Deity by Theresa Danley Page A

stolen Effigy they’d been bombarded by people. First
it was the onslaught of news reporters and journalists. The notoriety hadn’t
had the chance to die down before he was off on the field study exhuming The
Trader’s body. Denying Lori a position on the field crew had created a rift
between them, and the tension only worsened as they progressed into the demands
of another school year. He just assumed she was distancing herself from him,
and anyone else associated with the dig.
    Or
at least that’s what he told himself.
    “Wait
a minute,” Lori said, turning her attention on Chac. “Back at the ruins you
told me Dr. Webb found evidence of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl’s arrival in Yucatan. But now you’re
telling me he found Jesus instead? I don’t understand.”
    Chac
leaned back in his chair with a smile. “It’s quite simple,” he said. “Matt
believes Quetzalcoatl is Jesus. He believed the Maya were describing Jesus when
they described the pale-faced, bearded man who brought wisdom from the east. But
the Maya didn’t know him as Jesus; they only knew him as Kukulcan.”
    “Then
there must be something in that fresco that Dr. Webb picked up on,” Lori
pressed. “Maybe it led him to another site that offers more three-dimensional
evidence of his theory. It could be he was in too great of a hurry to tell anyone.”
    “Again,
how did he get to the site without his vehicle?” Chac asked. “Not to mention he
left all his gear behind.”
    Peet
cleared his throat. “Can you show us this fresco he found?”
    Chac
shrugged his heavy shoulders. “I can’t imagine what that fresco could possibly
offer, but you’re welcome to judge for yourself. There’s just one thing I need
to know first.”
    He
glanced at Lori, then back to Peet.
    “How
well can you swim?”

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    Part II
    Wednesday, December 19, 2012

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    Uinal

 
    “ Whatever might be is simply not there: only
murmurs, ripples, in the dark, in the night. Only the Maker, Modeler alone,
Sovereign Plumed Serpent, the Bearers, Begetters are
in the water, a glittering light. They are there; they are enclosed in quetzal
feathers, in blue-green. ”

 
    Popol Vuh
    * * * *
    Chicxulub

 
    “Scuba
Blue,” Lori said as Chac helped her mount the dual air tanks onto her back.
    “Pardon
me?” Chac asked.
    “It’s
a color someone once described to me,” Lori said. “See that cruise liner out
there?”
    Overhearing the conversation, Peet turned his attention
away from his own gear to spot the ship Lori was referring to. Judging by its
size the ship was enormous, despite the considerable distance. The bright
morning sun gleaming off the water gave its pristine profile a shimmering
effect. It was beautiful, serene, surreal .
    “It
looks like a squashed wedding cake skimming over a Scuba Blue sea,” Lori said.
    Chac
chuckled as he worked over her equipment. It was the first time Peet had seen
the man really lighten up. Then again, Lori had a way of doing that. She
affected him much the same way, though this morning, he found himself admiring
her humor from a distance. Her enthusiasm, it seemed, was reserved for Chac
Bacab. Meanwhile, she appeared to make a point of avoiding eye contact with
Peet.
    Perhaps
that was why he fought the impulse to keep a close eye on the Mayan
archaeologist. It was completely irrational, he knew. It wasn’t that he didn’t
trust Chac. Lori seemed to trust him completely. It was more a matter of longing
for the confidence she once placed in him. But what did it matter? It wasn’t
like Lori was going to be around after she graduated in the spring anyway. She
was a student, he kept telling himself. Eventually she would be moving on to
new projects with new partners.
    He
just wished he didn’t have to witness the transition first hand.
    As
Chac helped Lori into her awkward diving gear, Peet couldn’t help but notice
the sun glistened over the curves of her black wetsuit.