Moffat's Secret

by J. C. Williams

  She answered in Hopi. Jonathan interpreted. “The mesas were created as a . . . . , I don’t know if there is a word in English. A reflection? A mirror image. Of the three suns.”

  Chad’s antennae perked up. “The three suns?” he asked Jonathan.

  “Stars.” Jonathan said.

  “Taawa,” she interrupted. “No soohu.”

  Chad looked inquiringly at Jonathan.

  “We have a different word for sun than star. Taawa is sun. It is also the name of our sun god, the creator. Star is soohu.”

  “Why would she say,” Chad started and then addressed the elder. “Why do you say taawa and not soohu?”

  “Sky elders live under a taawa, like us,” she answered. She rose and picked up a kachina. She brought it to Chad. “Sohu Kachina.” She pointed to the three stars around its head.”

  “That’s where the sky people came from? Another sun? Where?”

  She smiled and pointed to Chad. “Like you.”

  “Me?”

  Jonathan laughed. “Your name is Archer. A hunter. The constellation Orion is a hunter as well.”

  “I see. I wish I were as bright,” Chad smiled.

  She smiled back.

  “If I had tablets from taawa, the Hopi would help me hide them?”

  She nodded.

  “Did that happen? Have the Hopi helped hide tablets?”

  She looked to Jonathan for an interpretation. Then she shrugged.

  Chad realized he reached the limit of sharing from her. It was the third time today he saw that shrug.

  Chapter 104

  “Are you okay, Chad? You seem distant.” Sandy said.

  “I am distant. You are in London. I am half a world away.” Archer was back in Boston.

  “You miss me. How sweet. However, Boston isn’t that far.”

  The statement was more of a question. Chad knew what it meant. Can we make this long distance relationship work? He also knew the distance in his voice was more than their physical separation. He felt guilty. Like he was lying. Like he was hiding something from Sandy. It was not his nature. He knew he needed to see her. He needed to just ask her. Are you working for the Guardians? Are you working for Aman? Are you Lupa?

  Instead, he asked her, “I plan to be in London at the end of the week. Are you free for the weekend?”

  “I will make myself free. But it will cost you,” she added provocatively.

  “I look forward to that.” He realized too late how little enthusiasm was in his voice.

  “Doesn’t sound like it.”

  “I’m tired. Not much of a traveler, I guess.”

  “Maybe the climbing wore you out?” she asked.

  “Perhaps. I’ll get a couple days of routine here and I am sure I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay. Stay in touch, Archer boy. I miss you.”

  “I will.”

  Archer looked down at his burner phone. Used it enough? He thought so. He couldn’t smash it here in the middle of Boston Commons. He would wait until he was home.

  It had been a whirlwind stop in Boston. First he withdrew twenty thousand dollars from his checking account. He needed cash to disappear. He rationalized that it was money Haskin was paying him for Doc’s project, money he wouldn’t have had anyway.

  Ten of it went to his forger. He exchanged the money for two passports and two driver licenses. One was already marked with an entry to England dated yesterday. Chad had picked two cities in Massachusetts for his two student IDs. Places he had been through enough to bluff his way if questioned. He and the forger made the exchange smoothly at the Museum of Science. Chad picked it as a place he frequented so it was not an unusual place for him to be. It was beginning to be hard work, this fear of observation. He needed to think through every activity, every phone call, literally, every action. Stay natural. Stay routine. At the same time, somehow, do the secret and unusual. The life of a spy must be hard.

  The phone calls he made last night left him worried as well.

  The first was to the rabbi’s brother in Lyon. He tried three times. Different times of the day. Each time he got the answering machine. In French. It sounded like Radcliff, but he had not heard him speak French. After the third try, Chad called the synagogue where they met. The rabbi called him back and told Chad that Radcliff had gone to a weight loss center. Chad judged that since it was summer, his teaching presence would not be missed. He pressed the rabbi and found out that Radcliff had sent word to several people by email. The rabbi had not spoken directly to Feigel, nor knew anyone who did.

  Checking on Juan Ramirez, Chad learned much the same. As Juan’s colleague in Palenque told him, Juan had taken his family on a long vacation somewhere remote. It was thought that they went camping in Costa Rica.

  A call to Jason Michaels, the Stonehenge expert, went through to his assistant. Jason was out of the country. A new dig took him to China. He would be out of touch for a few weeks. Yes, it was a last minute request.

  Chad was seeing a pattern of disappearance. Were they alive?

  His last call connected with the person he wanted. Professor Gabriela Acosta. Then he realized her phone might be bugged. Chad muttered wrong number. He tried to sound Latino. He hung up.

  He called the University of Mexico, history department. He was connected with an administrator or secretary.

  “Hi, do you speak English?” he asked. “I apologize that I do not know Spanish.”

  “Yes,” she said. “How can I help you?”

  “Thank you. This is a good connection. I was speaking with Professor Acosta and the connection was terrible. I wonder if you could get her for me? Is she close by? I can then arrange a better number and time to call.”

  “Her oficina is nearby. Please hold.”

  A few minutes passed.

  “This is Acosta. Who is this?”

  “I am sorry, professor. This is Chad Archer. I may be paranoid but I think there are others searching for what I am searching for. My home was bugged as well as my phone. Could I ask that you call me from a different phone? A public one or perhaps another office.”

  “I agree. It would be best. Do you have a number?”

  Chad gave her the number of a different burner phone. What did she mean it would be best? Did something happen to her?

  Five minutes seemed like an eternity. His burner rang.

  “Hello?”

  “It is I.” Acosta said.

  “You have me worried. You said this was best? Did something happen?”

  “No. But I have information that may be sensitive.”

  Chad was intrigued.

  “Please tell me.”

  “I looked at hundreds of the transit passes. I found one that had a picture of a man sitting on a box holding tablets. It seemed similar to yours. This transit pass had a specific destination.”

  “Great. A place to investigate. Do you know it?” Chad asked excitedly.

  “I don’t know it. It was an archeological site known as Cuarenta Casa. It means forty houses. There are caves and cliff dwellings there.”

  “What do you mean it was a site? Not any more? Where is it?”

  “I don’t know what you know about the northern Mexico area and its native peoples.”

  “I don’t know anything.”

  “Let me try to explain. There is an area of Mexico, now a part of your Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico where a people named the Anasazi lived. They were named that by the Navajo. It means ancient ones.”

  Chad knew this but let Acosta continue.

  “Another culture existed to its southwest. Archeologists thought it was different enough from the Anasazi and named them Hohokam. They were near what is now Casa Grande between Phoenix and Tucson. Both cultures existed in the time frame of 200 CE to the 1200s CE. The Hohokam a little earlier and later.”

  Chad knew this as well and knew the Hopi tribe were a part of the Hohokam or descended from them.

  Acosta continued. “South of these. And to the east of t
he Hohokam, in southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico, extending into what is still Mexico, the Chihuahua state, was the Mongollon culture. They also existed in the same time period, 300 CE to 1300 CE. The village of Cuarenta Casa was in this region. The Spanish named it that because they counted forty houses at that location. The transit stone I found translates to something like fort in English. I researched the Mongollon culture and the sites that we have discovered so far. It is believed that Cuarenta Casa may have been a fort. A place where warriors stayed to protect the region.”

  “That makes sense. We can go there, right?”

  “I don’t think you will want to. It is about two hundred miles from the major city Chihuahua. It is also about two hundred fifty miles from the US border. It has a topography that was good for defense for the Mongollon people. It is also a good spot to defend in today’s world. The area is currently inhabited by the El Mejor cartel. It would be difficult if not impossible to do any work at the site. I would not even want it known that I wanted to look there.”

  “I see. What does el mejor mean?”

  “It means the best. The power of the cartels is often changing. The El Mejor filled a void when other cartels were arrested and disbanded. It is very powerful. And violent.”

  “Okay. Well let’s just forget about it, for now. Do you think you are in any danger?”

  “No.”

  “Thanks, Gabriela. Be careful.”

  Chad went for a long run. Clarity. He needed clear thoughts. After the run he stretched out in the front yard, cooling down. He felt good. His mind was empty. A hot shower and he would feel even better.

  Inside his front door, he tossed his keys on the foyer table and walked into the kitchen.

  “Sit down, Dr. Archer. We need to talk.”

  Archer looked at the barrel of an Israeli made Jericho 941 semi-automatic pistol. He didn’t know what it was. He just knew he was in trouble.

  Chapter 105

  Archer took a seat at the table. The man with the gun sat as well. He deliberately laid the gun on the table.

  “You are not in danger. I just needed your attention.”

  “You have it,” Chad said.

  “Good. I came to warn you. There is someone following you. A group, actually.”

  Chad smiled.

  “You find this amusing?”

  “Slightly. Since you, Major, are one of the ones following me.”

  “You know who I am?” the Major asked in surprise.

  “You are more easily recognized without the mask over your face,” Chad said to his former abductor. “You would be even more recognizable if you wore your uniform like you did when Lipman was taken to the hospital.

  The Major nodded. “Impressive, but how?”

  “The scar on your left hand,” Chad said nodding toward the Major’s hand.

  “Ah. But you didn’t say anything when we talked?” the Major asked.

  “It didn’t seem like a good time to bring it up. You went to a lot of trouble with the mask. You may not have liked me knowing who you were.”

  “Probably not. You think I am following you. Why?”

  Chad decided to lay it out for him and watch his reactions.

  “Rabbi Feigel told me, as he was dying, that Aman killed him.”

  The Major was not surprised.

  “True?” Chad asked. Involuntarily he looked toward the living room where he had left one of the hidden microphones untouched. He didn’t know who was listening, but an admission might help.

  “Not true. I thought so at first. It was not us. More specifically, it was not a person who used to work for us. By the way,” the major said nodding toward the microphone location, ”I found the bug and removed it. It is not ours.”

  Chad asked with a hint of scorn, “Is this where you tell me some renegade from Aman is pursuing me?”

  “Yes. Captain Landau. He is one of a few who know about the ancient manuscript. He is very zealous. More than he should be. When he learned that the secret of the scrolls was out, he sought to stop the leak from spreading. We suspected someone inside our Directorate went rogue, but we did not know whom. Until a few days ago. That was when Captain Landau dropped out of sight. As did his lieutenant and a few other highly skilled intelligence agents. Highly trained as well in killing. We believe he is after you.”

  “I believe he has been after me for some time.”

  “You are correct to a point. He has been pursuing you for us, the Directorate, Aman. We have been watching you.”

  “Why?”

  “We want to know who is directing you. You and Dr. Clark.”

  “Again, why?”

  “To learn who knows about the scrolls. And to judge what resources they have compared to ours.”

  “So you are looking for the locator stone as well?”

  “Yes. I am being openly honest here,” the Major said. “Of course eventually we want to find the tablets. That is the quest, is it not?”

  “Why are you being so honest?”

  “We think you must be getting close. Landau was in charge of surveillance. Only if you were close would he risk breaking away now and not sooner.”

  “I see,” Chad said. “I wonder what Landau is thinking. I don’t feel close. You are warning me in order to protect me?”

  “Yes. However, you are in less danger now if he believes you are close. Before now he would have killed you. He may have even tried.”

  The Major watched Chad’s reaction. Chad thought about the push off of the pyramid.

  The Major continued, “But make no mistake. Lives, innocent lives, should not be lost, ever. But in view of the importance of this quest a life or several lives are expendable. Yours will be expendable to Captain Landau once you have found the stones.”

  “Isn’t what you are looking for say Thou shall not kill?”

  The Major just shrugged.

  “I don’t understand why you are warning me,” Chad said perplexed.

  “So that you will succeed.”

  “And, then I assume you will want the stone.”

  “We want the tablets. Dr. Archer. If you find the tablets, what are your intentions?”

  Chad thought about his answer.

  “I will be honest as well. I don’t know. How much danger am I in?”

  “A lot. Landau killed some of our people when he broke away. We had some suspicions. He was being watched. He killed them. If he gets the stone, you are no longer needed.”

  “I think he already tried to kill me,” Chad remembered the push from atop the pyramid. “But, you know for sure he did not kill Lipman or the rabbi?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who did?”

  “We don’t know. We do know from our intelligence sources that an assassin named Lupa has been active. He tracks. He kills. We think it was his wet work, his assassinations. We think he works for the Guardians.”

  Chad felt some relief. Aman thought Lupa was a he. Sandy was safe from them. What am I thinking, he scolded himself. I just admitted Sandy is Lupa.

  Chad returned to Landau, “In what ways will he monitor me?”

  “Bugs, GPS trackers, shadows, breaking into your home, hotels, and such.”

  “Will he have access to airline reservations, hotel reservations, or credit cards?”

  “We do. He does not. Not anymore.”

  Chad was thoughtful again.

  “Okay, thank you.” Chad stood.

  The Major remained seated.

  “We can help. Protect you. Guard you.”

  “That’s the second offer of protection this week. I think I will chance it on my own.”

  The Major sighed, stood and gave Chad a card.

  “There is an emergency number. Don’t hesitate to use it.”

  “Thanks. Will you still be monitoring me?”

  “Of course. However, you are becoming more difficult to watch. I will ask you the same thing that I asked in Jerusalem. Are you a guardian or a guard?”

  “N
either.”

  “Archer, should you retrieve the tablets, we will take them from you. I promise. Don’t try to protect them when we do. You should just turn them over to us. It will save you pain, maybe even your life.”

  “I’ll consider it.”

  “Why are you doing this, Dr. Archer?”

  Chad asked himself this often the last few days. “I don’t know. Guess I didn’t have anything else to do during summer vacation.” He forced a weak smile.

  “Well, you shouldn’t get lonely with everyone watching you.” The major smiled in return.

  -----

  Chad remained seated after the Major left. Captain Landau was a problem. The others, Aman and the guardians, seemed content to wait until the tablets were found. Landau had already killed. Chad had an idea. An eye for an eye - justice the Old Testament way. He placed a call to his archeologist friend in Israel. If he did this right, he wouldn’t put his friend in danger.

  “Is it too late to call, Gaige?” Chad asked. It was nine o’clock, Israeli time.

  “Not at all, my friend. How are you?”

  Chad was aware that Mandl’s communications might be monitored. He kept the conversation light asking about his family.

  “How is the dig going, Gaige?”

  “Well. Very well. You know how it is. Centimeters a day. Meters a week. Success in a year.”

  “Any resistance or protests or conflicts between the religions.”

  “Nothing major. That is always a possibility. We had a break-in after you left. The government thinks there may be some risk to the site. They have stationed security at the site. The Intelligence Directorate handles that.”

  “Do they get in your way?”

  “No. They actually make everyone working there more comfortable.”

  “Good to hear that, Gaige. I wonder if I could ask a favor?”

  “Certainly.”

  “I wonder how well Bourekas ship? I was describing them to my friend in England. She has had some in London, but I said she needed the real deal from Israel. Could you ship me some?”

  “Of course. If I ship them overnight, they will still be good.”

  “What is the best bakery? I can call them.”

  “I would use Marzipan. But, let me select them for you. I will include some rugelach. I can ship them from the dig. We know how to package things that are fragile.”