Plunder of the Sun Page #3

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He may prove useful to you.

Captain Bergman. Mr. Colby.

Delighted, I'm sure.

Captain can get you anything

you want in town, at a price.

You need something?

Not now.

- Seor Colby?

- Yes.

He says that the lady

is waiting for you, amigo.

I know.

- You want anything to drink?

- No.

Any food?

No, thanks. Maybe later on.

Thank you very much.

Is the package safe?

I thought we'd agreed

not to discuss the package.

I've come to pay you for it

with the $800 you were promised.

Why should I give it to you?

Because I am Mr. Berrien's daughter.

Can you prove it?

I cannot prove it.

Why not?

Because I... Because I'm illegitimate.

What's in the package?

- A manuscript.

- How many pages?

I was asking you

how many pages are in the manuscript.

- Twelve.

- Anything else?

No, nothing.

Now, please accept your money,

and give it to me.

No, I don't think I should.

Because there weren't 12 pages,

and there was something else.

It was a piece of carved jade.

And because you're a liar.

I must have it. Please.

I'll give you $2,000.

It's all I have.

- Still you won't tell me what it is.

- I've told you, I cannot.

Well, I'm sorry.

The answer is still, "No."

Can you tell me where it was found?

No, my friend didn't say...

but this was with it.

You see?

Even more remarkable.

Also of the same era.

This writing is Zapotec.

Or, rather,

a mixture of Zapotec and Spanish.

Dating, I would say,

without reservation...

from the time of the Spanish conquest.

- Can you tell me what it says?

- The Spanish, perhaps.

But it would certainly take an expert

or a specialist to decipher the other.

Well, do you know an expert

or a specialist?

- You have more of these?

- No, this is the only one, right here.

If you would be willing to leave it here...

No, I'm sorry. You see,

this only partially belongs to me.

There is a man

who should be in Oaxaca today...

Thomas Berrien.

Is he the only one?

There is, of course, Ulbaldo Navarro.

He has the largest private collection

in Mexico at the moment.

And where can I find him?

If he is not at his house...

you will probably find him working

at the ruins of Monte Alban or Mitla.

Mitla, what's that?

I see you're not an authority

on our ancient civilizations.

We in Mexico are very proud of them.

But if you're interested...

I advise to purchase a copy

of Old Civilizations of Mexico...

by the American archeologist,

Marco S. Roberts.

You took your time in getting here.

- Did I?

- Where have you been?

I've been out buying a book.

Here it is, Old Civilizations of Mexico.

Good idea, because you're going

to have plenty of leisure time...

for reading from now on.

- How did you get in here?

- That's a trade secret.

Where is the package?

Package? What package?

Come on now, pal. Don't stall me.

You've got it.

I know,

because it wasn't in Berrien's cabin.

Did you kill Berrien?

Now that's a stupid question.

But it so happens that he was dead

when I found him.

Either that or he passed out

when you pointed that thing at him.

If you want to believe that,

that's perfectly all right by me.

Come on, unload her.

And be careful with your hands.

Thanks. Did you make anything of it?

No, I figured I'd be able

to find somebody who could.

You did.

You know,

I should bounce you around a little bit...

just in case you've got any ideas

of trying to take it back.

But I'm a softhearted lug.

Softhearted, that is...

till somebody tries to cross me.

Adis, amigo.

I still didn't know what I'd inherited

from Berrien...

but it had all the earmarks

of something stamped:

"Dynamite. Handle with care."

I had to hang on to it

long enough to find out what it said...

and yet if I hung too long, somebody,

Anna Luz or Jefferson...

or maybe the government,

was bound to snatch it away.

And the only solution

seemed to be a roll of infrared film...

and a couple of positive copies.

Bit of sightseeing, Mr. Colby?

You seem to be doing some yourself.

Well, I did happen to notice you

in Valentino's shop...

and it occurred to me we might be

of assistance to one another.

How?

I am, to be frank,

a bit hard-pressed at the moment.

Certain payments failed to arrive.

No, not a loan, my friend.

I haven't come to that, not yet.

An exchange.

Money for services rendered,

now or later.

I don't need any services rendered,

now or later.

Come now,

no man is sufficient unto himself.

Says that in the Bible somewhere.

I suppose you are bound for the ruins.

Now how would you suppose that?

Every visitor here goes to the ruins.

And to see them properly,

you'll need a guide.

I've got one.

If you're interested

in feminine companionship...

Then I'll dig up my own.

No offense, Mr. Colby. Just a thought.

But should you need a trustworthy friend

in any line of endeavor...

- Captain Bergman, at your service.

- Vamonos, Pedro.

I went first to the ancient city

of Monte Alban.

I climbed the steps of the pyramids.

I walked through the courtyards

and the temples.

I marveled at the fact

that a cultured people had lived here...

1,500 years before the Christian era.

I looked into doorways where

ancient kings and priests had trod.

I could feel the cold wind

slide over my back.

A thousand unseen,

hostile eyes watching me.

I felt like getting rid of the manuscript

and running. Maybe I should...

while there was still time.

That's how those old temples hit me,

the first time I saw them.

These were, literally,

doorways into the past.

On my way to my room, I ran into

a couple of other items from the past.

I wondered what they were doing

sitting there so close to my door.

I was tempted to question them,

but I didn't.

I had work to do.

It wasn't the brightest scheme

in the world...

but it was the best thing

I could think of at the moment.

Two hundred and seventeen words

in the manuscript.

I carved off each symbol

with a razor blade...

and listed them in their correct position

in what I called a master list.

Then I put a fake number

beside the real ones...

so that only I'd be able to tell

where they really belonged.

Maybe somebody could put them

in their right order again...

but without the master list...

it would take a genius

with a lot of time on his hands.

One set,

I put in my shoe for safekeeping...

and the other in an envelope.

I stuck the master list in with some

writing paper in the desk drawer...

acting on the old

Edgar Allan Poe theory...

that the safest hiding place

was the most obvious.

Are you the seor that sent a message

to Seor Navarro?

Yeah, that's right.

Well, his boy says

he won't come home until night.

- Okay, thank you very much.

- You're welcome.

Are you going to stay in your room

all day?

I didn't know you cared.

I decided to forgive and forget.

I didn't know

it was that dull around here.

You don't know.

What about your boyfriend?

Didn't you hear me?

I said, "What about your boyfriend?"

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