‘Nope. Never heard of it.’
‘Historians studied famous monuments all around the world, and they picked the ones that you should visit before it is too late. Catedral Metropolitana is high on that list.’
She considered his statement. ‘In that case, would you mind taking my picture in front of it? I want to get a photo before it falls down.’
Over the next fifteen minutes, Tiffany took several photographs of the plaza. She walked to one end of the square and snapped some pictures. Then she walked to the other end and did the same. But instead of focusing her lens on the buildings and monuments, like every other tourist in the Zócalo, she was more concerned with traffic patterns and escape routes.
As families strolled past and young kids played, she tried to imagine what they would do if they heard a gunshot. Would they freeze? Would they scatter? Or would they put their faith in God and run towards the cathedral? And what about the guards at the National Palace? It was no longer the official residence of the Mexican President, but it was still a government building. Would they come running, or would they lock their doors to protect their own?
Tiffany continued to ponder such things as she walked towards the northeast corner of the plaza. She noticed a steady stream of people coming and going from that direction, but she couldn’t understand why. As far as she could tell, there was nothing over there except an intersection. And then she saw it. A set of stairs leading under the plaza.
She went closer and peered into the stairwell, unsure what she would find in the shadows. Several feet underground, there was a blue-and-white sign that read, ‘Zócalo’. Next to it was the symbol for the Mexico City Metro system. For some reason, this major station on Line 2 was practically hidden from the plaza. No signs or symbols on the street above. Just two iron railings and a long set of stone stairs leading into the depths of Paco’s island.
Just to be safe, she made sure there were no surprises in the station before calling in her field assessment. Using a burner phone, she dialled the number from memory and waited for the team leader to answer. She knew what was at stake. The next phase of their mission would be based on her evaluation. If the plaza wouldn’t work for a ransom drop, she had the authority to move it to a secondary location — even if that meant waiting for another day.
‘So,’ he asked her, ‘what do you think?’
‘I think it’s perfect.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m positive. There’s no way they’ll catch me.’
‘If they do, they’ll kill you.’
She smiled. ‘Not if I kill them first.’
30
Payne didn’t bother to criticize Maria for leaving the SUV. He was too focused on Hamilton’s cargo to worry about her disobedience.
The back of the Hummer was filled with artefacts, each divided by category and stored in a handmade display case with removable wooden slats. The case stretched almost the whole length and width of the trunk, as if it were custom-fitted to the vehicle. Large objects such as painted ceramic vases, clay statues and intricate jade masks were packed in bubble wrap and given their own individual compartments. Meanwhile, smaller items, such as jewellery, stone figurines and pottery shards, were relegated to plastic bags and crammed in the remaining spaces. With a depth of 24 inches, the case held more than 100 items.
As the lone archaeologist in the group, Maria stepped forward and examined the relics. Despite having very little experience with Mesoamerican art, she had spent enough time in museums around the world to know an important find when she saw one. And this qualified.
Maria held up a plastic bag. Inside was a carved stone figure depicting a Mayan god with an elaborate headdress. ‘Do you know what a collector would pay for this?’
Payne shrugged. ‘No idea.’
‘Depending on its age, probably tens of thousands of dollars.’
‘For an action figure? It’s not even in its original box.’
She ignored the wisecrack. ‘The Mayan civilization is more than four thousand years old. If this object came from the Preclassic Era, it might even predate Christ.’ She handed it to Jones, who gazed at its features. ‘I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t my area of expertise, but at first glance, I’d say that Hamilton made a substantial discovery. On the open market, the contents of this trunk are worth … well … I honestly don’t know. But I guarantee it’s a lot.’
Jones grimaced at her assessment but said nothing. In his mind, it still wasn’t the right time to ruin their moods. He would wait until they had a little more time to examine the bounty before he revealed the bad news about Hamilton.
Payne glanced at Maria. ‘What did you mean by that?’
‘Which part?’ she asked.
‘The part where you said this wasn’t your area of expertise.’
‘Well, it isn’t my area of expertise. Furthermore, you know it isn’t.’
Payne didn’t like her tone, and he didn’t like her use of “furthermore”. The word was dripping with condescension. ‘Excuse me?’
She glared at him. ‘You know damn well what my specialty is. Or don’t you remember roughing me up while I was searching for Christian artefacts in Italy?’
‘Roughing you up? What in the hell are you talking about?’
Her voice was filled with venom. ‘Oh, I see how it is. You’ve beaten up so many women that you can’t possibly remember them all. Well, let me refresh your memory. When you tracked me down in Milan, you grabbed me by my hair, threw me on the hood of a car, then shoved a gun under my chin while threatening to blow my head off. Or was that someone else?’
‘Hold up,’ he said, confused. ‘Is that how you remember it?’
‘Yes! That’s how I remember it!’
He shook his head. ‘Funny, because I remember it differently to you. I remember you and your mentor being international fugitives at the time, accused of mass murder and twenty other charges that would’ve gotten you fried. That forced me to take extra precautions during our first encounter. Furthermore — to use your word — I recall saving your ass on multiple occasions, clearing both of your names and helping you with the biggest discovery of your career.’
‘Yeah, but—’
‘Furthermore,’ he said angrily, ‘I also remember a phone call from you less than twenty-four hours ago when you were crying like a schoolgirl and begging for my help. So it might be nice if you dropped the arrogance for a little while and showed me some goddamned respect.’
Furious, she cursed him in Italian.
Payne turned towards Jones. ‘I don’t deserve this shit! I really don’t! You need to talk to your wife right now and get her ass in line, or you can handle this mess on your own. As far as I’m concerned, there are more than enough ungrateful people in the world. If they happen to lose their queen, it isn’t going to bother me in the least.’
‘Jon—’
‘DJ, I’m serious! She’s been giving me attitude ever since we arrived. First at the hotel, then in the car. Now she’s accusing me of beating women? What the hell is that about? I asked her a legitimate question about her area of expertise, and she hits me with a “furthermore”. Really? After all I’ve done for her? I ought to take that “furthermore” and shove it up her ass.’ Payne turned his head and glared at Maria. ‘But I would never do that because “I don’t hurt women.” ’
Cursing under his breath, he stormed away from the Hummer and headed to the far end of the rocky shoal. Not only to calm down, but to give the unhappy couple a chance to talk in private. Payne knew his verbal confrontation with Maria would put Jones in an awkward position, forcing him to get between his best friend and his ex-girlfriend, but Payne didn’t regret anything he’d said. He truly meant it when he said he would walk away from the situation. Although it was against his nature to turn his back on someone in trouble, the only person who appeared to be in peril was Terrence Hamilton, who was a total stranger to them. With Payne’s military connections, he knew he could place a single call to the US Embassy in Mexico and convince them to assemble a team to investigate Hamilton’s disappearance. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted not doing that at the very beginning. Heck, the only reason he hadn’t was because of Jones. Or, more specifically, Jones’s feelings for Maria.