“Surely there’s another option,” Bahati offered.
“Don’t be so sure,” Rowan twisted the tuft of hair beneath his lip between two fingers. “Going to Mexico isn’t even the worst of it.”
“Oh?” Alejandro asked.
“No, not at all. The worst of it is, the whole episode is on hold and we’ve been ordered to lock up all the video, all the photographs. We are required to turn over anything and everything that might be considered evidence to Legal.”
Legal would take care of notifying the State Department and Federal authorities. “We have been ordered not to go anywhere, and not to discuss the case between ourselves or to anyone else until further notice.”
“Oh boy,” Alejandro rolled his eyes.
“Oh boy, indeed.” Rowan added.
* * *
Lauren sat in the car waiting for Rowan. She lay the seat back, feeling like she’d just been run through the wringer. She knew he would have to pack up all the materials he had control of and explain orders to the team. She lay the seat back, feeling like she’d just been run through the wringer.
This was probably one of their most successful investigations, short of actually finding Bigfoot—which only Lauren knew about. Yet, it would be censored as another successful mission they’d never be allowed to talk about. She hated that more than anything.
She alone had made the decision to protect Tsul’Kalu and The People. She had never revealed what he’d taught her or the wonders he’d shown her. She made the team promise not to tell anyone about the cave full of diamonds located under Mt. Saint Helens. It was also the cavern The People called home.
Rowan knew some of it. He didn’t believe half of it. She still hadn’t told him everything she knew. It gnawed at her. But the safety of The People rested on her shoulders. It was a burden she willingly carried, even though it meant the truth she’d worked so hard to prove could never be known. That gnawed on her too.
“So you speak French now?” Rowan asked as he got in the car.
“The All-Language of the ancient gods.” Her voice had that weary, but misty tone. It was like that after the incident in Washington. “No, I don’t know how it works. Yes, it is weird. No, I didn’t ask for this.”
“Oh so you read minds now?” He groused, starting the car. He met her eye as he reached for his seat belt.
“You can snipe at me all you want, Rowan, but you’re directing your frustration at the wrong person.” She snapped back.
Rowan put the car back in park. He turned it off as his expression softened. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He reached for her hand, half expecting her to pull away. She didn’t. He drew her hand into his and pressed it to his lips, then to his chest. “I’m just...”
“Frustrated?” She suggested.
“You know, that’s just not even a strong enough word.” He shook his head and sat back.
“Well, the good news is, we’re now free for New Years’ Eve.” She scoffed.
He turned the car back on. “Well we can’t leave town, and we can’t have champagne, and we can’t celebrate any other way.” Rowan rolled his eyes.
“Promise me our next house will have a bath-tub big enough that we can celebrate New Year’s Eve with a champagne bubble bath. Together.” Lauren closed her eyes and dreamed aloud.
Rowan glanced back at her. A curl formed in the corners of his cheeks and his dimples deepened. “It’s a deal.”
“Maybe we can find something to do this year.” She suggested.
“When’s your next doctor’s appointment?” He asked. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to find out if I’m having a son or a daughter?”
“Does it matter?”
“No, not really,” he said. “But the suspense is killing me.”
“My appointment is tomorrow, and you’ve only got a couple more weeks to wait, so chill.” She sat her seat back up, settling in for the drive home. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
* * *
“Rowan, you’re back from Mexico,” the doctor said as he came through the door. Rowan grasped his hand and gave it a hearty shake. “How was your trip?”
“Typical business trip,” he said. “Same old, same old.
“I know how it is when you’re working for the man,” the doctor said in jest. Lauren wasn’t sure how much he knew about what they did for a living. Like many Californians, Rowan listed his occupation as entertainment, or put down that he worked for a television production company. Lauren always listed her occupation as biological anthropologist, even though she didn’t practice it as much as she would like.
Still, the doctor didn’t seem to recognize them, nor did he ask many questions beyond the polite conversation they engaged in. “Lauren, how are you doing?”
“Much better,” she said.
“Any more contractions?”
“Not a one,” she said. He pulled out the table and had her lay back. He peeled up her gown and measured her abdomen with a tape measure.
“Kidney function?”
“Peeing like a racehorse.” She rolled her eyes, as he donned his gloves. “Especially when I sneeze.”
The doctor grinned and proceeded with his exam. “Stress incontinence is very common in late pregnancy,” he said. “Have a good Christmas?”
“It was nice.” She winced. “Rowan brought me presents from Mexico.”
“What’d you get him?”
“I figured he could wait a couple more weeks for his present,” she glanced at Rowan as he finished up.
“We just have to get you to thirty-six weeks, at least,” he said, peeling off his gloves. He patted her leg and offered her a hand to help her sit up. She pulled down her gown and covered her legs with the paper drape. He pulled out a disc from one of the drawers, lining up one wheel with another. “You’re measuring about thirty-two weeks, so the last week of bed rest has been good for you. The baby’s growing quickly. Probably about five pounds or so by now.”
“I’m restless though,” Lauren said. “I don’t have to keep doing that, do I? Bed rest?”
The doctor leaned back crossing his arms. He looked dubiously at her. He glanced at Rowan who just shook his head. “You know what,” he said. “I’m willing to consider light duty, provisionally.”
Lauren’s brow lifted. She hadn’t expected any concessions. “Four hours a day on bed rest. That is in addition to a good night’s sleep. No heavy lifting. No exercise. No sexual intercourse.”
“Well if she has to spend four hours a day in bed...” Rowan started to protest, in jest. The look on the doctor’s face told him it was not the time for jokes. “Never mind.” He withdrew his mock protest.
“You must continue to stay well-hydrated, and you have to take it easy,” he said. “If you have even a single contraction, you’re back on bed rest. And if you do have any contractions, you’re to report to the hospital for monitoring immediately. I’m only allowing this because you haven’t started dilating at all. I will see you every week from here on out.”
“I can do that,” Lauren said. “And just to clarify, is lying on the beach in the sunshine considered rest?”
He eyed her. “Is there a mattress on the beach?” He retorted. “Bed rest means just that. Resting in bed. But laying on the beach is considered an acceptable activity for your time out of bed,” he said. “Not swimming. No Bay Watch slow-motion-running. No volleyball. No rollerblading.”
“Sandcastle building?”
“As long as Rowan hauls the sand,” he said, patting her arm. “Call me if you have any problems.”
“Thank you,” Lauren said.
Rowan followed the doctor out to the hallway, leaving Lauren to dress. “So be square with me, Doc. How sick was she?”
The doctor summoned him into his office so they could talk. “I’ll be honest,” he said. “She was very sick.”
“She acts like it was nothing.” Rowan took a seat across from him.
“She was pretty out if it.” The doctor pulled
up her chart. “She had a high fever and was in and out of delirium when I got the call. It took three days of antibiotics and IV fluids to stabilize her condition. We did an ultrasound to verify the kidney stone passed. She got lucky.”
“People die from kidney stones?” Rowan asked, scratching his chin with his thumb.
“No, but they die from fever and infection,” he said. “She wasn’t in any imminent danger; I will give you that. If she’d been stubborn and stayed at home to suffer in silence, she could have been in much more dire straits. She’s lucky she conceded and got her friend to bring her in when she did.”
“You know her,” Rowan started, but hesitated.
“I can tell something’s bothering you,” the doctor said. He swiveled in his chair. “Spit it out, son.”
“She’s been sleepwalking, at least once that I know of,” he said. “Is that... normal?”
The doctor gazed over the top of his glasses. “Nothing about pregnancy is normal,” he said. “Hormones can make women do all kinds of odd things.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Hang a jingle bell on the door... and sleep lightly.” He tried to reassure him.
“I haven’t been sleeping at all.” Rowan realized now why he was so tired.
“I wouldn’t worry too much. She’s a tough lady, and we’re rounding the corner for the home stretch.” He smiled, glancing up as Lauren came to stand in the doorway, tugging her black t-shirt over the swell of her stomach. “I’ll see you next week?”
Rowan stood and met her at the door. She saluted him. “I’ll make my appointment on the way out.”
“Happy New Year.” He chirped with a wave.
* * *
“So what do you want to do before you have to go back to bed?” Rowan asked as they got back in the car.
Lauren paused a moment. Rowan could see her gears turning. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s such a pretty day. Oh, I know...” she looked at him with a wicked grin.
“What?” He looked scared.
“I want to go to the zoo,” she said.
“What?”
“Well, we can’t do any work. Right? So we might as well go see what took me out of the house in the rain,” she said. “You said I went to the zoo, right?”
“Right...” he drew the word out, hoping she’d explain.
“I didn’t even get a caramel apple or cotton candy,” she said. “That’s no fun.”
“Cotton candy?”
“I want to go see the big kitties,” she moaned playfully. “Maybe have a word with the jaguars. Maybe they know why I was there.”
Rowan’s face went blank a moment before his brow lifted inquisitively. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I have a lot of questions. If I can’t go to Mexico, at least I can talk to the natives.” Rowan looked skeptical, but he humored her... and took her to the zoo.
* * *
Caramel, mixed with apple juice, ran down her chin as Lauren stood in front of the habitat. She watched for the illusive jaguar. Rowan elbowed her and pointed. Her gaze followed his finger to a branch where one of the great cats lay in the shade, napping on a limb. Lauren smiled. “Hola, Señor Guapo,” she said to him.
“Do you speak Jaguar too?” Rowan asked. His tone this time was more playful than snide.
“No, but I can read,” she said, pointing at the sign in front of the enclosure. “That’s Guapo,” she said. “The female is Nindiri, and their cubs are Tikal and Maderas.”
Rowan studied the sign and realized she was correct. “Well, what does the Jaguar King say?”
“He says m’row.” She mimicked the jaguar sound, and much to Rowan’s surprise, the great cat lifted his head. He turned his green eyes towards her and replied with a similar sound. The female appeared from the bushes. She walked over to the pool of water and glanced up at Lauren. The spotted kits appeared from the brush, chasing their mother’s tail, missing, and tumbling to the water’s edge, jumping back from their mother’s swatting paw. Lauren bowed to the king.
“Greetings your majesty.” She gushed. The female barked at her, and she feigned. “My apologies, my Queen. Greetings to you too.”
“Ask them if they know what happened to the Maya civilization,” Rowan sneered.
Lauren made some very cat-like noises. The male jumped down from his spot in the tree and came over to the edge of the habitat, a ticking mewl came from his chest. The female barked at him. Lauren’s brow lifted. “Interesting,” she said.
“What did he say?”
“He says he doesn’t know,” Lauren turned to Rowan, taking a bite of her caramel apple. “He was too busy making sweet, sweet love to his queen, and chasing fish in the river.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed, but when she busted out laughing, his façade cracked. His dimples appeared. He caught her hand, pulling her caramel apple to his mouth, taking a huge bite. The juices dripped down his beard and onto his shirt. “Come on,” he said. “Your time is running out. I have to get you home before your carriage turns into a pumpkin.”
“Kind of like my belly?” She patted her stomach.
“That’s what happens when the king makes sweet, sweet love to his queen,” he said. He darted in for a kiss, then hooked his arm in hers, turning back towards the entrance.
“I have to get my cotton candy before we go.” She protested.
“We’ll get it on our way to the car,” he said. “I’m ready for some real food.”
“Mmm. Me too.” She fell in beside him. “Chinese sounds good.”
“We’ll get it to go,” he grinned.
“I’ll call Grand Palace on our way, so it’s ready when we get there.”
* * *
That night, they ate Chinese food in bed. Rowan cued up the latest superhero movie on Netflix. They fought over the last dumpling and Rowan ended up trading his second egg roll for it. That made Lauren happy.
After Rowan carried away the empty containers, they curled up to finish the rest of the movie. Lauren dozed off before it was over. She snuggled up against him in her sleep.
“Hey Tsul’Kalu,” she muttered in her sleep.
Rowan sat up on one elbow studying her. “Hey,” he nudged her. “Ask Tsul’Kalu to come back later. I’m trying to watch the movie.”
“M’kay.” She smiled in her sleep and rolled over.
And that was the end of it.
Rowan watched another movie after that. He got up just before midnight to polish off the last of the sweet and sour chicken and steamed rice. He was tired, but he was still miffed about the whole DeLaFuentes deal. He debated going for a run and decided a beer on the balcony would have to do.
Chapter 19
Lauren was sitting on the balcony the following morning with a bottle of water in her hand. She gazed off across the ocean. “Penny for your thoughts.” He startled her when he opened the door.
“You were up late,” she said, inhaling the perfume of his coffee, yearning for one sweet crème brûlée kiss of it on her lips. Rowan provided, but it left her yearning for a sip.
“Restless,” he said.
“I know the feeling.” Lauren nodded.
“How long have you been up?”
“A while,” she said. “I watched the sun rise as it came over the hills and hit the ocean. It was beautiful.”
“Squandering your time out of bed?” He asked, taking the chair beside her.
“No. It was worth it,” she said. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this morning.”
“About what?”
“Time,” she sighed. “How there’s never enough of it to do all the things you want to do. Aristotle said, what is eternal is circular and what is circular is eternal.”
“Pretty deep thoughts for so early in the day.” He took a long drink from his mug.
“And that got me thinking about Maya calendars... and time travel.”
“And what did you come up with?”
“Time travel is paradoxical,”
she said. “The minute you step foot outside your own place in time, you alter history. It’s like ripples on the surface of the water.”
“Or the butterfly effect.” Rowan added his thoughts.
“Exactly,” Lauren said. “Like the Greeks, other ancient cultures including the Maya and Egyptians believed there was a cosmic, eternal time where their gods resided. The Greeks and the Maya both believed that time was cyclical, whereas Christianity and many modern religions hold with the belief that it is linear.”
“Alpha and Omega... beginning and the end.” Rowan said.
“Albert Einstein for example, believed that the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously. It was the basis for his theory of relativity.”
“You know the whole story of Urashima Taro, right?”
Lauren glanced over at him. “No, I don’t guess I do.”
“It’s an ancient story about a man who was said to visit the underwater palace of the Dragon God Ryujin. He stayed there for three days. When he returned to the surface, 300 years had passed.”
“There’s a similar story in the Quran.” Lauren’s face brightened. “It’s about the cave of Al-Kahf and a group of young Christians who tried to escape persecution and retreated, under God’s guidance, to a cave where God put them to sleep. They woke up 309 years later.”
“That would be an interesting cave to explore,” Rowan said, seeing her bristle. She hated caves, especially exceedingly small ones. But he also saw something else; some realization washed over her. It was so strong, she couldn’t hide it.
“Lauren?” She came back to herself with Rowan’s eyes peering into hers. “You okay?”
“Fine,” she said.
“You were a million miles away,” he said.
“I was thinking about the cave of diamonds in Washington State. I sensed an energy there. I was just wondering if the cave of Al-Kahf had the same type of energy.”
She put a hand on his forearm as she shook off the thought. She tried to downplay the revelation she’d just reached. “I was just thinking.” She swallowed hard. “I need to go back and read more about the Philadelphia Experiment.”
Rowan looked puzzled. “Do I know that one?”
The Jaguar Queen Page 14