by Mary Deal
“This won't be the last discovery for the CIA,” Phillips said. “We can get through this.”
“Originally I wanted to keep our find to ourselves,” Dr. Withers said.
Bebe chuckled. “You don't have to worry about keeping it to ourselves.”
“How's that?”
“The crap the tabloids print has surely further weakened financial interest in us.”
Dr. Withers looked around at the group. “Have I been too selfish?” he asked. “Are we being too selfish? After all, this find does belong to the world.”
“Exactly,” Kendra said quickly. “Not in someone's personal museum. We have every right to protect what we're doing. Our intentions have always been honorable.”
“So, the most attractive offer,” Dr. Withers said, eyeing the others, “is one which potentially costs less in the long run. It's the Yago family's offer.”
Several people grunted. Kendra's expression soured. Dr. Withers took in the reactions.
“Potentially cost less?” Kendra asked. Her voice elevated in anger. “Considering my husband won't discuss this with me, what's hidden here?”
Dr. Withers waved a hand. “We have yet to work out a deal,” he said. “I've held off negotiations as long as possible. We'll find our Burial Chamber. Aaron's idea is how we resume.”
“What about you, Chione,” Parker asked quickly as he turned toward her. “Carmelita knows about your abilities. Her aunt was somewhat psychic, told people all kinds of things.”
Chione cringed. How could he compare her with a common psychic? When would people learn the difference? She had to temper her response, keep peace within the group, and bite her tongue again. She already needed to avoid Carmelita who was into everybody's business. “I don't tell people things,” she said quietly. “I've just had some dreams and they've brought us this far.”
“Carmelita says it never stops. You must have gotten more.”
“Is Carmelita a seer?” Chione asked pointedly.
“No,” Parker said. “She knows, from her aunt.”
Expressions on the faces of the others said they were not into hearing Carmelita's name again. Aaron talked more about the technical difficulties and expense of drilling. Chione sat quietly drawing crosshatches. Every time someone else spoke, Aaron leaned over and drew circles to block her X. When she did not start a new game, he drew a new crosshatch and playfully drew circles around the area where Chione always put her first X.
Then Chione caught the look on Kendra's face as she stared out the tent flaps. Chione peered outside. Nearby, Royce waited with the Yagos, so jovial, so friendly, part of that group, not this one. He was waiting to be called into the meeting. After all, this was why they had gathered, to strike a mutually advantageous deal. Give up some of their right to the dig, their blood and sweat in order to keep going. Poor Kendra looked as if she had already given up more than that.
“When we find the Burial Chamber,” Dr. Withers was saying, “I want Randy back here to be a part of it.”
“He is still a part of us,” Bebe said. “He didn't get to see the other chambers opened.”
“He is a part of our group…,” Dr. Withers said. He looked as if he might say more on Randy's behalf but stopped himself.
“Where's Clifford,” Burton asked.
“In Cairo,” Dr. Withers said. “Taking Rita's death pretty hard.”
Chione glanced out the flaps again and there stood Carmelita, laughing and talking with the Yago woman. Judging by their body language, they must have been talking in Spanish. Royce was not sharing in the conversation and spoke with the brothers.
Chione looked at the paper on the tabletop in front of Aaron, further hidden behind his pile of folders and other paper work. He enlarged the tick-tack-toe grid, elongated two lines and added another cross bar. A double game. Doodling. She drew additional lines angular to the crosshatching, distorting the grid so it no longer looked like a tick-tack-toe game. Still, Aaron invited her X by darkening the lines around the same open square she favored. She discreetly moved her arm over and, instead, drew small squares around where each line intersected. Six of them. Doodling.
“These are the tentative details worked out thus far,” Dr. Withers was saying. “Pending approval by the Egyptian officials, of course. In exchange for funding till our task is completed, we will bequeath to the Yago family a proportionate share of the artifacts equal to the amount of funds they match against ours.”
Kendra gasped. “If the Yagos receive any of the artifacts, Egypt will never see them again.”
The others looked as if they had been told the team would lose everything. Should the Yagos end up funding more than the CIA, they would end up with the larger share and all without having lifted a finger.
“The deal has yet to be approved by the Egyptian government,” Dr. Withers said, surely trying to dispel their reactions. “The Yago family agrees not to seek control of the dig at least until such time as we abandon the site.” He paused, staring at the papers in front of himself on the tabletop.
Perhaps a more thorough search for funding might have been undertaken had Royce not informed the Yago family of the team's dilemma and made it all too easy to arrange a deal. Clearly now he looked like a man on a mission of his own, someone who had more to gain from his patronizing scheme than to endear himself in his wife's good graces.
“We won't abandon the site,” Aaron said. “Yet, if we take too long to find the Burial Chamber, the Yagos end up having contributed more and therefore own us?”
“Would seem that way.”
“Say we abandon the site now,” Aaron said. “To whom would our share of the artifacts be disbursed?”
“All depends to whom the Egyptian government issues the next permit.” Dr. Withers stood and paced. He swatted the notepad nervously against his palm and shook his head.
Aaron breathed a sigh of frustration. He scratched another random line across the tick-tack-toe grid. He had not moved his leg away from hers. Chione's heart beat wildly. She again reached over and put a large X inside the heavily outlined side square in the now elongated grid. “Double game,” she said, whispering.
“So we and the Yago family,” Aaron said, motioning toward the outside of the tent, “have not solidified anything in the form of an agreement?”
“Right,” Dr. Withers said. “That's what we're here for today. To allow the Yago family to make their case and have open discussion. Then we'll vote in a couple of days, if the hole boring proves fruitless.”
“Even then we'd still have to secure approval from Cairo,” Burton said.
Dr. Withers announced it was time to take a short break before meeting the Yagos. Some in the group got up to stretch. Yafeu and Irwin replaced the pots with fresh hot coffee and shoved a few more bottles of water, juice and sodas into the rusting old refrigerator.
The moment was at hand. Chione felt angry and frustrated with herself for not being able to identify the location of the Burial Chamber. She felt angry with the Yagos for being so compliant. They were no different than any of the local panhandlers with their hands out crying, “Baksheesh! Baksheesh!” Except, most of the locals needed whatever they received. The Yagos need was pure greed. But for intention, perhaps the CIA team was no different. Chione reached over and cut a couple more lines across the grid. Doodling. Relieved tension.
In a few minutes as the group reconvened, the Yagos were brought in and introduced. Royce led the introductions of Ms. Elbertina Yago and brothers Emilio, Claudio and Rogelio; the latter smallish with shiny skin and an expression looking much like a child trying to be a man. Claudio carried a thin brown leather valise. Elbertina, of course, primped after having stood in the wind for too long. She looked like royalty, the brothers pale and nondescript in her shadow. While the spouses stayed away from most business meetings, Carmelita made herself at home with her newfound friend. She smiled as if she was part of that family, babbled in Spanish and repeated each word spoken to assure Elbertina thoroug
hly understood.
Like a dutiful servant, before Carmelita sat, she brought a cold soda to Elbertina, who refused it. Realizing she had made a mistake, Carmelita hid the can on the seat beside herself. Someone like Elbertina surely would not press her lips against the pop-top opening of a common aluminum can.
Parker, clearly embarrassed by his wife's actions, kept a poker face and chose to say nothing.
Royce stood flicking invisible dust from his clothing.
While they were getting settled, Aaron leaned over and whispered, “Carmelita and Royce should marry into the Yago family.”
Chione almost burst out laughing then reminded herself not to be catty.
Royce introduced the team to the Yagos. When it came time to introduce his wife, he gave her name only as Kendra. Then he remained standing beside Elbertina's chair.
Kendra's suffering was clearly etched on her face.
“Now we'll hear from the Yago family representative,” Dr. Withers said.
Carmelita quickly repeated Dr. Withers's last sentence. “I'll be interpreter,” she said to the group, smiling.
“Elbertina is fluent in English,” Royce said dryly.
Slightly embarrassed, Carmelita, who had inched her chair closer to Elbertina sat back, suddenly quiet.
Clearly, Carmelita was a hindrance Royce had not counted on. Chione began to understand. Carmelita was a nuisance distracting Royce from maneuvering smoothly as he walked a tightrope. He would need to keep his cool or risk exposing his motives.
Kendra watched Royce with the keenness of an animal stalking prey. Royce avoided meeting her stare. When had he begun calling that woman Elbertina instead of Ms. Yago? Kendra's expression seemed contemptuous.
One of the brothers removed some papers from the valise and placed them in front of Elbertina. She reviewed and organized the pages while everyone waited.
Aaron doodled, drew connecting lines between the others on the grid. Now the game looked more like a tall box with a checkered bottom.
Finally, Elbertina began to speak. “First of all,” she said in a gentle feminine voice laced with proper Spanish accent. “My brothers and I wish to thank—”
Suddenly, the noise volume outside increased dramatically and captured everyone's attention. Men with gruff Egyptian voices yelled what seemed to be orders. Chione could not decipher the words from among all the other noise. The uproar approached the cook tent. Elbertina looked annoyed with the interruption. Her eyelid twitched. Dr. Withers looked puzzled. Aaron was already on his feet at the tent flaps. An officer of the Bolis, covered with dust, greeted him and quickly stepped inside followed by another officer. Laborers dragged in a couple of crates on sledges. Everything was covered with dust. Kenneth pushed his way in, all smiles and out of breath, his face, hair, and clothes laden with thick dry grit. With all of them came a hint of rancor, not unlike that first encountered upon opening of the sealed chambers.
“You couldn't have come bearing gifts,” Bebe said, teasing her husband, but watching Royce's reaction to the comment.
Royce caught her implication. His eyes flickered from Bebe to Kendra and back to Bebe. Then he looked away.
“Better than that,” Kenneth said, seeming beside himself.
Two men opened the lid of a crate labeled with the stencil markings C-23.
“Our toys?” Chione asked, rushing to kneel beside the container.
Kendra came to her side. “Wow! Not our relics,” she said as she poked through the box. “But priceless.”
Dr. Withers came to peer into the crate. “What have you found, Sirs?”
Four carved wooden busts were neatly packed inside the box, as if ready to be shipped.
“Our C-23 box,” Chione said. “But nothing we brought out of this tomb.”
“As we suspected,” the officer said. He turned and nodded to Kenneth.
“Didn't see your C-22 box anywhere,” Kenneth said. “But I made my own discovery,” He seemed unable to stand still. “No offense, Chione.” He waggled his shoulders. “I found mine wide awake with both eyes open.”
Raucous laughter broke the tension. She had gotten to know Kenneth and they had shared a chuckle or two. He must have found something magnificent to compare it to what her dreams led them to discover. Not that she was being immodest. She smiled and then stood and waited while Kenneth strutted.
“For heaven's sake, man,” Dr. Withers said. “We haven't got all day.”
“Oh, yes you do,” Kenneth said. “If you want to stay in Egypt, you have reason to stay as long as you want. I hope you enjoy your work.”
“Kenneth!” Bebe said.
One of the officers folded arms across his chest and smiled broadly; fully aware Kenneth was building up to a grand announcement.
Aaron bent down to take a closer look at the contents of the crate.
“Dr. Withers,” Kenneth said finally. “I'm proud to have much more to contribute than my meager services of photography.” No one said a word. “We found these and other boxes among the mastabas.”
Elbertina gasped as the brothers exchanged whispered comments.
“Hidden in the compartments?” Dr. Withers asked.
“Underneath, actually.”
“Kenneth, why are you hesitating?” Bebe asked.
No longer seeming to have a care in the world, Kenneth blew his wife a kiss followed by a most promising smile. “We found a passage inside one of the mastabas.”
For some reason, the faces of the Yago brothers went pale. Eyes widening, Elbertina stared straight ahead. An eyelid twitched again. Chione watched but detected nothing more. Except Royce's shirtfront heaved as he took in a subdued breath of surprise. He lowered his gaze to the floor and closed his eyes tightly for a moment as if experiencing great pain.
Had Kendra seen her husband's reaction? “A passage to what?” Chione asked.
Kenneth looked like he wanted to belt out the words but they would not roll off his tongue. Finally, he threw his shoulders back, stood taller, and blurted, “Another tomb!”
36
All spoke at once and crowded around Kenneth and the opened crate.
“It was down the far row, twenty-eight to thirty mastabas into the necropolis, right?” Chione asked.
“Come to think of it,” Kenneth said. “Right where I saw boxes the first time.”
“So that's how Chione knew we were being watched,” Aaron said.
Another unrecognized box was opened exposing a stash of exquisitely carved stone scarabs and other amulets, along with two small steles, and myriad smaller items. Joy permeated the conversation with Kenneth being frantically congratulated. Dr. Withers raised a hand for attention but the pandemonium continued. Suddenly Aaron stuck fingers into his mouth and blew a shrill tone that cut through the din.
The Yagos looked numbed. They should have been happy. Providing a permit could be secured for the new find, the Institute would require additional financial aid. Not that Chione rooted for the Yagos. The way she saw it, the Yagos should pounce on this opportunity. Instead, they looked defeated.
“This new tomb,” Kenneth said. “I was with these men.” He thumbed to the officers. “We found a mastaba with the entry slightly ajar. We pushed. It opened. The sidewall inside stood agape. Then the Bolis rushed past me through that opening. I went in after them.” He dusted the front of his shirt. “They surprised some Egyptian guys sealing up the crates.”
“What guys?” Aaron asked.
One of the officers standing at the fly held up his hands with wrists together as if handcuffed. He motioned with his head signaling they had someone in custody outside.
“Two guys,” Kenneth said. “Guess they're involved in tomb robbing.”
“You followed the Bolis through the opened wall?” Bebe asked.
“You bet I did, Honey,” he said. “And slid down the ladder to the bottom.” He gestured to the dirt on his clothing.
“What about your bad back?”
He shrugged, excited, igno
ring her question. “Guess what I saw? Crates of stuff laying everywhere… in a very large chamber.”
One of Chione's visions repeated. She saw…
…a very large empty chamber.
“Boxes like these?” Kendra asked.
Chione wondered if anyone had heard Kenneth say a very large chamber. Or was too much happening to be absorbed at once?
“I thought those particular crates were yours,” he said. “They were separate from the others and I remembered the C-23 label.”
“The crate is ours,” Chione said. “But not what's inside.”
“So these artifacts could be from that other tomb?” Bebe asked, finally coming over to look into the crates.
“Could be,” Kenneth said quickly. “Maybe not.”
“What do you mean `maybe not'?”
“We heard other voices and went into a passageway to look and found another opened mastaba above in the ceiling and a ladder—”
“A passageway?” Dr. Withers asked. He looked to be reeling in disbelief.
“Other guys may have escaped,” Kenneth said. “Looks like they were using the tomb to stash their spoils from other sites.”
The Yagos had not moved. In fact, they seemed trying hard not to react.
“What else did you see?” Chione asked.
“Except for piles of boxes, that chamber is empty.”
“Can we visit that tomb?” Dr. Withers asked of the officers.
“After we investigate,” one officer said.
“Hey, get this,” Kenneth said. “The officers advised that you file for a permit immediately. If you want to claim the find, do it now. Don't wait till you see it.”
“Better get your claim to Cairo before word of this action spreads,” Burton said after silently observing. “This is big, Sterling.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Dr. Withers said, repeatedly pulling on his mustache, first one side then the other.
Parker shook his head. “This exceeds our wildest expectations. Yet another discovery on the back of the first.”