The jungle offered a myriad of hiding places. But I knew we couldn't hide forever. Eventually, Votan would track us down.
A soft scream rang out.
Beverly plastered her back against a tree trunk and peered out into the marsh. "It's Dora," she said tightly. "Renau too."
"Where are they?" I asked.
"They're running this way. They're …" A horrified look came over her face. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Graham asked.
"They've been captured." She turned to face us. "Votan's got them."
Chapter 83
"How'd he find us?" Emily's face was flushed. "No one — not even the rescue crew — knows our location."
"It doesn't matter how he found us," Miranda said in an exacerbated tone. "All that matters is that he's here."
All heads turned toward her.
"We have to assume he came for the library," Miranda continued. "If we give it to him, he might spare us."
"He won't." Graham took a deep breath. "Trust me. Beverly, Cy, and I have dealt with this maniac before."
"I know. But he might cut us a break if we convince him we're stranded here. After all, our helicopter is busted. Plus, the crater is sealed off."
"It's worth a shot," I said. "How do you feel about approaching him?"
"By myself?"
"It's your idea. Anyway you're famous. He's more likely to pay attention to you."
Miranda looked uncertain. "Okay."
"We'll stay here," Beverly added. "If anything happens, drop to the ground and we'll cover you."
"Does anyone have a piece of white cloth?"
I reached into my satchel and removed one of the rags I used to clean my hands while working in the soil. Quickly, I tied it to a long branch.
Miranda took the impromptu white flag from me. Then she stood up and took a few deep breaths. "Wish me luck."
Slowly, she picked her way through the jungle. Moments later, she walked past the tree line and skirted around the edge of the ancient cement basin.
"Good riddance," Beverly said. "Now, what's the real plan?"
"Real plan?" Emily frowned. "What are you talking about?"
I gathered the group into a tight circle. "Miranda's a fraud. She fabricated at least one of her most famous papers. Probably many others too. I won't go into the details. But she trimmed and massaged the evidence to fit her thesis about climate change causing the Classic Maya Collapse."
"That's impossible." Rigoberta's voice sounded hollow. "I've read all her works. They're heavily footnoted. Anyway if she'd been lying for that long, someone would've noticed."
"Pacho noticed. After he died, I searched his tent. I found one of her papers along with others she'd used as references. On the surface, her work looks good. Her apparatus is massive. Her data sets are enormous. Her methodologies appear comprehensive. But Pacho wasn't fooled. He was systematically checking every footnote, every citation. Unfortunately, many of them were fabricated or altered."
Dr. Wu stared at me, wide-eyed. "How could she get away with that?"
"I think I know," Tum said. "Academics love Miranda. But they love her conclusions even more. Most of them believe climate change is a real threat to humanity. So, they probably never even stopped to consider the possibility she was conning them."
"I also found lots of empty duffel bags in Pacho's tent," I said. "I think he brought other papers with them. I'm fairly certain Miranda disposed of them after she killed him."
"Wait." The doc's eyes opened even wider. "You think she killed him?"
"I'm almost positive. And not only that. I think she's the one who brought Votan here."
"But why would she do that?" Emily asked. "She's an archaeologist. She should want to see the Library of the Mayas more than anyone."
"She's built her entire reputation on a single theory," Graham explained. "Namely, that manmade climate change caused the Classic Maya Collapse. If the library backs that up, it doesn't really help her, especially since so many of her peers are convinced of it anyway. But if it doesn't back her theory, people will start taking a closer look at her work."
"Let's say you're right." Emily glanced at me. "Let's say she's trying to lead us into a trap. What can we do about it?"
"I don't know." I looked across the marsh and caught sight of Dora and Renau. They stood near Votan's helicopter. Their hands were raised high in the air. Numerous guns were pointed in their direction. "But whatever we do, we'd better do it fast."
Chapter 84
The makeshift white flag ruffled fiercely in the wind as Miranda walked forward. On the surface, she appeared calm and collected. But inside, she was a mess of frazzled nerves.
Sixteen individuals stood around Votan's helicopter. They wore black shirts and black pants. Black ski masks adorned their faces.
Miranda felt slightly emboldened upon seeing the masks. They wanted to protect their identities. Clearly, Votan intended to spare her life.
Dora and Renau stood several feet in front of Votan's men. Their knees trembled gently. Their hands were behind their backs, presumably tied in tight knots. Black drawstring bags covered their heads.
A man stepped forward. He was tall and skinny. He possessed broad shoulders and giant hands. "Hello Miranda," he said in a disembodied voice.
Miranda swallowed hard. It was difficult to believe she was actually standing in front of Votan.
"The prisoners are gagged," he continued. "They can't alert your friends."
Miranda's gaze flitted to the Maneros. They were about to learn of her betrayal. They'd probably hate her for it. Unfortunately, the greater good sometimes called for sacrifices. "Good," she replied. "The others are waiting in the east jungle, near the pyramid. There are seven of them all together, including Cy Reed."
Dora and Renau squirmed. Tiny noises escaped their gagged lips.
"I'll hand them over to you," Miranda said. "In exchange, you spare my life. Then I'll help you retrieve the library and melt it down."
"How will you leave here?" the man asked.
"I'm going with you. You're taking the corpses too."
The man cocked his head.
"No one knows I'm here and I'd like to keep it that way. So, I'll have you drop me off in the jungle with the bodies. We'll stage a massacre. Then I'll call for help. When a rescue crew arrives, I'll tell them a band of Maya savages raided our camp. They stole our supplies, executed the other expedition members, and escaped via Emily's helicopter." She shrugged. "I'll say I managed to hide in the jungle until they were gone."
"You're going to blame it on Mayas?"
"I have to blame it on someone."
"And once you return to civilization?"
"As promised, I'll continue to feed you information on dig sites."
"I still don't see how this benefits you." The man shrugged. "But that's your business."
Miranda twisted eastward. She raised the white flag high over her head. "Hey everyone," she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I worked out a deal with Votan."
A minute passed. The Maneros continued to squirm.
Miranda cupped a hand around her mouth. "It's okay," she yelled. "You can come out now."
Another minute passed. And yet, no one emerged from the jungle.
A frown creased Miranda's face. "I guess they can't hear me."
"More likely, they just don't trust you."
Ice crept down Miranda's spine. Slowly, she turned around. "I … I don't understand."
Renau and Dora stood in the exact same spots. But bags no longer covered their faces. Matching pistols filled their hands.
Dora gave her a condescending look. "It's rather simple, really."
Miranda slowly turned toward the tall man. "He isn't Votan."
"That's right." Renau smiled as he raised his pistol. "I'm Votan."