I was just out on a nature call and I guess I got lost,” Kate said lamely.
“It’s dangerous in there. I thought we told you to stay away from here.” As if to prove his point, Ed smacked the inside of the doorway with a stick. Kate heard the unmistakable slithering of snakes as they moved away from the noise.
Ed leaned toward her, so close she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. “This cave is full of snakes. Poisonous snakes.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize. I’ll be more careful next time.” Kate pulled her arm away from him and started back toward the campsite.
She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her back as she walked away. When she was halfway to the camp, she couldn’t resist looking back over her shoulder. Ed was still watching her, his arms crossed over his chest. She quickly turned and hurried back to the campfire, wondering what was more dangerous—the cave with the snakes or Ed.
16
K ate woke up the next morning with a pounding head and a feeling of trepidation. Maybe she shouldn’t have had that second Pearl Harbor, she thought, as she crawled out of her sleeping bag and made her way toward the smell of fresh-perked coffee.
Carlotta, Vic, Gertie, Benny, Frankie and Sal were already sitting around the campfire. A cast iron skillet loaded with scrambled eggs sat on top of the stainless steel grill over one half of the fire. Crisp strips of bacon were laid out on a paper towel on the table.
“That smells divine.” Kate didn’t know which smelled better, the coffee or the bacon and eggs.
“Grab a plate. It’s just ready now.” Carlotta gestured to the stack of paper plates and Kate helped herself then grabbed a big cup of coffee and sunk into one of the camp chairs next to the fire.
“I think we’re all in agreement that we she should check out the site that Gertie and Benny found,” Vic said.
Kate nibbled the crispy end of a piece of bacon. “The one with the feathered serpent?”
“Yes.”
“Definitely. That seems like our biggest lead. We’ll map off the area and each take small quadrants.” Kate looked at her watch. “And I need to remember to connect with Gideon at twelve thirty-five.”
After breakfast, they looked up the coordinates on Gertie’s GPS, then got on the ATVs and headed to the site. The area was thick with tropical foliage. Kate was glad she’d brought her walking stick which she tapped zealously on the leafy fronds so as to scare away any snakes that might be hiding inside.
The abundance of thick scrub plants made it difficult to map out areas for each of them to explore. They divided the area into quadrants—north, south, east and west—then made several sections in between. Kate took the west quadrant and proceeded to walk the area, slowly making her way back and forth looking for signs of ancient civilizations.
She’d made her way quite far from the others when she discovered a pile of rocks set in an unnatural pyre.
She fisted her walkie-talkie. “I think I have something.”
“What have you got?” Vic’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.
Kate flicked out the knife on the end of her walking stick and used it to cut away some of the surrounding plants. She found a rectangular slab like an old marker that had once been standing upright but had been toppled by centuries of forest growth. On it were the geometric carvings typical of the ancient Aztecs.
“I found some rocks in an unusual formation and near them some Aztec carvings,” Kate said.
“We haven’t found anything.” Gertie’s voice dripped with disappointment. “Maybe we should all converge in Kate’s area and help her clear more of it away.”
“That sounds like a good plan. The forest is very thick here and I could use some help clearing away the plants.” Kate rattled off her coordinates. She whacked at more plants as she waited for them to arrive, which didn’t take long since they were all only a few minutes away.
Kate showed them the marker and the
“It’s dangerous in there. I thought we told you to stay away from here.” As if to prove his point, Ed smacked the inside of the doorway with a stick. Kate heard the unmistakable slithering of snakes as they moved away from the noise.
Ed leaned toward her, so close she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. “This cave is full of snakes. Poisonous snakes.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize. I’ll be more careful next time.” Kate pulled her arm away from him and started back toward the campsite.
She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her back as she walked away. When she was halfway to the camp, she couldn’t resist looking back over her shoulder. Ed was still watching her, his arms crossed over his chest. She quickly turned and hurried back to the campfire, wondering what was more dangerous—the cave with the snakes or Ed.
16
K ate woke up the next morning with a pounding head and a feeling of trepidation. Maybe she shouldn’t have had that second Pearl Harbor, she thought, as she crawled out of her sleeping bag and made her way toward the smell of fresh-perked coffee.
Carlotta, Vic, Gertie, Benny, Frankie and Sal were already sitting around the campfire. A cast iron skillet loaded with scrambled eggs sat on top of the stainless steel grill over one half of the fire. Crisp strips of bacon were laid out on a paper towel on the table.
“That smells divine.” Kate didn’t know which smelled better, the coffee or the bacon and eggs.
“Grab a plate. It’s just ready now.” Carlotta gestured to the stack of paper plates and Kate helped herself then grabbed a big cup of coffee and sunk into one of the camp chairs next to the fire.
“I think we’re all in agreement that we she should check out the site that Gertie and Benny found,” Vic said.
Kate nibbled the crispy end of a piece of bacon. “The one with the feathered serpent?”
“Yes.”
“Definitely. That seems like our biggest lead. We’ll map off the area and each take small quadrants.” Kate looked at her watch. “And I need to remember to connect with Gideon at twelve thirty-five.”
After breakfast, they looked up the coordinates on Gertie’s GPS, then got on the ATVs and headed to the site. The area was thick with tropical foliage. Kate was glad she’d brought her walking stick which she tapped zealously on the leafy fronds so as to scare away any snakes that might be hiding inside.
The abundance of thick scrub plants made it difficult to map out areas for each of them to explore. They divided the area into quadrants—north, south, east and west—then made several sections in between. Kate took the west quadrant and proceeded to walk the area, slowly making her way back and forth looking for signs of ancient civilizations.
She’d made her way quite far from the others when she discovered a pile of rocks set in an unnatural pyre.
She fisted her walkie-talkie. “I think I have something.”
“What have you got?” Vic’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.
Kate flicked out the knife on the end of her walking stick and used it to cut away some of the surrounding plants. She found a rectangular slab like an old marker that had once been standing upright but had been toppled by centuries of forest growth. On it were the geometric carvings typical of the ancient Aztecs.
“I found some rocks in an unusual formation and near them some Aztec carvings,” Kate said.
“We haven’t found anything.” Gertie’s voice dripped with disappointment. “Maybe we should all converge in Kate’s area and help her clear more of it away.”
“That sounds like a good plan. The forest is very thick here and I could use some help clearing away the plants.” Kate rattled off her coordinates. She whacked at more plants as she waited for them to arrive, which didn’t take long since they were all only a few minutes away.
Kate showed them the marker and the
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