by David Wood
“I’m not completely sure why she needs me,” Maddock said. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I know why she wanted me to help with the well. It was a dangerous dive.”
“Maybe she thinks you’re a stud,” Bones jibed. “My sister always said you were a cutie, Maddock.”
“Your sister scares me,” Maddock said. Though undeniably beautiful, Angelica “Angel” Bonebrake was nothing like her name. Hot-tempered, she’d been in more barroom brawls than Maddock and Bones combined. She was now fighting in a mixed martial arts organization under the name “Demonica” Bonebrake.
“I’d have to say that you’ve probably been very helpful to her,” Amanda said. “You have some background in treasure hunting, and you helped her in Argentina. Why wouldn’t she want you around?”
“I suppose,” Maddock said. He sort of hoped Jade wanted him around for more reasons than that, but he felt like a high school kid even thinking that. “So what do you want to do about it?”
“Don’t tell them where the next site is until we get there,” Bones said.
“That’s not going to be easy,” Maddock said. “I don’t care what we tell Saul, but Jade is technically in charge of the search. She’s not going to like it.”
“If Amanda is correct, we’re going to need some special gear for this next leg. We’ll just play it all mysterious and maybe we’ll think of something better while we’re on our way to pick up what we need. Worst case scenario, we just out-and-out lie to both of them.”
A triumphant cry interrupted their conversation. Maddock turned to see Jade emerge from one of the ruins, a box tucked under her arm. When their eyes met, she smiled and raised the box above her head. “Got it!” she called.
Maddock gave her the thumbs-up. He couldn’t help but notice that Saul wore an expression that was anything but joyful. He glanced at Bones and Amanda, who, by their expressions, had obviously noticed the same thing.
“Looks like he couldn’t get his cronies here in time,” Bones muttered. “Of course, I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since we found out someone had gotten here before us.”
“You missed all the fun!” Jade said as she and Saul joined them.
“Well, you know,” Maddock said, “I’ve gotten two of them already to your one. I figured it was your turn.”
“Thanks. You are such a gentleman,” she said with a sly grin.
“What can I say?” Maddock grinned, his eyes locking with hers for a split-second.
“I don’t know about you,” Bones interrupted, “but I say we bolt before the bad guys stumble upon us again.” He turned and headed away without explanation.
Maddock looked from Jade to Saul and back to Jade again, shrugged, and followed his friend.
Back in the car, the focus was on the newly-discovered clue. Jade opened the box with great care to reveal another part of what they were now certain was a scarab.
“I can’t wait until we’ve pieced this puzzle together,” she whispered, more to herself than the others in the car. “I want to know. I have to know.”
Maddock expected Saul to ask about the next site, but he was strangely subdued. He gazed thoughtfully at the piece in Jade’s hands, saying nothing.
Maddock looked toward the front of the vehicle. His eyes met Bones’ in the rear-view mirror, and they both shrugged. It felt so strange, acting as if things were fine, all the while waiting for Saul to betray them. They settled into an odd silence as the barren land flew by.
Chapter 19
The silence did not last. As soon as they stopped for the equipment they would need for their next excursion, Jade and Saul had both raised questions, particularly when they saw what Maddock and Bones were renting.
“All right,” Jade said. “You’ve kept us in suspense long enough. Where are you going and why do you need diving gear?”
Amanda glanced at Bones, then to Maddock. Seeing him nod, she began her explanation.
“I know that at one time you considered the possibility of the shape on the breastplate being more than just a symbol—that it could be overlaid on a map and give you the locations you sought.”
“We tried that,” Jade protested. “It didn’t work. Some places were nowhere near any ruins.”
“I know,” Amanda said, her voice calm and patient. There was no sign of her usual annoyance at Jade’s interruption. In fact, the longer the conversation stretched out, the longer it would be until she was forced to reveal their next destination. “When you lay it out over a modern map, it doesn’t work. But…”
“But Fray Marcos didn’t have a modern, scale map.” Jade’s voice was little more than a whisper, and her eyes faded into a distant gaze as she sunk into thought. “So if it were an overlay, it would be for a map from his day. What an idiot I am!” She snapped out of her reverie as quickly as she had faded into it. “You found a map from Fray Marcos’s time?”
“A reproduction,” Amanda said. “I wasn’t even looking for one. I spent the morning in the library searching for hints of old legends that might give us a clue, but no luck. I gave up and was on my way out the door when I looked up, and hanging right there on the wall was a reprint of a very old Spanish map of the region. There was a brass plate on the frame indicating it was a reproduction of a map that had been drawn by… wait for it… Fray Marcos de Niza. Best of all, there were symbols sketched all over it, including those from the breastplate.”
“And they let you examine it?” Saul asked. From the tone of his voice, he seemed genuinely interested, and not the least bit annoyed that he had neither made the discovery himself nor been let in on it earlier.
“Yep,” Amanda said. “I showed the librarian my press credential and a few bits and pieces of the research I had with me. I told him I was looking into Spanish contact in the region, and he was happy to take it down for me and let me examine it. Of course, he kept looking down my shirt the whole time I was examining it, so he definitely had an ulterior motive.”
“You should have punched him,” Jade said.
“Hey, it got me the chance to look at the map.” She dug into her bag and withdrew a rolled paper. “He even made a copy for me. It’s not to scale, but it’s a pretty decent size.” She unrolled the paper to reveal the map she had described.
Maddock leaned forward as if drawn by some magnetic force toward what could be the key to the mystery. He reached out a hand toward the moonlike sketch of Pueblo Bonito that he had first recognized. He hesitated before his finger touched the paper, remembering that it was only a copy. Amanda had traced the outline of the shape on the breastplate, and he followed it from place-to-place until it reached their next stop.
“Rainbow Bridge,” Amanda said. “Fray Marcos had all the right places on his map, but his distances and relative locations were way off. That’s why the overlay wouldn’t work on an accurate map.”
“That’s very, very good work,” Jade said, her tone indicating a newfound respect. “But I still have two questions. Is there a solstice marker at or near Rainbow Bridge, and why do we need dive equipment?”
“There’s no solstice marker,” Amanda replied. “But once I knew we were looking at Rainbow Bridge, I found that, years ago, the shadow of the arch pointed directly into the window of a nearby ruin on the day of the summer solstice.”
“But there aren’t any ruins in that direction,” Saul said. “I checked into that a long time ago. There’s only…” his voice trailed away as the color drained from his face.
“Lake Powell!” Jade shouted. “That’s brilliant! When the lake was created, the water covered countless ruins. No one really knows how much history lies beneath the water.” She turned to Saul. “I’m feeling dumber today. How about you?”
“I couldn’t believe they were able to find diving gear out here. I never even thought of Lake Powell.”
“But why all the cloak and dagger?” Jade asked. “Why not just tell us?”
“I wanted the chance to explain it to you,” Amanda said
. “You know-- tell you the story, show you the map. If I had just announced we were headed to Lake Powell to find a submerged ruin, what would you have thought?”
“That you were wrong,” Saul said. “It makes sense, though, the way you explained it.” He turned to Jade, who nodded.
Maddock glanced at his cell phone, ostensibly to check the time. He was pleased to see he had no coverage, as was the case in most of the places they visited. He’d have to keep an eye on Saul as they drove, but hopefully there wouldn’t be many opportunities to contact the outside world.
Rainbow Bridge stood in stark relief against the cornflower sky. More than three-hundred feet high, and nearly as wide, it was the largest natural bridge in the world. Maddock had never heard of this marvel of nature, but now he wondered how it was he had never learned of it. It was somehow magnificent in its simplicity. He continued to be amazed that someone who loved the water as much as he did could be charmed by this parched land.
“Sort of makes you homesick for St. Louis,” Bones said, sidling up next to him and admiring the giant stone arch.
“How can you be homesick for somewhere you’ve never lived?” Maddock asked, not taking his eyes off the bridge.
“Same way you can call a girl a ‘friend’ who was obviously much more.”
“What?” Maddock turned and looked at Bones in genuine puzzlement. “I don’t get it.”
“I’ve just realized how big a mistake you made with Kaylin,” Bones said. “Don’t get me wrong. Jade’s hot and smart and feisty, but that’s what you’ve got me for. Kaylin’s the girl for you. You should call her.”
“Besides the fact that this is a weird time to be talking to me about this,” Maddock said, “do you really think you’re qualified to give me relationship advice when you’ve never stayed with the same woman for more than four months?”
“Exactly,” Bones said. “I know more about women than you do because I’ve had relationships with about a hundred times more women than you. And my record is seven months.”
“So tell me; exactly how long was your second-longest relationship?”
“Nine and-a-half weeks,” Bones said. “But we packed a lot of living into that time, so it really counts as about four months.”
Maddock shook his head. He wouldn’t even have this conversation with anyone else, but Bones had long ago earned the right to say whatever was on his mind. Of course, Bones said what was on his mind whether he had the right or not.
“Look, Maddock. You and I both know that the only reason it didn’t work with Kaylin was because she was the first one after Melissa.”
Maddock was proud of himself for not wincing at the mention of his deceased wife’s name.
“But why the hell are we having this conversation here and now?”
“Because it needs to be said and I might forget to say it later. You know how distracted I get sometimes. Seriously, I see there’s something between you and Jade. Might just be potential, but it’s there, and that’s cool. But she’s not the port where you want to drop anchor.”
“You’re not you when you’re with her. Well, you’re you, but not all of you. I don’t know if it’s because she’s so smart, or exotic, or whatever, but I can already see that you take a step back when you’re around her. You’re like eighty percent of you when she’s around. You’re too badass for that. Besides, my girlfriend thinks she’s a bitch, and I don’t want you bringing her to the wedding.” He turned on his heel and strode away. “Time to dive!” he called back to Maddock.
“Whoa! What…? Did you say wedding?” He followed Bones away from the arch toward the lake where the rest of their party waited.
“Not so loud,” Bones said. “I haven’t let anyone in on this little secret of mine.”
“Have you at least let Amanda know?” Maddock kidded.
“She doesn’t yet know that she’s in love with me,” Bones said. “But she’ll figure it out. They all do eventually.” Bones gave him an evil grin. “Just kidding. I do like her, though, and I’ll probably keep her around for a while. It would make things a lot less tense if those two would get along. Maybe I could tell Jade we’re engaged, and then she’d lay off.”
Maddock threw his head back and laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. There was no one quite like Bones, and having him here made everything better, even if he did occasionally cause Maddock to ponder things he’d rather not think about.
The water was pleasantly cool, and Maddock knifed through it like a dolphin at play. It felt so good to be back in fins and a mask, even if it was only for a brief lake dive. In no time, he and Bones had crossed the lake and were now treading water below the exact spot Amanda had indicated. They double-checked their tanks and valves, waved to the three who waited ashore, and dove.
The sun filtered through the greenish water in wavy beams of gold, putting him in mind of a jungle far away and a long time ago. He suppressed that unbidden memory before it was fully formed, and locked it back where his other demons were imprisoned. He supposed he’d have to exorcise them someday, but not today.
They worked their way along the face of the submerged canyon, their lights playing across the rugged surface. It was surprisingly free of silt and debris. The sunlight played out quickly, leaving them in a frustrating half-light that played tricks on their eyes and turned shadows into phantom doors and windows that vanished under closer scrutiny.
They reached the bottom and turned to ascend, spreading out to cover a new swath of rock. Bones hated this kind of methodical search, but Maddock enjoyed it. There was something about the precise, leave-no-stone-unturned method that appealed to him. It amused him that he and Bones could both be former military, but so different in their approaches. Maddock could have been a career officer had he wanted. Bones was fortunate to have avoided being kicked out of the Navy entirely. He’d been good at what he did, but lived on the edge of serious trouble.
Three passes later, Maddock was growing concerned that they might not have sufficient air for what was becoming a lengthy search when his light struck something that was definitely not a natural formation. Swimming closer, he saw the keyhole-shaped doorway of an Anasazi dwelling. He blinked his dive light at Bones until he received a return signal, and waited as his friend joined him. They shone their lights in and played them through the small room. It wouldn’t be much to search, but there were other problems. One concern would be the inevitable silt that would be stirred up as they entered. The other was the size of the doorway. Maddock would be able to squeeze through, but not with his tank strapped to his back.
Getting Bones’ attention, he traced the shape of the doorway, pointed to his tank, and drew his finger across his throat. Bone nodded and immediately helped Maddock remove his tank. Once free, Maddock took a breath of air, exhaled, and squeezed through the opening. They had not worn dive suits for what was to be such a brief dive in relatively warm water. The coarse rock tore his t-shirt and scraped his shoulders as he forced his way through. He managed to bark his shin for good measure as he swam inside. Once in, he turned back to the doorway, where Bones held his tank for him to take another breath.
The decades of silt that had blanketed the inside of the ruin now churned throughout every square inch of open space, limiting visibility to less than a foot. He began with the corners, feeling blindly until he collided with the far wall, working his way along the bottom edge. The right corner revealed nothing. The back wall seemed to be hewn into the rock of the canyon wall. There were no stones to break loose, and no sign of Fray Marcos’s symbol.
He swam back to the doorway, startling Bones who jerked as Maddock appeared from the storm of silt. As he took a few breaths, waiting for his heart to stop racing, he shook his head to indicate he had found nothing.
A search of the other corner was no more fruitful. Based on their relative locations, he knew the shadow of Rainbow Bridge would strike the lower part of the back wall, so he took time to swim slowly across the back of the room, scouring
the wall with his fingertips, hoping to feel if not see the cross and clover he sought.
By the time he had crossed the room, his lungs were screaming for air and his head felt like it would explode. He had always been able to hold his breath longer than anyone he knew, even the other SEALs with whom he had served, but this time he had pushed himself to his limit. He turned and pushed off from the wall, shooting toward the doorway.
Red light exploded in his head as he crashed into the opposite wall. He involuntarily sucked in and had to suppress a cough as the water burned his sinuses. He had miscalculated. The doorway could not be far, but where was it? He could see almost nothing in the cloud of particles that roiled around him. Had he overshot his target, or fallen short? His ears now rang from the combined effects of oxygen deprivation and the blow to his head.
Calming himself, he placed his hands on the walls and felt his way along. His body screamed for air, and it was all he could do to maintain control. It was a small space, he reasoned, and he would find the doorway soon.
His field of vision narrowed and the world was tinted red. He felt his lungs cramp, and he began to fade.
And then a beam of light sliced through the water directly above him. Bones must have known it had been too long and shone his flashlight through the hole to serve as a homing beacon for Maddock. Swimming up to the doorway, he felt a surge of relief as he bit down on the valve and felt blessed air fill his lungs again. It didn’t take him long to feel revitalized and ready to renew the search. Where to look next?
He tried to visualize the position of the sun and the arch. Where would the shadow fall? The angle would be steep. Perhaps not the corner…
He remembered the dive he and Jade had made together in the well. Fray Marcos’ symbol had been in the center of the floor. Of course, that had been a trap, breaking the seal to a drain. That wouldn’t be the case this time. There was no way anyone could have had the foresight to know that these dwellings would someday be flooded by a man-made lake. In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to check, and he was out of ideas.