The stones were carved in the shapes of two mountain lions, both facing the same direction. It was unlike anything Tommy had ever seen before.
Even though history or archaeology wasn’t necessarily Will’s thing, he still had an odd sense of reverence about him as he observed the site. “What did they use it for?” He asked just barely above a whisper.
Tommy shook his head. “I’m not sure. I believe they currently use it mostly for ceremonies. Originally?” He shrugged. “I’m hoping that we’re about to find out.”
He stepped around the circle carefully, looking at every angle trying to see if he could notice anything out of the ordinary. Nothing jumped out at him, though.
“See anything?” Will was copying Schultz but was essentially useless. He had no idea what he was looking for.
Tommy appreciated his help, though. At least the cop was trying. “No. Not a thing.” He put his hands on his hips and let out a deep sigh of frustration. Whatever was there had been hidden for thousands of years, so he doubted it would be easy to find, if it was even still there.
The possibility that ancient looters had taken whatever had been hidden was always something that endangered any artifact recovery mission. He’d seen it dozens of times in the years since IAA was founded.
One of the more noted instances of such a problem was the great pyramids in Egypt. Grave robbers had taken nearly all the treasures from them centuries ago.
“What was it Joe said about these lions?” Will wondered out loud as he stepped lightly around the big rocks.
Tommy set down the small backpack he’d brought on the trip and reached inside, pulling out a circular piece of stone. He palmed it reverently as he spoke. “The riddle says that the lions watch the gate.”
“Is that the one from Georgia?”
Schultz nodded. “I thought it might come in handy,” he said as he ran his fingers along the smooth stone with the spider engraved on one side, the ancient text on the other. He eyed the unique piece’s carvings. His mind went back to the lions in front of him. It didn’t make sense.
He stared at the time and weather-worn faces of the old sculptures and wondered. The only thing that lay beyond them was desert plains and cacti. “I can’t figure out what it is they’re guarding,” he said finally. “According to the message on the stone, they are supposed to be guardians, but the only thing that lies in that direction is desert. We could walk for miles and still not see anything.”
Will turned around and looked in the direction Tommy was pointing. Then he spun back around and pointed at a rock formation in the Canyon’s edge behind where Schultz was standing. “What about back there?”
Tommy spun around and looked at the smooth rock face of the canyon with several large stones standing at its base. Random holes and mini-caves dotted the wall, probably worn out by time. Some were probably used by natives from the local tribes in ancient times, accessed by ladders in case of flooding or attack.
“The lions are supposed to be guarding the location,” Tommy responded. “They would have the gate to their back if that’s the case.”
Will frowned, deep in thought. “But the clue said they ‘watch the gate.’ If that’s the case, wouldn’t they be looking at it?”
Tommy pursed his lips. Will was right.
He turned around and faced the reddish-tan stone of the canyon wall then looked back at the lions. Cautiously, he straddled the stone perimeter and stepped into the sand-filled circle where the lions rested silently. There was a narrow space between the two figures, so Tommy got down on the ground and wedged himself into it. He peered at the wall from the point of view of the sculptures. A fairly large, rounded piece of sandstone lay directly ahead abutted against the canyon wall about fifty yards away. “It’s over there,” he said confidently.
Will leaned over trying to see exactly the spot where Schultz was pointing.
“See it?”
“Yeah,” Will nodded. “Let’s check it out.”
Tommy stood up and dusted off the sand from his jeans and flannel shirt and made his way out of the circle, grabbing his backpack off the ground.
Will joined him on the other side and the two started walking towards the area they’d just seen.
“It’s interesting,” Tommy spoke suddenly as they crested a small sandy hill and descended down the other beyond sage brush and some small cacti. “These little hills hide that spot unless you are looking at it from just the right angle. The dip in the terrain reveals the location. Otherwise, no one would think that big rock was anything out of the ordinary.”
Will nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, the sound of a rattle began shaking nearby. Both men froze instantly.
Chapter 27
It had taken a little under two hours to make the drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West. The occupants of the black Audi hadn’t said much except for comments on how desolate the area was on the way.
Emily had asked a little about Adriana’s past, where she’d gone to school, lived, worked, those kinds of things. The answers had been an intriguing hodgepodge of seemingly random locales and activities. Adriana had come from a town about thirty minutes from Madrid, as Sean had already learned. She left home, briefly to attend high school in Copenhagen, Denmark until she was seventeen years old. When her mother had become sick Villa returned to Spain. From there, she went to Boston College in the United States, majoring in History with a minor in Chemistry.
“That’s an odd combination,” Sean had commented.
Her reply was cryptic. “The chemistry has bailed me out of trouble more than once.”
He hadn’t followed up with the line of questioning.
After earning her undergraduate degree she had worked for one of her father’s enterprises for a short time, establishing a global network of coffee growers and partners. They had coffee fields in Central and South America, as well as a few locations in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
“One of the primary things I wanted to do with our company was improve the quality of life in countries where people were in need. We established fair trade coffee farms and helped the ones that already existed get better international distribution. “Because of the work of our company, more than 10,000 people have jobs with decent wages or own their own businesses. Infrastructure and education has improved in those places as have the lives of the populations.”
“All from coffee.” Sean said quietly, thoughtful.
“Mmhmm.” She confirmed.
Shortly after the drive through the outpost town of Dolan Springs, the paved roads came to an end, and they found themselves cruising down a dirt and gravel road that led through the desert. Joshua trees and sage grew intermittently in the sandy, rocky earth. Huge stone formations jutted up into the sky and loomed ominously near the dusty road that wound its way through a ravine. Eventually, they ended up on a sort of plateau that ended at the Grand Canyon West visitor’s center.
Helicopters buzzed around the area like bees in a hive. A few were flying high above the canyon giving their passengers an overall view before diving down into the colossal crevasse. Others were sitting with rotors turning slowly, either just returning from a flight or about to head out.