The Death Relic (27 page)

Ever since that day, Ulster had considered them family.

Payne, who was aware of the time difference, felt the need to apologize despite their closeness. ‘Sorry to bother you on a Saturday night. I hope I didn’t interrupt your dinner plans. I know how you like to entertain at the weekend.’

Ulster stared at his naked form in the bathroom mirror. His round belly made him look like Buddha. He patted it a few times before answering. ‘Actually, I’m trying to curtail my gluttonous ways. I tend to pack on the pounds during the winter months.’

‘Petr, you live on top of the Alps. They’re all winter months.’

Ulster laughed. ‘I think that’s part of the problem!’

Payne knew that if he wasn’t careful, Ulster would chew his ear off about his diet, the snowfall in Küsendorf, or whatever else was on his mind. He had the ability to turn a two-second response into a ten-minute lecture. With that in mind, Payne decided to get aggressive. He knew if he didn’t define the terms of the conversation, he was asking for trouble.

‘If you have a moment,’ Payne said, ‘I was hoping to ask you a question or two about the Maya. I’m currently in Mexico, and—’

‘Did you say the Maya? I love the Maya. They’re one of my ten favourite civilizations of all time. Obviously, you’d have the Greeks and the Romans. I think most people would have them on their lists. Then there are the Egyptians and the Mongols—’

‘Petr!’ he shouted to cut him off. ‘Did you hear what I said? I’m actually
in
Mexico right now, and I need some information about the Maya. Time is not my friend.’

Ulster, who was familiar with Payne’s military background, lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘Are you on a mission?’

‘Something like that.’

Ulster stomped his foot and whooped with glee. Regrettably, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do while standing in a puddle. The force of his stomp shot water in every direction like a cannonball in a community pool. ‘Oh goodness. I shouldn’t have done that.’

‘Done what? Petr, are you all right?’

‘One moment, my boy. I need to fetch a towel. I’m feeling a tad moist.’

‘Hold up! Were you exercising?’

Ulster grinned as he grabbed his bathrobe from the back of the door. He was far too embarrassed to tell him what he had actually been doing. ‘Yes. Something like that.’

Payne covered the phone and whispered to Jones. ‘You’re not going to believe this, but Petr was exercising.’

Jones winced. ‘Are you sure you called the right Petr?’

‘I’m positive. He just tried to tell me his top-ten civilizations of all time.’

Jones laughed. ‘Yep. That’s the right Petr.’

Freshly wrapped in a designer robe, Ulster grabbed the phone and collapsed into his favourite chair. It was tucked away in the corner of his master bedroom. ‘There we go. Much better. Sorry for the delay. The walls and floors are literally dripping because of me.’

‘Don’t overdo it, Petr. You need to ease into your workouts.’

Feeling guilty about the deception, Ulster changed the topic. ‘Enough of that. Let’s focus on you. What are you doing in Mexico?’

‘DJ and I are helping a friend. Do you remember Maria Pelati?’

‘Of course I remember Maria. She spent several weeks here after the fire, doing research and pitching in. What a lovely girl.’ Ulster paused in thought. ‘Wait a moment! Are David and Maria together again? They were
such
a cute couple. Their babies would be adorable!’

Payne nearly gagged. ‘Petr, how about we make a deal? I’ll stop asking you questions about your workouts, and you stop mentioning things like that.’

Ulster laughed. ‘That sounds fair to me.’

‘Anyway, as I was saying, we’re here to help Maria. She was hired by a team of historians who are looking for a Mayan treasure, and most of the information is over her head.’

‘I bet it is. Not to be rude, but why would they hire Maria? That doesn’t make any sense. Her specialty is Christianity, not Mesoamerican cultures.’

Jesus, Payne thought, am I the only one who didn’t know that?

‘Apparently, this has something to do with a bishop named Diego de Landa. I guess they thought her background would be useful regarding him.’

‘Diego de Landa,’ he repeated with venom. ‘You know how I feel about violence, but that’s a man I wish you’d had a crack at. Actually, calling him a
man
is an insult to men everywhere. That, um,
bishop
was the devil incarnate.’

Payne smiled. In all their time together, he had never heard Ulster curse. ‘For a moment there, I thought you were going to say “bastard”.’

‘For a moment there, I was tempted. But in the end, decorum won out.’

‘Anyway, the team leader gave Maria a document to translate. It describes a treasure and several other things she isn’t familiar with. We were hoping you could fill us in.’

‘I’d be happy to. That is, if you have permission from the team leader. I would hate to step on any toes.’

Payne scratched his chin. ‘Actually, that might be a little bit difficult. One of the reasons we’re helping Maria is because the team leader has disappeared.’

‘Disappeared? As in lost in the jungle?’

He shook his head. ‘As in abducted from a hotel. At least that’s what we think happened. We’re still sorting through the facts.’

‘Good heavens! Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘Yeah. You can answer some questions about the Maya.’

‘No, my boy, I meant in regards to the abduction. I know quite a few people in the academic community. Perhaps, I can put you in touch with some of his colleagues.’

Payne smiled at the suggestion. It was an angle he hadn’t considered. ‘Actually, now that you mention it, that’s a wonderful idea. Maria never had a chance to meet the rest of her team. If we can figure out who’s involved with this, perhaps they can help us find Hamilton.’

‘Did you say
Hamilton
? As in
Terrence
Hamilton?’

‘Yep, that’s the guy. Why? Have you heard of him?’

Ulster swallowed hard. ‘Indeed I have. He’s a friend of mine.’

Payne cursed his stupidity. Until that moment, he hadn’t even considered the possibility that Ulster and Hamilton might know each other, even though the connection should have been obvious. Because of the size and scope of the Archives, Ulster was considered royalty in the academic community, a man who could launch a career with a phone call or a letter of recommendation. And since Hamilton was considered one of the preeminent Mayan scholars in the world, it made sense that their paths would have crossed at some point.

Payne quickly apologized. ‘Petr, I am so sorry. It never dawned on me that you might be friends. Are you two close?’

Ulster shook his head. ‘Not socially, but we chatted from time to time about his research. He had some fascinating theories about Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the shared terminology of the Maya and the Aztecs. Truly groundbreaking concepts.’

‘Is that so?’ Payne asked as he considered the information. ‘How groundbreaking are we talking?’

‘I’m not sure I follow.’

‘I mean, would this be the kind of research that certain groups would want to stop?’

‘Stop? Why would someone want to
stop
his research?’

Payne shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe political reasons.’

‘Political? Good heavens, no! The Maya and the Aztecs were once warring nations, but their descendants have long since assimilated into Mexican culture. Now they stand in unison under the flag of Mexico. His research would not be controversial. Not at all!’

‘Sorry, I’m just brainstorming here. Trying to figure out why someone would abduct Hamilton. As you know, I’m slightly out of my element when it comes to history.’

Ulster took a deep breath. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I guess I’m a tad unnerved by your news. Was there any sign of violence?’

‘No, nothing like that.’

Payne took a few minutes to fill Ulster in on the basics, everything from Maria’s initial invitation to the translation of the Mercado document. Out of everything discussed, the thing that bothered Ulster the most was the cargo in the Hummer. He simply couldn’t understand why Hamilton would have a crate filled with weapons and a trunk full of relics.

Ulster said, ‘That’s not the Terrence I know. He was always the cautious sort when it came to protecting his discoveries. He definitely wasn’t the type to put explosives and artefacts in the same space. That’s just asking for trouble.’

‘Unless, of course, he’d already found trouble and had no other choice but to protect himself. I mean, his captors must have been desperate. They grabbed him at a luxury hotel in the middle of the afternoon.’

Ulster grimaced. ‘That doesn’t sound like Terrence, either.’

‘What doesn’t?’

‘A luxury hotel. He’s more of a tent kind of fellow.’

‘Hamilton wasn’t staying there. Maria was. He got her a nice suite for the weekend. I think he used it to entice her to make the trip. That and a healthy stipend.’

Ulster leaned forward in his chair. ‘Now that
definitely
doesn’t sound like Terrence. I wonder what he’s got himself involved in?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I don’t want to speak ill of the dead – um, I mean missing – but when I said he was ‘a tent kind of fellow’, that’s a polite way of saying he was thrifty. No, not thrifty. That would imply that he had wealth and chose not to spend it. Hmm, how should I put this?’

‘Bluntly.’

‘Yes, of course. No sense in holding back now. I think the most accurate term to describe Terrence would be “destitute”.’

‘Broke? He was broke? Why do you think that?’

‘Why? Because it’s common knowledge in the academic community. Terrence was something of a control freak when it came to his research. He hated external input – especially the kind that came from big-money donors who knew nothing about his field – so he tended to fund his expeditions out of his own pocket. That meant sleeping in a tent instead of an air-conditioned camper, using unpaid interns instead of a highly trained staff and eating beans by the campfire instead of a feast prepared by a personal chef.’

‘In other words, he was the opposite of you.’

Ulster laughed. ‘Exactly!’

Payne paused in thought. ‘But still respected?’

‘Definitely! In fact, some scholars respected him even more because of his suffering. It takes a certain type of courage to turn down corporate money and academic funding to work for oneself. In many ways, I bet it was liberating. To make your own choices, to control your own destiny. Most people can’t do that because of familial responsibilities. Between children and spouses, food and rent, there’s no money left over for research. In today’s economy, most tenured professors have to forego sabbaticals because they don’t have the funds to follow through with their research. What used to be a full year at half pay is now a half year at even less. It’s sad, really. The best academic minds in the world are languishing on campuses because they can’t afford to explore the world. How do we expect to learn new things about the past if our greatest scholars are tethered to their classrooms?’

Payne answered, ‘By breaking the rules.’

‘Actually, my boy, that was a rhetorical question.’

‘Maybe so, but I stand by my response. When people get desperate, they tend to do things that are out of character, whether it’s stealing food when they’re hungry or buying guns when they’re scared. I might not know much about history, but I know a lot about people. And since our arrival in Mexico, everything that I’ve learned about this case – Maria’s last-minute invitation, the break-in at her suite, even the crate of weapons – reeks of desperation.’

‘And how does that apply to Terrence?’

Payne shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe he got desperate and borrowed money from the wrong people to finance his dig? And when he didn’t pay them back, maybe they came looking for him?’

‘Good heavens! That’s doesn’t sound promising at all.’

‘Relax, it’s just a theory. Then again, it would explain just about everything, including the Hail Mary to Maria.’

‘Hail Mary to Maria? I’m afraid you just lost me.’

Payne smiled. It was rare to find a topic that confused Ulster. ‘That’s an American football term. A losing team calls that play in the last seconds of a game. The quarterback throws the ball as far as he can and hopes that one of his teammates catches it. It’s called a Hail Mary because it’s nothing more than a prayer.’

Ulster laughed. ‘A Hail Mary! Such an ironic term for a barbarous game. I’ll have to remember that.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Now how does that apply to Maria?’

Payne sensed that Ulster didn’t quite understand the term, so he decided to spell it out for him. ‘For the sake of discussion, let’s say that Hamilton borrowed fifty thousand dollars to finance his dig, and repayment was due this weekend. Let’s also pretend that he borrowed this money from the wrong type of person: a loan shark or a criminal of some kind.’

‘OK, I’m with you so far.’

‘According to Hamilton, he was really close to a major discovery, but he realized time was running out, and his investor wasn’t the type of person he could disappoint.’

‘Terrence was scared for his life.’

Payne nodded. ‘So what does he do? He calls a Hail Mary – or in this case, a Hail Maria – in a last-ditch attempt to make his discovery before time runs out.’

Ulster sighed. ‘I’m afraid you lost me again on the last part.’

‘Which part of the last part?’

‘Don’t get me wrong: I understand your analogy. It’s clever and apropos. Hamilton is desperate, so he makes a desperate call before time runs out. The part that confuses me is Maria. Of all the historians in the world, why would he call her? And that’s not a criticism of her. She’s a talented researcher in her particular field, but I don’t understand how she fits. If this was about Christ, Maria makes sense. But if this is about the Maya, he could have done a lot better.’

Payne lowered his voice. ‘Just so you know, Maria is in total agreement. She can’t figure out why she was chosen for this job. According to her, Hamilton assured her that the project was right up her alley, but she’s in over her head and she knows it.’