by David Wood
“Maybe a comet and an ice age?”
“I told you not to interrupt. Both times, the virtuous members of the Hopi were guided to safety, following a cloud by day and a burning star by night. Sound familiar?”
“You said not to interrupt.”
“It’s not interrupting if I ask you a question.”
“Sure, the Exodus story.”
“Very good.” Jessie grinned mischievously. “The cloud and the star guided them to the Ant People, or Anu Sinom in their language. The Ant People took them into their subterranean caves and nurtured and fed them. It’s believed that the kiva, the Puebloans’ underground center of worship, was inspired by the distant memory of the safety their people found beneath the earth.”
Bones nodded and scratched his chin. Jessie had fallen silent, so he felt safe speaking. “Interesting that they don’t claim there’s a hollow earth down there, just caves and caverns. That’s much more believable.”
Jessie nodded. “The ant people are memorialized in pictographs. I printed out a couple.” She pushed two sheets over to Bones.
The images were of slender beings with long heads and bulbous eyes. “The shape of the head reminds me of the Paracelsus Skulls,” he mused.
“And what about this one?” She tapped the last image. “Look at what he’s wearing.” Unlike the other images, this figure seemed to be wearing a rectangular box covered in lines, dots, and circles. “It looks like a space suit, doesn’t it?”
“I think you’re reaching, but point taken. What else do you have?”
“The legend extends, in different forms, to other native peoples of the Southwest. The legends vary in the details, but all associate the underworld dwellers with the constellation Orion.”
That got Bones’ attention. Several times in recent years he and his partner, Dane Maddock, had come across compelling evidence that connected Orion with alien visitors to Earth.
“Something wrong? You flinched?”
“No, I’m fine. Go on.”
“There’s not much else here. Unless you care that the Hopi religious leaders refer to the Ant People as “Ant Friends” or “anu-naki.”
Bones dropped his beer bottle. It hit the table with a sharp crack and he barely caught it before it tipped over.”
“What is your deal?” Jessie leaned back a little, eyes boring into him from beneath a furrowed brow. “Post-traumatic stress?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “The Sumerians had a word for the beings that once came to Earth from outer space. They called them the Annunaki.”
“Really? That’s pretty cool. Anyway, there’s a little more here about possible links to Egypt. The word for star is the same in both languages. Stuff like that.” She shuffled her papers. “To summarize, this part of the country has a strong oral tradition regarding contact with aliens or alien-like creatures. Some are UFO stories, but many are tales of contact with beings living underground.”
Their food arrived, and they dug in. Bones had to admit it was some of the best pizza he’d ever tasted. The chiles were fresh and perfectly cooked, the crust just the right balance between soft and crispy.
While they ate, Bones considered what Jessie had told him. The legends alone would be scant evidence of alien contact, but having seen the door beneath Halcón rock, he had little trouble believing it.
“I don’t get it,” Jessie finally said. “This Halcón Rock thing is clearly just another legend. You seem like a smart guy, but you’re taking this stuff pretty seriously. Why?”
Bones took a drink to buy himself some time. He’d been in this sort of situation before, and his options weren’t great. He could let her think him a fool who believed in fairy tales, or he could tell her the truth about some of the mind-blowing archaeological finds he and Maddock had made, none of which he could prove for various reasons, and be thought a liar or crazy.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
Jessie bit her lip and gazed at him through half-closed eyes. Finally, she began to slowly nod. “I do.”
“All right. Will you take me at my word that alien contact, even aliens living underground, is not just possible, but probable?”
“Nope. You’ll have to show me proof.”
Bones shook his head. “Can’t blame you for that, but I can’t do it.”
“Why not? You’re not just giving up the chase, are you?”
“Not at all, but I’m going to get you back to school and Manny’s truck back to him before I do anything else.”
“Excuse me? I can’t go back to school.” She held up a hand before he could interrupt. “Can you honestly say I’m safe from whoever came after us? Do you even know who they are or what they want?”
“No, but I have an idea who sent them.” In his mind, it was a no-brainer that either Matthew or the sheriff was behind this. Anything else would be far too great a coincidence.
“Good for you. Can you promise me they won’t try to get information out of me, or use me to get to you?”
Bones stared into Jessie’s eyes, trying to think of a single point of disagreement, but she was right. He let his shoulders fall, and he slumped back in his seat.
“You know, for a college kid you’re really something?”
Jessie’s eyes were immediately afire. “I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-four years old.”
“Okay, sorry.” He raised his hands to ward off her flinty gaze. “I’m just getting old, so everybody under thirty looks young to me.” It was lame, but all he could think of at the moment. The girl was pretty, smart, and a lot more tenacious than he’d expected.
“You’re not that much older than me,” she reproved. “Now, I’ll call AAA and have them tow Manny’s truck to a dealership I know, then we’ll go get my car and head up to Santa Fe.”
Bones cocked his head. “That’s the wrong direction, chick.”
“Not for what I’ve got planned.” Jessie flashed a wicked grin. “We’re going to talk to Amanda Shores.”
Chapter 14
The offices of the Santa Fe Sun overlooked the plaza in the center of the old part of town. Tourists milled about, exploring the art galleries and examining the wares of the Native American vendors set up along the sidewalks. Nestled in the foothills of the Sangre De Cristo mountains, Santa Fe, at least the older sections, carried upon it the weight of history and a strong sense of Southwestern culture.
Bones paused at the door and turned around.
“What are you doing?” Jessie asked as she tried to follow his line of sight.
“Just taking in the scenery. Nice place.” He closed his eyes and breathed in the strong aroma of meat, beans, and chile wafting from a food cart nearby. “We should get a Navajo taco. Those things are awesome.”
Jessie laughed and took his hand in both of hers. “Quit stalling. We’re supposed to meet Amanda in five minutes.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you really that nervous about seeing an ex-girlfriend?”
“Not really,” he lied. “Like I told you before, I keep things chill, and Amanda isn’t known to be a chill person. At least, not when you get on the wrong side of her.”
“Based on our time spent together, I’m having trouble putting you and chill together.”
“You caught me on a weird day.” He opened the door for her and followed her inside. A young Latino man greeted them at the front desk and buzzed Amanda, who appeared all too quickly. She’d probably been waiting in the hall, ready to swoop.
Amanda hadn’t changed a bit. She was still the raven-haired, statuesque beauty he remembered. She stood, hands on hips, gazing imperiously at Bones. Though she was several inches shorter than he, it felt as if she were looking down at him.
“Bones.” She somehow managed to speak his name as if it simultaneously amused and disgusted her. “It only took you how many years to return my last call?”
Bones flashed his most roguish grin. “You know how it is. Maddock and I...”
“I know exactly how it is. You’re a jerk.” She sh
ot a glance at Jessie, her eyes taking the young woman in, assessing her. “I was going to let you have it the moment I laid eyes on you, but I’ll cut you some slack in front of your girlfriend. I suppose one of us ought to have a little class.”
“We’re just friends,” Jessie said to Amanda’s back as the reporter stalked away down the hall, motioning for them to follow.
Her office was small and neatly appointed. A laptop and desk calendar sat atop a polished wooden desk. Behind her hung a shelf lined with Dia de los Muertos-themed figurines. The skeletal figures, garbed in the traditional attire of the Spanish colonial era, danced, played instruments, or went about ordinary tasks. Bones found it a macabre yet somehow engaging scene.
“That would make one hell of a Christmas village,” he noted.
“I have a Santa, but I don’t bring him out until the day after Thanksgiving.”
Bones nodded, not sure how to begin. A framed photo in the windowsill, a shot of Amanda standing atop a red rock formation, caught his eye. “Hey! You cropped me out of that picture.”
Amanda smirked. “It’s a good shot of me.”
Bones nodded. “Every picture of you is...”
“Don’t!” Amanda held up a hand. “I don’t want any of your banter or flirtatious crap. I also don’t want to hear about how Maddock dumped Jade for your sister.”
Jade Ihara was an archaeologist and a former girlfriend of Bones’ partner and best friend, Dane Maddock. A few years earlier, the four of them had been caught up together in one of Maddock and Bones’ adventures.
“How did you know about that?”
“Jade calls me every now and then.”
Bones scratched his chin. “I thought you two didn’t like each other all that much.”
“We discovered we have something in common. We’re both attracted to jerks.”
“So you are still attracted to me.” Bones flashed another grin which did nothing to crack Amanda’s icy exterior.
Beside him, Jessie let out an exasperated sigh. “Is he always like this?”
Amanda regarded her coolly. “You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?”
“We only met yesterday. I’m sticking with him because I think I might get killed if I don’t. Somebody’s after him... after us.”
“That sounds all too familiar.” Amanda rounded on Bones. “Can’t you, for once, solve one of your little mysteries without getting innocent girls caught up with you?”
“Hey, you love a mystery as much as I do, and you know it.”
Amanda held up her hands. “Whatever. This is a waste of our time. You wanted to know about the incident at Halcón Rock?”
“Or anything related to it. Here’s what we have.” Jessie gave Amanda a quick overview of their research and the conclusions they had drawn thus far.
“I can’t add much,” Amanda said. “A few stories told to me in confidence by Los Alamos employees. All seem to agree that some sort of human-like creatures live underground, but there’s no evidence. No one could show me a single photograph or artifact. Nothing. Before I met Bones, I would have thought it was all a bunch of crap, and I’m still leaning in that direction, but I can’t dismiss it entirely.”
“Why are you gathering information if you don’t buy into it?” Jessie asked.
“It’s because of the article I wrote. I thought of it as a fluff piece, but ever since the newspaper ran the story, I’ve gotten a steady stream of conspiracy buffs and self-described informants knocking at my door. She turned her gaze onto Bones, who shifted in his seat.
“So, if you don’t have anything for us, why did I make the drive up here?” Bones asked. “Just to give me a hard time?”
“I know you, Bones, and you haven’t put all your cards on the table yet.”
“Look, we had a good time together, but the long distance thing isn’t for me.”
“You know what I mean. A single Native American legend isn’t enough to set you on a search, and it certainly isn’t enough for you to yet again run afoul of dangerous people. Now, are you going to sit here blowing smoke signals up my ass or are you going to tell me the whole truth?”
“That’s racist,” Bones muttered. That didn’t get a rise out of her. “Fine. I found a hidden passageway beneath Halcón Rock.” He went on to describe the door he had found and the chamber in which it was located. “I’d like to get back there, and maybe I could, but right now the sheriff is watching the place, and I suspect he’s the reason these other guys are after me.”
Amanda stared at him for the span of three heartbeats. Finally, she nodded. “Okay, I believe you. And if there really is an alien doorway...”
“I’d call it a high-tech doorway,” Bones said. “We can’t say for certain it’s alien in origin.”
“If you say so. Anyway, I’ve got a few leads I’ve actually considered following up on, but I didn’t want to waste my time. If you’ve seen this doorway, that’s good enough for me. There might be a story in it, maybe even a book.”
“Cool. Just give me the leads and I’ll follow up on them for you.”
Amanda laughed. “Not a chance. Like it or not, you and I are working together again.”
Chapter 15
“What the hell is going on with Manny’s truck?” Matthew glanced at his father, who gazed impassively at the tow truck pulling the battered pickup into the parking lot of Manny’s service center. The back window was shattered, but otherwise, it seemed to be no more beaten up that it had been when Bonebrake had driven it out of town the previous day.
“Bonebrake had to ditch it,” Sheriff Jameson said. “I guess he had it towed back here.”
Matthew rounded on him, hands on hips. “How do you know he ditched it?”
“Settle yourself, son. We’ll talk about this in private.” Jameson turned and strode toward his patrol car.
Matthew glowered at his father’s back. The man still treated him like a kid, not just demanding but assuming complete obedience. Did he follow along meekly, or did he stand here like a contrary child? He couldn’t win. Fists clenched, he stalked over to the car and climbed in.
“I had a couple of my friends check on Bonebrake,” the sheriff said as he pulled the car out onto the road.
“Why did you do that?” Matthew pounded his fist on the dashboard. “This is my project! Mine!”
The sheriff slowly turned his head toward Matthew. That was all it took to subdue him. Though his father wore mirrored sunglasses, Matthew could feel the man’s steely eyes boring into him. No one else in his life had this effect on him, and he hated it.
“I didn’t tell them anything about your project. I just gave them the scent and they...overdid it on the pursuit.”
Matthew’s shoulders sagged. If his father’s friends found out about Halcón Rock, they could ruin everything. “What happened, exactly?”
“I found out Bonebrake planned to borrow Manny’s truck. I planted a tracker on it and gave the info to my friends. I told them he was a researcher who might actually know what he was talking about, and I wanted to know if he found anything useful.”
“And did he?” Matthew held his breath, waiting for the answer.
Sheriff Jameson shrugged. “I don’t know. My intent was for them to follow him and let me know if he made a useful discovery or if he talked to anyone who might be useful. Instead, they followed him to the UNM library and tried to steal some articles he printed up off the Internet.” Jameson rolled down the window, letting a blast of dry air in, and spat a wad of phlegm out onto the sun-baked asphalt. “There was a car chase, shots fired, and now Bonebrake is in the wind.”
Matthew smiled. “That should scare him off.”
Jameson slowly shook his head. “On the contrary, now he knows for sure we’ve got something big here.”
“I’ve got something big.” Matthew’s cheeks warmed as soon as he uttered the words. Why did his father bring out the worst in him?
“Now, Bonebrake’s in the wind, and if I’ve got the measure o
f the man, he’s going to keep digging. We haven’t seen the last of him.”
Matthew considered this for a moment. “He’s got to come back for his truck sometime. When he does, we could kill him and dump his body outside of town. Just another unsolved murder.”
Jameson nodded. “Could be, but I don’t think he’ll prove that easy to kill.”
“You don’t think I can handle him?” Matthew had never killed a man before, but he’d taken down more than his share of self-styled tough guys in bars and clubs from Amarillo to Albuquerque. He was also an accomplished hunter. Taking aim and pulling a trigger was a simple matter.
Jameson didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Open that folder and read what’s inside.”
Matthew picked up the manila folder that was tucked in the crack beside his seat and opened it up. Inside were a few printouts, all regarding Bonebrake: a few arrest records from long ago; some information on his service in the Navy; including commendations and awards; and another sheet simply titled “Rumors.” The items on this list were too incredible to be taken seriously.
“Atlantis?” he read aloud. “Oak Island, the skunk ape, alien contact. You expect me to believe this crap?”
“I expect you to understand what sort of person we’re dealing with. That file paints a picture of something I’ve seldom encountered: a true believer who not only isn’t crazy, but can handle himself. We need to tread carefully around this guy.”
Matthew flipped back to the page that covered Bonebrake’s naval service. A young, short-haired version of the big Cherokee smiled back at him. He had the sudden urge to slap that roguish grin right off the man’s face. Maybe he’d get the chance.
“You have a plan?” he asked his father.
“Maybe we can turn his skills to our advantage. He has to come back for his own truck sometime. I’ve planted a tracker on it. Maybe we’ll follow along and see where he leads us.”
Chapter 16
“I didn’t know Los Alamos was part of the Department of Energy,” Jessie said from the back seat of Amanda’s Toyota 4 Runner as the blue sign reading United States Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory flashed past them. “I just figured it was military.”