‘Apparently, this has something to do with a bishop named Diego de Landa. I guess they thought her background would be useful regarding him.’
‘Diego de Landa,’ he repeated with venom. ‘You know how I feel about violence, but that’s a man I wish you’d had a crack at. Actually, calling him a man is an insult to men everywhere. That, um, bishop was the devil incarnate.’
Payne smiled. In all their time together, he had never heard Ulster curse. ‘For a moment there, I thought you were going to say “bastard”.’
‘For a moment there, I was tempted. But in the end, decorum won out.’
‘Anyway, the team leader gave Maria a document to translate. It describes a treasure and several other things she isn’t familiar with. We were hoping you could fill us in.’
‘I’d be happy to. That is, if you have permission from the team leader. I would hate to step on any toes.’
Payne scratched his chin. ‘Actually, that might be a little bit difficult. One of the reasons we’re helping Maria is because the team leader has disappeared.’
‘Disappeared? As in lost in the jungle?’
He shook his head. ‘As in abducted from a hotel. At least that’s what we think happened. We’re still sorting through the facts.’
‘Good heavens! Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘Yeah. You can answer some questions about the Maya.’
‘No, my boy, I meant in regards to the abduction. I know quite a few people in the academic community. Perhaps, I can put you in touch with some of his colleagues.’
Payne smiled at the suggestion. It was an angle he hadn’t considered. ‘Actually, now that you mention it, that’s a wonderful idea. Maria never had a chance to meet the rest of her team. If we can figure out who’s involved with this, perhaps they can help us find Hamilton.’
‘Did you say Hamilton? As in Terrence Hamilton?’
‘Yep, that’s the guy. Why? Have you heard of him?’
Ulster swallowed hard. ‘Indeed I have. He’s a friend of mine.’
43
Payne cursed his stupidity. Until that moment, he hadn’t even considered the possibility that Ulster and Hamilton might know each other, even though the connection should have been obvious. Because of the size and scope of the Archives, Ulster was considered royalty in the academic community, a man who could launch a career with a phone call or a letter of recommendation. And since Hamilton was considered one of the preeminent Mayan scholars in the world, it made sense that their paths would have crossed at some point.
Payne quickly apologized. ‘Petr, I am so sorry. It never dawned on me that you might be friends. Are you two close?’
Ulster shook his head. ‘Not socially, but we chatted from time to time about his research. He had some fascinating theories about Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the shared terminology of the Maya and the Aztecs. Truly groundbreaking concepts.’
‘Is that so?’ Payne asked as he considered the information. ‘How groundbreaking are we talking?’
‘I’m not sure I follow.’
‘I mean, would this be the kind of research that certain groups would want to stop?’
‘Stop? Why would someone want to stop his research?’
Payne shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe political reasons.’
‘Political? Good heavens, no! The Maya and the Aztecs were once warring nations, but their descendants have long since assimilated into Mexican culture. Now they stand in unison under the flag of Mexico. His research would not be controversial. Not at all!’
‘Sorry, I’m just brainstorming here. Trying to figure out why someone would abduct Hamilton. As you know, I’m slightly out of my element when it comes to history.’
Ulster took a deep breath. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I guess I’m a tad unnerved by your news. Was there any sign of violence?’
‘No, nothing like that.’
Payne took a few minutes to fill Ulster in on the basics, everything from Maria’s initial invitation to the translation of the Mercado document. Out of everything discussed, the thing that bothered Ulster the most was the cargo in the Hummer. He simply couldn’t understand why Hamilton would have a crate filled with weapons and a trunk full of relics.
Ulster said, ‘That’s not the Terrence I know. He was always the cautious sort when it came to protecting his discoveries. He definitely wasn’t the type to put explosives and artefacts in the same space. That’s just asking for trouble.’
‘Unless, of course, he’d already found trouble and had no other choice but to protect himself. I mean, his captors must have been desperate. They grabbed him at a luxury hotel in the middle of the afternoon.’
Ulster grimaced. ‘That doesn’t sound like Terrence, either.’
‘What doesn’t?’
‘A luxury hotel. He’s more of a tent kind of fellow.’
‘Hamilton wasn’t staying there. Maria was. He got her a nice suite for the weekend. I think he used it to entice her to make the trip. That and a healthy stipend.’
Ulster leaned forward in his chair. ‘Now that definitely doesn’t sound like Terrence. I wonder what he’s got himself involved in?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I don’t want to speak ill of the dead — um, I mean missing — but when I said he was ‘a tent kind of fellow’, that’s a polite way of saying he was thrifty. No, not thrifty. That would imply that he had wealth and chose not to spend it. Hmm, how should I put this?’
‘Bluntly.’
‘Yes, of course. No sense in holding back now. I think the most accurate term to describe Terrence would be “destitute”.’
‘Broke? He was broke? Why do you think that?’
‘Why? Because it’s common knowledge in the academic community. Terrence was something of a control freak when it came to his research. He hated external input — especially the kind that came from big-money donors who knew nothing about his field — so he tended to fund his expeditions out of his own pocket. That meant sleeping in a tent instead of an air-conditioned camper, using unpaid interns instead of a highly trained staff and eating beans by the campfire instead of a feast prepared by a personal chef.’
‘In other words, he was the opposite of you.’
Ulster laughed. ‘Exactly!’
Payne paused in thought. ‘But still respected?’
‘Definitely! In fact, some scholars respected him even more because of his suffering. It takes a certain type of courage to turn down corporate money and academic funding to work for oneself. In many ways, I bet it was liberating. To make your own choices, to control your own destiny. Most people can’t do that because of familial responsibilities. Between children and spouses, food and rent, there’s no money left over for research. In today’s economy, most tenured professors have to forego sabbaticals because they don’t have the funds to follow through with their research. What used to be a full year at half pay is now a half year at even less. It’s sad, really. The best academic minds in the world are languishing on campuses because they can’t afford to explore the world. How do we expect to learn new things about the past if our greatest scholars are tethered to their classrooms?’
Payne answered, ‘By breaking the rules.’
‘Actually, my boy, that was a rhetorical question.’
‘Maybe so, but I stand by my response. When people get desperate, they tend to do things that are out of character, whether it’s stealing food when they’re hungry or buying guns when they’re scared. I might not know much about history, but I know a lot about people. And since our arrival in Mexico, everything that I’ve learned about this case — Maria’s last-minute invitation, the break-in at her suite, even the crate of weapons — reeks of desperation.’