He wraps an arm around her.
“Yes for a few days, that’s all. Now don’t go all hysterical. I promised one day I would take you there. But I will be on a case, and besides you have your studies and it’s not a safe place right now.”
Sally knew better than to question her father about the case. She gave him a smile and hugged him again.
“Okay, old man. You haven’t broken a promise to me yet.”
They spent the rest of the day looking at pictures of ancient sites, and searching the INTERNET about Chichen Itza and the Mayan civilization.
“Hey dad! Don’t forget to bring me a souvenir.”
She kissed her father Goodnight and headed up to her bedroom.
CHAPTER THREE
Doctor Tony Barrette, an anesthesiologist, was busy at work in the basement of his large old house. He has just collected two priceless artifacts which had cost him a very hefty sum. The heist was planned well by the thirty-seven-year-old anesthesiologist. The Mexican authority’s would never know an American citizen had been involved in the stolen Mayan artifacts. The only thing bothering him was the two unexpected killings of two American workers. The men he hired for the job must have run into some trouble, giving them no choice but to eliminate them. They were very well paid for the job, no questions asked.
Tony thoroughly examined the Priceless goods, going over each item with intense precision. The first item was a golden statue of an underworld god. Only about five inches in height, the statue was sculptured out of solid granite and then dipped in pure liquefied gold. The face features were still remarkably visible, and the details were incredibly precise.
The other item was a solid bronze plaque measuring ten inches by six inches. Mayan hieroglyphs were visible in very small detail all over the plaque. He was quite familiar with Mayan history and had done some deep research on how to decipher hieroglyphs. Tony managed to translate the whole plaque from beginning to end. But the last line stops abruptly as if part of the writing was missing.
Frustrated with not being able to continue this amazing long-lost information which gave exact details on how the ancient Mayans summoned the underworld spirits, and how they communicated with them. He stood up in anger and accidentally dropped the bronze plaque on the floor.
On impact, the plaque seemed to split into two pieces. Both the top and bottom ends came apart, revealing another smaller plaque hidden inside. He carefully picked it up and placed it on the table. Under the lens of his magnifying glass, he could see very tiny weird looking hieroglyphs. They were like nothing he had ever seen before, and could not decipher a single word. One thing he did know was if he could translate what is written, it would reveal the Mayans secret on how they not only summoned the spirits. But how they entered the underworld, opening a passageway into the realm of the dead. The dark land of fright, or in Mayan tongue Xibalba.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jason woke early that morning to prepare a big breakfast for Sally. She loved scrambled eggs on toast, topped up with slices of bacon. He made himself a mug of strong coffee and poured Sally a glass of fresh orange juice.
Breakfast all set. He went upstairs to wake his daughter. Sally was a deep sleeper and could sleep through the worst of thunderstorms. As for Jason, a fly passing overhead was enough to wake him in an instant.
First, he knocked gently on her door. No answer. He tried again, and still no answer. He called out to her and was about to open the door when she stepped out from the bathroom just two doors down the hall.
Jason said. “You’re awake! That’s a first! I made you some breakfast before I leave.”
“Well, that’s what woke me…. The smell of bacon.”
She rushed passed him and ran downstairs to the kitchen.
They ate breakfast together and talked some more about Chichen Itza. After breakfast Jason gave her the usual parental lecture. His flight was scheduled to leave just before noon. Sally prepared herself for school. She kissed her father goodbye and hugged him as hard as she could.
Jason then loaded his luggage and drove to the office, where he was to meet up with Danny before leaving for the airport.
Danny was already there when he arrived. They checked out with chief Berks and took Danny’s car to the airport. Their flight was on time, and they went through security with a flash of their badges. The airport officials gave both of them weird expressions, as it seemed Danny was escorting some criminal. Jason noticed their looks, winking at them as he passed them by.
After a few hours in the air they landed in Cancun, the closest airport to Chichen Itza. On their arrival, they were met by a local guide, just as Matt had told them. Their guide was a short, skinny man going by the name of Andreas. Their guide escorted them to a Toyota pickup and began the long journey to the campsite near Osario.
The weather was quite hot but had a cool breeze blowing in from the west. Jason rode in front, feet on the dashboard, and with his Colt on his lap. Andreas kept his eye on the road and at the same time was also nervously keeping an eye on Jason and the gun he had. Danny saw the tension in Andreas face, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Danny said, “it’s okay Andreas. Agent Mallock here is the person you would want with you if trouble arises. Don’t be taken back by his looks and behavior.”
Jason turned around. “Hey! What’s wrong with my looks and behavior?”
They drove for another hour, when Andreas took a left turn into the jungle. He slowly drove for another half hour over a bumpy road when finally he stopped, not able to go any further.
All three men stepped out of the vehicle and stretched their legs. Andreas went to the rear of the pick-up and put on a backpack he had brought with him. The sun was slowly disappearing and would be dark soon. In the other hand, he held a large flashlight, ready to use as soon as it got dark.
“The trail ends here. We continue on foot now,” he said.
Danny and Jason collected their gear and asked.
“How far is the campsite?”
The guide smiled.
“Oh…. maybe two miles or so,” he said, pointing his flashlight in the direction they will be heading.
Danny turned to Jason.
“I should have come in my damn hiking gear instead of this three hundred dollar suit.”
“Why do you think I never wear one? We’re mostly out in the field, not in an office behind a desk,” said Jason.
They caught up with Andreas, who was nearly out of sight. The jungle around them was thick with trees and bush. Andreas stopped, waiting for them to catch up, knowing the jungle was not a safe place to be after the sun went down.
Danny almost lost his footing a few times. But Jason kept a strong pace, only a few feet behind the guide. They had been walking for nearly forty minutes, when up ahead they could see the campsite fire flickering beyond the trees. Not wanting to startle the people at the site, Andreas called out to them from twenty yards away. Immediately two local workers came rushing in their direction with loaded shotguns. One of them fired a warning shot into the air. Jason was the first to react. He had his Colt aimed directly at one of the oncoming men. Jason was ready to shoot if they fired a shot in his direction. Even in darkness, Jason rarely misses his target. Some people swear he has the ability to see in total darkness.
Andreas frantically waves his arms, shouting out to the two men in their native tongue. Recognizing his voice, the two armed men wave them on in. Danny was relieved to see Andreas shaking hands with the two men. The guide then waved Danny and Jason to come forward and introduced them to his friends. Jason stepped forward and shook the hand of the person who fired the warning shot. He tightened his grip, forcing the man to his knees.