Once she'd arrived at the Museum, Maggie parked her car and made her way around to the main entrance. There was a back door that led straight to Mick's office, but Maggie often enjoyed walking through the visitors entrance and observing some of the terrific discoveries that were on display. As she walked past one of her favourites, an ancient gold statue of Huitzilopochtli the Aztec sun god, she overheard a young boy, who looked about 7 or 8, moaning to his dad.
"Come on, Dad! Let's go!" The boy whined, kicking his foot on the marble floor. "This is boring!"
The boy's dad turned to him and replied, "Don't say that, Son. Everything in this building is an important part of History, and has got a fascinating story to tell."
"That's right," Maggie said, walking over to the pair. "Take Huitzilopochtli, here. He was said to bring great luck to the Aztec warriors who fought in battle."
"Really?" The little boy asked, suddenly interested. Maggie nodded as she reached them, and knelt down to the boy's level.
"History tells us that the Aztecs used to offer Human sacrifices to this guy on the eve of battle, and pray for his protection," She continued, "but sometimes, they'd offer him children who didn't listen to their fathers." As Maggie rose, she smiled and winked at the boy, whose face had gone suddenly pale. The father laughed as he took his son's hand, and Maggie said farewell to the pair as she continued her route to Mick's office. Walking up the large marble staircase that would lead her to the offices in the back, Maggie made her way through the Museum, greeting people occasionally as she went.
"Maggie! Hold up!" A squeaky voice shouted behind her. Maggie turned, and stopped when she recognised the short, bespectacled man that scurried towards her.
"Howard, how are you?" Maggie asked, smiling as she greeted her colleague. Howard was a balding middle aged man, who worked with Maggie in the Museum, restoring the treasures that she found. Howard was obsessed with legends, and he and Maggie had spent many a late night researching the stories behind some of the weird and wonderful finds she had given him.
"Maggie!" Howard wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. "Have you seen Mick yet?"
"Not yet, I'm just on my way up there now."
"You need to hurry! He's got somebody coming to discuss this next project as we speak!" Howard wiped his brow as he and Maggie ascended the stairs.
"Shit, I need to go, I'll see you later, Howard!" Maggie called, quickening her pace into a run. "I've got another clean up project for you, I'll drop it by later!" Maggie didn't hear Howard's reply as she ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and through the large double doors that would take her to Mick's office.
Flying round the corners, Maggie made her way expertly through the long, familiar corridors to the far side of the Museum, where Mick's small office was nestled. She cursed herself for deciding to take the long route to see her mentor. Maggie turned the final corner, and as she spotted Mick's closed door, she quickened her speed into a full blown sprint. Maggie charged down the length of the final corridor, and realised as she got closer that she was going to crash. Mick had made his door intentionally difficult to open, to try and deter people from visiting him unexpectedly. Maggie desperately tried to slow her speed, but the momentum kept her going, and she braced herself for impact. Just as she was about to reach the door, Mick appeared with two men behind him, who turned with surprise as they heard Maggie come thundering up behind them.
"Mick, look out!" She shouted, waving her arms frantically. Mick yelped and tried desperately to unlock his door, but as Maggie charged towards him, he darted to the side just in time to let Maggie come crashing straight into the heavy door. She collapsed in a heap on the floor, groaning as her shoulder burned from taking the full impact of the solid wood. The three men winced at the sound Maggie made as she crumpled.
"Jesus Maggie, what the hell are you playing at?" Mick huffed as he helped her stand.
"I was coming to see you!" Maggie complained, massaging her shoulder. "Why did you just let me crash? You could have at least opened the door first!"
"And let you destroy my office like a bull in a china shop? I don't think so!" Mick grumbled, pulling Maggie aside so he open the door. "Where the bloody hell have you been, anyway?! You're a week late!"
"Yeah I know, sorry. I ran into a few obstacles." Maggie flashed a smile at her scowling mentor. "Don't you worry, it was worth it! I've got you a, uh, present." Maggie continued, noticing the strangers properly for the first time.
Staring at her with a dumbfounded expression, were the two men. One was slightly older, in his early forties, and had slicked back mahogany hair and a full, matching moustache. His wide, shocked eyes were grey, and he wore some light beige cargo pants with a white vest covered by a dark blue shirt decorated with white flowers. Beside him, and looking equally as shocked was a much younger man. He was somewhere in his early twenties with brown hair which was slightly longer than his companion, and looked as though he had attempted to style, but had given up halfway through. His piercing hazel eyes were locked on Maggie, and he wore faded denim jeans with a plain black t-shirt. Both men were well built with tall frames and strong arms, and carried themselves in a way that suggested they were not afraid of using their fists were they required. They had both jumped out of the way as Maggie came hurtling towards them, arms raised slightly as if to defend themselves from Maggie's flying limbs.
As Maggie righted herself, she couldn't help but stare at the younger man. He seemed familiar to her; she definitely recognised those penetrating eyes, but she couldn't place where she had seen him before. A feeling of suspicion crept over Maggie. She had always been good at remembering people, and this familiar stranger made her feel uneasy. Her eyes narrowed as his gaze met hers, and his face broke into a charming grin. "Like what you see, sweetheart?" he asked, flashing his teeth at Maggie as he adjusted himself into a more relaxed position, leaning against the wall. Maggie's face turned red and she scoffed, ignoring the man, and stalked into Mick's office ahead of him and his two guests.
Mick's office was small and cluttered, with stacks of books and papers piled up on the floor, reaching well above the height of the desk. Mick's desk itself was kept empty, except for a couple of books stacked neatly, and a desk lamp positioned carefully behind a large magnifying glass which was Mick's favourite tool. There was nothing personal on Mick's desk; he had no family to take pictures of, and he wasn't sentimental with any of his colleagues. Dust floated in the light streams that seeped through the cracks in Mick's blinds. Some people called it stuffy, but Maggie found it quite comforting. It reminded her of Evelyn.
Maggie plonked herself down in her usual seat as Mick walked in behind her, whispering with the two men. Maggie deliberately ignored both of them as they sat down either side of her her, and concentrated on Mick who was walking round to his desk. Mick ran his hands through his greying hair, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed as he frowned at Maggie.
"Right, first things first," Mick growled, "Why the hell are you only just strolling into my office a week later than you were supposed to?"
"Mick, can't we talk about this later?" Maggie hissed, shooting glances at the men sat beside her. "You know, when we're alone?"
"Definitely not. You best have a bloody good excuse for going AWOL, girl!"
Maggie scowled at Mick. He could be so difficult sometimes. Reaching into her jacket pocket, Maggie pulled the blood ruby from her pocket, and plonked it on the desk in front of her. All three men gasped and leaned in closer to get a better look at the stone.
"Is this..." Mick began, picking the stone up and bringing it closer to inspect.
"The blood ruby? Yeah." Maggie shrugged, leaning back into her chair. Mick's eyes darted between the stone and her, for once unable to speak. He turned the stone over in his hands, examining every inch for any signs of damage.
"Where did you get this?" The older man, who was to sat to her right, asked with intrigue.
"Picked it up in a cave in Colombia." Maggie replied nonchalantly, reluctantly turning to the man.
"We agreed you were only supposed to be doing research!" Mick interrupted, angrily. "What the hell were you doing in a cave?"
"Well it wasn't exactly on the itinerary, Mick!" Maggie exclaimed. "I fell down a well, and it was my only way out!" Mick massaged his temples, a sure sign he was pissed off. Maggie sighed as she reached for the stone. "Look Mick," Maggie spoke softly, in an attempt to reassure her mentor. "I promise I had no intention of actually getting the stone. But when I was travelling to do some research I ran into some trouble in a village, and I came across the cave when I was hiding."
"So how did you cut your head?" Mick's eyes flashed to the stitches on Maggie's forehead.
"I... I fell down a well." Maggie muttered as Mick buried his face in his hands. Beside her, the young man snorted. Maggie whipped her head round angrily. "Problem?" She snapped. The man took to coughing to try and cover his laughter.
"Uh, no... No problem at all" he coughed weakly. Maggie glared at him as he tried to recompose himself. Mick hushed the two as he grabbed the stone out of Maggie's open palm, and studied it intently under his magnifying glass. Maggie had seen this look before. Mick was trying to distract himself from the details of Maggie's trip, and instead focus on the one positive thing he could think of. After a moment of silence, Mick took a deep breath and placed the stone carefully on his desk.
"Well, what's done is done. It's too bloody late now." he grumbled as he raised his eyes to look at Maggie. "You can get the forms, this time. I'm sick of going up and down those stairs. It hurts my joints. Fill them out later and bring them to me to sign." Maggie began to protest, but Mick raised his finger to silence her. "Enough about that now, we've got more important things to discuss.
Maggie, meet an old associate of mine, Victor Sullivan." Maggie turned to face the older man, who smiled and held his hand out to greet her.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss. Call me Sully" he said charmingly. Maggie mumbled a greeting as she grasped his hand firmly and shook, unsmiling. The man ignored the unwelcoming response and gestured to the younger man sat on the opposing side, "This here is Sam, Sam Drake. He's a colleague of mine."
Sam Drake's eyes narrowed slightly as he snuck a look at Victor over Maggie's shoulder, but he quickly recomposed himself as she turned to face him. "How's it going?" he smiled, saluting Maggie casually. Maggie scowled as she nodded curtly as Sam, and turned to face Mick sharply.
"Why are they here? You've got me!" Maggie asked accusingly.
"For Christ's sake! They are here because you weren't." Mick snapped. "Look Maggie, I know you don't like working with other people, but when you didn't turn up after the two weeks I had no choice. This is a big job and I needed someone here quickly."
"Well I'm here now, so it's fine!"
"It's too late! I've already agreed they can do the job and we've started to work out the details, so you can either work with them, or you can stay here, you decide." Mick glared at Maggie as he put a cigar in his mouth to light. He passed his lighter to Sully, who followed suit with his own cigar. Maggie huffed and said nothing. The atmosphere was thick with tension in the small, crowded office, as silence filled the air. Finally, Mick sighed and leaned forward. "Victor, Sam. Mind giving us a minute here?"
"Sure, no problem." Sully replied calmly as the two men stood. Maggie ignored them and picked up the blood ruby to clean it with her sleeve. Mick waited for Victor and Sam to leave, before he shut the door and pulled the blind down to give him some more privacy.
"Look, Maggie," Mick urged in a hushed tone, "This isn't an easy job. You know you are the only person here I trust to do the job properly. So when you didn't come back, I didn't know what else to do!"
"You could have waited, Mick!" Maggie whispered angrily.
"No, I couldn't!" Mick replied. "The Museum wanted somebody on it straight away, as the competition is fierce on this one. And like I said, you're the only person in this place I can rely on!"
"But why did you have to get those two?" Maggie asked, raising her voice slightly.
"Shh!" Mick leaned in closer and whispered, "Victor and I go way back. We were in the navy together and he was the only person I could think of who would be capable of doing this kind of thing. But I don't trust him, so I can't just kick him off the job in case he goes after it himself!"
Maggie sat back as she considered what Mick had said. She didn't even know what they were after, but it had to be important. "What's the job?" She asked thoughtfully.
"An ancient Polynesian necklace, said to be made by the goddess Taonoui." Mick explained quietly. "Legend says it is made of pure starlight, and it's value is beyond imagination. It was lost off the coast of New Zealand over 1000 years ago."
"New Zealand is a pretty big place," Maggie said. "Do we have anywhere more specific?"
Mick shook his head as he replied, "Not yet. But there is supposed to be an old temple in Hawaii which dictates the story of Taonoui's Necklace. Victor and Sam were planning to start the search there."
Maggie sighed and leaned in to Mick, whispering, "I still don't get it. Why don't we send them on a wild goose chase, and I'll head to Hawaii? We can make up some crap about another temple somewhere else! They'll be none the wiser!"
"No chance." Mick argued quietly. "I've known Sullivan a long time, and he is far too quick to fall for something like that."
"But I don't trust them!" Maggie hissed.
"Neither do I, Maggie! But it's better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't!" Mick growled urgently. "So you keep them sweet, you don't tell them anything, and you tell me if there is any sign of trouble! You got that?!"
Maggie breathed heavily in defeat. She knew Mick was right. It was better to keep those two close, where she could keep an eye on them, than to have them pull the rug out from underneath her and take the necklace for themselves. She closed her eyes and nodded, while Mick exhaled in sharp relief. He rose from behind his desk, and invited Sam and Victor to join them once more. Maggie kept her eyes closed and tried to regain her composure. "You can do this," she thought to herself, "Just stay cool, and you'll be fine." Maggie reopened her eyes and prepared a smile for her new partners.
"So, I guess we're a team?" she said with false enthusiasm. Sully laughed in response and sat down, clapping Maggie on the shoulder.
"Well I'll be goddamned!" Sully laughed, cigar smoking gently in his mouth. "You managed to talk her into it eh, Mick? Still ain't lost that old charm!" Mick scowled at his old acquaintance and coughed uncomfortably. Maggie smirked slightly.
"Well anyway," Mick grumbled, keen to distract attention away from himself. "Let's discuss the next part of the plan. I've caught Maggie up on the basics, but I'll leave you two to fill her in on the rest, got it?" Sam's eyes sparkled as he smiled at Maggie. She caught sight of him out the corner of her eye, and deliberately repositioned herself so she blocked him from view. Sam chuckled to himself and relaxed in his chair. Mick's mouth twitched slightly, and he cleared his throat in order to gain everyone's attention. "The three of you will fly out to Hawaii in three days time, that should give you enough time to map out your route and sort everything you need. Accommodation has already been sorted, although we will need to adjust that slightly to suit Maggie now. Any questions?"
Maggie groaned to herself internally. She had been hoping to have at least a few days to recover, but that was now impossible. But on the other hand, planning a trip was one of her favourite things to do. She nodded at Mick and turned to Sully. "We can meet tomorrow to go through what we'll need. I'll start researching the island and begin planning the best route to take."
"Actually, you'll be working with Sam alone on this one." Sullivan replied cooly, shooting a glance at Sam as he spoke. "I've got some other business I have to attend to, which I'm afraid can't wait. But you'll be in good hands with Sam, he's pretty capable."
"What business?" Mick asked suspiciously.
"Something personal, I'm afraid." Victor replied simply.
Mick grumbled incoherently to himself, but stood after a minute and grasped Sullivan's hand firmly. "I'm trusting you Sullivan," he said, shaking Sully's hand. "You better not let me down."
"Mick, come on!" Sully laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Have I ever let you down before?"
"You don't want me to answer that." Mick muttered, as he turned to shake hands with Sam. Sully grasped Maggie's hand to kiss farewell, and Maggie blushed despite herself. She rose and turned to shake Sam's hand, who took it with firm intention, but grasped it gently as they shook.
"I guess I'll be seeing you, then." He winked at Maggie, his hand still firmly wrapped around hers. "Say tomorrow, 10am? Outside the front of the Museum?" Maggie nodded quietly, unable to find words. Although she didn't trust him, there was something about Sam that intrigued Maggie, and against her better judgement, she found herself beguiled by him.
Maggie waited for the two to leave, and turned to look at her mentor. "I hope you know what you're doing, old man." She said quietly.
"Me too, kid." Mick sighed, turning his attention to the blood ruby once more. "You watch yourself, you hear? I'm serious when I say, the first sign of trouble and you get yourself out."
Maggie rolled her eyes and nodded. She stood quietly and turned to leave. As she reached for the handle, she turned and smiled at Mick. "I hope you like your present." Mick paused for a moment and Maggie saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
"Whatever, kid." he grumbled. Maggie smiled at Mick's thanks, and left him enthralled with his latest prized possession. As she walked down the corridor, she made a list in her head of what she'd need. To start with, a map of Hawaii and New Zealand was the top priority, followed by books on Polynesian myths and legends and a list of every available record she may need. She thought of her new partners, and wondered exactly what preparations they would be making. Maggie decided to stop buy her local hardware store to stock up on some additional provisions she might need; on her past travels, she had found that she could make good use out of some cable ties and rope in a sticky situation. Maggie wanted to be fully prepared for this trip. She didn't trust Sam, and she certainly didn't trust Sullivan, so she had to make sure she was always one step ahead. Maggie didn't like to resort to violence if she could help it, but her Grandmother made sure that Maggie knew that sometimes there wasn't much choice. Maggie made her way down the back stairs of the Museum, and was lost in thought as she climbed into her car and began the first stage of her next adventure, excitement beginning to course throughout her body.