Aloud, he could only mutter, “Well, I’ll be damned . . .”
EPILOGUE
Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod. Nine Weeks Later.
It was early afternoon when David hung up the phone inside the most recent addition made to their secluded summer residence; a fully functioning study for him that Elizabeth insisted was necessary. Built just off their second-floor bedroom, its well thought out design was a perfect compliment to the late nineteenth century charm of the old New England ‘salt-box’ they both so loved. Though equipped with all of the latest computer gadgetry—and this again at her insistence—the simplicity of its decor yet matched the quaint charm of the rest of the house. A substantial desk with a swivel leather chair; ample wood bookshelves; an adequate assortment of comfortable furniture—it all suited him to perfection.
He gathered up the several sheets from his printer tray and headed down to the sun-drenched veranda where he knew Elizabeth to be relaxing. The paperwork contained the most current information sent to him from Samuel Hewitt, his attorney in San Antonio and senior partner in a highly respected law firm retained to represent him by DeCaylus Corp.
One more reason to be grateful to Ted Quenton.
He found her half-dozing in her favorite reclining chair. Kissing her brow in greeting, he then sank into the one alongside her, saying, “Got some additional information just in from Samuel if you care to read it.”
“I heard the phone ring a while back. Anything important?”
“Actually, yes.” He reached for her hand. “If you’d like, I can give you the highlights?”
“Please. As always, you have my full attention.”
“For openers, the San Antonio coroner’s office has confirmed through DNA that the woman was indeed Camilla Madrigal, sister of Carlos Ruiz—though this has been pretty much accepted for quite some time now.”
“Because her name was on that car’s registration, right?”
“Among other things, yes. Plus, there’s now no question the helicopter’s destruction came solely as the consequence of a plastic explosive device. Despite the intensity of the resulting fire, police forensic labs identified residue traces embedded throughout the wreckage.” He paused to adjust his pillow. “Interestingly, they even found tiny parts of what they think might’ve been a pre-set timer. On that, however, a lot more work will be required.”
“Any theories to account for it?”
“Nothing so far. Chances are it may never be explained.”
“Well, the bottom line is I’m just happy you and Russ were officially cleared of all their initial suspicions.”
“Fortunately, all our stories have been verified right on down the line—even by the testimony of those two surviving men responsible for the actual melting of the gold and converting it into ingots. Their confessions alone went a long way to backing up everything we told the police.”
“Seems like the Texas authorities are really sparing no expense in this investigation. That’s good.”
David nodded.
“If you think about it, hon, they’ve no choice in the matter. As it presently stands, news organizations from around the world are fascinated by all this and demanding answers. It’s been the top story everywhere for weeks. Understandable, I suppose. Not only do you have the violent death of a mysterious multimillionaire operating out of Mexico and Texas, but also there’s that unbelievable hoard of ancient Aztec gold still sitting under lock and key in Graveston Industrial Park. State authorities had to increase the number of National Guard units assigned to protect it from every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanting to take a peek—which includes restricting all access to the abandoned En-Tex Environmental plant outside of Enid. That’s likewise been sealed off. Until this is resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, both sites are being treated as crime scenes.”
She briefly pondered this, then asked, “Any idea how much longer their investigation will take? Weeks? Months?”
“Not a clue. No time soon, I’m afraid. It appears the FBI may also be getting involved. There’s the matter of how Ruiz and Marino were managing to successfully smuggle those illegal ingots not just across state lines, but also out of the country. As to exactly where, speculation seems to be leaning heavily toward Switzerland—but that also remains unproven.”
“And what about all the gold artifacts themselves still under lock and key? Has any estimation been made of its value? I mean, if Ruiz ever did manage to render it down to simple ingots, just how much money might he have—”
“Best guess? The raw weight alone suggests roughly eight hundred million dollars.”
“You’re serious?”
“Definitely,” replied David. “And thank God he was prevented from getting anywhere near fulfilling his plans. The truth is, in their present form, the huge accumulation of artifacts has a real value so much greater than this as to be almost beyond calculation.”
“I see. And eventually end up going—where?”
He shook his head.
“I suspect the Mexican government could offer as good a claim as anyone. Once the authenticity of the hoard is established, I’m sure they’ll try to claim it back as nothing less than a five hundred year old national treasure—a claim that I’d personally find difficult to dispute. In the bigger picture, I suppose it only seems fitting.”
Pleased, Elizabeth squeezed his hand. She then glanced at the papers and changed the subject, asking, “Does your attorney say anything in there about how Russ is doing?”
“That he does. I almost forgot. Not only has his leg completely healed, but it also seems Texans, in general, love to embrace and reward someone they feel to be a legitimate hero. While he was still recuperating in the hospital, the Enid town council unanimously voted to placed his name into the upcoming special election for city and county sheriff. According to the local papers, he may even run unopposed. It appears no one has any wish to challenge the man who was instrumental in putting Enid—and all of West Texas, for that matter—so favorably prominent on the world stage.”
“That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “David, I couldn’t be happier for him.”
“Nor I. Save for Russ, Pilar wouldn’t have been rescued, and I probably wouldn’t even be sitting here now. He’s really quite a remarkable fellow, someone I want you to soon meet in person.”
“I’d like that very much,” she said. “And since you mentioned Pilar, there’s something I want to show you. It came though on my fax when you were on the line with Samuel. I was going to wait until this evening, but now seems the best time. As you know, I’ve been speaking to her by phone almost every day since she arrived in Ithaca and settled in with Richard and Elise.”
“There’s no problems, I hope.”
“Certainly not. They feel blessed to have her—and she them. The prospect of her carrying Peter’s child has given them a new lease on life, something they both desperately needed. For them, it’s like a gift from heaven.” She got to her feet. “Stay put. I’ll only be a minute.”
When she returned, she placed a single, shadowy fax into his hand.
“It’s her first sonogram, taken earlier this morning. Richard and Elise drove her in for the scheduled appointment.”
David wasn’t entirely sure what the image represented.
“And this shows that everything is fine, right?”
“Better than fine.” Elizabeth pointed at the center of the paper. “In case you need to be told, what you’re looking at is the first picture of Peter’s son.”
“Son? Well, I’ll be—she’s going to have a boy! If I know Richard, he must be absolutely ecstatic.”
Elizabeth sank back into her chair, clearly enjoying the happy expression building on his face. “I imagine they all are, darling. In a way, it’s almost like icing on the cake. First they learn they’ve got a great-grandchild on the way—and now this.”
After a lengthy period of contemplation, David sighed and shook his head, saying, “You know I’ve never been a big believer in
fate, but I find it definitely odd how things sometimes work out. One might even think that it’s almost like Peter’s murder wasn’t entirely in vain when you see what eventually came from it. I must admit, it’s a true puzzle. His name will be forever linked to the greatest archaeological find ever made in North America—and I somehow have to imagine this would please him immensely.”
This said, the smile now returned to his face.
“Which leads me to another matter, something I want to run by you. With Jake returning stateside next week, rather than our just driving up to retrieve him from Boston, I think it might be worthwhile if we then took a side trip over to Ithaca for several days to celebrate with them. We’ve more than enough time before his school year begins, so I figure it might be nice to have Jake there to welcome Pilar into the family, so to speak. I’m confidant they’ll hit it off. In many ways, she’s a lot like you, darling. Besides, I suspect it will give him a necessary sense of closure, don’t you think? In a way, he’ll see how part of Peter still lives on. I think this is important. After all, we both remember how close they became last year in Salonika.”
Listening to him, Elizabeth blinked away a film of tears.
“I recall very well,” she responded, “And, yes—I think it’s a perfectly wonderful idea.”
Books by Daniel Leston
The Snow Leopard - Copyright © 2010
The Amun Chamber - Copyright © 2010
1st adventure of Professor David Manning
The Genghis Tomb - Copyright © 2012
2nd adventure of Professor David Manning
The Emperor's Treasure – Copyright © 2013
3rd adventure of Professor David Manning
The Porus Legacy - Coming late Fall 2014
4th adventure of Professor David Manning
1
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EPILOGUE
The Emperor's Treasure Page 19