EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

GALLATIN HIGH SCHOOL

BOZEMAN, MONTANA

January 21

The audience clapped vigorously at the end of the performance during the bows, and then everyone got to their feet to make it a standing ovation. Roth rose, his hands sore from the applause, but he smiled and then did a finger whistle when the cast parted to have the technical crew come forward and Suki took her bow.

Two weeks ago, Roth had been at Ford’s Theatre with the boys, listening to how Lincoln had been assassinated while attending a comedy. So sitting in this theater, watching this comedy, had him on edge. Even though Lund had assured Roth the high school was safe, and every entrance and exit was being monitored, there was still the nagging worry that something bad could happen. He glanced over at Jordan and Monica, who were talking to each other, pointing to the stage. An FBI agent was present, for pity’s sake, and still Roth was restless.

PTSD sucked.

“That was so good,” Lucas yelled.

“It was amazing,” Roth agreed.

Brillante was still clapping. “Brice was awesome. I loved that one character ... what was her name?”

“Lady Hyacinth!” Lucas said. “The best!”

Suki’s boyfriend had played nearly all the D’Ysquith characters and done a fantastic job of it.

Roth pulled out his wallet and grabbed a ten-dollar bill. Handing it to Lucas, he said, “Run to concessions and get me another cup of caramel Bugles.”

Brice’s mom had made them, and they were simply the best.

“I wants me another Mountain Dew,” Brillante said. “I’ll go with him.”

People were already starting to leave the high school theater, so the twins dodged through the crowd and disappeared. Roth turned and looked up at the lighting booth, and Lund gave him a courtesy nod and a thumbs-up.

He felt tiny arms wrap around his waist and looked down, finding Jane Louise there. He tousled her hair and smiled at James and BJ McKinty, who had brought her to the performance. James wore a leather newsboy cap and had a goatee and polo shirt. BJ, who had adopted the entire Roth family after they’d brought her precious granddaughter back to Bozeman, had spiky hair and wore the most colorful clothes. She’d brought them treats constantly since they’d been back—everything from cake pops to homemade cookies to chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Monica had facilitated the introduction, and she’d been there when the Roths met the McKintys. There was no acrimony, no anger. They knew Sarina had been held against her will and that the death of their daughter’s family hadn’t been the Roths’ fault. It was because of the Roths that Jane Louise had survived.

Roth had worked with a new estate attorney to transfer the Beasleys’ assets back to Jane Louise through a family trust that her grandparents would be the custodians of until she was old enough.

“Did you like the play, sweetie?” Sarina asked, squeezing Jane Louise’s shoulder. The little girl hugged her next.

“It was funny,” she said.

“We enjoyed it too,” BJ said. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“A pleasant evening,” James said simply. Not a man of many words. He worked in air traffic control at Bozeman Yellowstone International, so he’d been involved with the ruckus after Jacob Calakmul had blown up a hangar.

“Glad you could make it. How’s work, James?” Roth asked, trying to draw him out.

“We’ve heard that the FAA might be shutting down international travel soon. The plague is spreading through Europe so fast.”

Roth glanced at Monica. She and Jordan were holding hands. That was sweet to see. He’d have to ask her what the federal government was going to do about the plague. Would they admit where it had really come from? Or would there be a more believable cover story?

Roth had refused multiple interview requests from the media, who were trying to match what his book said with current events. The official story about the near attack from Mexico was that the Mexican government was undergoing a coup and political unrest in every state, but there were plenty of smaller stories that dissented from that version of events. There were also accounts from those who’d witnessed humans shifting to animals and dozens if not hundreds of conspiracy theories about everything from what had really happened in the White House to what was causing the plague. Air traffic to Europe had come to a halt due to the spreading illness, and from what Roth had been told, things would only get worse unless a cure was found.

They needed a glyph to stop what a glyph had started. Illari Chaska was researching that, and Suki and Sarina would be able to test her findings using the kem ?m. The possible ramifications were staggering. Already, Suki could use glyphs to heal injuries, and the government was seeking out other individuals who might also be able to channel the power. Officials had demanded more of the jewelry that could be used to control the kem ?m, but so far none had been forthcoming with the collapse of the Mexican government.

In the meantime, Roth had stopped reading his e-mail, overwhelmed by all the demands on his time and attention. Things were far from normal.

“Sarina,” BJ said, “before we came here, Jane Louise asked when she could see your family again. The mansion is too big for us, so we’re staying in our house for now. She’s not ready to start school yet. Not with so many rumors out there. Agent Sanchez said we should probably home school her for a while. I don’t mean to intrude on your lives, but ...?”

Sarina hugged Jane Louise again. “The twins would love to watch movies with her, and I think Suki considers her a little sister. She’s ... she’s part of our family now. We’ll be heading to DC next week but come over every day until then.”

BJ smiled and gave Roth a hug. “And you’re my baby boy now,” she crooned to Roth. Then she squeezed past him and hugged Sarina. “And you’re my baby girl.” Then she tapped Jane Louise on the shoulder. “Want to get a sundae from McDonald’s on the way home?”

“Yes!” Jane Louise said. She waved goodbye and left with the McKintys. Roth felt his heart clench. He didn’t like to see her go. When she wasn’t around, he worried about her. He’d asked Lund to make sure the McKintys had a decent security system, but even so, it didn’t feel like enough. Not after he’d had to walk away from her at the death game. There were news vans parked at the edge of the Beasley property night and day, waiting for someone to show up to talk to. Thankfully, they didn’t know about the McKintys yet. Lund’s crew was keeping them away from the Roths’ home.

“I miss that little girl every time she leaves,” Roth admitted, feeling that painful ache.

Sarina leaned against him. He put his arm around her and pulled her in. With a new insulin pump regulating her blood sugar, she had the flush of good health again. As a family, they’d decided to keep their knowledge of Aztlán a secret for now. At least until they saw how the government handled the information they’d already been given. They’d see what demands were made of them too—Suki, Sarina, and the boys wanted to help, and they had the ability to make a real difference with their knowledge of the kem ?m, but they also wanted to maintain some control over their lives.

Roth saw the twins coming, Brillante with his Mountain Dew and Lucas with two cups of homemade caramel Bugles.

“Let’s congratulate Suki,” Roth said to Jordan and Monica over the commotion. The cast and crew usually lined up in the corridor outside the theater to greet the audience. Jordan nodded, and the couple joined them. They had to shuffle along with the crowd to join the line to see the theater members. It was so noisy that Roth’s ears were ringing. He felt his heart racing, his body start to sweat. A feeling of panic made him want to tear through the crowd and run for his truck. But he took some calming breaths, held on to Sarina, and suffered through the noise.

When they got to Suki, she was standing next to Brice, her arm around him. Her face was flushed, and Roth could see the crowd was a little too much for her too, but she was clearly enjoying the moment of triumph. The play had been a fantastic production. And she’d helped with all aspects of it.

“You did great,” Roth said, holding his palm out to her.

Suki shook her head and gave him a real hug instead. “Thanks for coming.”

“We’re so proud of you,” Roth said. He kissed her hair. “Brice. You were awesome. And tell your mom I want the recipe for the Bugles.”

Brice laughed out loud. “It’s a family secret. Sorry. Thanks for coming to the show. We couldn’t have pulled it off without Suki, our awesome stage manager.”

Suki beamed. “Awww, thanks for saying that. The cast is going to Dairy Queen, Dad, so I’ll be coming home late.”

“Just text Uncle Steve and make sure he knows where you are,” Roth said. “But you can go. Just don’t stay out too late.”

“We’re all exhausted. So it’ll probably be around eleven. That okay?”

“That’s fine,” Sarina answered.

Roth felt the burner phone in his pocket vibrate, meaning he had a new text. Then it buzzed again. And again.

Worry began to surge inside his chest. He hurriedly fished his hand into his pocket and pulled out the burner phone. About a dozen alerts had been delivered from an unknown number.

Roth felt engulfed by panic. His heart was hammering as he stared at the screen. His mouth went dry.

“Everything okay?” Monica asked, suddenly at his side. He didn’t know. He just felt like running.

“Let’s get away from the crowd,” Sarina suggested. Roth made sure the twins were nearby as Monica and Sarina steered him down the hall back to the open common area at the front of the high school. There were some steps fashioned into an amphitheateresque setting, and he sat down, trying not to totally freak out.

He didn’t recognize the number and unlocked the phone to look at the message, which contained about a dozen photo images sent from another phone.

Mr. Roth, this is Illari. I’m in the Yucatán with Dr. Estrada. We arrived in Calakmul two days ago and have been visiting the compound here. We met Ezequiel, who told us what went down that night. His people have been interrogating those who were part of Calakmul’s cult. Still trying to find that glyph like we talked about, and we’ve been asking questions about that too. But that’s not why I’m texting. We met this one US family, the Moretti family, who are from Utah. They say they didn’t have a clue what any of this was about and want to go home. They also say they know you. Here are some pictures of them. Can you vouch for them?

Roth’s heart began to calm as he scrolled through some of the pictures. Roth recognized Mrs. Moretti and the kids. They were wearing dirty clothes and looked pretty scared.

He showed the phone and the messages to Monica. Did the kids know their dad was dead? The ripples caused by Jacob Calakmul would extend for quite a while.

“You recognize them?” Monica asked.

Roth nodded. “Saw them last at Westfall’s funeral a year ago. It’s them.”

“We’re still working with State to figure out how to handle the situation down there. Any US citizens being held need to be extradited. Not sure how that is all going to work. But I’ll make arrangements to get Moretti’s family picked up from the airport or at a border crossing.”

“Thank you,” Roth said. His stomach was sick again. A few unexpected texts was all that had been needed to send him into an emotional nosedive. It would take time to heal. Time for all of them.

He texted back.

I know the Morettis. Agent Sanchez will work with you to get them back home. Thanks for letting me know.

He put the burner phone back in his pocket and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sarina’s comforting hand on his shoulder. Then Lucas hugged him.

“It’s okay, Dad. It’ll all be okay.”

Maybe it would be, and maybe not. An ancient disease was still ravaging the world. Several Central American countries were being shaken up by three Maya angels. A world coup had been disrupted. A prophecy was being fulfilled.

And yet ... maybe some good would come from all of it? The kem ?m had the power to change the world. To do spectacular and horrible things.

The future was a big question mark, an unknown. The only thing Roth knew for certain was that his life had become more exciting, more challenging, than in any one of his books. And with his family around him, together again, he was surprisingly okay with that.