by David Wood
“It’s a perfect cross!” Jade said. “But couldn’t it be another coincidence?”
“It could,” he agreed. “But there’s only one way to find out for sure.”
They made their way to a low spot that was, to the best of their estimation, the site of the small kiva. With great care, they began moving aside the jumbled rocks. After twenty minutes of tiring work, he was surprised to feel a cool draft on his face. He dropped to his belly and scooted down into the hole they had made.
“There’s a tangle of interlocking roots holding up all of this rock,” he said, dragging a heavy stone away to reveal open space underneath. “I think the kiva is intact down below us!”
“No way,” Jade said, sliding up alongside him. “Just like the well where we found the breastplate.” She took out her flashlight and shone it into the hole. Its slender beam sliced through the darkness, illuminating stones that had not seen sunlight in centuries. “Hard to believe it wasn’t filled up with debris. I just assumed it wouldn’t be worth inspecting when I saw the pile of rubble.”
“If we can clear a large enough hole for me to fit through without bringing the whole thing down, I’ll drop in there and see what I can find,” Maddock said, sliding back from the hole and climbing to his feet.
“I’m going too,” Jade said, standing and brushing the dirt and bits of rock from the front of her clothing. “I’m not letting you have all of the fun. This is much too cool to miss.”
“One of us has got to stay up here with the rope in case something goes wrong,” Maddock said. “If we’re both down there and the roof comes down…” He did not need to finish the sentence.
“In that case,” Jade said, “I should be the one to go down there. I’m lighter, so there’s less chance of me bringing something crashing down. And if there is a problem, you’ll have a much easier time pulling me up than the other way around.”
Maddock wanted to argue, but her logic was impeccable. Besides, he had seen her in action, and she was far from helpless. Still he did not like it.
“I see your point,” he said. “I just think I should be the one to go down there. We don’t know what we’re going to find.”
“And why should you be the one to take the risk?” she asked. Her voice held a note of challenge. She folded her hands across her chest. “And you had better not say it’s because I’m a woman.”
Actually, that was exactly what Maddock had been thinking. He knew it was irrational, but it was the way he had been raised. He also knew Jade would not find it an acceptable reason.
“Suit yourself,” he said. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Thanks, Galahad,” she said, smiling. She put a hand on his cheek in a gesture that was somehow both condescending and affectionate at the same time. “I promise I’ll be careful.”
They began clearing way the rubble until there was enough space for her to wriggle through. They secured a rope to a nearby boulder and doubled it around the base of one of the larger scrub brush for added strength. Maddock took hold of it and held tight while Jade squirmed backward through the hole and slid down into the darkness.
The oppressive darkness seemed to press down on Jade. She shone her light on the ceiling above her. The mass of earth and stone seemed to strain against the roots that bound it, seeking to pour down upon her. It seemed more threatening than the well in which she had dove. Somehow, the water had felt like a safeguard. Here, it was painfully obvious that nothing would protect her should gravity finally win this centuries-long battle.
“You’re wasting time, Jade,” she chided herself. She let the light play across the floor and then around the walls, searching for a clue. Maddock had better not have brought her on a wild goose chase. She continued to search, occasionally brushing the dirt off of a likely-looking stone, hoping to find something, but to no avail.
She paused, dropping to a knee and looking around. What might she be forgetting? Solstices were important. What was the connection between solstices and kivas? The axes of kivas were usually built on solstice lines, which meant the solstice sun would shine on…
She turned her light toward the heel stone that hid the tunnel through which the shaman would enter the kiva. Could it be?
She first inspected the heel stone but found nothing. Now for the tunnel. The Anasazi had been a small people compared to modern-day humans. The tunnel was going to be a squeeze. Holding her flashlight in one hand and her knife in the other, she squeezed into the opening and scooted forward. Inch by inch, she wormed her way back into the darkness. If I get stuck, there’s no way Maddock will hear me call for him.
She finally reached the end of the tunnel. Above her, where the shaman had once climbed down into the tunnel, was another hole filled with a precariously loose clump of stone and debris. The wall in front of her would have been in direct alignment with the sun if not actually illuminated by it, so she started there. She started scraping away at the rocks in front of her. Nothing on the first one. Nor the second. Maybe…
A dull, dragging sound like a burlap sack being dragged across a rough floor filled the hole, and she looked up in time to see the ceiling cave in on her.
Maddock checked his watch. It had only been three minutes though it seemed longer. No word yet from Jade. He strained to listen, but could hear nothing. After a couple more minutes, he called down.
“Everything okay down there?” He hated not being down there with her. “Jade?”
No reply.
“Jade, what’s going on down there?” What had happened to her? It wasn’t so far to the bottom that she would not be able to hear him. “I’m coming in after you if you don’t answer me.” He suddenly had a vision of the rope giving way during his descent, leaving them both trapped at the bottom. But what choice did he have?
“Hold your horses, Buddy!” Jade called back. “I had to… I’ll explain when I get up there.” Another long silence, then “Go ahead and pull the rope up.”
“You want me to pull you up?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”
“No, Maddock. Just pull up the rope.” Her voice had the quality of a wife wearied of her obtuse husband. He remembered Melissa speaking to him in that tone many times, usually involving bright-colored laundry and the wrong temperature water. Duly chastised, he started hauling.
Whatever was on the end of the rope was light and came up easily. He hauled it out of the hole: a metal box like the one they had found at Chaco Canyon.
“You did it!” he called. Quickly untying the knots that held the box in place, he dropped the rope back into the hole so she could climb out.
Jade was covered in dirt, her face grimy, but her eyes were positively aglow. She immediately set to untying the rope.
“The interior of the kiva was still intact, just as we thought,” she explained. “There was a tunnel. Shamans would use it to make a dramatic entrance while the room was smoky and the worshipers frenzied. It made them look like they appeared out of nowhere.” She finished coiling the rope and headed back toward their vehicle, still lecturing. “I followed it to the end. The box was sealed up in a recess behind a rock like the one you described from Chaco. I had to scrub away the dirt to find the right stone and managed to bring a chunk of the ceiling down on me. It scared me more than anything, but I finally found a rock that had the symbol carved in it.”
“Glad you’re okay,” Maddock said, looking her over just to make certain. “I wonder how many researchers have been in that room, never dreaming that if they just did a little scrubbing they’d find something amazing,” Maddock said, holding the plain, metal box as if it were a priceless treasure.
“Lucky for us, this site doesn’t seem to have gotten much attention,” she said. “Let’s get out of here before someone shows up. I can’t wait to see what’s inside this box.”
Chapter 12
And you’re sure he said “Dominion?” Amanda Shores turned back to the desktop computer in her office at the Deseret Bugle. The desk was cluttered wit
h notes, a framed picture of what looked like Amanda and some friends in college, and a coffee-stained paperback fantasy novel. A framed graduation certificate from Colorado State University hung above the desk next to a small white board.
No boyfriend picture is a good thing, Bones thought.
“Yep,” he said, picking up the picture to get a closer look. She had been cute in college but was definitely better-looking now. “The Dominion. Orley said it like some movie voice-over like I should know what he was talking about. Ever heard of it?”
“I think so,” she replied, her attention fixed on the screen. She tapped a few keys and sat back. “Take a look.”
Bones scooted the rolling chair closer. The website to which Amanda had surfed was royal blue with a beehive logo in the top, left corner. The heading read The Deseret Dominion.
“The Deseret Dominion, also known as simply, ‘The Dominion,’ is a para-political organization that supports independence for the former state of Deseret,” Amanda explained. Seeing his blank stare, she continued. “In 1849, settlers in Utah proposed the formation of the state of Deseret. The proposal was basically for most of the land acquired in the Mexican Cession of 1848 to be included in the new state: all of present-day Utah and Nevada, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon, and large chunks of California and Arizona. The United States didn’t act on the proposal right away, and the provisional government actually existed unofficially for two years before the Utah territory was created.”
“So this… Dominion,” Bones said, “thinks it can start a new country inside the US?”
“It’s complicated,” Amanda replied. “Officially it’s a small political organization that lobbies for Mormon interests. Take a peek beneath the surface, and you’ll find all sorts of interesting things: rumors of training facilities for paramilitary troops, chemical weapons facilities, religious nuts. Who knows how much of it is true?”
“So you think these are the guys Orley was talking about?” Bones asked. “Why would they care about a farmer and an archaeological dig?”
“That picture you found. They’re calling it the ‘Jesus Image.’ Anything in the historical record that could help support the Book of Mormon would be of interest to the Dominion.”
“So they went after Isaiah to shut him up,” Bones said, realization dawning on him, “because he wouldn’t say that the image was of Jesus. But why would they go after Orley?”
“I don’t imagine they were after Orley,” she said. “But instead, they were after whatever was in the cave. Or maybe to keep what was in the cave from coming to the attention of the public. Those pictures you took suggest we’re talking about a Spaniard rather than Jesus.”
“I’ve got to do something to make sure Isaiah is safe from these guys,” he said.
“I’ll wager he is safe,” Amanda said. “First of all, they haven’t come back to finish the job. Also, they’ve gotten him off the project. The new foreman is probably their man, and if Isaiah comes out against him publicly, he’ll just look like the envious professor who is angry because he didn’t get to finish the dig he started.”
“I hear you,” Bones said, “but I still think I’ll talk to Isaiah about getting out of town. How about Orley? Have you found anything out about him?”
“Whoever followed you two into that cave didn’t try to hurt him. They subdued him and took him to a hospital. They claimed he had a fit. I also found out he’s been transferred to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. They can’t hold him for long unless they can find something wrong with him. Problem is…”
“If the Dominion has connections in the hospital, his evaluation might not be the most honest or accurate,” Bones finished.
“And,” Amanda added, “they would have the drugs and know-how to question him in great depth. Anything Orley knows about that cave, the Dominion will learn sooner or later.”
“My to-do list keeps getting longer,” Bones said.
“Would you like to share it with me?” Amanda asked. “Maybe I can help.”
“My list mostly consists of people I’m gonna’ kick the crap out of,” Bones said. “What you can do is help me find out exactly who to punch first.”
“I can do that,” Amanda said, her eyes glistening with excitement. “No one’s ever really investigated the Dominion. Most of their critics are raving conspiracy theorists, but if Orley is correct, this is something worth pursuing.”
“It could be dangerous,” Bones said. “If we’re right about this, they’ve already come after two people.”
“I know,” Amanda said. “But I want to do it anyway.”
“All right,” Bones said. “See if you can find out who it was that brought Orley to the hospital. They could be our link to the Dominion. Also, see what you can dig up on the guy who’s taken over Isaiah’s dig. Even if he’s not one of them, we might be able to find out who’s pulling his strings.”
He removed the golden disc, now wrapped in cloth and hidden inside a plain, brown paper bag, from his jacket pocket. “So what do you think we do about this?”
“It’s a tough call,” she said. “The Dominion has members everywhere: in government, in business, even in universities. It’s hard to know who to trust. We need someone we can complete rely on who has a background in local Native American history.”
A sudden thought struck Bones. The girl who was working with Maddock might fit the bill.
“I think I know of someone who can help us out on that end,” he said. “I’ll also send the cave pictures and pictures of the disc to a friend of mine. He’s sort of an über computer geek. If anyone can make something of the writing, it’s him.”
“Sounds good to me,” Amanda said. “What do you want to do first?”
“First, we break Orley out of that hospital.”
Chapter 13
Do you really think this is going to work?” Amanda whispered, peering across the dark parking lot at the glass-paneled entrance of the Central Utah University Neuropsychiatric Institute.
“No, I just thought it would be cool to get you arrested,” Bones said. “Relax. It’s going to be fine. I’ve got a feeling this won’t be the first time you’ve bluffed your way into somewhere you weren’t supposed to be.”
“True, but I look like a tramp in this,” she said, looking down at her tight, black leather miniskirt and fishnet hose.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Bones said, leaning back to avoid her playful slap. “Seriously, you look great and you’ll definitely get the interest of the guy at the front desk.”
“What if it’s a girl at the front desk?”
“You know, that never actually occurred to me,” he said. “I guess you’d better hope she likes chicks. Either that or you’re going to have to put on the coveralls, and I’ll wear the skirt and hose.”
“Let’s just get this over with,” Amanda said. She slid gracefully out of the car and set off across the parking lot in a purposeful, yet delicate, walk. Bones watched as she disappeared into the lobby, kicking himself all the while for not making sure the person on duty was a guy. Amanda would just have to wing it.
He wondered if he was being unnecessarily cautious. This was a university mental health center, not a prison or a military installation. But if the Dominion was holding Orley, they might have extra security. Then again, what reason would they have to think someone would be coming after Orley? He was banking on lax security to get them through.
He gave Amanda one minute, then retrieved the toolbox from the back seat and hurried to the door. Careful not to be seen, he peered into the lobby. Score! The kid at the front desk couldn’t have been more than twenty-five and from the look on his face, he’d never seen a girl dressed this sexy outside his favorite websites.
Amanda and the rent-a-cop spoke briefly, with her doing most of the talking and the kid doing most of the mouth-agape, dumbstruck nodding. Finally, he gave a halfhearted shake of his head, at which point Amanda bent way over his desk a
nd said something that must have done the trick. He removed his headset, stood and looked around before slipping out from behind the desk and leading Amanda down the hallway to the left.
Bones slipped in the front door and headed in the direction Amanda and the guard had gone. He moved silently- he told everyone it was an Indian thing, but actually it was just lots of practice- and soon he could hear Amanda somewhere up ahead. Good girl! She was sticking to the plan, acting the brainless babe coming to visit her sick uncle. The guard should be leading them to Orley’s room.
He paused at a cross-hall, not sure which direction to go. He heard an elevator down the hall to his right, and he stole a quick glance around. Amanda stepped inside and the guard turned and headed back in Bones’ direction. Crap! This wasn’t the plan! He needed to get to the elevator in time to see at which floor it stopped, or he’d have a hell of a time finding Orley’s room.
The footsteps came closer.
He looked around for somewhere to hide. He could deal with the kid if he had to, but he hated to involve someone who was just doing his job and had no idea what was going on. The only nearby door was the ladies’ room. The light was on, but at this time of night there was probably no one in there. He took a deep breath and ducked inside.
The first stall was occupied.
Hoping whoever was inside would not see his boots, he moved to the far wall and made his way to the last stall. Shutting himself in, he sat down on the toilet tank, toolbox on his lap and his feet on the seat. Hurry up, Lady! He checked his watch. Amanda was definitely off the elevator by now. He pulled out his phone to text her. No signal.
Just then, a cell phone rang in the other stall, sounding like a fire alarm in the quiet room, and nearly eliciting a curse from Bones.
“Hello? Oh, hi! I’ve been meaning…” She dove into a lengthy conversation that left Bones fuming. He tried his own cell phone again. Nothing. I need to find out who her carrier is, he thought. Perhaps he could slip out while she was talking. He didn’t know where he would go from there, but he could at least start looking.