Buried Secrets (6 page)

He pulled back. “The man jumped into a getaway car. Someone else was driving.”

There are at least two, maybe more, after me.
That distressing realization shattered what was left of her composure. She wanted to move, to do what he said, but she felt rooted to the floor.

“Maggie? We’ve got to leave now.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the entrance into the living room.

She stared at the strong fingers wrapped around hers, as if she were watching the scene from above, and the woman moving in slow motion wasn’t her. Sluggishly she raised her head and looked into his eyes. His worried expression produced a tightly aching dryness in her throat. She swallowed hard several times. She shuddered, a trickle of feeling welling upward like the beginning of a stream.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

In the foyer he paused in front of her. She fought the warmth spreading through her as his hands slid up her arms. She didn’t want to remember the panic and terror of moments before, the sense that her life wasn’t hers anymore—as in the cave years ago. She’d worked hard all her life never to feel that way again.

Zach cupped her face and smiled down at her, his thumbs stirring over her cheeks in slow circles. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll find someplace safe for us tonight and come up with a plan tomorrow.”

“I’ve never…had someone attack…” Words failed her. She wanted to talk about what had occurred, but she couldn’t put it into a coherent sentence. So much had happened in the past day. Too much. Too fast.

His hands rested on her shoulders. The savage twist to his mouth attested to his emotions as he kneaded her taut muscles. “No one will attack you if I can do anything to prevent it. That’s a promise. We’ll find out who’s behind this and stop them.”

Maggie closed her eyes to the comforting feel of his hands on her, stroking away her agitation with his touch. She wanted to lean into him, but she had already depended on him for so much. In the past she had always stood on her own two feet, never depending on another person—not even Gramps, her mentor. The Southwest, a land that was often harsh and barren, had long ago taught her she had to rely on herself if she was to survive its realities.

Opening her eyes, she drew on her inner strength. “I’m fine.” When he threw her a questioning look, she added, “Really, I am, Zach.”

“Okay. Pack a few things. I don’t think you should stay here until we’ve figured this out.”

Against Zach’s protests, Maggie tended to his cuts, her movements quick and efficient. She gave him some aspirin and took some herself. Tomorrow her body would protest the assailant’s harsh treatment of her.

Then, with Zach’s help, Maggie packed an overnight bag. She was aware he thought the man might return with reinforcements, and she only took what was necessary. Five minutes later, she sat in Ray’s black truck while Zach headed away from her house. She looked back at her home, which had been her haven. She wasn’t sure she would ever feel safe there again, and hated that her attacker had taken her sanctuary away.

As Zach drove out of Santa Fe, Maggie could think of nothing to say, her thoughts still a jumbled mess. She’d always prided herself on being logical and orderly, both necessary traits in her profession, but right now she couldn’t put any kind of logical order to her thoughts, and gave up trying. That would come later.

Except for an occasional light dotting the landscape, pitch-black was all Maggie saw around her when Zach pulled off the highway and bumped along a dirt road that led to a house.
Am I making a mistake putting my trust in him?
He’d said they were going somewhere safe, to stay with a cousin who lived on a reservation. But what if this was all an elaborate setup to get the diary?

For miles she hadn’t seen many signs of life. If Gramps knew who she was with—She quaked thinking how angry her grandfather would have been.

Everything she’d done in her life had been for Gramps. He’d taken her in after her mother’s death, only a year after her father had died in the cave-in. Gramps had held her when she had cried for her parents at night. He’d cheered her on when she had decided to become a doctor. He’d made sacrifices so she could achieve her goal. She owed him, and this was definitely not the way to repay her grandfather. Guilt gnawed at her composure, which was pieced together with a fragile thread.

“Your cousin doesn’t mind us dropping in?” Maggie asked, not liking where her thoughts were taking her.

“Evelyn’s home is always open to family. I have a lot of cousins in this area. If someone is checking out my relatives, it will take them a while. Besides, one of my cousins is a tribal police officer. Nothing much happens without him knowing about it.”

In the dark she sensed the brush of his glance.

“Both Evelyn and Hawke are very knowledgeable about the terrain in this part of the country. That might prove useful to us when looking for the codices.”

“I see.” His relatives were Willow-in-the-Wind’s family, the woman her grandfather had been engaged to marry before Red Collier had run off with her.

Zach parked behind the house so the black truck couldn’t be seen from the road, then climbed from the cab while she grabbed her overnight bag and exited, too. Several more lights in the house switched on, as though someone was moving toward the back door. When it opened, an older woman, medium height with long, straight, coal-black hair, stood in the entrance. Her face lit with a smile as she saw Zach coming toward her.

“Twice in one month. What do I owe this visit to?” The woman stepped out onto the small stoop.

Zach enveloped her in a hug. “We need a safe place to stay for a few days.”

The woman pulled back and studied him. “Trouble?”

Maggie approached the pair while Zach turned toward her and said, “Evelyn Lonechief, this is Maggie Somers.” He scanned the darkness beyond the pool of light created by the house. “And I’ll explain inside why we’re here.”

“Come in.” His cousin opened the screen door and went into the kitchen.

Maggie mounted the two steps, and again the feeling she was consorting with the enemy nudged to the foreground. Too dazed by the attack at her house, she hadn’t questioned Zach about where they were going until they were halfway here.

“I’ll put some coffee on.” Evelyn shuffled toward the counter.

Just inside the doorway Maggie surveyed the kitchen, a small refrigerator and a stove the only modern conveniences. A dark brown rectangular table with six chairs around it dominated the middle of the room. Old, cream-colored linoleum covered the floor. The room oozed warmth, as though it was the heart of the house.

As the scent of brewing coffee permeated the air, Evelyn lowered herself into one of the chairs and waited for Maggie and Zach to take a seat. “Hawke should be home soon.”

Zach slid a look toward Maggie. “That’s my cousin who’s a tribal police officer, and Evelyn’s son.”

“So what kind of trouble are you in this time?”

Surprised by the question, Maggie stared at Zach. She knew about the problem in the Amazon last year, but what else?

Evelyn chuckled. “Zach has a habit of finding trouble. You should get him to tell you about that time in Peru. Or remember when you went to the Philippines a few years back? I still marvel about how you got out of that situation alive.”

No wonder Maggie had gotten the impression he could take care of himself, she thought.
He’s had to, whereas the extent of my adventures has been the last two days.

Evelyn’s dark features brightened. “He’s a regular Indiana Jones. Made Red proud. If Zach wasn’t looking for some new plant or cure, he was delving into the local history. Sometimes people didn’t want him to.”

Zach shot to his feet. “I’ll get us all some coffee, then we’ll talk about what’s going on.”

While he was at the counter, Evelyn leaned toward Maggie. “He doesn’t like me talking about his adventures, but I sure do enjoy hearing about them. It’s my excitement. Nothing much happens around here.”

“Glad to hear that.” Maggie took the mug Zach gave her and sipped the hot brew. “We have someone after us.”

Zach eased down next to her, cradling his coffee between his hands. “Maggie is Jake Somers’s granddaughter.”

A twinkle sparkled in Evelyn’s brown eyes. “I figured as much. She has the same dark red hair and the same mouth. Why your grandfather was called Red is beyond me. It should have been Jake’s name.”

“You knew my grandfather?”

“I knew who he was, but I never met him. I’ve seen some old photos of him, heard stories about him. I’m sorry about his death.”

Her words of condolence brought back all the pain Maggie had experienced over the past week. “Zach thinks it wasn’t an accident, and I have to agree with him.”

“Like Red?”

Zach nodded.

“He shared his theory with you?” Maggie glanced from Zach to his cousin.

“With my son, after Red’s house was trashed and the map was stolen,” Evelyn said.

“And Hawke thinks something might be going on.” Zach lifted his mug to his lips, his gaze snagging Maggie’s over the rim.

Maggie gave him an exaggerated look. “I believe someone is after us. It’s kinda hard not to acknowledge it when I was attacked in my own home.”

Evelyn sat forward. “You were attacked? Why?”

“The man wanted the diary.” Her attacker’s gravelly voice, and his demands, resounded in Maggie’s mind. If Zach hadn’t come in, she could have been killed.

“So, Zach, your hunch is right. This is about the legend of the Aztec codices, after all these years. Red and Aunt Willow gave up on the search. They decided the codices were either destroyed or the legend was just that, a legend.”

“Well, someone doesn’t think so.” Zach placed his mug on the table.

“Either way, Zach and I are in danger because of the diary and the map. If the codices are out there, we need to find them.”

Zach surged to his feet. “They belong in a museum where they can be studied, not in some private collector’s possession. The prospects of a band of Aztecs preserving their history from destruction for future generations…” His voice faded, but the passion in his expression didn’t.

“You sound just like your grandfather. Why didn’t you become an archaeologist like him?” Evelyn finished her coffee.

“It’s hard to live up to a legend. I wanted to make my own mark in the scientific community.”

Maggie watched Zach pace the kitchen, waves of energy flowing from him. Red Collier had had the life—and woman—Gramps had wanted. Although she felt her grandfather had loved her grandmother in his own way, Maggie had always known something had been missing in their relationship. Red and Jake’s discovery almost sixty years ago had started an avalanche of events. Would it end in Maggie’s death?

“Did they get the diary, too?” Evelyn walked to the coffeepot and poured some more coffee into her mug.

Zach stopped in the middle of the room. “No. So we have a chance.”

Evelyn lounged back against the counter with her drink nestled in her palms. “Which means they will be searching for you and Maggie. If they have already killed twice for the diary and map, then they won’t stop until they get both of them.”

They? Who are they?
Maggie wanted to scream in frustration. She’d had a good life, and now she was on the run, forced to work with her family’s enemy in order to stay alive.

“A
re you sure about this?” Maggie scanned the parking lot at the Albuquerque City College, looking for a black SUV with gun-toting thugs in it.

“We’ll get the copy of the map, interview the people at the rehabilitation center, go by the bank in Santa Fe and be back at Evelyn’s before anyone knows we are here.” Zach patted the hood of the green Jeep. “Whoever is after us won’t be looking for this rental car. Besides, we’re probably going to need a four-wheel drive. I doubt very seriously the codices are hidden in the middle of civilization.”

“And there are definitely some remote places in the Southwest where they could be stashed. There are a lot in New Mexico alone.”

“But first we need to break the code, figure out where to start looking.”

Maggie fell into step next to Zach as he crossed the parking lot toward the science building. Her skin crawled with visions of people watching them. She perused the area, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, no gun-toting thugs waving their arms to get her attention.

Inside, Zach greeted the receptionist with a nod and a smile but kept walking toward his office. The star-struck expression on the young woman’s face amused Maggie, while Zach seemed oblivious to his effect on the receptionist. Maggie hurried after him. His long strides chewed up the distance rapidly, as if he was a man on a mission.

“Slow down.”

He glanced back at her. “I don’t want to stay here any longer than is necessary.”

At his office door, she spied the taut line of his mouth. “You felt it, too?”

He nodded, unlocked the door and entered the room.

Maggie quickly followed, not breathing fully until she was inside. “Are we being paranoid, or do you think someone is watching us?”

“I hope the first, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter.” He walked directly to the bookcase along the south wall and withdrew a large volume from the top shelf. “After yesterday’s events, I’m sure they know we’re working together.”

“And they want to stop that?”

“Yes.” He stuck his hand into the vacant hole left by the large book. “I think that’s why someone tampered with my brakes. They wanted to get rid of me, or at least scare me off.”

“My car was okay.”

“They want you alive until they get the journal. They made the mistake of killing your grandfather before they got it. They probably thought it was at his house, as my grandfather’s map was. Like yours, my grandfather couldn’t part with the artifact and give it to a museum.”

Their grandfathers kept the items as a constant reminder of the past. A past that had killed them and could kill her and Zach.
Maggie shivered, her mind journeying back to the previous evening, when they’d been barreling down the mountain with no brakes. “I guess they didn’t think we would combine forces, or they wouldn’t have tried to kill you with me in the car.”

He pulled his hand out of the hole in the shelf, a piece of folded paper clutched in it. “I think they did something to the brakes here at the college, or maybe even at my house. The mechanic said the way it was tampered with would cause a slow leak.” He waved the copy of the map in the air. “But we’re going to be smarter than they are.”

Thinking back to the times she had witnessed her grandfather poring over the pages of the diary, and seeing the disappointment carved into his features, she had to suppress the strong urge to snatch the paper from Zach’s grip and discover what the big deal was. Then she considered the task ahead of her and Zach, and felt overwhelmed. A treasure. A map. A diary. Breaking some code. This was all beyond her expertise. She was a doctor, not a cryptographer.

“Let’s get out of here. We still need to go to the rehabilitation center and then the bank in Santa Fe,” he said.

“It’s down the street from my office.”

Zach stuck the map into his pocket and opened his office door to allow her to go first. She hastened down the corridor. Zach’s hand settled at the small of her back, reassuring her of his presence.

When she rounded the corner, she ran into a tall, thin man, his attention fixed on some papers he carried. Her purse, wrenched from her grasp in the collision, fell to the tile floor. All its contents scattered. Stunned for a few seconds, she just stared at the man, who quickly bent to scoop up her bag and items.

“I’m so sorry.” Red in the face, the older gentleman stuffed her wallet, checkbook and compact into the purse, then gave it to her. “I should have been looking where I was going.” He peered over her shoulder. “Zach, you’re just the person I wanted to see.”

Zach stepped around her and shook the man’s hand. “This is Maggie Somers. John Kingston. He runs the museum at the college and was one of my grandfather’s protégés.”

John eyed her. “Somers? Any kin to Jake Somers?”

“My grandfather.” Surprised the man knew Gramps, Maggie looped the straps of her purse over her shoulder and tucked it under her arm. “How did you know my grandfather?”

“I didn’t. I’ve heard stories from Red.” The museum curator’s questioning gaze swung to Zach.

Zach held up his hand. “I know. When I have more time, I’ll fill you in. Right now we have to be going.”

He knew stories of Gramps? Maggie didn’t like the idea Red Collier had talked about her grandfather to others.

John frowned. “Is something going on? I know you were upset about the break-in at Red’s place.”

“I’m sure it was someone looking for an easy score,” Zach said.

“I haven’t seen much of you since Red’s funeral. I’ve left you several messages about the reception for the backers of your expedition. It’ll be at the museum, to honor your grandfather’s contributions to it, and to entice the public about the new exhibit we’ll have, centered around Red Collier.”

“An exhibit? When did you decide this?”

“The president and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity. You know your grandfather’s reputation in the field. I asked the receptionist to alert me if you turned up here. I just need your okay on the exhibit, and its opening next month—right before you leave on your expedition to the Amazon.” John shifted through the stack he held and produced a sheet.

“Sorry. I’ve been busy and haven’t checked my messages.” Zach took the paper the curator gave him.

John fumbled in his front pocket and withdrew a pen. As he presented it to Zach, he smiled. “The exhibit is going to be so nice when I finish with it. I’m still going through the boxes you brought to the museum. The grand opening will be a big celebration. Red liked a good party.”

“Yeah, Granddad was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.” Zach read the sheet, then scribbled his name at the bottom before giving it back to John. “It was nice seeing you. Let me know when you plan to open the exhibit.”

“Will do. I’m hoping Friday night in four weeks. You leave the following Monday.”

“I know how much my grandfather meant to you, and I appreciate the tribute. I’ll be there.” Zach shifted closer to Maggie and placed his hand at the small of her back again.

John’s thin lips lifted in a bright smile. “A third of the items at the museum he acquired in some way. A tribute is the least the college can do, and long overdue.”

The curator’s glowing words underscored the sense of guilt in Maggie. She could imagine Gramps’s anger over the fact she was working with the enemy. Because of Red, her grandfather had given up his academic career and become a rancher.

“If anything comes up in the next few weeks, or concerning the reception in a couple of days, call Ray. He can take care of any problems or get in touch with me.”

“Are you going to be away or something?”

Zach shook his head. “Just very busy. You know how it is with planning an expedition.”

A sadness entered the man’s eyes. “No, I never did fieldwork like you and your grandfather. Sometimes I wish I had. I’ll see you at the reception.”

They said their goodbyes and crossed the science-building lobby. While Zach held the door for her to exit, goose bumps shot through her. She peered back at John and glimpsed the intensity in his gaze, directed at her, and felt his judgment. It was obvious Red had confided in him about what had occurred between Red and Jake all those years ago, and Red’s side of the story had been different from Gramps’s.

“So I see your grandfather told everyone his side of what happened.” Maggie strode toward the rental car, aware of Zach’s strained presence beside her.

“My granddad helped John get his start, and when the curator’s job needed to be filled, he proposed John for the position. Through the years there have been a number of people my grandfather helped. Remember, Maggie, there are two sides to every story.”

Maggie yanked open the Jeep’s passenger door. She started to say something, then realized she didn’t want to talk in the middle of the parking lot with no telling who was watching. She slid in and waited for Zach to climb in behind the wheel and switch on the engine. “So John Kingston knew about the break-in. Who else?”

“A lot of people. I reported it to the police. John and Ray were with me when I went to the house after the funeral. I was donating some of Granddad’s personal items to the museum. John couldn’t believe what he saw. Some valuable pieces were destroyed. The man cried.”

Maggie remembered the pottery shards crunching under her feet as she had walked into Gramps’s living room, and her brief anger dissolved. They had shared a similar loss. She would have to focus on that instead of the past if she was going to make this work.

“Actually, I’m glad you met John,” Zach said. “When we find the codices, I would like to donate them to the college museum in our grandfathers’ names.” He slid a glance toward her as he steered the Jeep into the flow of traffic. “What do you think?”

“That’s fine.” She stared at the side mirror, trying to see if anyone was following them. The sense of being watched still cloaked her. But no cars pulled out behind them.

Twenty minutes later Zach parked in a space next to the rehabilitation center. On the ride he hadn’t said a word and his expression became more closed and dark the nearer they came to the place where his grandfather had died.

He wrenched the Jeep door open. “Let’s get this over with.”

On the sidewalk leading to the one-story building, Maggie impulsively grabbed his hand as they walked to the entrance. He peered down at their fingers linked together, then up into her face. “I’ll be all right.”

“This has got to be tough. It’s okay to admit it. I know how much your grandfather meant to you.”

“Because you felt the same way about yours.” Zach paused a few feet from the entrance. “I hated coming to this place when he was alive. I couldn’t wait until the doctors released him to come home. The day before he died they felt Granddad would be able to leave by the end of the week. I was making preparations for him to stay with me. Then he died.”

The pain in his voice strengthened her connection to Zach. She knew exactly how he felt. Her past was screaming for her not to trust Zach Collier, but her heart was telling her to let go of her distrust. “Losing a loved one is never easy. We’ve both had our share of deaths in our lives.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”

She chuckled. “We do?”

“I see this as the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” He drew in a deep breath. “Let’s go. I don’t like standing around outside too long.”

As she entered the center, Maggie peered back. Again the hairs on her nape tingled. How much was her imagination overreacting? She’d kept a watch on the cars behind them the whole way here, and hadn’t seen anything strange. But then, she wasn’t an expert on how to tell if someone was tailing her.

Zach headed for the reception desk. “Hi, Cassie. I’m glad you’re on duty today.”

“Dr. Collier, I didn’t expect to see you again. Is something wrong?” The young woman patted her hair as though to make sure it was in place.

“I know you don’t keep a formal record of who visits the patients, but people usually check in with you first. I was hoping you would remember some of the ones who came to visit Granddad.”

Her eyes fixed on Zach, Cassie leaned forward. “Your grandfather was very popular.”

“Do you remember any names? Anyone in particular?”

Deep in thought, the young woman tapped her finger against her chin. “That nice Dr. Kingston came several times. And your friend, Ray Parker.” She scrunched her mouth and stared off to the side. “Also a beautiful young lady with long blond hair, and a short, bald guy.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and I remember Dr. Lanier came once a week.”

“Anyone else?”

“There were probably others when I wasn’t on duty. I can ask around and see if anyone remembers anyone else.”

“If you can think of the lady’s or the bald guy’s names, or, for that matter, any other visitors, please give me a call.” Zach wrote a number down on a piece of paper. “This is my cell. Just leave a message. I can get back to you.”

Cassie’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll let you know what I find out. Oh, this is just like in the movies. I feel like a detective.”

As they left the building, Zach frowned. “I knew Granddad was popular. I have a feeling she’ll come up with some more people. Hopefully she’ll get some names for us, too.”