his burrito and forced himself to get up. He approached the wall, holding his shovel as if it were a javelin. Growling in anger he slammed the point of the shovel into the wall, and it collapsed inward, taking him with it.

  He plunged into darkness and tumbled down a dark shaft, rolling over and over with the rocks from the wall. The thud of his head hitting the bottom was followed immediately by the sound of the shovel hitting his head.

  Groaning in pain he rolled over and sat up. Nothing seemed to be broken, but his left knee throbbed fiercely and he could feel blood running from a gash in his head. The dim light filtering into the cave showed him the steep staircase he had rolled down. All his equipment - digging tools, lights, first aid kit - was in his van at the top of those stairs. Protecting his injured knee as well as he could, he began crawling back up.

  An hour later, bandaged and slightly cleaner, he started back down the stairs using the bright yellow extension cord, which ran from a gas generator behind the van as a guide. When he reached the bottom of the steps he set down the lamps and connected them to the extension cord. Then he gasped in amazement.

  Twisted fingers of stalactites hung from the distant ceiling. Looking around, Octavio discovered that the cave was actually an anteroom that led to many other rooms. Picking up a lamp he walked to one of the tunnels that led away from the anteroom.

  Down one tunnel was a pile of human skulls among some broken potshards. He shivered at the thought of all the human sacrifices to appease the gods of the underworld. Dragging the extension cord behind him, he had to duck several times to avoid re-opening the wound on his head. After a few minutes of pulling himself along he came to another room and stood up.

  He sh
ined the light across the floor and something glinted in its beam. This wasn’t just another pile of dusty rocks. It took a moment before his brain accepted the message his eyes were sending.

  Then he cried out loud in great jubilation. “I found the treasure of the Mayan king! Oh, Octavio, you did it, you did it!”

  He laid the lamp on the floor and approached the pile. He thought of all the work he had gone through. He sank his hands into the treasure pile, pulling out jewelry and ornaments. Precious stones and beautifully handcrafted idols and statues were piled everywhere. Thousands upon thousands of figurines glittered in the darkness: gold, silver, and jade.

  Ah, Dr. Sova, too bad you couldn’t be here. I’ll think of you in my beautiful new home…homes, perhaps. Yes, I’ll need more than one - what was that?

  Someone was in the cave. “Who’s there?” he shouted as his voice echoed in the empty shadows. Relax, Octavio, relax. Your mind is playing tricks on you. Are you a child who’s afraid of the dark?

  Out of the dark he distinctly heard the sound of shuffling feet. It wasn’t his imagination; this was real. He stared wildly into the shadows. Before he could move or shout he heard a pffft sound and felt a sting in his neck.

  “I’ve been shot!” he shouted in horror. The pain was incredible. “Who’s there? Who are you?” He staggered toward the entrance and fell to the ground. The lamp shone on a man’s legs; the rest of his body was hidden in the shadows. “Who are you?” Octavio shouted once more.

  A deep voice reverberated through the cave. “I am King Chac.”

  “What? That’s impossible! King Chac died centuries ago! Who are you?”

  “I am King Chac! Your companions are dead by my hand, and now you too will follow them to Xibalba!”

  “But, but…”

  “Your dose is not as strong as the others. You will live - a little longer.”

  “It was you that killed them! Why?”

  “You have no right to be here. This is holy ground, and you have profaned it. I am King Chac, and I am the protector of the artifacts of this holy place!”