Buried Secrets

by Margaret Daley

  “The police found Jeremy Huffman, Bailey’s accomplice, murdered in his apartment, and there was no sign of the diary.” Hawke eased into his chair and took a gulp of his drink. “Bailey might not know who hired them, but I wonder if Huffman did, and that was the reason he was killed.”

  Maggie crossed her arms and rubbed her hands up and down them to warm her chilled body. Whoever wanted the codices didn’t care who was murdered in the process.

  “Maybe Bailey knows and isn’t saying.” Zach emptied his mug.

  “I’ll have another word with him this afternoon. First, I need some sleep.” Hawke shoved his chair back and rose. “I’m so tired this coffee isn’t phasing me.”

  “Use my bedroom, son,” Evelyn said.

  Zach’s cousin nodded and left the room while Evelyn went to the refrigerator and opened it. “I’m fixing a big breakfast. We’ll need brain power to solve the mystery.”

  “May I help you?” Maggie asked, and started to stand.

  Evelyn waved her down. “No, I’ve got it taken care of.”

  While his cousin began preparing the food, Maggie speared Zach with a look, drawing his full attention. “Thank you.”

  He lifted a brow. “For what?”

  “Camping outside my door last night. I went to the bathroom and almost tripped over you. I couldn’t sleep, but when I got back to the room and lay down, I went right to bed. I knew nothing else would happen to me.” She hadn’t realized how much his presence, even on the other side of the door, meant to her until she’d awoken this morning, having gotten six hours of sleep.

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  “Have you decided about the reception yet?”

  “Since our two assailants have been taken care of, I think we’ll be safe. I owe it to my team to make sure we have the funding, so yes, I’m going.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Want to blow this joint with me?”

  “By this evening I’ll probably be stark-raving mad and will need to get out. But again, the question is, what am I going to wear?”

  “I’ll call one of my nieces and come up with something. You don’t need to worry about that.” Evelyn stirred the egg mixture in the skillet on the stove.

  “See? That’s taken care of.”

  She wished her other troubles were that simple to solve. She was beginning to think the mystery of the codices wasn’t her biggest problem. No, it was definitely her growing attraction to the man sitting across from her. Their whole situation was surreal. What was going to happen when reality came crashing down on her?

  Maggie stared at the map on the coffee table, her eyes burning with fatigue. Something was wrong. She couldn’t shake that feeling. The whole day she kept being drawn back to the map, a nagging sensation in the back of her mind she couldn’t quite grasp. She was missing an important detail.

  “So we agree the cave is tucked away in a mountain range?” Zach rose and stretched, rolling his shoulders.

  “Well, let me see.” Maggie tapped her chin. “How many mountain ranges are there in the Southwest?”

  He groaned. “Don’t remind me. As I said yesterday, a needle in a haystack.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Or a grain of sand in the Chihuahuan desert.”

  “That sounds even worse.”

  “I’ve got it.” Evelyn strolled into the living room, carrying a black dress on a hanger. “This should fit you perfectly.” She paused near the coffee table. “Any more leads?”

  “A mountain range riddled with caves.” Zach shut down the laptop.

  “That sounds like a half-dozen places. In our state alone we have the area around Carlsbad Cavern,” Evelyn said.

  “Yeah, didn’t they find the deepest cave system in the United States in the 1980s near Carlsbad?” Zach strode toward the front window.

  “Lechuguilla. A group of cavers broke through to the cave in 1986. They’re still discovering parts of that cave.” Evelyn shifted the dress to the other hand. “Hawke would love to get a chance to explore it, but it’s restricted.”

  “That was only twenty-one years ago.” Maggie shook her head. “It seems hard to believe something that big went undiscovered for so long.”

  “My point. If Lechuguilla was just waiting to be found, so might your cave.”

  Zach pushed the curtain to the side and peered out the window. “What about the Guadalupe Mountains near Carlsbad?”

  “That’s a possibility. It still has remote places.” Evelyn draped the dress over the back of a chair.

  Zach plowed his fingers through his hair. “Even if we narrow down the mountain range, we’ll still have a lot of ground to cover. We need more.”

  “While you two are at the reception, I’ll go over your notes and see if anything sparks an idea. What about the Bible verses?”

  Zach faced Evelyn. “That was a dead end. At least we think so. The verses had no common theme. Nothing but misspelled—” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it! That’s what’s been bothering me. In Father Santiago’s Spanish part, which is the majority of the diary, he comes across as very educated in his word usage and sentence structure. He has four verses in Latin interspersed throughout. They probably came straight from the Bible he used. So why so many misspelled words? At the time I just thought it was because he wasn’t as knowledgeable about Latin. But that may not be the case. Maybe he did it on purpose.”

  Zach hurried across the room to the laptop and booted it up. “What if he purposefully did it to leave a clue? The legend said only a worthy one would find the treasure.”

  Maggie scooted down the couch until she sat next to Zach, and peered at the computer. Earlier Zach had listed each verse in order, with the Latin version first then the English one. Now Zach highlighted the words misspelled.

  “Refectionis consolata appropinquaret praecidit-quo fugerunt tenebris.” Zach scowled. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  Maggie pointed her finger at the laptop. “What letter was left out of each word?”

  “O, L, A, E, G, and N.”

  Evelyn moved behind the couch and looked over Zach’s shoulder. “That doesn’t make sense, either.”

  “What if it’s a scrambled word? Because Father Santiago was well-educated, I should have figured the misspelling meant something.”

  Maggie touched Zach’s arm. “We’ve been at this for hours, days, really, with little rest. I think you can cut yourself some slack. Between fighting off assailants and running for our lives we’ve been kinda busy.”

  Zach tore off several pieces of paper and handed one to Maggie and one to Evelyn. “Let’s each play with the letters and see what we come up with.”

  While Evelyn sat across from them, Zach bent over his blank sheet and went to work.

  Maggie did likewise, but every combination spelled nothing, until she hit upon a word. “I’ve got one. Galeon. Isn’t that the Spanish word for galleon?”

  Zach looked up. “That’s got to be it. A ship. He would have probably come to the New World on a galleon. Definitely a word he would be familiar with.”

  Evelyn rose, her paper in her lap floating to the floor. “There’s a mountain in the southeast part of New Mexico that people often thought looked like a ship. It’s close to the caverns around Carlsbad.”

  “That’s got to be it!” Zach surged to his feet, bringing Maggie to hers and hugging her. “We’ve got the haystack at least.”

  Excitement swept through Maggie. They were one step closer. “Now all we have to do is find the cave.”

  “That might not be easy. It’s rugged terrain.” Evelyn picked up the piece of paper on the floor and crushed it into a ball.

  “Do you think the map will help us locate the cave now that we think we know where it is?” Maggie glanced down at the copy on the coffee table. “Maybe it will make more sense when we’re there in the mountain.”

  Evelyn moved toward the dress and picked it up. “I hope so. I’ll hang this up in my room for you.” She moved down the hallway.

&nb
sp; Zach gestured toward the map. “We won’t know for sure until we get there. Maybe there’s a landmark that will look similar to what’s on the map.”

  “It’s mostly squiggly lines.” Maggie rose to stretch her cramped muscles.

  “There’s a circle here and here. Maybe that indicates a pool.” He pointed to the marks.

  “I don’t know. It’s so arid there.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out. We’ll go there. We’ll leave tomorrow morning after we get some equipment together. If we have to go into a cave, we need to be prepared. We don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  Foreboding crept over Maggie while sweat broke out on her forehead. Over the course of the past few days, she had denied the possibility she would have to go into a cave again. Secretly she’d hoped they would find that what they were searching for was hidden somewhere else. Now, memory after memory deluged her until she shook. Her breaths came out in short, shallow gasps.

  “Maggie, what’s wrong?”

  Tell him. Words stuck in her throat. Her legs trembling, she collapsed onto the couch and hugged her arms to her chest.

  “Maggie, you’re worrying me.”

  Zach’s voice sounded from afar. His image blurred before her. In his place was her dad, in pain, trying his best not to frighten her. She felt Zach’s arm about her shoulder, then suddenly she was enclosed in his embrace.

  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Tell him. “My father—died in a—cave-in.” The last of the sentence faded to a whisper.

  “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

  “For fun my dad and I would explore caves. It started when I was ten. I think my father was determined to find the cave. He and Gramps felt the codices were hidden in one somewhere in the Southwest. We went all over the place. It was fun until that day…” Again her throat closed around each word, making it impossible to continue.

  “Were you in the cave-in, too?”

  She nodded. The sound of rocks crashing, the dust choking off her next breath, the rumble of the earth beneath her feet, pitch-darkness pressing in on her from all sides. She relived those sensations as if she were standing in the middle of the cave right now.

  “How did you get out?”

  She inhaled gulps of air into her lungs. “Gramps got worried when we didn’t come home that night. Rescuers dug me out, but Dad had died hours before that. I thought I was going to die, too. Both our lights went out. It was so dark and cold. And silent for the longest time. When I heard the rescuers, I thought I was going crazy and hearing things.”

  His arms about her tightened. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.”

  “You know, I prayed. But it was too late for Dad.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Thirteen. I was the one who wanted to go caving that weekend. I loved doing it, and the best part was being able to be with Dad. He worked long hours during the week, so the weekend was our time together. I was just so sure we would finally find the codices. I had gotten caught up in the hunt as much as Gramps and my father. Dad had other plans that he changed so we could go.” Guilt assaulted her, as devastating as the attack the night before.

  “Do you blame yourself?”

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  “You did nothing wrong. You liked spending time with your father. That would have meant a lot to him. You two had a special bond that I know your dad must have cherished.”

  She swallowed several times. “But if I hadn’t insisted—”

  He placed his finger over her mouth. “Don’t go there, Maggie. It doesn’t bring your father back. He’s with the Lord now and you’ll be reunited one day. I can’t imagine your dad wanting you to feel that way.”

  “I survived.”

  “It was his time, not yours.” He cradled her head against his shoulder. “Where was the cave?”

  “On the border with Arizona. It wasn’t the one. We had reached the end when the cave-in occurred.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “If we find a cave, you don’t need to go in.”

  She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “I’m not sure I could. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but the very idea of going into one scares me to death.”

  He cupped her face. “Then I’ll go in, get the codices and bring them out to you.”

  He covered her mouth with his as though staking his claim. She returned his kiss despite the churning feelings swirling around inside her. She wanted to feel alive. If only for a few minutes, she needed to forget what had happened all those years ago. In her mind she knew that Zach was right. She wasn’t to blame for what had happened. But it was hard to convince her heart of that when she missed her father.

  A discreet cough behind them alerted Maggie to Evelyn’s presence. Blushing, she moved away from Zach while he busied himself shutting down the laptop again.

  “If you’re going to make the reception, you two better get ready.”

  Maggie came to her feet. “Yes,” she said, still flustered by the interruption. “This reception is important to your expedition. Is everything laid out in your bedroom, Evelyn?” Maggie passed the older woman and started down the hallway.

  “All except the shoes. I left them in the kitchen. I’ll bring them to you.”

  “I’m calling Hawke at the station to see if Bailey said anything this afternoon, then I’ll dress,” Zach said.

  Maggie stopped and turned back, needing to focus on the reception, not what she had revealed to Zach. “What are you going to wear? You didn’t bring any clothes, either.”

  “Hawke has something I can use.”

  “He would have called if Bailey had talked.”

  “I know. I’ve got to do something.” He kneaded the cords of his neck. “I feel like we’re still missing something here.”

  “Then it’s good that we get out. Maybe things will look better after the reception.”

  Zach grinned. “You mean, staring at words and lines all day isn’t your idea of fun?”

  She laughed. “Far from it.”

  He approached her while Evelyn went into the kitchen. “What is your idea of fun?”

  The sparkle in his dark eyes teased her, and her heartbeat kicked up a notch. “I have to admit solving mysteries is usually fun when your life isn’t on the line. I like finding out what is ailing a patient and helping him get better. Sometimes it isn’t easy to do, and that challenges me. How about you?”

  “Believe it or not, a quiet, restful night at home with a good book.”

  “Ha! This from the man who has traveled the world and had adventure after adventure.”

  He moved into her personal space. “I didn’t set out looking for those adventures. They just sort of fell into my lap.”

  All she could think about suddenly was the kiss they’d shared a moment before. She breathed in his clean, fresh scent. That was a mistake. Now all she wanted to do was touch him, to share another kiss. She clenched her hands at her sides. “So, just being around you will get me into trouble.”

  His gaze brightened. “Consider yourself warned.”

  The appeal in his voice drew her closer to him. His hands grasped her upper arms. He bent his head toward hers, his mouth mere inches from hers. The sound of Evelyn returning from the kitchen stopped Zach from moving any closer.

  “Time is a-wasting,” Evelyn said as she scurried down the hall.

  The knowing twinkle in Evelyn’s eyes caused Maggie’s cheeks to flame even more. “It shouldn’t take me long. I’m a quick dresser.” Without looking back at Zach, she hurried after the older woman.

  In Evelyn’s bedroom Maggie paused and inhaled deeply to calm her rapid heartbeat. What had she been thinking? Even if there wasn’t a family feud between the Somers and the Colliers, they were just too different. He was leaving for an expedition into the jungle in less than four weeks. He would be gone for months. That wasn’t her life. Hers was in Santa Fe, taking care of her patients. She had spent years working toward that goal.
/>
  Evelyn placed the shoes by the dress, which was hanging on a hook on the back of the closet door. “I hope these fit. They are a half-size bigger than what you wear, but I think they’ll do.” She crossed the room to leave.

  “Tell me what Willow was like. Gramps would never talk about her. Once I asked about her and tears filled his eyes. I never did after that.”

  Evelyn stopped and turned toward her. “She was a good woman who regretted what happened between Red and Jake. I remember her telling me once when I was a teenager that she had tried to get the two men together. Instead of reconciling, they’d almost killed each other. After that she never mentioned Jake’s name to Red.”

  “But Red is the one who took Willow away from Gramps. Why was he so mad at him?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “What?”

  “Red was always a bit shy. He had Jake approach Willow for him. Red and Willow started dating. Then Red went to war. Jake had a medical deferment and stayed back. Red asked him to watch out for Willow. When Red came home at the end of the war, he found Willow and Jake engaged. They tried to remain good friends. They even did things together, Willow included. That’s how they discovered the diary and map, on one of their trips into the wilderness.”

  “Were they looking for them?”

  Evelyn nodded. “Jake had been doing some research and had a hunch, but it wasn’t until Red narrowed it down that they found the canyon and the cave. They thought they had discovered the whereabouts of the codices at first.”

  “How did Willow end up with Red?”

  Evelyn moved to the bed and eased down onto it. “Jake wanted to take both the diary and map to study them. Red objected. They began shouting at each other. Red’s bottled up anger at Jake for moving in on his girl while he was fighting for his country came pouring out of him. Willow ended up siding with Red, saying they should work together. Jake snatched up the diary and tried to get the map. Red wrestled him for it. Finally your grandfather stormed away with only the diary, leaving Willow with Red. They began to talk and before long one thing led to another. She broke off the engagement with Jake and dated Red again.”