TEMPLARS QUEST: LUCEM SANCTAM (THE TEMPLARS QUEST CHRONICLES: A Historical Mystery Book 3) (8 page)

“Come on, Mister, please give us a break.”

“I am giving you a break … a break from life.” I swiftly shot each one in the back of the head. They flopped over on the countertop banging their heads as they hit. Blood splattered around the area, messing up the counter, but no one was going to eat there anyway.

George and I dragged the all bodies into a back storeroom and locked the door with a key we found. I didn’t feel any remorse about killing these little punks. If you play with the big boys, that’s what can happen to you. Besides, kidnapping means the death penalty in my book. Baldwin didn’t say a word. He knew we had no choice but to kill them.

We found the bandit’s cars in front of the lodge and disabled them. It was getting late, so we walked back to the cabins.

It was almost dark when the patrols came back. They reported there weren’t any signs of nomads. We told them about our encounter and advised them we were on the right track.

Baldwin set up security by assigning two men to guard the trucks, two men to guard the cabins, and one man to watch Bright Angel Trial in case the nomads came back up during the night. They would rotate every two hours with the other Warriors so everyone would get some rest.

I went to the room and Adam was still on the computer. He said, “The Indian name for the Grand Canyon is Ongtupqa.”

“What does that mean? “ I asked, as I poured a double shot of JD.

“I don’t know I’ll look it up tomorrow. I’m too tired now and I have a headache.” I gave him some aspirin and we went to sleep. Maggie was already in dreamland.

I couldn’t sleep and stayed up for a while longer. I thought,
it was too bad those young men chose a life of crime.
    

Baldwin and I had a meeting at 7 am. I said, “The nomads will be coming out of the canyon any day now. They’ll run out of food.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. The Bright Angel Trail is a perfect killing zone,” George stated.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

We hiked back to the start of the trail. Baldwin said, “From here we can see more than a mile. These guys are coming up on a narrow trail with no place to hide. Once they come around that bend, on the trail down there, we’ll terminate them before they get to the tunnel. I killed a lot of Isis guys using the same method.”

“Yeah, good idea. That’s about 800 yards away. I could use the Cobb 50.”

“Yes, for sure. But don’t fire at the lead vehicle. Fire at the last ATV first, taking them out in reverse order. That blocks the trail so they can’t back up and escape. Since there has to be two men on an ATV, maybe you can kill two with one shot. I’ve done that many times. The big fifty bullet will rip right through both men. Anyway, you shoot the last one first and then move forward, taking one out at a time. Most likely the ATVs in the lead won’t hear the shots over the noise of the motors. They probably won’t even turn around to look behind them on that narrow trail because they’re afraid of going over the cliff. That’s at least a 2,000-foot drop.”

“That makes a lot of sense, George.”

“Then, if any men do make it to the tunnel, we’ll be waiting to ambush them. Once inside the tunnel it’s a perfect killing zone.”

“Ok, that’s a good plan. We can see them coming miles away so that gives us time to set up.”

“Now, what else do we need to do today?” Baldwin asked.

“We need to start looking for the Hooked X located somewhere on the rim. It’s a big job and there’s a lot of ground to cover. We might not even find one because this place has changed so much since the time of the Templars.”

“So, what should my men be looking for to find the X?”

“They need to check every large stone or rock, along the rim, that sticks up enough that the rising sun would strike it. We’ll cover the south rim first and if we don’t find it we’ll have to go around the canyon to the east and north.”

“Man, that’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“Yes it is, but we have 20 days to find it.”

We had nineteen men to search for the Hooked X. Ten would proceed using the ATVs, and nine would search on foot, working in teams of two or three.

Baldwin said, “Hey, I just remembered we got the nomads radio so we can listen in. I’ll have one of my men monitor it. Maybe they’ll tip us off when they’re heading up.”

“Good idea, that’ll give us a jump on them.” We hiked back to the cabins to get some chow.

Maggie and I needed to meet with the Indians to find out if they knew anything about the caves, treasure, Templars, or Egyptians coming to the canyon. If they did, would they tell us.

Adam stayed in the cabin, searching for information on the Army World Web. Maggie and I mounted up to make the drive to the Havasupai Reservation which is about 200 miles by car, but only 20 miles by the way the crow flies. It’s not easy to get there by car. We drove one of the Hummers and brought alongthe dogs for added protection
.

The Havasupai capital is named Supai Village, which is located within Havasu Canyon, on the Havasu River, which is a tributary on the south side of the Colorado River. The village is not accessible by road. The Havasupai Tribe administers the land, which is outside the jurisdiction of Grand Canyon National Park.

To get there we had to backtrack south on Route 83 to I-40 and then proceed west to Seligman exit. There, we pick up Indian Route 18, which takes you to a parking lot and the end of the road, bringing you to the reservation. This is the start of the dirt trail that leads to Supi Village.

We arrived five hours later, at 2 pm, because the top speed of the Hummer was only 45 mph. Just as I suspected, a group of Indians were sitting at a roadblock, in the parking lot, at the head of the trail.

The Indians were positioned about 100 feet away from where we parked. They were watching as Maggie and I jumped out of the Humvee with the dogs and stretched our legs. We clipped our M4s on the slings and put the dogs on a leash. Right away, they took a much needed leak. Speaking of leaks, I had to take one also. I glanced around the parking lot and saw a porta-potty on the side of the lot, about 50 feet away, near the Indians.

I said, “Maggie, I gotta take a leak.”

“Me too. You go first and see if it’s safe.”

I went in to relieve myself. Coming out, I glanced over at the Indians. They sat in the shade of a tree glaring at us.

“Jack, is it safe for me to go in?”

“Yeah, it’s ok. It smells bad, but the only snake I saw was a trouser snake.” I let out a chuckle.

“Very funny.”

A few minutes later, Maggie came out with a disgusted look on her face. “That thing was fifthly.”

Maggie was holding both dogs as we walked up to the Indian greeting party. The Indians didn’t stand up or speak to us until I said, “Hello, my name is Jack Gunn and this is Maggie. We’re with the Army and we’re staying for a few weeks at Grand Canyon Park.”

I glanced around at the men. Most of them appeared to older, except one man who looked to be in his twenties. They all wore cowboy hats and had long black hair.

Speaking perfect English, the young Indian said, “I am Eddie Moon. What do you want?” He stood up and stepped over to me.

Eddie was a good looking man, about 6 feet tall. He was thin, but strong looking. His hair hung straight down from under his white cowboy hat. His skin was dark from years of exposure to the bright sun. He wore a blue long-sleeve shirt and jeans. I noticed he had on hiking boots. Eddie had a friendly looking face, which made a good impression on me.    

“We’d like some information,” I said.

“Ok shoot, what do you want to know?” Eddie asked.

“Has anyone ever heard of a treasure being in the canyon?”

“Of course, a treasure is a big rumor or lie that the white man made up.” All the older men laughed at his comment.

“Ok, so there’s no treasure.”

Eddie said, “Look, if there was some big treasure, do you think we’d be living in this place?”

I pulled out a picture of the Knights Templar dressed in the old-style armor. “Do you have any legends of men dressed like this coming to the canyon a long time ago?”

Eddie turned around and he spoke to the other men who stood up to see the picture. The conversation went on for a short time. It seemed to me some of the men appeared to be very interested.

Eddie Moon said, “Yes, we have heard stories from our Chief and Medicine Man about men dressed in metal coming here long ago. They were thought to be Gods at the time.”

“Are you talking about the Spanish?”

“No, this is long before the Spanish. The men helped us and gave us horses and seeds to grow beans.”

“Did they bring anything with them?”

“The story goes, they went into the canyon on Bright Angel Trail with supplies and came out many months later. Many of them did not come out. They were buried in the canyon caves, proving they were not Gods. That is the story.”

“Do you know where these caves are?”

“Yes, they are in the temples. That is all can tell you. We never go to the caves because it is not good to bother the dead spirits.”

Pulling out a picture of the Egyptian hieroglyphs, I showed it to him. “I have one more question. Have any of you ever seen these symbols carved in a canyon wall or cave entrance?”

Eddie said, “Before I answer, what do you have for us? It is not polite to obtain information without giving something in return.” Eddie looked at the dogs. “How about, one of those dogs?”

“No, we can’t do that because they’re my family.”

“Then how about one of your guns.”

I thought about it for a minute. “These are the only guns we have. How about, I give you a thousand green backs.”

Eddie hesitated for a minute. “Ok, I agree.”

Maggie pulled the money out of her pocket. It was all in hundred dollar bills. She handed it to me and I passed it to Eddie Moon. He smiled, took the money, and passed it to an old man sitting behind him.

“We have seen the strange writing in many places in the canyon. If you look for it, you can find it.”

“Thank you for the information, Eddie Moon.”

“You are welcome, Jack Gunn. By the way, three days ago some other men came here asking about caves and treasure. I told them the same thing.”

“Ok, thanks again.”

“Hey, if you need a guide around the canyon, let me know. They hired my friend, Stephen.”

“Eddie, those are dangerous men, so I fear your friend may be in danger if they find any treasure.”

“Thank you for that information. But I think Stephen can take care of himself.”

“How much is your guide service?” I asked.

Eddie said, “For me, it’s a thousand per day.”

“Ok, you’re hired. Can you leave now?” I had a good feeling about Eddie Moon. I thought he could be a big help to us finding our way around the canyon, because we didn’t know crap about the canyon trails.

“Yes, I am ready to go. Just let me get my gear and gun.”

“Good, let’s go.”

Eddie collected some gear, he put in a small bag, and followed us to the truck. I glanced at his gun and it was an old 22 caliber Winchester rifle.

We beat it out of the reservation. I wanted to get back before it got dark. While riding along, Maggie asked, “Eddie, how well do you know the canyon?”

“I know it like the back of my hand.”

I asked, “How well do you know Isis Temple?”

“I know a secret trail that goes up Isis Temple. Without me you would never find it. But I will not go into the caves with you.”

“You said caves. Do you mean there is more than one?”

“Yes, many are in Isis Temple. I will not go inside them.”

“That’s ok, I understand. I am glad I hired you.”

The dogs were in the back seat with Eddie and they seemed to like him. Observing Eddie in the mirror, he was petting them. He asked, “What are the names of your dogs?”

While pointing at them, Maggie replied, “The big one is Adolf and the other is Freda.”

If the dogs liked Eddie, that made me more certain he was an alright guy. He seemed to be a straight shooter, so to speak. Someone I could trust.

We arrived back at the canyon just before twilight. I introduce Eddie to Baldwin and Pete. Eddie noticed that we had ATVs. He commented, “These will make the hike out a lot easier.”

“I’ve hiked the canyon before so I know how hard it is,” I said.

As the sunset and the canyon grew dark, the colors given off were spectacular. Maggie, Eddie, and I watched the show as we sat on the edge of the cliff in front of the cabins.

Eddie said, “The Hopi and us call the Grand Canyon, ONGTUPQA.”

“What does it mean?”

“The Canyon of Life. We believe human life started in the canyon.”

I commented, “I’ve always loved the Grand Canyon. It’s so amazing. You’re lucky to live here.”

“You may think so, but I do not. I want to get a real job and see the world,” Eddie said. “I’ve been trapped here my whole life.”

“Eddie, believe me, you are lucky. It’s a mean world, full of people who would do you harm. Remember, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Here you have security and your tribe to help each other. Your life is not complicated, so you can enjoy God’s wonders.”

Maggie said, “He’s right, Eddie.”

“I like you guys,” Eddie said. “I think I can trust you because you seem like honest people.”

I told him. “I like you, Eddie.”

“I like you too,” Maggie said.

“My problem is I can’t find a wife here. There are no women available to marry, who are worthwhile. It is very frustrating. My mother and father died years ago, when I was fifteen. I want my own family.”

“Well, you need to find a wife at another tribe,” I said.

It was as if he heard our conversation. Out of nowhere, Black Horse appeared from the darkness. “Jack, who is this new man?” he asked.

“Black Horse, I’d like you to meet Eddie Moon. He’s from the Havasupai Tribe, located here at the canyon.” They shook hands, while checking each other out. “Black Horse is the Medicine Man for the Comanche Nation, in Oklahoma.”

Eddie said, “It is nice to meet Black Horse. I have heard many stories about the Comanche Tribe. Your tribe was once the most feared by whites as well as the Indians.”

“Yes, in the old days we Comanche’ were a very powerful tribe, until the white man came.”

“I would like to visit the Comanche Nation in Oklahoma. I have never been outside of Arizona. Do you have many young women who are free to marry?”

Black Horse laughed.  Yes, we have many women because our tribe is very large. You are welcome to come and visit anytime.”