Jungle of Deceit (30 page)

Alex rolled her eyes and Nicholson let loose a throaty laugh.

“
Yes.” Nicholson sat back down behind his desk. “Well, the doctor was correct.” He sobered. “But seriously, when I made it to Ramonez, I was so afraid. There was so much blood.”

The recollection made Mitch tremble. There was indeed so much blood. He was clueless to the fact that two of the Jeeps charged forward towards the source of the gunfire. He was oblivious to the volleying barrage of bullets between Hernandez’s officers and presumably Solis’s soldiers hiding in the cloak of the forest’s edge. He was deaf to Chuck’s words and touch on his shoulder. He was unable to hear Hernandez’s order to lift Alex into the back of the Jeep, and was nearly arrested for assault when he saw arms attempt to haul her out of his reach.

“
It was just a surface wound,” she chided as if it were a bug bite. “I really don’t remember much until Guatemala City, and then all I remember is Mitch challenging my doctor over everything and demanding to sleep in my hospital room. They say…” for the first time she hesitated, “−they say Solis is dead.”

“
Yes.” Mitch cleared his throat. “One of Hernandez’s men got him, but there are many who escaped back into the jungle.”

Cheshire Cat was not accounted for
.

“
And−” Alex played with the shiny material covering her knee. “They say that no one has found my−”

This time Nicholson spared her. “No, Alex. No one has found him. We have to assume he has gone−pardon the expression−
underground
.”

Alex continued to stare at her knee until Mitch reached for her hand. She grabbed it and squeezed, but kept her head down.

“
Because of your clever deception in that museum,” Nicholson continued, “Franklin is probably a wanted man by more than just the law. If he is wise, he will not surface for a long time. And as for his museum−thanks to Chuck accompanying Hernandez’s police force and several Guatemalan government officials, they were able to chronicle the inventory and it will be re-claimed by Guatemala and any other country that had been misappropriated by Franklin. The pieces at Xibalba will go down in the books as a joint discovery by you, Alex, and by the Pastorellis.”

“
They’re okay?” Alex looked up.

“
They are fine. They’re back home now. I understand Joseph Pastorelli has signed a book deal.”

“
And Wes?” It was impossible to miss the pain in her tone.

“
He is still being detained in Guatemala. He drew a weapon on you, but aside from that there aren’t many charges pending against him, so we’ll have to see what happens.”

An awkward silence descended as everyone was caught up in inward thoughts. The angel in the corner continued to pour her water, and Alex released Mitch’s hand. It would take him a long time to get used to the sensation of her fingers leaving his.

“
Phillip.” Mitch broke the silence, trying to jar himself from his own reverie. “I had questions.”

“
Right.” Nicholson snapped his head up.

“
How did you know I would be on that dock? And how did you know so much about me when I climbed into your limo?”

Nicholson’s rigid posture eased as he slumped in his seat, the shoulders of his suit jacket bunching up. He tapped the tip of his finger on the jade cow’s head.

“
I had been following Franklin Langley’s moves for a long time. A very long time. But he was always one step ahead of me. I could never prove his corruption. Through the industry I had heard rumors of a museum so grand and full of unimaginable treasures, and even Franklin himself once boasted of such a place. His arrogance nearly betrayed him.”

Muffled inside this chamber, a siren could be heard passing by on the street below. Its cry peaked and then faded.

“
My break finally came when someone in the Venezuelan government received an invitation to partake in an auction of
rare
,” Nicholson frowned at the use of the word, “−artifacts. An avid collector of sometime unscrupulous items, this Venezuelan was reluctant to disclose the host, but he made inquiries to see who all had received an invitation. I called this official, who I will not mention in order to respect his position in the government, and I was able to ascertain an approximate site of Franklin’s secreted museum. The invitees were never told the exact location. They were flown in, and then taken directly by helicopter to Solis’s compound. They were treated like royalty. In their circles they were the elite sect.”

“
Anyway,” Nicholson continued. “I began to cross-reference the positions of the vanishing archeologists with the airstrip where the Venezuelan was being told to direct his plane, and then sadly I realized that Alex was in the heart of my pencil-drawn triangle.”

“
I know the man from Venezuela that you speak of.” Alex injected. “So he was not entirely corrupt?”

“
Not entirely. He is a victim of an illicit hobby, but so far it is trivial enough to be considered inconsequential, and he protected his office by inquiring about the legitimacy of Xibalba.” Nicholson sighed. “Franklin was a fool to think he could carry this on much longer without being caught.”

Nicholson pushed back from his desk and stood by the window. This was an old building. There was no such thing as glass-plated walls. Here, the windows were narrow and arched, some of the view obscured by burgundy brocade drapes with gold tie backs.

“
I suspected that Franklin was going to try and pull something with the Mayan exhibit for several reasons. One, his fondness for Mayan culture. Two, it came from
my
museum and he would do anything to disgrace me, and three…” he turned away from the window and the sunlight revealed age spots across his cheek, “−and three, he knew that Alexandra was down there and he was planning to abduct her. Though he never gave her any credit, he was astute enough to realize that she was the best candidate to sell his selective inventory.”

“
Why in God’s name did he think I would condone that?”

“
He wouldn’t give a damn whether you approved or not. You are young. You are beautiful, and your best asset is your knowledge. He most likely felt you were perfect for sales. Who could resist your good looks and expertise?”

“
Not me,” Mitch uttered.

His interruption drew Nicholson’s attention.

“
In answer to your question, Mitch. I knew nothing about you until I received that first frantic phone call from my guards on the dock. I started making calls to see if there was any press onsite that might have captured the heist and came away with only your name. I was in shock that Franklin executed such a bold attack−that he outnumbered and destroyed my guards. I was astonished that the helicopters were given clearance in that airspace. It appears they took off from close by and returned to that spot all before any officials were even aware. By that time the shipment was already on a plane−and all I had left was the name of a photographer from the
Chronicle
as the only living witness.”

Nicholson rubbed his face. “You have to forgive me, but I very much feared for Alexandra’s safety at that point. After all, it was my grant that put her directly in the lion’s den. I did my research and used some of my clout, and I found out what buttons to push to get you to help me.”

“
Surely you had better resources to hunt down the shipment than me.”

At this point, Nicholson seemed embarrassed. “I did, but I couldn’t risk sending in the cavalry. Franklin would be on to that. I had to keep my infiltration simple. I wanted two things. I wanted Alex’s protection and I wanted to know the location of Xibalba.” He looked at Mitch. “I figured that you could possibly recognize the soldiers from the dock if you saw them walking amongst civilians down there, and,” Now Mitch honestly thought a flush invaded Nicholson’s cheeks. “It’s immature, but after reading about you and seeing your picture−and definitely after meeting you in that limo and seeing how you fought for my guards’ safety, I thought that maybe you could find a way to sway Alex. To get her out of there.”

“
You were playing matchmaker?” Mitch’s voice pitched. “At a time like that?”

Nicholson shrugged which caused his suit to rustle. “A lot was going on in my mind then. The most dominant thought was to get Alex out of there. If I believed that you were attractive enough, and good-natured enough to entice her, then dammit, I was going to use you.”

Alex uncrossed her legs which caused the loud thump of her heel on the polished wood floor. “Well, he wasn’t attractive enough and he wasn’t charming enough.”

“
I wasn’t?” Mitch gripped the arms of his chair.

“
No, I can’t be manipulated by fluff.” Alex stared down Nicholson and ignored Mitch mouthing the word,
fluff
?

“
The fact that I fell in love with Mitch has nothing to do with his looks or his charm, so don’t sit there and cast yourself as Cupid.”

Alex was still busy admonishing Nicholson who looked quite contrite, but Mitch couldn’t get past,
fluff
.

“
Why
did
you fall in love with me?” He hated that his voice inclined. What the hell−he was thirty-six years old, not fifteen.

Alex gaped at him as if she just discovered he was in the room. In this mini-mausoleum the ever-shifting easel of colors in her eyes picked up on the gold painted walls. The amber irises came into focus and though she was not smiling he saw a glimmer of affection in them.

“
Because you never once tried to impress me.” She put on a tone of affront, but he could tell she was earnest. “You treated me as big of an inconvenience as I treated you.”

“
And that turns you on?”

“
In my field I am the equivalent of a movie star. I have groupies. Everyone wants a piece of me, and I don’t mean physically.”

He had to snort at that one.

“
You know what I’m saying, Mitch.” She reached up and touched the bandage on her neck. “You were the first person to actually talk to me like I was a normal person. You didn’t seem fazed by the enigma.”

“
Actually it was your modesty that I was attracted to.”

Alex scrunched up her nose and then smiled.

“
So see?” Nicholson clapped his hands together with a broad grin.

“
Oh no.” Mitch dragged his gaze from Alex to the smug director. “That is all a quaint summation, but there is more to this tale, Phillip.”

“
Mitch is right.” Alex chimed in. “You owe us the full story. You say you have known my father for a long time. I realize everyone knew of Franklin Langley, but you make it sound personal. Why didn’t you mention anything before?”

***

Phillip sighed. On the desk, his wrinkled hand trembled and he gripped the Asian cattle artifact to steady himself.

“
I always wanted to talk to you about it.” He looked at Alex. “But I kept putting it off. I figured as long as I could help you along the way I would be honoring my word.”

“
Honoring your word?” she repeated. “I don’t understand.”

Phillip discarded his plaything and splayed his hands out flat on the leather blotter. “Alex, I knew your father for many years. Our paths crossed when he returned from Egypt and I was an assistant curator here. We attended many of the same galas…and at one of these galas I met Angelique.”

Alex felt her heart fumble inside her chest. It labored to resume its pace. She could not speak and Phillip mercifully continued after he measured her reaction.

“
Your mother was breathtaking−a regal beauty who rarely spoke. When I first saw her, she was standing next to a fountain, close enough that the mist dusted her arm. She didn’t move. She was staring at a painting of Venice with such intensity−I thought she might be trying to transport herself into one of the gondolas.” Phillip’s smile was introspective. “She wore an ivory dress with crystals embedded in the fabric, and in her hand was an untouched flute of champagne. I thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and I stepped up to her to introduce myself…” he hesitated, “−and then she introduced herself.”

Phillip’s smile fell. His hands on the desk trembled anew. Alex was tempted to reach for them but did not want to disrupt his tale.

“
The disappointment on my face when she revealed her last name must have been so apparent that Angelique just laughed. I mean she laughed so hard that she had to set her champagne glass down on the rim of that fountain. She told me she was not accustomed to such a look of horror at the sound of her husband’s name. I−” Again Phillip was lost in the past, smiling, but smiling to Angelique Langley. “I told her that the horror was to find that she was married, because if she were not I was going to drop on a knee right there and propose to her. She just laughed again and we ended up talking about the painting and her upcoming trip abroad.”

Mama
, Alex cried inside. She tried to envision her mother laughing−such a rare site.

A scowl darkened Phillip’s face. “And then
he
appeared. It was a silent duel of which I lost, so I walked away.”

Phillip’s eyes were rimmed with tears when they looked up to meet hers.