He gave her a knowing smile, and she instantly regretted her decision. Just because she was a tad apprehensive didn’t mean he needed to acknowledge it.
Matthew put his hand to the wall as he moved forward. “This is definitely Incan in origin. Just the way the stones are fit together so tightly.”
Robyn followed him. She touched the stone, too. To be here, where people hadn’t walked for centuries, was more intense than words could describe. Her heart raced with both excitement and fear. Her stomach swirled with the possibilities. Had humankind really searched all this time in the wrong place? Were they actually on the doorstep of the City of Gold?
They entered the tunnel that branched off to the right. All of them had their flashlights out now. Since the entrance to the tunnel, none of them had seen any more caterpillars.
After about twenty feet, the tunnel turned left.
“If we’re on the right path, shouldn’t there be markings on the wall or something?” Kevin asked.
“The Incas never had a written language,” Matthew answered.
“Yes, but what about drawings? It’s possible we’re not in the right place.”
“Oh, we’re in the right place all right. Besides it’s not like they would have put up flashing neon lights to point out the path to Paititi.” Matthew smirked at Robyn as they led the way together now. Cal was a few steps behind them, and the others came after him.
“I find it strange that the photos only showed what looked like one tunnel, though. This one snakes a bit,” Cal said.
“You’re sure we were in the right place according to the GPS?” Robyn asked Cal.
“Yes, Robyn.”
“Maybe the pictures penetrated the ground farther down, then?” She wasn’t totally convinced yet, either, with the discrepancy.
“Shouldn’t there be booby traps? Wouldn’t they have protected the city from people who may have stumbled upon it? You know, like Ian did,” Kevin said.
Robyn glanced back and saw Ian give Kevin the finger. While she was amused by Kevin’s sense of humor, and Ian’s lack thereof, she realized Kevin had a made a valid point. Things shouldn’t be this easy.
“How far did you say it was from the tunnel to where the crack in the mountain peak was, Cal?” she asked.
“Two miles.”
They quickly came to a section where the tunnel forked, and this time, there was even a third path continuing straight ahead. Two miles could house a lot of danger, especially if they went the wrong way. No one could know what was ahead of them.
Robyn turned to Matthew. “Now what?”
HE LOVED HOW WHEN A decision was needed, Robyn immediately requested his input. Matthew loved to pretend he had all the answers, but out here, his choices were only best guesses.
His gut was telling him there was nothing wrong with the path they were on already, so why divert left or right when there was an option to continue straight? With the absence of any “booby traps,” as Kevin had put it, Matthew was apprehensive, though.
While being placed on the spot to make a judgment call, an overwhelming sensation swept over him. To think that no one had been in this spot for hundreds of years gave him the sickly sense of trespassing, yet he beheld the surroundings in reverent awe. The excitement of being here was enough to turn his legs to tingling jelly and shoot adrenaline through his body and extremities.
He moved his flashlight right, then left, then back straight ahead. He bobbed his head in that direction. “Let’s just keep going.”
“Are you sure?” Robyn’s dark eyes questioned him along with her words.
“You asked me to make a decision. I did. We go straight.”
“All right.”
They both took their next step at the same time.
The floor of the tunnel was dirt, and the walls themselves had a thick coating of earth on them, as well. The passage of time had been kind to the space overall and had left the rocks in good shape.
They carried on for at least ten minutes before reaching another fork. This time their only choices were left and right. Straight ahead was a dead end.
“You can’t just pick straight this time, Matthew,” Cal called out.
“Thanks for stating the obvious, buddy,” Matthew replied. Sometimes he hated being the one to decide. But he’d assume responsibility for the outcome. He hated to admit that it was his idea to risk Sophie’s life for this mission. He just had to hope it would all end well.
-
Chapter 42
DANIEL SET UP THE MEETING with Justin Scott for that afternoon. He was the son of an old friend, but as the years went on, their lives had taken them in different directions. Daniel hadn’t seen Justin since his father’s funeral ten years ago. Justin had been seventeen at the time.
Daniel scanned the Starbucks and spotted him in a sofa chair near the fireplace. Justin hadn’t changed much since he was a kid, other than filling out.
Justin had a laptop balanced on his knees, and he was pecking away between furtive glances upward. He looked as if he’d suit the profession of an accountant more than a hardened investigator. Maybe it was why he hadn’t lasted as a police detective. But Daniel didn’t question the young man’s gift to dig into areas of people’s lives that they preferred remained secret. He also never doubted Justin’s ability to net answers in a short period of time. The man was actually a genius, but as Matthew had advised Daniel do, the man was also controllable.
“Justin.”
He looked up, pushed back his glasses, and flashed an awkward grin. “Yes, and you are Mr. Iverson.”
“Daniel is fine.” He rubbed his hands together and peered around. There was an empty chair next to Justin, and he sat down.
“Ah, I haven’t been able to find anything out on Gideon—” Justin placed his laptop on the table in front of him and, in the process, knocked over his drink. “Oh, crap.” He rushed to grab his computer, and he tucked it between him and the arm of the chair. At the same time, his other hand righted the cup.
Daniel jumped up, retrieved a bunch of napkins, and returned with them.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m such a klutz sometimes.” Justin extended his hand for the napkins, but Daniel smiled and cleaned up the mess.
The kid really needed to work on his self-esteem. Here he was apologizing when it was his coffee spilled and his laptop.
Daniel pointed to the cup. “Would you like another one?”
“Ah, sure, if it’s not too much trouble. A grande double-double with milk and sweetener.” Justin maneuvered in the chair, angling himself on his left hip as he dug into his back pocket, presumably for a wallet.
“It’s all right. I’ve got this.” Daniel left before Justin straightened out.
Five minutes later, he returned with Justin’s large coffee with two milk and two sweeteners and a black coffee for himself. He took a seat in his chair and faced Justin, briefly wondering how the kid had survived puberty, let alone made it to his late twenties.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Iver—Daniel.”
The kid was still apologizing? It was for reasons like this that Canadians got the reputation for saying they were sorry for everything.
“Nothing to apologize for. Enjoy.” Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “I need to talk to you about—”
“I knew it,” Justin interrupted. “You do want an update. I don’t have one for you yet. This Gideon Barnes is elusive as hell. I apologize for swearing.”
Daniel waved his hand. “I actually have another job for you.”
“Another? But I haven’t finished this one. I haven’t got any real answers yet.”
Daniel wanted to say, And you won’t find any, but he bit his tongue. As he prepared to present this kid with the new proposal, his heart bumped off course. No police. The warning had been clear, but the implication could have been that third parties were n
ot to become involved. Maybe this was a bad idea. But as the hesitation struck, determination erased it. The anger he had experienced at seeing Sophie get slapped, at knowing she was being held hostage, pushed him forward.
“This project needs to be held in absolute confidence, as well. Can you guarantee me that?”
Justin scrunched up his nose as he pushed his glasses up again. “Yes, of course.”
Daniel glanced around the coffee shop and was pleased it wasn’t too crowded. Most people were taking their beverages to go, and those who remained were absorbed in their own worlds. “And you cannot involve the police, no matter what.”
“Okay.” Justin dragged out the word. “Does this involve something illegal?”
It was a tough question, and Daniel wasn’t sure how to answer.
Justin pinched back the tab on the lid of his cup. “You know what, never mind. You were a friend of my father’s.”
“Yes.” Daniel’s eyes traced Justin’s face.
“So, what is it, Daniel?”
Careful to speak at a low and inconspicuous volume, Daniel told him about Sophie, how he needed help in analyzing the videos, and that he needed a phone’s location tracked. By the time he was finished, Justin was mostly pale with a splash of color high in his cheeks, as if he was going to be sick.
“Can you handle this, Justin? Like I said, I need absolute confidentiality.”
Justin didn’t respond right away but then slowly nodded.
“This is your chance to save a life. You’re making the right decision.” Daniel had overheard the police chief talking to William, but he wasn’t going to tell Justin that the police were looking into the matter now, too. There was no sense in shaking him up. His father was prone to overreacting, and if that gave any indication about his son, he’d probably fret, thinking that he was interfering with a police matter. He didn’t need Justin telling him to turn the videos into law enforcement. His conscience had questioned that enough already.
Daniel stood and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Your father would have been proud of you.”
Justin’s gaze glazed over.
Daniel felt a tad guilty over bringing up the kid’s dead father, but it wasn’t because the statement wasn’t true. It was because his father would have been livid with Daniel for getting Justin involved with this.
-
Chapter 43
MATTHEW HAD CHOSEN TO GO right despite Robyn protesting that they go left. Splitting up was discussed as an option, with one of Vincent’s men going with each group. Matthew thought it best they stick together. But after walking for at least forty minutes, they came to another crossroads. They could go left, right, or straight. They continued going straight.
After another thirty minutes, another fork presented the options of right or straight.
“This is ridiculous. We just keep walking and walking,” Ian said.
Cal scowled at him. “It’s not like we’ve been here before.”
“I knew we should have gone left.” Robyn crossed her arms.
“I’m not sure it would have mattered,” Ian said.
“What do you mean?” Robyn shifted her focus to Ian.
Ian pointed to the ground. There were footprints in the dirt. Their footprints.
“Ah, son of a bitch,” Kevin cried out.
Juan and Lewis started laughing.
Cal pulled out his camera. “We’re right back to where we began.”
This was entirely his fault, or at least Matthew was taking the blame. He was the one who headed up this expedition. His guilt was only offset by what Cal had said earlier: It’s not like they had been here before. This was all as new to him just as it was to the others. How could he expect to have all the answers?
“Smile.” Cal held up his camera.
“Cal, it’s not a good—” The flash blinded Matthew and spotted his vision. But his eyes picked up a wink of light as if it had reflected off metal. He quickly scanned the area. Maybe he had imagined it?
“Would you just put that damn camera away,” Ian said, “before I make you put it away?”
“You saw how that worked earlier. You can’t make me do much of anything.” Cal was back in Ian’s face, literally mere inches away, the camera wedged between their torsos.
“For heaven’s sake will you just cut out the macho bullshit? It’s getting old,” Robyn said.
Matthew’s vision was coming back, but orbs of light were popping up here and there, as he blinked. Even at the risk of reverting the progress, he couldn’t get his mind off what he swore he saw. “Cal.”
“What do you want, Matt? I’m getting ready to kick this guy’s ass again.”
“Take my picture.”
“Oh my god, Matt.” Maybe the tight quarters were getting to Robyn, and claustrophobia was wreaking havoc on her otherwise easygoing personality.
“Just one more.” Matthew faced her when he spoke.
Robyn drank from her canteen.
“Fine.” Cal snapped the picture.
The flash went off again, but Matthew was ready for it. He averted his eyes from the light and caught what he’d seen before. “Again. Just one more.”
Cal appeased him, and this time, Matthew’s gaze was in the perfect direction. He took a few steps toward it. Everyone was quiet, their eyes on him.
He explained. “The camera flash reflected off—” He ran his hand along the stone wall, clearing the dirt. He stopped when his fingers felt a carved relief.
Robyn hurried up behind him, positioning her flashlight’s beam to see it clearly. “It’s gold. And it’s the symbol of their sun god. It looks like a seal or something.”
“It does.” Matthew didn’t take his eyes off it. This was more confirmation that they were on the right track. He ran his hand over it, and as his fingers dipped into its ridges, the emblem pushed inward.
“What—”
Matthew held his finger to his lips to silence Robyn. He didn’t know what he expected to hear, but there wasn’t any sound in the tunnel except for their breathing. “All right, spread out and see if you can find more of them.”
They split up, a few going right, others going left. Cal stuck with him.
“There’s one in here,” Robyn called out from the left path.
“Push it,” Matthew responded.
Again, it was unspoken but all of them remained quiet, assuming that they’d hear something. Yet there was only silence.
Matthew urged them to continue. “Keep looking.”
“I found one. I’m pushing it,” Cal said.
Again, no sound.
“What are we missing?” Robyn called out.
Matthew noticed her voice was coming closer.
They all met back in front of the wall where the path forked left and right.
“Uh, guys…”
They all turned toward Ian. Matthew expected he was going to complain.
“I think I found—” He bent down and rubbed away dirt from a spot on the floor. It was beneath the first emblem they had found.
“It’s the fourth.” Robyn dropped to her knees. “Why the floor?”
Matthew knew the answer before she asked. “Remember the legend about Cápac?”
Robyn smiled. “He was supposed to sink the golden staff into the ground. You’re thinking this has something to do with that?” She didn’t wait for a response and pushed on the emblem. “It’s not moving.”
“Let me try.” Ian hunched next to Robyn, brushing her hands aside. “I can’t get it to budge, either,” Ian said.
“Wow, really?” Robyn wiped her hands together to clear the dirt.
“Stand up.” Kevin hoisted her up by the arm and aimed his gun at her head.
Ian straightened and followed suit by pulling out his weapon.
“What the hell
is going on?” Matthew approached Kevin and slowly drew his own firearm.
Cal and the Bolivians did, too. Matthew noticed how Ian had maneuvered closer to Kevin, using him for shelter.
“It’s not looking like the odds are in your favor, Kevin. Don’t be stupid.”
“You, don’t be stupid. Feel anything different about your guns perhaps? Like the fact they aren’t loaded?” Kevin laughed. “While you were all sleeping last night, I took all your bullets. Well, everyone’s but Ian’s. He and I, we are kind of on the same team.”
They were all sleeping? Matthew turned to Cal.
“I’m sorry, Matthew, I must have nodded off,” Cal said.
Matthew returned his gun to its holster and took a deep breath. His mind picking up on Kevin’s wording “kind of.” Matthew translated that to mean Ian was going to be a dead man by the end of this, just like the rest of them. He swallowed roughly. He had promised his dad they’d talk when he got back. “Listen, maybe we’re overreacting a bit? It’s tight down here. There’s probably less oxygen.”
“That’s why you have to get us out of here. Now.” Kevin nudged his gun against Robyn’s head.
It was the movement, though, that sparked the solution. Matthew was four feet from the emblem in the floor. “I have an idea, but I need you to trust me.”
Kevin nodded.
With each step Matthew took forward, Kevin and Ian stepped back, taking Robyn with them.
Matthew drew his gun again and pressed the muzzle down on the emblem. Nothing happened. Maybe he had given his idea too much merit. He was just thinking that if pressure was centralized over the emblem, as it would be with a staff, it might work. He tried again with as much force as he could muster. Like the first attempt, the emblem didn’t budge, but then it began to give way. “It’s work—”
The mountain shook, and Matthew, Cal, and Robyn looked at one another.
Ian gripped the wall. “There’s a reason this place should have stayed hidden.”
The rumbles intensified, quaking the ground and making their footing unsure.
“What’s going on?” Kevin leaned against the wall, his gun no longer aimed at Robyn’s head but it was aimed on them as a group.
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