months."
I studied the book in Emily's lap. It appeared to be a collection of old documents, letters, photos, scrawled sections of text, and occasional sketches. "Is that Hope's diary?" I asked.
"No," she replied. "It's a history book."
"What kind of history?"
"Personal history. Let's just say genealogy is a passion of mine." With a dull thud, she closed the book. "So, are you ready?"
I nodded.
"You might not have to do much. With any luck, Rigoberta and Pacho have already secured the library."
"I can't believe you let them go in alone."
"It's not like we dropped them off to fend for themselves. They've got supplies and their dogs for company."
"When was the last time you heard from them?"
"Forty-eight hours ago." She shrugged. "I'm sure it's just a problem with the satphone."
Emily had taken secrecy to a whole other level. In lieu of a normal satphone, she'd equipped Rigoberta and Pacho with a parental-controlled unit. That allowed her to block all incoming or outgoing calls that didn't involve her.
"What did the pyramid look like?" I asked after a minute.
A dazed look came over her face. "It's beautiful, truly the most impressive building I've ever seen. I don't want to say more lest I spoil it for you. But trust me. You're in for a treat."
"I'm surprised you didn't search it already."
"I tried. Let's just say it wasn't as simple as I expected." She sighed. "I hated to leave it behind. I haven't been able to think about anything else for the last two weeks."
"Why'd you plan two separate trips anyway?"
"It was Miranda's idea. She wanted to give Rigoberta and Pacho ample time to set up camp and survey the site. Plus, the tractor took up too much cargo space."
I sensed uncertainty in her voice. "Is that it?"
She sighed. "Truthfully, I'd planned to take just one trip. But after new information came to light, I decided it would be wise to bring as many supplies as possible. I might have overdone it, but at least we'll have every tool imaginable at our disposal."
I narrowed my gaze. "What's the new information?"
"The Maneros have made a lot of headway on that plate we recovered from the tomb. For one thing, we now know the Library of the Mayas contains thousands of books, far more than Hope had reported. We've also confirmed that those books are made of gold."
I grinned. "That's a good thing."
"We also learned a little about the pyramid. It's not just a storehouse for the library. It's also a vault."
My grin vanished.
"The Mayas sealed something inside it with the library. We don't know what exactly." She took a deep breath. "All we know is that it was something terrifying. Something evil."
Chapter 23
"A vault?" Graham lifted his voice. "Are you serious?"
"Apparently, we're the last ones to know about it," I said quietly. We stood in a small niche situated between the cockpit and the cabin. "My point is this. If she kept that from us, she might try to hide other stuff too."
"Agreed." Beverly's eyes sparkled in the dim light. "And she might not be the only one keeping secrets around here."
I looked over her shoulder. Emily continued to flip furiously through her strange book, making occasional notations on a pad of paper. Her muscles were tense. Her forehead was scrunched up in a questioning manner. Meanwhile, Crowley watched her with a careful eye.
Miranda and Tum sat together. They appeared to be locked in a quiet, private conversation.
In the back of the chopper, the Maneros were hunched over a small table, speaking in soft tones. The gold plate from the sarcophagus lay on top of the table, glimmering gently.
"You're right," I said quietly. "We should get to know these people. Then they'll be more likely to share information with us."
"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Graham said. "Most likely, we'll never see them again.
"It's not just about gathering information. We're going to an extremely remote part of Mexico. We'll have no contact with the outside world for days, maybe even
I studied the book in Emily's lap. It appeared to be a collection of old documents, letters, photos, scrawled sections of text, and occasional sketches. "Is that Hope's diary?" I asked.
"No," she replied. "It's a history book."
"What kind of history?"
"Personal history. Let's just say genealogy is a passion of mine." With a dull thud, she closed the book. "So, are you ready?"
I nodded.
"You might not have to do much. With any luck, Rigoberta and Pacho have already secured the library."
"I can't believe you let them go in alone."
"It's not like we dropped them off to fend for themselves. They've got supplies and their dogs for company."
"When was the last time you heard from them?"
"Forty-eight hours ago." She shrugged. "I'm sure it's just a problem with the satphone."
Emily had taken secrecy to a whole other level. In lieu of a normal satphone, she'd equipped Rigoberta and Pacho with a parental-controlled unit. That allowed her to block all incoming or outgoing calls that didn't involve her.
"What did the pyramid look like?" I asked after a minute.
A dazed look came over her face. "It's beautiful, truly the most impressive building I've ever seen. I don't want to say more lest I spoil it for you. But trust me. You're in for a treat."
"I'm surprised you didn't search it already."
"I tried. Let's just say it wasn't as simple as I expected." She sighed. "I hated to leave it behind. I haven't been able to think about anything else for the last two weeks."
"Why'd you plan two separate trips anyway?"
"It was Miranda's idea. She wanted to give Rigoberta and Pacho ample time to set up camp and survey the site. Plus, the tractor took up too much cargo space."
I sensed uncertainty in her voice. "Is that it?"
She sighed. "Truthfully, I'd planned to take just one trip. But after new information came to light, I decided it would be wise to bring as many supplies as possible. I might have overdone it, but at least we'll have every tool imaginable at our disposal."
I narrowed my gaze. "What's the new information?"
"The Maneros have made a lot of headway on that plate we recovered from the tomb. For one thing, we now know the Library of the Mayas contains thousands of books, far more than Hope had reported. We've also confirmed that those books are made of gold."
I grinned. "That's a good thing."
"We also learned a little about the pyramid. It's not just a storehouse for the library. It's also a vault."
My grin vanished.
"The Mayas sealed something inside it with the library. We don't know what exactly." She took a deep breath. "All we know is that it was something terrifying. Something evil."
Chapter 23
"A vault?" Graham lifted his voice. "Are you serious?"
"Apparently, we're the last ones to know about it," I said quietly. We stood in a small niche situated between the cockpit and the cabin. "My point is this. If she kept that from us, she might try to hide other stuff too."
"Agreed." Beverly's eyes sparkled in the dim light. "And she might not be the only one keeping secrets around here."
I looked over her shoulder. Emily continued to flip furiously through her strange book, making occasional notations on a pad of paper. Her muscles were tense. Her forehead was scrunched up in a questioning manner. Meanwhile, Crowley watched her with a careful eye.
Miranda and Tum sat together. They appeared to be locked in a quiet, private conversation.
In the back of the chopper, the Maneros were hunched over a small table, speaking in soft tones. The gold plate from the sarcophagus lay on top of the table, glimmering gently.
"You're right," I said quietly. "We should get to know these people. Then they'll be more likely to share information with us."
"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Graham said. "Most likely, we'll never see them again.
"It's not just about gathering information. We're going to an extremely remote part of Mexico. We'll have no contact with the outside world for days, maybe even
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