On the outskirts of the campsite, Jess halted and turned to his two companions. “Let’s stay together—one of you on either side of me. Be ready in case anyone is there.”
Admiration flickered in Jess’s expression. Good—Real Tall Man’s teachings were working. For a fleeting second, she wished she had a weapon, but rejected the idea. She hated guns.
With careful steps they came from around the rocks into the clearing. Nothing moved. On the far side, Jess’s stallion and the six mules Arlo had left for emergencies stood tethered in the trees. Autumn could see where they’d strained against the ropes when the blast had frightened them. At least they appeared unharmed. She said a silent prayer of thanks as they approached the skittish animals.
“Easy now,” Jess murmured as he neared the stallion.
The soothing tones eased some of her tension, as well. The mules didn’t respond. They stepped aside, braying and tugging on their halters as she and Wayne drew near.
“Best to leave them be,” Jess advised. “They look okay. They’re just nervous.”
“I’ll bet,” Autumn commiserated. “As loud as the explosion was at the kiva, I can imagine what it must have been like here.”
Wayne gestured to the edge of the trees and Autumn followed him to a spot where they could stand away from the animals and wait for Jess. She watched as Jess gentled the horse, his soothing voice working its magic.
The stallion finally settled. Jess headed for a nearby rock where he had dumped his saddle and gear. He pulled his rifle out of the scabbard and pocketed several shells. She shrugged aside a chill when he slipped a knife in his boot.
She still couldn’t believe that the explosion wasn’t an accident. However, it was best to be prepared, so she didn’t protest when Jess joined them, armed and ready for trouble.
Jess directed his attention to her. “I want you to stay here and wait until we make sure it’s safe.”
Autumn started to protest, but Jess quickly cut her off.
“We don’t know what’s happened. Another charge could go off. You can watch out for the animals.”
The animals would survive another blast, just as they had the first one, but Autumn didn’t bother pointing that fact out. Jess had obviously hoped the assigned responsibility would keep her there. From the look on his face, she knew it would be useless to argue.
She nodded.
Her easy acquiescence evidently surprised him. He studied her for a few minutes, but she remained silent, not giving a clue to her feelings.
“You sure you’ll be all right here? You can go back to the professor.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said, which wasn’t exactly true either, but she wasn’t going to let him know.
He hesitated for several seconds before gesturing to Wayne to follow. Autumn waited until they were out of sight and then eased her way up the path they had taken. The campsite and the ruins were just around the bend.
All was silent—dead silent. Autumn’s lungs constricted from the growing dread of what they would find. She willed the cliff dwelling to be as they’d left it. But as she stepped into the clearing, her heart stopped with horror.
“Nooo,” Wayne wailed.
Autumn remained speechless as she fought for breath. In vain, she struggled to break free from the nightmare. Surely she would waken. But, no—the home of the ancients was no longer there. Only a gaping hole in the cliff showed above a huge pile of red rock rubble.
Jess heard a scream and turned around in time to see Autumn charge past him toward the ruins. He lowered his rifle and reached out for her, but she was too fast. Quickly, she sidestepped.
“Don’t go over there,” he shouted, but he knew it was a futile warning as he watched Autumn dash across the stream to the jumble of rock at the base of the cliff. He fought down nausea as he observed the destruction. Centuries of history was now buried beneath tons of rock and debris, not to mention his wealth of childhood memories.
Daya would have wailed to the spirits if she had seen this. His grandmother had warned his father that if he let the ruins be disturbed, the spirits would be angry. Jess headed after Autumn. Spirits hadn’t done this—men had. But why? It didn’t make sense to destroy the dwellings.
He raced to catch up to Autumn, but she was too fast. He swore. When he got his hands around the ignorant necks of whoever had done this…
Another oath ripped through the still air as he headed toward the cliff. What was he going to tell the professor? All hell was going to break loose. He glanced ahead at Autumn. She was throwing rocks off the pile in frantic haste. Did she think she could undo the damage?
Suddenly her scream carried across the distance. “The tablets—I’ve got to get the tablets.” Hysteria sounded in her voice. Jess broke into a run.
“Autumn! Stop!” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her upright.
“Why, Jess? Why would somebody do this?” Tears of rage streamed down her cheeks. “It’s gone. Everything’s lost.”
“We don’t know if the tablets are buried there,” he told her, but he knew they had to be.
“There were too many to move in that short a time. They’re buried, Jess. It’ll take years to dig them out.”
He looked at the tears glistening on her tanned cheeks and wished he could will away the damage. Instead, he pulled her close against his chest and tried to sooth her shock. Her body shook as he smoothed his hands across the damp material of her shirt. The action helped to stem the sickness threatening to rise from his stomach.
It was the way Daya had said it would be—the pile of red rock, the buried treasure. It had to be coincidence. His grandmother couldn’t have known this would happen. Spirits didn’t use explosives.
Suddenly, Wayne’s shout penetrated his nightmare. “Look. I found the detonator.”
“Don’t touch it,” Jess shoved Autumn behind him. “There might be more explosives.” For that matter, whoever had set it could still be around.
Autumn pushed beside him and peered across the devastation. Neither one of them could see Wayne. “Come on. We should get over there before he gets hurt.” She sounded more in control now.
“Be careful,” Jess cautioned as he led the way.
They climbed over the rubble to the other side and passed between a number of rocks. Speculation raced across Jess’s mind. If the presence of such a large party of archaeologists was hampering the drug activities, the smugglers had effectively eliminated their problem. With the tablets buried, the scientists would be forced to abandon the project.
Autumn stumbled and he paused to be sure she was all right. He could see the track of tears in the layers of dust covering her face. If the drug ring had caused the explosion, she hadn’t known about it, or, as he was beginning to suspect, she wasn’t involved. Her reaction had been too real. The devastation had shocked her.
Still, it could just be that the people she was involved with had not consulted her. Anyone working with her would know of her interest in the historical significance of the find. That commitment was genuine. If they figured to destroy the ruins, they would have done it without her approval. If that was the case, she was going to react. He still needed to keep a close eye on her. She was angry enough now to defy caution and seek out her accomplices.
As they picked their way across the rocks to Wayne, Jess listened carefully to her muttered accusations. “How did Wayne find that so fast? Did he know where it was because he set it? Is this Connie’s way of arranging for bigger news? Maybe Frank saw his chance with everyone gone and set up the explosion to play hero.”
His tension eased. Those weren’t speculations about the drug ring. Maybe she honestly believed the dealers hadn’t been involved. As he listened to her, he began to realize that it could be they hadn’t. Had Wayne and Connie set this up to gain national attention? Unfortunately, the public would be a lot more interested in the explosion than in the actual discovery.
Autumn continued her musings. “Riker was here last. He set this
up. It would be just like him to be more interested in his own gain, than the significance of a major find.”
Jess considered Riker, but only briefly. The man didn’t have the drive to set up anything this elaborate. Wayne, however, was another matter. He stood on the other side of the rubble and lifted the detonator in the air. Jess hurried to reach him. Quickly he grabbed the box from Wayne’s hands.
“That settles one thing.” Jess inspected the contraption. “It wasn’t anyone from our group.”
“What do you mean?” Wayne asked.
“This explosion was detonated by hand—it’s not a timed device.” He showed them the handle and pushed it. “Someone had to be here when it went off.”
“We were all at the kiva,” Autumn swiped at her dust-streaked face. “Did you see anyone else in the canyon?” She shook her head, sending wisps of loosened hair flying in the breeze. “I hiked around the area this morning and there weren’t any tracks or signs of anyone passing through.”
“What about Arlo?” Wayne asked. “Do we know for sure he left for the ranch?”
“Arlo? Don’t tell me you think it’s him. He’d be the last one to do this.”
Jess agreed. Arlo hated the scientists plowing around the ruins, but he’d never consider destroying the cave. The act would rile the chindi.
Wayne bent and grabbed something out of the rock. The chink of metal echoed in the silence as he held out a link from a silver belt. Autumn gasped.
“Looks to me like it’s off Arlo’s belt.” Wayne handed it to Jess. “I found it here by the detonator.”
Jess took the piece and fingered the hand-beaten metal. A rough-cut chunk of turquoise was set in the middle. Definitely Arlo’s. Jess squinted as he looked up at the rim. Nothing moved. All was still. Whoever had set the explosion had left. Jess would have sensed someone watching.
Jess pocketed the silver and spoke to Wayne. “Go to the others. Tell Davidson what happened and tell them to stay put. I’m going to scout around.”
“What about Autumn?”
“I’d rather you go, Wayne. Autumn can help me look for more clues.”
Both stared at him expectantly, but Jess didn’t explain. He had his reasons for keeping her in his sight. At this moment, he didn’t trust either one of them enough to confide his theories.
For several minutes they waited for Wayne to pick his way across the loose rock. When he’d disappeared from sight, Autumn turned to Jess, an earnest expression set in her features.
“It wasn’t Arlo.”
He knew that. Arlo was his contact on the reservation. Someone had set him up.
“What makes you so sure it isn’t Arlo? You heard what he said to Riker yesterday.”
“I know what he said, but Arlo is too superstitious to ever destroy the ruins.”
“You know he was on a demolition team in the army?”
Surprise showed in her expression, and then dismay. “Someone’s trying to frame him.”
Right—and he’d bet the ranch it was the gang dealing drugs. With one blast of dynamite, they’d managed to ensure that the party of scientists would leave and had laid the blame on Arlo Ross—the one man within the reservation who could nail them, and therefore was a threat. Jess tightened his fingers around the rifle. If they had found out that Ross worked on the task force, they could know about him.
Autumn gripped his arm. “You believe me, don’t you? I know it wasn’t Arlo.”
Her certainty was genuine. If the gang found out about Arlo’s connection to the task force, they hadn’t told her. Maybe they hadn’t had a chance. He’d use that.
“Do you know who did it?” he asked as he studied her features.
“I have some ideas.”
Jess shifted and Autumn could feel the intensity of his stare. It should have given her confidence to know he respected her opinion. But for some reason, his interest in her theories made her nervous. It was almost as if he suspected her. It was absurd. She had no motive to destroy the ruins, and even though Arlo Ross presented problems for her, she certainly did not want to harm him.
“Riker was the last one here. We left him in the cave to guard it.”
“He’s a likely suspect, I agree. But I don’t see any motive. What would he gain?”
“What would anyone gain from this destruction?” She fought the lump in her throat that rose every time she looked at the gaping hole in the cliff and the pile of rubble under it.
“We need to approach this from that angle. This is too well thought out and planned to be a spur-of-the-moment attempt for attention.”
“I agree.” Someone had purposely destroyed a major historical discovery. Not only that, they’d ruined the professor’s work and hers. “They’re going to pay for this. I’m going to make them.” Angry now and determined, she glared at Jess. “You’ve got to help me find them. Will you?”
He nodded, but looked puzzled.
“Any ideas on how we should start?” she asked.
“The first item of business is getting rid of the crowd. I’ll get the mules back down here and we’ll pack these people up to the ranch where they’ll be safe.” He gestured toward camp and Autumn followed as he continued to talk. “With the tablets destroyed, they’ll probably go home anyway.”
“Some will, but they do have the photographs of the tablets. I’m sure they’ll want to stay with Dr. Davidson and study them.”
“They can do that at the university.”
“True, but don’t forget the kiva. Some are going to want to map out those artifacts.”
“They can forget that plan. I’m not taking the risk that whoever’s out there will continue this destruction.”
“You don’t mean you’re going to close off your land again?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. I never should have opened it in the first place.”
He muttered some more, but Autumn couldn’t make out what he said—something about listening to his grandmother.
Rocks slid underfoot as they worked their way back across the rubble. Dr. Davidson would not be happy about this. But then again, she could see Jess’s point of view. What a nightmare. It made her more determined than ever to find out how and what was behind this.
They spent another hour searching the area for clues, but found nothing. The camp had not been ransacked. Personal belongings were still in place inside and out of the tents. Dr. Davidson’s quarters, which were full of maps and valuable equipment, had not been disturbed. Theft was obviously not behind the vandalism.
Too bad they didn’t have a radio. The professor usually had one in camp, but since they were too deep in the canyon for reception, he hadn’t bothered. Autumn checked his tent again, just in case, but had no luck.
“I think it’s safe to bring everyone back to camp,” Jess said as they finished checking out the plateau. “Whoever is behind this made sure no one was round for the blast. I don’t think they mean to harm anyone.”
“I guess we have that to be thankful for. Do you want me to go get them?”
“We’ll both go. I want to secure the kiva.”
“Dr. Davidson was the only one who knew about the kiva. I don’t see how it can be in any danger.”
Jess started down the trail and Autumn followed.
“Whoever was here more than likely followed us to make sure we were clear of the blast. They’ll know.”
His words didn’t ease her apprehension. She grasped the turquoise nugget as the possible dangers played around in her head. One thing she felt certain of—they had to get the remaining artifacts to safety. The thought quickened her pace as she hurried the half-mile down the canyon to the kiva and Dr. Davidson.
As she rounded the last bend, her courage failed. How could she face the professor? All of his years of hard work were now gone with a blast of dynamite. The proof of his theories was buried under tons of rock.
Dr. Davidson sat on the ground with his head bowed, leaning against a rock. The rest of the group didn’t look much
better. But they all straightened, alert and anxious, when she and Jess neared.
This is the worst moment of my life, she thought as they approached. She understood the shock and disbelief of the group. She hadn’t believed the destruction herself, even when she had stood at the base of the cliff.
As expected, Dr. Davidson took it the hardest. Autumn wrapped her arm around the professor’s slumped shoulders. He remained silent, but a tear slid down his weathered cheek. No words of comfort came to mind. What could she say to a man whose dreams had been destroyed?
“We’ll find who did this,” she murmured, “if it’s the last thing I do. I promise.”
The professor didn’t speak, but merely patted her hand. They sat for several minutes, drawing from each other what comfort they could.
The others, in the meantime, were listening to Jess. After he informed them that he’d found nothing, they all started talking at once.
“How are we going to research this find?”
“Can the tablets be dug out?”
“Who did this?”
“Why?”
Putting his hands up to ward off the questions, Jess shouted for silence. Several grumbled, but most listened as he told them his plan.
“I’m going to leave tonight and get to the ranch. I’ll call the authorities. In the meantime, you people return to your camp and start organizing your gear. We’ll send the mules to pack you back out.”
Several protests arose. “You can’t cancel the dig. We still have this kiva.”
“What about our stories?” Connie spoke up. “We want to get them out today.”
Annoyed, Autumn refrained from interfering. She wanted to tell the woman to forget her story—they had more critical things to worry about. Real Tall Man’s patient look came to mind, and with considerable effort, Autumn regained control of her temper.
“You can use the radio at the ranch,” Jess assured the reporters.
“And photos? Can you take the film out with you?”
“Have it ready to go.”
The reporters moved quickly to begin writing their stories. Two of the network cameramen took off to get pictures of the site.
The crowd started to disperse, but Autumn quickly spoke up. “Wait. The artifacts are in danger. Why don’t we pack up the valuable pieces, and you can take them with you tonight? The baskets and pottery can be crated and picked up later. There are saddlebags and crates in camp, and we have the six mules Arlo left.”
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