Laredo, Texas, Tuesday morning, Alvaredo's property
As most morning, Alvaredo met Neal at the breakfast table on the terrace.
"I want to apologize for yesterday, Mr. Alvaredo. I'm afraid I have gotten used to being your only guest."
"You will of course not contact Mr. Delmott after your departure," his host said in a clipped tone. "If he reaches out to you, you will make sure you are not available."
"Certainly, I understand," Neal answered, thinking that Alvaredo was finally starting to show his real stand.
He drank some coffee.
"If you don't mind, I will not work on the parchment this morning. I would like to visit the Border Heritage museum. I am not going anywhere with the translation. I want to study the area and its past; see if I missed something on the documents you have. Sometimes, a simple comment by a guide gives a whole new perspective to things."
"As I already said, Mr. Caffrey, you are free to use your time as you wish. I only value the results obtained."
Alvaredo's phone rang and he rose to answer privately. Neal frowned. He couldn't wait to see what Finch had found on the computer. His visit to the museum was going to be short, but he wouldn't risk not going. He was pretty sure Alvaredo would check his whereabouts.
Laredo, Tx, Tuesday morning, Suite at La Posada Hotel
Finch was enjoying a cup of tea when John sat by his side for breakfast.
"Did you get any sleep at all, Finch?" John asked.
"Couple of hours. Mr. Alvaredo's system is one of a kind," Finch answered in a tired voice.
"You're taking a break, so I'm assuming you did reach your objective," John commented.
"Sort of," Finch admitted. "Have a coffee, let me enjoy my tea and I'll let you know."
Shaw joined them a few minutes later. Putting his cup down, Finch explained the results of his all-nighter.
He had managed to get access to Neal's transmitter. He could manipulate the GPS positioning to place him where he wanted. He still had to study more thoroughly the data about the system; he really wanted to be sure he knew everything about a device that was actually placed inside a human body.
In the morning, after countless efforts, he had managed to enter the data server and access some information. He hadn't gone in too deeply yet worried he would trip alerts; the system was very well protected and hyper-sensitive. He was still going over the files he had accessed.
Laredo, Tuesday 12:00, La Posada Hotel
Neal entered the suite.
Finch had set up his office in the living room, using the TV as a second screen. He was currently video conferencing with Mozzie. More than happy to see his friend, Neal approached the camera.
"Hey, Mozz'," he said leisurely.
"Neal!" The radiant smile on Mozzie's face was probably painful. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine… Much better since you sent the cavalry, I'll admit."
"Not really my doing," the short man minimized.
"You did call John."
"It seemed like the logical thing to do when I found the burner."
Neal froze. The FBI had evidently gone through his belongings, probably tore the loft apart. They had probably missed quite a few hiding spots, but Mozzie's search had certainly been more thorough.
Mozzie couldn't help a chuckle as he saw his friend's crestfallen face.
"Don't worry, your secrets are safe, mon frère."
Neal had a dubious groan.
"Finch sent me the picture of the parchment. No wonder you're stuck. The translation doesn't make any sense. Why don't you tell me about the story behind it?"
Neal got a chair closer to the computer and told him about the story as Alvaredo had told him.
"Wait, wait, wait…" Mozzie interrupted him. "You're telling me Alvaredo's ancestor, a Spanish military, wrote the document?"
"Yes, to keep the location secret. The Technotitlan's gold symbol is the only one that really makes sense, and confirms what the map stands for."
"But… Neal!" Mozzie fulminated and shot up from his chair, unable to remain seated as he was about to launch in lengthy explanations.
Recognizing the signs, Neal sighed, and reclined back on the chair. Sometimes Mozzie just found it hard to deal with people less intelligent than he was.
Realizing that his friend couldn't see him anymore, Mozzie's face reappeared on the screen.
"It is simply impossible that Alvaredo knew the meaning of Aztec symbols! Writing was reserved to the government and priestly elite. Remember that writing was almost a sacred function; it was a symbol of power. The ability to record and perpetuate the past had a mystical value. Furthermore, most Spanish soldiers couldn't even read at all. The first translations we have are from the Jesuit priests who wanted to understand the writing… and then thoroughly destroyed them because it went against their own religious beliefs. It's…"
"Mozzie!" Neal called him dryly.
If he was allowed to Mozzie would go on ranting about the errors committed by the conquerors and no one would be able to stop his diatribe.
Mozzie scoffed. He started again more calmly. "There is just no way your ancestor wrote the text, Neal. He either had a native do it for him, but from your tale it doesn't sound like it, or he just used the symbols to decorate the parchment and confuse people."
Neal paled visibly. Totally focused on translating the symbols, he had indeed tuned out that Alvaredo Sr couldn't possibly know the Aztec writing. He jumped from his chair and started to pace, cursing himself.
"How can I be so stupid… Of all the... It just changes everything… No wonder no one can decipher that thing!"
He was walking around the room. His hand went to his head and he winced when his fingers found the short hair. He would never get used to the haircut.
"How do you expect me to find the meaning of the message?"
He stopped to watch one of the pictures he had taken with the camera and that Finch had printed out. The document was upside down. He frowned and started turning around the coffee table.
"Oh God…" he whispered.
Finch and John had remained quiet, fascinated by the conversation between the two men whose brains just seemed to spark with intelligence.
"Finch, do you have the picture of the parchment on your computer?" He turned to the man in front of the screen.
"Yes, of course," Harold answered bringing it up.
"Can you superimpose the lake?"
"The humidity stain is not humidity!" Mozzie exclaimed, understanding what Neal had just seen.
"I don't think so…"
Finch brought up the map of Lake Casablanca over the parchment and moved it until some spots aligned.
"Close enough," Neal mumbled.
"Wait," Finch intervened, caught up by the brainstorming. "These borders are the current ones. If we modify them to show probable variations since 1520 or so…" His fingers flew over the keyboard, "… it would look more like this."
"Guess X didn't mark the sport yet by then…" Neal said shaking his head in amusement.
He put his finger over the "Tenochtitlan's gold" symbol. Tilting his head, he moved his finger over the other symbols. The weird feeling he had had a few nights ago came back.
"Finch, can you find a map of the local night sky?"
His mind rolling with the discoveries, Finch immediately understood the request.
"The symbols would only be points representing the stars?"
"Yes, to signify how to position yourself on the ground in order to find the hiding spot."
"How on earth did you get there?" John wondered.
"A few nights ago I was out and I stopped to admire the sky." He turned to John. "You can't see the stars in New York. I had forgotten how beautiful it is. I had a weird feeling when I watched the sky, as if it should have reminded me of something but I couldn't figure what."
He pointed to the picture. "When I realized the symbols were only dots, it just made sense."
He traced a date on the corner of the document. "We even have the time of the year to check. Try to get the night sky for March."
"That easy?" Mozzie protested from New York.
"Yes. This is a plain treasure map. Alvaredo just tried to hide its simplicity by using a writing he knew would be impossible to decipher."
"Which turned out to be a tremendous idea that has baffled specialists for decades," Mozzie grumbled.
"Who naturally just tried to make sense of the glyphs."
Finch had finished positioning the elements on the document. He added the GPS coordinates corresponding to the Tenochtitlan symbol.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present you Alvaredo's treasure location," Neal proclaimed with a sense of decorum.
He looked at Mozzie and smiled. His friend gave him his smile back. The joy of cracking the riddle was far more gratifying than simply finding it. As usual, they found more pleasure in the treasure hunt and the challenge than the actual riches involved.
Not wanting to lose any more time, they came up with a plan in less than one hour.
Neal would go back to the property and pretending to go on a ride would take a quad to the location pointed in the map. Getting to it from the ground would be easier. Finch gave him a GPS to find the spot once he got there. It still was an approximation and some searching would be needed once on site.
As for Shaw and John they would reach the property from the lake. Mr. and Mrs. Delmott had decided to do some water skiing to entertain themselves.
"Mr. Caffrey, I now have access to your transmitter," Finch informed him.
Neal glanced at his ankle without thinking then smiled. "Old habits die hard," he whispered to himself.
"As soon as you get to the property, I will launch a loop that will place you in the workshop. You will be able to move around unsuspiciously."
"Perfect. Thank you."
"As soon as we get the mask, we will probably need to leave very fast. You will need to deactivate Neal's transmitter," John intervened.
"It won't be a problem. I will be ready."
Neal left the hotel first, going back to the property.
Laredo, Tuesday 3:00 pm, Alvaredo's property
Neal went to his room to change clothes. His light town suit, perfect for the museum, wasn't ideal to go on a ride into the desert. He took some of his notes. If anyone stopped him, he would just pretend doing some research on the field. He took a quad and drove toward the gate Shaw had seen on the eastern wall.
He cast a glance at his watch. Right on time for guards' change. He had taken note of the times during his stay. It was the only moment he could leave the house without being noticed. Finch would launch the loop putting him in the office. He was just hoping it would give him enough time before someone noticed he wasn't really there. He knew the guards didn't rely entirely on the surveillance cameras and made regular rounds.
He was at the gate shortly and was glad the quad was narrow enough to get through the door. John had provided him with an electronic device to open the lock. He silently thanked him for the foresight. He had requested a pack of lock picks, falling back to his habits, but this was much better.
Once outside the limits of the house's gardens, the local vegetation was back, the desert was unforgiving. Mesquite, cacti, bushes of all kinds hid quantities of water birds. Lizards reminded him that they didn't mind the heat, unlike Neal who was feeling it upon his neck. No wonder people wore wide brimmed hats in the area. His cap only protected his eyes, and he was glad he had taken a scarf, though the quality of the cloth spoke of different activities.
He soon saw the cliffs, most probably the old shores of the lake, back to a time when the desert wasn't as large. The area had been an important cattle producer; the desert had expanded since the first settlers had made this land their own.
He cast a glance to the lake, but couldn't see any boat close by. His friends weren't there yet. He sincerely hoped they would make it on time. If Alvaredo's guards found him before their arrival, chances were his bones would be drying in the desert very soon.
He stopped to check the map and the GPS. A couple of miles and he'd be on the spot noted on the map. Then the search might take some time. Where was the treasure? Buried in the ground? Inside a cave in a cliff?
He was starting to think that deciphering the parchment had only been the tip of the iceberg. He stopped in a small canyon. He looked around, then back at the picture. Surrounded by the walls of the canyon, he didn't see that much sky; which explained the weird star map. He turned until he was exactly in the same position. Alvaredo Sr must have drawn parts of this during the night. That man had really gone to great lengths to hide his secret…
Stopping when he thought he couldn't get any closer to the place signaled in the drawing, he started watching the rocks.
"Where did you hide your treasure?" he whispered to the wind.
He watched the lines made by centuries of sediments and saw some fossils. He opened his eyes wide when he saw an unexpected shape. He had read that dinosaurs had been found in the area, he never would have dreamt to actually see traces of one. He frowned watching the shape more closely.
"I'll be… Unbelievable…"
He watched the picture of the parchment again and the fossilized trace of a prehistoric animal. He burst out laughing. The shape on the rock was the same as the one on the parchment. The Aztec symbol looked a lot like the fossil; that it actually also looked like the city's name had been pure coincidence.
"Tenochtitlan's gold indeed… Alvaredo, you little rascal."
As far as Aztec writing went, the ancestor of his kidnaper had only been using funny drawings to represent the location.
He approached the cliff and started pushing branches. An opening was visible behind the bushes. Glad to have taken a machete (which the local Mexican gardeners used every day), he started clearing the path to the cave he could see in the shade.
If riding the quad had been a sweaty experience, cutting through prickly bushes was even worse. He stepped back to take a breath.
"Need help?" said a voice.
Neal turned back raising his weapon. He scoffed when he saw Shaw and John.
"Are you crazy jumping people like that?" Neal complained putting the machete down.
"You're good with that thing," John praised, ignoring Neal's comment.
Reese took the machete and carried on clearing the path. A while later, the three of them entered the cave. It was cool inside and they all sighed in pleasure.
Shaw turned on a flashlight and swept the walls with it. Several openings were visible.
"You've got a map of the maze in your parchment?" she asked in a teasing tone.
Neal groaned. A new riddle? He watched the picture closely. Nothing indicated a labyrinth!
He could see the glyph for "house", with the quadripartite over it. He hadn't been able to make sense of that one. With a little bit –okay, a lot– of stretching it could look like a door…
He took Shaw's flashlight and watched the walls closely. The fossil was so small, he almost missed it. The quadripartite of the parchment, which had made no sense whatsoever, was actually a fossilized ammonite. Alvaredo Sr had a very personal sense of humor…
"Here," he said, pointing to the fossil.
He moved the light on the wall and saw further down another ammonite. Keeping his fingers on the wall, he walked forward up to the drawing of the fossil carved on the rock. Going down the corridor, he followed the marks on the walls.
They soon arrived in front of a wood plank against the wall. They quickly moved it, a big smile on their faces.
Behind the opening lay a wide cave. John took his own flashlight and two big white circles moved over the room. In the center, on some sort of altar, laid Hector Alvaredo's personal holy grail: the mask of the Gods.
The flashlights made the golden feathers shine; the jade eyes seemed almost liquid under the shivering light. It was even more beautiful than the representations Neal had seen.
He walked slowly toward it, in respectful silence. It was gorgeous. This object deserved to be admired by everyone, not locked away in the private collection of some demented megalomaniac. Neal reached over then took his hand back, remembering the legends giving the mask specific powers. Not that he was superstitious, but bacteria had killed archeologists before; he didn't want to tempt fate.
John was watching Neal. He could see the man was fascinated by the discovery. He understood who the CI was. The criminal was just a lover of beautiful things. He didn't steal for the money; the challenge of the theft and being able to admire the most exquisite art were his real drive.
Shaw swept the room one more time.
"Where's the treasure?" she asked, moving back to a corner.
"What?" Neal jumped in surprise, lost in his contemplation.
"You did mention gold and silver."
Except for the mask, the cave was almost empty.
"Guess he spent it all…" Neal answered distractedly while he approached a lance. "Look at that! It's Alvaredo's spear. It saved his life when they ran away from the Aztec."
He touched the steel blade with one finger. "The history Museum in Mexico is going to be thrilled…"
Not your usual thief, John thought watching him. Neal was indeed quite surprising.
The young man put the spear back against the wall and came back to the mask, kneeling by its side to observe it more in detail.
"Mr. Caffrey, I knew I was right to acquire your services." Alvaredo's voice boomed from the cave's entrance.
TBC
AN. Lake Casablanca is a reservoir built in the 70s. For fiction purposes, we admitted it is a natural lake that has always existed. Please bear with us, and forgive us for this slight geographical discrepancy.