Chapter 12

Everyonein the camp arrived early in the mess tent the next morning.

Ty guessed that no one had slept soundly after the snakes had been planted in the shower tent. As soon as he and Cara entered the mess, she headed straight back to Cookie to see if she needed any help.

Gunn was already seated with a cup of coffee in front of him. So, Ty helped himself to a cup and sat across from him. Both began reviewing the feeds.

"Nothing on my end," Gunn said, laying his phone on the table.

"All clear here." Ty picked up his cup.

Paulo and Roy moved from the serving line and joined them.

"Breakfast tacos," Paulo said. "I have to say I prefer the American version to those I get at home. More meat. Generous portions." He rubbed his belly. "This place is making me fat. Her salsa, though, is right on point."

The orange sauce was dripping on his plate. Ty nodded but thought he'd give it a pass.

Just as he was contemplating getting up to serve himself, a plate slid onto the table before him. Cara walked around and placed another in front of Gunn. She set a squeeze bottle filled with the peppery salsa in the middle of the table. "I'll be right back."

Gunn opened his taco and squeezed two thick lines of the salsa down the center of the eggs, chorizo, and potato mix.

Ty opened his and placed three dots on his before he rolled it up again.

"Chicken," Gunn said.

"I like my tongue."

"I'm sure Cara does, too," Cookie said as she slipped onto the chair beside Gunn.

Cara put her plate on the table and covered her ears. "La-la-la."

Ty glanced up at her and winked, then pushed back her chair so she could take her seat.

"What's on the agenda today?" Ty asked.

Roy cleared his throat. "We'll be back inside the chamber—the one where we found the mummy," he added, "and then we'll pack up our gear and bring it back here."

"So soon?" Cara asked. "I thought it was going to take at least a couple more days."

"Raul and the other students are on their way back now. They'll join us at the site. We aren't stopping until we finish today."

"That's good," Ty said.

"Sooner, the better," Roy muttered.

"How long should it take to tear down this place?" Gunn asked.

Paulo blew out a breath that filled his cheeks. "Two days? We'll tear down the empty tents first, load them, and take them to our storage unit in Ma'ax. Then we'll begin moving people together into tents, as well as inside this one. The shower and the mess are always the last to be taken down."

"You use the same site every year?"

"Yes. The jungle encroaches while we are gone, but as long as we don't have to machete trees, it's easy to clear."

"We get with Gino when we're setting up, and he brings out a crew to help," Cara said. "We can ask for help here now if we want to break down more quickly."

Ty and Gunn shared a glance. "I think the fewer unknowns walking in our midst, the better."

Cara nodded. "Gotcha."

"The latrines?" Gunn asked.

"They're all wood. Next season, we will burn them and then dig new holes and erect new huts." Paulo held up a hand. "I know we should use portable units, but that would mean having someone come in to empty them. We'd have to bulldoze to get a truck close enough to do that."

"Anyone check the forecast?" Roy asked.

"I did," Cara said. "There's rain in four days, and it looks like it'll last for nearly a week."

"So, we have a hard deadline," he said. "We can't afford to roll up and store wet tents, and we don't want to wait that long for them to dry."

There were murmurs but no grumbling.

"Four days," Ty said softly.

"It's coming up fast, isn't it?" Cara said.

For four days, they'd still be together. It wasn't nearly long enough.

LeavingCookie and her workers behind, the rest of the personnel on site convoyed out to the ruins.

As luck would have it, Raul and the two students who had accompanied him back to the university were already there.

Paulo and Raul gave each other a big bro hug.

"From your last text, I thought it best to hurry back," Raul said, his gaze questioning.

"I have so much to tell you," Paulo said. His gaze went to Ty, who gave him a nod.

The two men walked away.

Roy whistled loudly and gestured for the students to gather around him. "Today, we close the site. No matter how long it takes, every excavation must be shored up, hardened, and diagrammed. We finish this today."

The students groaned but followed with grins.

"Let's gather our gear," the professor said.

Cara, along with Gunn and Ty, followed, ready to pitch in where they could.

"No one goes near the edge," Ty said under his breath.

"I won't even glance that way," Cara said.

Two students climbed onto the bed of the truck that had just returned and began lifting plywood planks for the moat to hand down. There were also long two-by-fours for braces and to finish framing the excavated layers inside the funerary chamber.

Everyone shouldered the wood and began the hike inside the site.

Cara dropped her boards beside the moat, where Raul would work with one of the students. The rest continued making their way upward.

A sound penetrated the usual birdsong and the hum of insects. A frantic baa that did not belong.

Ty tossed down the plank he was carrying; Gunn did the same. Both men ran ahead of the group that more slowly lowered their burdens.

Cara ran up the steps to the next level and glanced across to the chamber entrance. A goat was tied there, dancing in place and pulling frantically at the rope tied around its neck.

A snarl sounded in the forest to the right, followed by deep, hoarse growls.

Ty and Gunn halted halfway between the steps and the goat and glanced to the side. The jaguar sounded very near.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said softly, moving to close the distance between herself and the men.

"You'd think Ramos wouldn't want to get in our way of finishing up the teardown," Ty said.

"The man's a sadist," Cara said. "He's likely laughing somewhere."

"What the fuck do we do now?" Gunn asked.

Cara set her hands on her hips. "The good news is that jaguars hunt primarily at night—and they really do their best to avoid humans."

"The bad news?"

"As long as that goat's here, he's going to wait close by until it gets dark. It's not going to be safe here unless…"

"We throw the goat over the pyramid?" Gunn said.

Cara grimaced. "Uh, no. But I'm not sure moving it to the campsite would help. That scent is here now."

"I'm going to have to go back to the campsite," Gunn said. "I have a rifle in my locker."

Ty's mouth thinned.

"You both have weapons, don't you?" she asked.

Paulo approached. "How about I accompany you, Gunn? It is not illegal for me to have weapons. If Ramos is watching, he will only see a fellow Mexican with a gun."

"And when we're here on site?" Gunn said.

"Keep the gun within easy reach inside the entrance while you keep watch outside," Ty said. "And we'll move the goat into the chamber and quiet it."

Gunn tapped Paulo's arm. "Let's go."

Ty and Cara returned to the others.

Ty picked up the wood he'd set down. "Let's keep moving, guys."

"I'm going to warn Raul," Cara said.

"Then I'll wait right here. Shout if you need me."

She hurried toward the bridge and then looked down inside the excavated section.

Raul and Fredi glanced upward.

"I'm just letting you know there's a jaguar close by. Someone tied a goat to the chamber entrance."

Raul frowned. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Paulo and Ty are headed back to camp to get a weapon—just in case."

Raul bent to pick up the shovel at his feet. "We don't smell like goats. I think we'll be okay."

"Just be alert," she said, then waved and headed back.

By the time she climbed the stairs, the others were moving into the chamber, and the goat was out of sight.

Ty stood beside the entrance, his arms folded over his chest, his face set in hard lines.

She grinned, thinking the jaguar didn't stand a chance.

Just after midday,while everyone was sitting in the shade provided by the second level of the pyramid, eating their bagged lunches, the sound of a vehicle approached.

Gunn stood and dusted the crumbs from his sandwich from his clothing. "I'll go see who we've got for company."

Ty glanced behind him to make sure the rifle was out of sight. It was no use giving Ramos an excuse to hassle them if it was indeed Ramos paying them another visit.

Instead, Gunn returned with two strangers—both with the grim expressions of people who took themselves and their jobs seriously. Both were dressed in dark cargo pants and dark uniform shirts. The federales had arrived.

Ty, Cara, and all the professors stood to move toward the new arrivals.

The conversation began in Spanish, Paulo taking the lead, but he kept pointing to Gunn and Ty.

Ty understood enough to know when they'd agreed to continue in English.

"Everyone," Paulo said, "this is Inspector Javier Maldonado of the Policía Federal Ministerial," he said, indicating the taller of the two men, "and Jorge Mendez from the Guardia Nacional." The shorter man gave them a slight tilt of his head.

"Welcome, Inspector, Se?or Mendez," Roy said.

The inspector turned to Ty. "Are you the SEAL who works for Hank Patterson?"

Ty nodded and tilted his chin toward Gunn. "We both do."

"You will show me what you have found. I understand you took samples."

"I did. I wasn't sure whether I would have to take it somewhere to deliver them. I did my best not to disturb the bodies too much."

"I am here. I will take your evidence; then you will show us where the bodies are."

Ty moved to his go-bag, which he'd dropped next to the pyramid wall, and retrieved the baggie containing all three baggies with the samples from the victims. He also removed his rope. He handed the evidence to the Inspector, who tucked it into a pocket on his trousers.

"Follow me," Ty said and led the way to the side that overlooked the opened chamber. He shot a glance at Cara, telling her silently to stay put. She didn't look happy but gave him a nod.

Gunn and Ty led the federales to the side of the first level of the pyramid, tied the rope, and then, one by one, each moved to ground level. Inside the chamber, flashlights beamed, and they went toward the victims.

Inspector Maldonado took pictures with his phone then donned gloves and inspected each victim, careful not to move them from their positions. He examined their clothing, paying special attention to the tread of their sneakers. "I believe we will find that these men are from Guatemala, just across the border. They were likely lured by the cartel to perhaps move drugs on their way north to the U.S. border. I can't say which of the cartels is involved—Gulf, Sinaloa, or Los Zetas. They are constantly vying for territory here and equally as brutal."

Se?or Mendez finished inspecting the room. "This chamber shows signs that objects were dragged from here. Someone was stealing artifacts. We will assume the chamber was originally opened by thieves."

The inspector sighed and stood. "I have a forensics team on the way. They should be here in the morning. I will need this site cleared by then."

Ty nodded. "The archeologists are working toward that goal. We're all pitching in to make it happen."

They exited the chamber and climbed back up to the first level.

Inspector Maldonado turned to Ty. "I am told you have had interaction with the local authorities."

"Officer Ramos, in particular," Ty said. "We believe he has been harassing us. Last night, it was rattlesnakes in the shower tent. Today, a goat was tied to the entrance of the chamber they're trying to close. The goat has attracted a jaguar. I think Ramos was intimidating us, trying to get us to leave sooner than planned."

"He's likely taking money under the table, as you say, from one of the cartels," Maldonado said.

"I believe he knows what we found here."

The inspector nodded. "The sooner you can vacate this area, the better for your safety."

Se?or Mendez grunted. "The hope is that the next time the archeologists return, this will all be in the past. Solved. They do important work."

The two men left, carrying the evidence back to the headquarters in Campeche, while Ty and Gunn returned to the rest of their party.

Inside the chamber, Cara was bent, hammer in hand, helping to build a frame around a shallow, evenly excavated section of dirt. She glanced up and gave him a smile. "I hope that went well."

"Give me that hammer. I'll tell you all about it."

The goat bleated from the corner, where it was happily munching away at remnants of sandwiches.

Gunn slapped his hands together. "Where do you need me?"

Roy pointed to a stack of boards. "Grab a two-by-four and a hammer. I'll show you what needs to be done."