Chapter 8

The restof the day was uneventful. The fuel truck arrived and dispensed fuel into the site's tank. Ty had heard from Stone that Gunn would arrive that evening—no coordination on the ground required because they were arranging a rental for him so he could make his own way to the camp sometime later that night.

They were eating dinner, and although it was beyond delicious—fresh ceviche with shrimp served atop fried tortillas, beans and rice, and a garden salad—Cara picked at her food.

Paulo and Ty were eating with gusto. They needed fuel for their mission.

She and Roy shared a charged glance.

"After tonight, how fast do you think we can tear down this site?" she asked.

"We'll need to let Gino know to get a transport to take our tents to storage."

"I'm on the side of giving him the least amount of warning as possible," she said. "I mean, I trust Gino, but if he's making those arrangements, whoever is causing our…problems…will get wind we're packing it in even earlier than we'd planned."

He nodded. "We don't want them thinking we found what we did."

Ty picked up his hard ceviche tortilla and took big bites out of it. "Tasty," he said after swallowing. "I gotta get the recipe."

"You cook?" she said, grinning.

"It doesn't look like you have to cook the spread other than boiling some shrimp. All cutting. I can manage that much."

Cookie laughed from her seat several places down the table. "I'll write it down for you. You're right. It's too easy and so healthy. Just remember, a big guy like you will need more than a salad spread to fill you up." She pointed to the beans and rice.

Paulo looked around and cleared his throat. "Raul, in light of the fact that we've had intruders at this site, I think it's time to take the artifacts, masks, and pots back to the university."

Raul's eyebrows rose, and the students all perked up.

"Can you make a run tomorrow morning?" Paulo asked.

Raul cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "I'll need help packing the artifacts away and getting them loaded into the truck tonight." His glance swung to the students. "Sorry. You won't be going to bed early tonight."

There were groans but also smiles.

"Who was on the last rotation?" Raul asked.

Luca and another student, Pedro, raised their hands, their faces contorted in grimaces.

"Okay, Fredi and Rolo, you'll accompany me."

The two whooped at their good fortune.

Paulo turned back to Ty. "Whenever you're ready," he said quietly.

Cara's mouth twitched. Paulo's expression and whispered terseness indicated he was a little nervous about tonight.

"I'll meet you at the motor pool in ten," Ty whispered back.

Cara slid his plate and bowl toward her. "I'll take care of this."

He placed his arm around her and brought her closer so he could nuzzle her ear. "You stay with people. No wandering off on your own."

"Sure you don't want me to accompany you?"

He kissed her cheek. "No."

She grunted and elbowed his ribs.

He gave an exaggerated wince and then shot up from his chair. "See you later."

Cara watched as he left.

Cookie slid into the seat Paulo had just vacated across from her. "Looks like you two worked out your kinks."

Cara blinked, then felt heat suffuse her face.

Cookie laughed. "I meant, you two aren't snapping at each other—but that blush is certainly interesting."

Cara shook her head. "Nunya—as in none of your business."

"Well, I'm just happy someone's getting some."

"Shhh."

Cookie waved a hand toward the archeologists and their students. "They're too busy making plans for their trip back to civilization. I guess it makes sense to move stuff if we've got thieves combing our site. Wish I had my little Remington strapped to my side." She shot Cara another glance. "Do you think our next gig could be somewhere we can go armed?"

Cara smiled. "I'll do my best."

"Where'd Ty and Paulo go off to?"

"No clue," she lied. "Maybe they both felt a call to nature."

"Hope it wasn't my food," she said, frowning.

"There was nothing wrong with your food. Everything was delicious."

"Well, thank you. It really doesn't take any more time to make tasty food than to make boring food. It only takes imagination."

"Well, you've been impressing all of us with your use of what's available locally."

"I love working with fresh food. All those pre-fab dinners I had to prepare while I was in the field with the Army nearly crushed me."

"I bet you managed to make prepackaged beef stroganoff still taste like it was restaurant quality."

She grinned. "Not quite, but it is all in the spices."

In the distance, there was the sound of a vehicle starting. The men at the other end of the table didn't notice because they were deep in conversation, but Cookie perked up to the sound.

Cara reached across and covered her hand, drawing her gaze. "It's ‘need to know,'" she said, using the familiar military phrase that meant, unless you had the security clearance, mind your own business.

Once Tyand Paulo reached the ruins, they moved to the back of the SUV and began pulling out shovels and a standing lamp. Ty had brought his go-bag, too—just in case.

"We should move as quietly as we can," Ty said.

"Do you think anyone is out here?"

"Who's to say they won't come to check the site to see if anyone has found their chamber?"

"Okay, so we'll move like the jaguars," Paulo said, then blew out a breath. "Vamos. Let's get this over with."

They turned on their flashlights, crossed the bridge, then climbed steps to the first level of the pyramid before following the edge.

"This is where Luca was rolling the GPR," Paulo said as they approached the spot. "I assume the entrance is from the side, an opening someone made to get directly into the chamber."

Ty walked to the side and shined his light over the rock wall, which wasn't clean. Weeds grew from crevices, and vines climbed the stones. Looking around the vegetation, he could see that there were stones out of place, some looking as though they'd fallen naturally to ground level, but then there was a larger gathering of cut stones and dirt.

"We'll need to get down there," he said, pointing as Paulo stepped closer to the edge.

Getting back down to ground level wouldn't be as easy as using the steps to climb to the first level. They couldn't go around the base because heavy vegetation blocked the way.

Ty dropped his go-bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a coiled rope. He looped it around a large stone at the lip, tied a knot, dropped the length over the side, and then waved Paulo over.

They dropped the shovels to the ground below, and Ty stuck his arm into the tripod of the light. Then the men used the rope to walk down the slanted side to the ground below. Standing beside the pile of stones, they aimed their flashlights at the opening. It was just large enough to crawl through.

"I don't see any boobytraps," Ty said. "I'll go in first."

Clipping his flashlight to his belt, he tossed his bag inside, then got on his knees and crawled through the opening, standing when he reached the other side. The air inside was musty and dank with a sickly-sweet odor he recognized all too well.

"Hand me the light," he said to Paulo.

After he pulled it inside, he flicked on his flashlight for Paulo as he made his way into the chamber.

They stood and aimed their lights around the interior of the chamber, which was maybe twenty feet deep and wide. They moved toward the dark, shadowed figures huddled against the right side of the room.

Ty set up the battery-operated light stand and flicked it on. The chamber lit up, displaying all its horrors.

The stench wasn't overwhelming.

"They've been here a while," Paulo said, holding a hand over his nose.

"They've been picked pretty clean by scavengers," Ty said, grimacing. The bug and rat kind, mostly, because the bodies' skeletons were still intact. He knelt toward the first one and noted that it appeared male and was wearing jeans. Fabric was tied around the desiccated skull. He shined his light around the skull and noted a small hole at the back. When he tipped the skull to the side with his flashlight, he could see a larger hole that had obliterated an eye socket. He moved to the next body and noted similar wounds. The third body told the same story.

"They were executed," he said. He returned to his go-bag at the chamber's opening and pulled out plastic bags he'd pilfered from the kitchen, as well as latex gloves he always kept handy. Then he returned to the bodies, donned the gloves, and cut a small piece of skin as well as pulled hair from each to drop into separate bags.

Paulo groaned and turned away.

Ty steeled himself before searching the victims' pockets, hoping to find some kind of ID, but there were no wallets. He turned one body and noted several small round objects in rainbow colors—pills. He picked up several of the tablets and placed them in another baggy.

"I think we have enough," he said.

Paulo traced a cross in the air in front of his face and then nodded. "I don't understand. If they were in the drug trade, why bring them here? Why leave their bodies when they know we work here, and they will be found?"

"It makes no sense to me, either." He flashed the light around the room. "Would you have expected to find something here? Any artifacts?"

"Yes. It's a large chamber. It's closed off from the rest of the structures under here. No door. So, I would assume it's a burial chamber. There should have been funerary artifacts."

"So, perhaps someone who found their way inside here to loot it thought this would be the perfect place to hide bodies. Maybe they even intended to return and get rid of them at some point. The fact we had people apparently keeping track of where you're digging worried someone who realized they'd run out of time…?"

"It's pure conjecture at this point, no?"

"Yes, I'm trying to make sense of it, but let's get out of here. Someone else can figure out the mystery. When you return to the site next winter, none of this will be here."

After Ty tucked the evidence he had inside his go-bag, they left the chamber. Ty stayed at the bottom of the pyramid while Paulo slowly climbed the wall, clumsily pulling his body over the edge. Ty was quicker, even carrying their extra equipment. Once his rope was stashed away, they moved brusquely toward the stairs.

In the distance, Ty heard a gruff, chuffing, snarling sound. Good Lord, what next?

"That's a jaguar," Paulo said, tapping his shoulder. "It's not close. Sound travels better at night."

They hurried down the steps to the ground level and continued toward the bridge.

"I am very happy I do the work I do," Paulo said. "Your job is crazy. Do you see these kinds of things often?"

"Not since I left the Navy," he said. "I've seen some action and had to use my weapon, but that was bizarre, even for me."

They arrived at the SUV, threw their equipment inside, and hastily closed themselves inside.

"I'm going to need a shower," Paulo said, shuddering dramatically as Ty turned the key.

"Well, you did well. You didn't lose your shit back there."

"Thank you. They desecrated our site. To me, that's unforgivable. Our work is about enlightenment, about bringing the past alive. There's still so much to learn about Mayan society—their beliefs and their science."

"You hold onto your ideals. I've never given much thought to history—outside military history, that is—but I think I may have the archeology bug. I can't wait to see what you learn from this place."

Paulo's faint smile, illuminated by the dashboard lights, satisfied Ty. He didn't like it when civilians came face-to-face with the worst of what men could do to each other. It could be scarring.

As for himself, he was sure he'd see those dead men's faces in his dreams.

Cara sprayedthe last table with disinfectant and wiped it with the rag she'd been using while cleaning surfaces.

"Stop already," Cookie said, coming up beside her. "I'm assuming you're just trying to fill in the time until your sexy SEAL comes back from wherever he went, but you do not have to scour the mess to do it."

"He said for me to stay around people until he got back. It's good advice for anyone here."

"Well, I thank you for the help. After the workers leave, I always give the place a spit shine. Do you want a cup of tea? We can sit and talk until he's back." She canted her head. "That might be them now."

The sound of a vehicle arriving had both women moving in the direction of the motor pool.

When they arrived, it was to find two vehicles, their engines still rumbling, as Ty pulled back the gate to let them move inside.

She didn't recognize the rental truck that pulled in after the SUV.

Soon enough, another large, handsome male exited the motor pool, a duffel slung over his shoulder.

Ty carried a locker and a smaller bag. Paulo trailed both men.

Once the gate was secured, Ty turned to the women. "Hey, Cookie, you've got another mouth to feed."

Cookie looked the tall blond up and down. "Are you the brother?"

Ty laughed and clapped his hand on the man's shoulder. "This is my friend, Gunnar Nielson. Gunn, this is Cookie, Cara, and this guy here," he said, aiming his thumb at Paulo, "is Paulo Arrendondo."

Gunn shook hands with everyone.

"I will head to the showers," Paulo said, giving Ty a solemn stare. "I will have to update Roy about what we found. I think it best not to tell Raul before he leaves for the university. He will have enough on his mind."

"We'll tell him when he comes back. You sleep well, friend."

Cara and Cookie shared a glance, worried about Paulo's gloomy expression.

Then Cookie smiled. "Gunnar, are you hungry? I run the kitchen, and I can have a plate ready for you in just a few minutes, thanks to the fact that we're still running the site generator tonight and I have a microwave."

"That's not a bad idea," Ty said. "Head over to the mess tent with Cookie. After I wash up, I'll join you. Cara, go along with them. We can talk there."

From his grim expression, she knew she wasn't going to like what he was going to say, but rather than trail behind him, which was what she really wanted to do, she gave him privacy.

Though worried about him, she wasn't really his girlfriend.