Read Online Humanity Unlimited 1: Liberty Station by Terry Mixon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terry Mixon
Ads: Link
male or female, would’ve come to pieces under the strain of the last few hours. Jessica Cook was made of sterner stuff.
They hefted their borrowed gear and moved down the path at a steady pace. The workers were only about a mile away with Leann. He took the time to brief them on the general events and to break the news that their boss was dead.
The students took it hard, but he got them moving again in short order when he told them that some of the bad guys had probably gotten away. They made it to the river faster than he expected. No doubt, everyone was eager to be away from this place.
Harry called the Guatemalan National Civilian Police. He kept the details to a minimum and feigned a bad connection before terminating the call. All they needed to know was that there’d been an incident with a fatality. They’d come in enough force to get the workers to safety.
Next, he spoke with the young woman now in charge of the workers. “You need to keep word of the secret room under wraps,” he told her firmly. “The men that attacked you can’t know about it or you’ll all be in danger. You can’t tell the police about it, either. Does anyone else know?”
“About the art? Just the other graduate students. I can’t lie to the police.”
He hadn’t seen her standing there, but Miss Cook intervened. “Don’t lie. Just don’t mention it.”
Harry gave her a quelling glance. “Word will get out if you speak of it. Your boss found something unprecedented down there. Unless you want to see this whole area stripped bare, stick to the basics. These men attacked you, they killed your boss in the pyramid, and they blew it up. You don’t know why.”
“I don’t know why!” the woman almost shouted. “Those people almost killed us. Then you came in and saved us? Why? Who are you?”
Harry put on his least threatening expression. “We’re Miss Cook’s security team. Her boss should’ve sent us along with her, but there was a breakdown in communication. I’m certain that he’ll give the police a full statement about us and provide access for the police to question us.”
In a pig’s eye. The old man would shut them down quick.
Miss Cook took the woman by the shoulders. “Do you really want the police to think you might have had some part, no matter how small, in Doctor Valdez’s death? You’d be better off keeping quiet unless you like the idea of a few months in jail being questioned.”
The woman’s expression went from outrage to fearful.
Harry didn’t like the idea of lying to the woman, but they couldn’t tell her the truth. Miss Cook was surprisingly adept at managing the situation. She had hidden depths.
“Just keep things simple,” Harry said soothingly. “Tell them the truth, just not all of it.”
The woman nodded and walked over to her fellow graduate students. Time would tell if the scare kept them quiet.
“I’m a little surprised you told a whopper like that,” he said softly.
“I’d tell a bigger lie if it meant safeguarding this secret,” Miss Cook said. “I’m more concerned about what the prisoners will tell the police.”
He looked over at the bound men shuffling along under Rex’s guard. “They won’t say a word. I’m sure the penalty of ratting out Nathan and my mother would be fatal. There’s probably a financial sweetener to keep them quiet, too. And that reminds me, I need to send some money to the guy who was on the hook to pick us up. He still deserves to be paid.”
They made the rest of the trip to the river in relative peace. Once they arrived at the dock, Harry trussed the prisoners up like prized turkeys and hitched them to handy trees. No way they’d get loose without assistance.
Surprisingly, it only took an hour before Harry heard a boat on the water. It came around the bend and he recognized the uniform the men wore. The Guatemalan National Civilian Police had arrived.
He tugged on Jessica’s arm and the two of them backed into the lush
They hefted their borrowed gear and moved down the path at a steady pace. The workers were only about a mile away with Leann. He took the time to brief them on the general events and to break the news that their boss was dead.
The students took it hard, but he got them moving again in short order when he told them that some of the bad guys had probably gotten away. They made it to the river faster than he expected. No doubt, everyone was eager to be away from this place.
Harry called the Guatemalan National Civilian Police. He kept the details to a minimum and feigned a bad connection before terminating the call. All they needed to know was that there’d been an incident with a fatality. They’d come in enough force to get the workers to safety.
Next, he spoke with the young woman now in charge of the workers. “You need to keep word of the secret room under wraps,” he told her firmly. “The men that attacked you can’t know about it or you’ll all be in danger. You can’t tell the police about it, either. Does anyone else know?”
“About the art? Just the other graduate students. I can’t lie to the police.”
He hadn’t seen her standing there, but Miss Cook intervened. “Don’t lie. Just don’t mention it.”
Harry gave her a quelling glance. “Word will get out if you speak of it. Your boss found something unprecedented down there. Unless you want to see this whole area stripped bare, stick to the basics. These men attacked you, they killed your boss in the pyramid, and they blew it up. You don’t know why.”
“I don’t know why!” the woman almost shouted. “Those people almost killed us. Then you came in and saved us? Why? Who are you?”
Harry put on his least threatening expression. “We’re Miss Cook’s security team. Her boss should’ve sent us along with her, but there was a breakdown in communication. I’m certain that he’ll give the police a full statement about us and provide access for the police to question us.”
In a pig’s eye. The old man would shut them down quick.
Miss Cook took the woman by the shoulders. “Do you really want the police to think you might have had some part, no matter how small, in Doctor Valdez’s death? You’d be better off keeping quiet unless you like the idea of a few months in jail being questioned.”
The woman’s expression went from outrage to fearful.
Harry didn’t like the idea of lying to the woman, but they couldn’t tell her the truth. Miss Cook was surprisingly adept at managing the situation. She had hidden depths.
“Just keep things simple,” Harry said soothingly. “Tell them the truth, just not all of it.”
The woman nodded and walked over to her fellow graduate students. Time would tell if the scare kept them quiet.
“I’m a little surprised you told a whopper like that,” he said softly.
“I’d tell a bigger lie if it meant safeguarding this secret,” Miss Cook said. “I’m more concerned about what the prisoners will tell the police.”
He looked over at the bound men shuffling along under Rex’s guard. “They won’t say a word. I’m sure the penalty of ratting out Nathan and my mother would be fatal. There’s probably a financial sweetener to keep them quiet, too. And that reminds me, I need to send some money to the guy who was on the hook to pick us up. He still deserves to be paid.”
They made the rest of the trip to the river in relative peace. Once they arrived at the dock, Harry trussed the prisoners up like prized turkeys and hitched them to handy trees. No way they’d get loose without assistance.
Surprisingly, it only took an hour before Harry heard a boat on the water. It came around the bend and he recognized the uniform the men wore. The Guatemalan National Civilian Police had arrived.
He tugged on Jessica’s arm and the two of them backed into the lush
Similar Books
