A Trick of the Moon (10 page)

“Declan!”

66

Melinda Barron

“What?” He glanced up to see Dario's head sticking into the kiva opening.

“Tell us what you see. We're dying of curiosity up here.”

“The room is round, and the last person here used a rake to destroy any footprints that might have been left in their wake. That means it's being used.

If you guys want to come down, go ahead. Just don't touch the walls when you get here. And send down my bag first.”

The bag came down, attached to a rope; inside was a small stepladder, two more flashlights, various brushes and small tools, and a digital camera. He opened it up, then took out the camera before heading toward the pottery, stepping lightly. A soft grunt alerted him he would soon have company. He turned to watch Maura descend the ladder, taking the rungs slowly and carefully. He walked back over to help her, then put his free arm around her hips and held her closely.

Once she was on the ground he didn't let go; instead he caressed her side, then pinched her rear. She pushed at him gently. “Behave.”

“It's hard with you around. And I do mean that literally.” Warmth suffused him when she put her hand on his chest.

From the ladder, Dario's voice drifted down to them. “I'm coming.”

Dario landed next to them, and Declan took a step away from Maura. “We, me included, need to remember this place was used for religious ceremonies.

We need to show respect down here.”

“Gotcha,” Dario whispered. “There's not much down here, is there?”

Declan pointed his flashlight toward the pottery. “It's new.” He walked toward it and crouched down when he was beside it.

“How do you know?” Maura came up behind him, and Dario stood just to the right, adding a beam from his flashlight to illuminate the pottery.

“Full of corn,” Dario said. “Is that an offering to the gods?”

“Yes,” Declan replied, pointing at the small, intricately carved doll that rested near the pottery. It was thin and bent over as if dancing, a horn A Trick of the Moon

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extending from its mouth and tendrils of hair sticking straight up from its head. A large, erect phallus extended from between its legs. “This is a
kachina
, and this is your lesson for the day, boys and girls, or boy and girl, to be more accurate. Do you know what this carving is and what it represents?”

Dario held up his hand, and Declan nodded at him. “Um, teacher, I know what a kachina is, and I'm sure Maura does too. This is an offering, and that kachina represents a god.”

“You're right, Dario. Sorry to treat you two as if you didn't grow up here.

I'm using my memorized lecture notes.” Declan stood and slapped dust away from his jeans. “Kachinas represent different gods and spirits. This one is Kokopelli, a—”

“Fertility god.” Maura took a step backward. “I think I might go back up top if someone is seeking to make babies down here.”

The men both laughed as she continued to back up. “This one's a pretty early representation. The later ones omit the penis. Is there someone who works for the Full Moon who's newly married and wanting a baby?” Declan stood and shone his flashlight around the kiva again.

“Not that I know of.” She pointed at the carving. “Since this has a penis, does that mean it's not one you could buy at a tourist trap?”

“Yes, that's what it means,” Declan said. “Someone carved this, and they did a fantastic job of it. The work is exquisite.”

He itched to pick it up, examine it. But its presence here changed the scene. This was an archeological site, true, but it was also being used for religious purposes. He wouldn't touch the items and destroy what someone had obviously set up with painstaking accuracy if this was being used for religious purposes.

Since he couldn't touch, he did the next best thing. He leaned over and snapped a few photos, checking the memory card when he was done to make sure he'd captured the photos like he wanted.

68

Melinda Barron

“Any of your workers follow the ancient ways?” Dario stepped up next to Maura, holding the flashlight to illuminate the both of them.

“Again, not that I know of.” She shrugged. “But if they do, that's their business. Declan, do you think this kiva is new?”

“No. I truly believe it's been here for centuries. But it's been taken care of, which means it has great significance for someone around here. We need to figure out who's doing it, ask them about the structure, and how they found out about it.”

Declan looked around again, fighting the urge to take soil samples and run his light over the walls, see if there were traces of drawings left anywhere.

The walls looked to be empty, which was a little strange. Once he got started he wouldn't want to stop, and he needed to take things slowly.

Despite the fact they were underground and in a tight, enclosed space, Declan's spirit soared as he examined the kiva. This was one of the most magnificent things he'd ever seen, and he wanted to go interview everyone within a hundred-mile radius, see if they would tell him anything, see if he could find someone who was still practicing the old ways.

If they were using the kiva, there was every chance they had artifacts that had been passed down from generation to generation. Getting the chance to look at those artifacts would be amazing. But they had to be cautious about it.

If they got too heavy-handed, they would piss someone off or send them running and not be able to get anything out of them at all.

“What do we do next?” Dario's voice interrupted his musings.

“Camp out,” Declan said, turning toward them.

Maura put her hands on her hips, and Declan wet his lips. Her legs were slightly spread, and thinking about the tasty treat that was inside her was probably something he shouldn't be doing in this space.

“It's the middle of the afternoon,” she said. “If that's a veiled reference to going to bed, it's not working.”

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69

Both men chuckled, and then Declan crossed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Tempting, but we'll save it for later. Let's eat lunch, and we can discuss what I want to do later tonight.”

Dario patted her on the butt, and Declan added a pat, just for good measure. She jumped playfully, then took hold of the ladder and put her foot on the first rung.

Declan saw what was happening before Maura realized it. The ladder moved more than it should have, swaying almost as if it were in the wind. She grabbed hold of a rung and started to climb. Her weight pulled on what was obviously a now-unsecured ladder, and the apparatus began falling down, coiling down from the ceiling. He moved behind her, grabbing her around the waist as the rope ladder fell into the kiva, effectively trapping them inside the ancient structure.

She landed on top of him as they tumbled onto the floor, Declan effectively breaking her fall. His deep grunt from the impact made her body tense.

“Declan!” Her voice sounded as if it were far away, and she turned to see her rescuer under her, his face frozen in pain. “Declan! Are you all right?”

“Fine.” The word came out on a wheeze, and Dario's strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her upright. She clasped them tightly. Dario set her aside, then knelt down next to Declan.

“Don't move.” Dario's hands were on his shoulders. “You might have broken something.”

“No, I don't think so.” Declan sat up and Maura watched, trying to see as much as she could in the darkened space. Declan had dropped his flashlight, and the beam was now illuminating the far part of the kiva.

She walked toward the area slowly, turning the beam on the two men.

Dario was running his hands up and down Declan's arms and legs, checking for breaks.

70

Melinda Barron

“Did you hit your head?” The cop's cool, in-control voice let her know he was totally in charge of the situation. There was not one whit of the fear and nervousness she felt right now.

“No, I'm fine.” Declan pushed his hands away, then glanced at Maura.

“What about you?”

“Right as rain,” she said softly. “Except for the fact we're stuck down here.”

“No.” Dario stood and lifted his arm above his head. “All it will take is Declan getting on my shoulders, and we're out. It's not that deep. They didn't want to leave us here, just scare us.”

His words made Maura's stomach roil. “They?”

“Whoever undid the ladder,” Declan said. “Trust me, Dario and I both checked it to make sure it was secure. There's no way it came loose on its own after supporting the three of us as we climbed down. Someone really doesn't want us here.”

“But why?” Maura shone the light up into the opening. There was no movement from above, no sign that anyone was out there. But of course she'd not heard anyone earlier. She'd been too interested in looking around.

“This is my fault,” Declan said, pushing himself into a standing position.

She went to him and placed her free arm on his bicep.

“Maybe you should sit for a little while.” She wanted to kiss him, but somehow she didn't think this was the right place and time. “And this isn't your fault.”

“Yes, it is. The three of us shouldn't have come down at one time.” The look of self-loathing on his face made her want to smack him. “I broke a cardinal rule of exploring. Not everyone goes into a place at one time.”

Dario snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, one of us could have been up top, and whoever loosened the ladder could have hit somebody over the head to complete his mission. Trust me when I say that I have no doubt they would A Trick of the Moon

71

have done it. If they want to keep people away, they won't stop at much to see that it's done.”

“Well, this does frighten me a little. I don't like being caught in a hole with no way out.”

“Relax, Maura. We'll get out, with no problem. We need to let Declan catch his breath first, though.”

“Yeah, nothing like having a two-hundred-pound woman land on top of you.”

“I don't appreciate your sarcasm,” Declan said. “And you can be on top of me any day, in any place, at any time.”

She watched him consider his words. “Well, maybe not here, because of the whole sacred-site aspect, but once we get up top, then yeah, here works.”

“You're sweet,” she said, stroking his cheek.

“You're sweeter.” Declan kissed the tip of her nose, and she laughed.

Dario cleared his throat. “You're right, she is. And if you're feeling well enough to trade compliments, then we need to kick it into gear and get the hell out. Deck, you weigh less than I do. I'll put you on my shoulders. If you can stand and reach the top, then you can pull yourself out and reattach the ladder. If you can't do it, then we'll trade places and see how that works.”

“Sounds like a plan. Let's do it.” He stepped around Maura and picked up his camera, dusting it off.

“Is it damaged?”

He played with the settings before responding. “The fall might have jarred it, but the pictures on here are okay. I don't know if it will take photos again, though. We'll have to test it later.”

He put the camera in the bag, and then Maura lifted her hand, holding the flashlight. “Excuse me? I have a question about the plan you two are so gung ho about. What happens if you both fall?”

72

Melinda Barron

“Oh ye of little faith,” Declan replied. “Ever ride on someone's shoulders when you were a kid playing in the pool?”

“Yeah, and if you miss your target and fall, you have the water to cushion you,” she said. “You don't have that here, or have you missed that little tidbit?”

“I'm not going to fall,” Declan said. “Trust me.”

Dario flexed his muscles. “And me. This is going to work just fine.”

The two men huddled together for a few minutes before walking to the area near the opening. Dario faced the wall and crouched down. Declan threw his legs over his shoulder, then put his hands on the wall as Dario stood, his hands clasped on Declan's thighs.

He wobbled a little, and Maura put out her hands as if to steady him, even though she was nowhere near close enough, or strong enough, to do anything if they toppled to the ground. If that happened, they'd be up the proverbial creek until someone came to investigate the truck that was sitting alone in the middle of the desert.

“Be careful.” She whispered the words as they stood there. She figured Dario was adjusting to the extra weight. She shone the light up them, happy to see that Dario was right. Declan was mere feet away from the top. If he could lift himself up without sending Dario tumbling, he could grab the top and, hopefully, pull himself out.

They took a few more wobbly steps, then leaned back against the wall.

“Sweetie, pull the stepladder out of my pack,” Declan said, looking back at her.

“Put it near the opening, and then when I start to stand, you can help steadying me by putting your hands on my butt. Can you do that?”

“Oh yeah, you get to have your butt played with and I get to do all the work,” Dario said, strain evident in his voice. “This sucks.”

“I'll play with your butt later,” Maura replied, setting the stepladder right next to the light ring formed by the opening. “Right now let's get this show on the road.”

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Dario took several steps until he was in the middle of the ring; then he transferred his hands from Declan's thighs to his feet. “On the count of three.