Conquistador, page 11
“Hang on!” yelled Jackson as the back end of an H3 appeared out of the rain right in front of them. He never took his foot off the gas pedal. With his hands tight on the wheel, he smashed the front of his SUV into the rear of the H3. The Grand Vitara shook as it took the force of the impact.
Mitchell lowered his window and stuck his head out. He brought up his right arm and aimed the old revolver at the driver’s seat and fired. The glass on the back of the H3 disintegrated as the first 11.6mm bullet flew straight through it. Mitchell knew it was a long shot, but he kept firing until the last round was gone. He waited for a second to see if he had hit the driver before pulling his water-soaked head back inside.
Salazar heard the bullets striking the back of the driver’s seat and ducked. His eyes widened when he saw the hapless man’s body jerk each time a bullet hit home. The driver’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he let go of the wheel. Salazar tried reaching over for the wheel, but it was already too late. The H3 raced off the road and slammed into the back of an abandoned pickup truck. The last thing Salazar heard was the sound of the SUV smashing into the truck and the airbags inflating. After that, there was only darkness.
“Is everyone okay?” asked Mitchell.
“I’m still here,” declared Jackson.
When he didn’t hear anything from behind him, Mitchell became worried. He turned in his seat and looked down.
Audrey was holding a hand to her head. She had a smile on her face. “Is it over?”
“Yes, I think so,” said Mitchell.
“Too bad, that was a hoot.”
Mitchell shook his head. He thought to himself that Audrey must have been more than a handful for her parents when she was a young woman. He tossed the two empty MAC-10s and Audrey’s revolver out of the window as they drove over a rickety wooden bridge. “Less to explain if we’re pulled over by the police,” reasoned Mitchell.
The drive to Yuri’s contact’s home took less than an hour. Surprisingly, it was a palatial dwelling built on a hill overlooking Kingston. Two well-dressed young men guarded the gated entrance to the multi-million-dollar home. One wore a gray suit, while the other a navy-blue one.
The rain had let up, and the sun was trying its best to peek out from behind the clouds.
The men at the gate took one look at the beat-up Grand Vitara and exchanged a laugh. “Are you Mitchell?” asked the man in the gray suit to Jackson.
“Do I look like him?” he responded, with a gruff tone. “I’m Jackson. The other guy is Mitchell.”
“Are you armed?”
“No.”
The gate opened, and the men waved for the SUV to enter the courtyard.
“I’ll take the car,” said the blue-suited guard. “Please get out. Mister Green is waiting for you inside.”
Mitchell got out of the SUV and helped Audrey out. Jackson left the keys in the ignition. He opened his door and stepped out. Before the man in the gray suit could reach inside, Jackson picked up the treasure box and held it tight in his arms.
“This way,” said the guard, motioning for the trio to follow him inside.
“I don’t know about this; I sure as hell hope Yuri got this right,” said Mitchell under his breath to Jackson.
“I guess in about ten seconds we’ll find out,” replied his friend.
The interior of the home was as lavish as its exterior. The floor was pink marble. A couple of brightly colored parrots flew free. Expensive pieces of art from all over the world filled the house.
A handsome, bald-headed man in a five-thousand-dollar burgundy suit saw them walk in and smiled. “Ah, you three must be the friends Yuri told me about.”
“We are,” said Mitchell, holding out his hand in greeting.
Green shook Mitchell’s hand. His grip wasn’t firm. Mitchell didn’t doubt their host was more comfortable giving questionable orders than carrying them out.
Green’s eyes wandered over to the mysterious looking box in Jackson’s arms. “You look tired. Perhaps you’d like to set that down for a while.”
“Not today,” responded Jackson.
“Don’t worry, I’m being paid to help you, not to be nosy,” said Green. “By the way, it will cost you sixty thousand dollars for all three of you to stay here. Can you afford my modest personal protection fees?”
Mitchell chuckled. “Just give your account info to Yuri and you’ll get paid. Now, are there a couple of private rooms we can use?”
Green snapped his fingers. A beautiful young woman carrying a machine pistol in her hands, her hair in elaborate cornrows, walked into the room. “Gabriel, please show these people to the guest bedrooms. Also, have some food and refreshments sent to them right away.”
“Sure thing,” replied Gabriel, smiling at Mitchell.
Jackson looked over at his friend and shook his head in disbelief.
The two rooms were at the back of the house, and looked out on an expansive yard containing a brightly lit swimming pool.
“You know, I could retire down here,” said Jackson, admiring the view.
“Didn’t you say that about Panama?” retorted Mitchell.
“Yeah, but this place seems nicer.”
A platter of fresh fruit, sandwiches, tea and coffee was brought to Mitchell and Jackson’s room. Audrey sat at a small round table and nibbled on a cucumber sandwich. She sipped her tea while the two men voraciously consumed the rest of the food.
Mitchell’s phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Jen. He smiled and answered the call. “Hey, there. Before you say anything, we need a kickass lawyer and a plane to get us out of Jamaica before the sun comes up tomorrow morning.”
17
Alejandro Cruz’s personal 737 Boeing business aircraft flew through the azure sky at an altitude of ten thousand meters. At its current speed, the flight back to New York was scheduled to last just under four hours.
Mitchell and Jackson sat in a pair of swiveling white leather chairs looking up at a large flatscreen television mounted on a wall. The screen was split. On one side were Jen and Julia and on the other was General O’Reilly.
“Before we begin,” said Mitchell. “Can anyone tell me how Audrey is doing?”
“I can answer that,” said Julia. “She’s safe and sound. Mrs.Wright-Jones is resting comfortably at the home of her lawyer. My brother hired the best man he could. I’m not sure how much of the treasure she will end up keeping, but she should still come out of this quite wealthy.”
“That’s good news. Julia, did your brother reimburse her for the book and the damage done to her property?”
“Yes. His lawyer has arranged for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be deposited into an account for Mrs. Wright-Jones. It’s hers to use as she sees fit, as all of her legal fees are being picked up by my brother.”
Mitchell nodded. “That seems more than fair.”
“What about the mess we left back on the road to Kingston?” Jackson asked.
“Mrs. Wright-Jones’ lawyer has already issued a press statement blaming the entire incident on a drug war between rival gangs fighting over her land,” explained O’Reilly.
“Clever,” said Mitchell.
“I told you he was good,” said Julia.
“Ryan, are you sure the book you found is the key to unlocking the Cruz’s family history?” asked O’Reilly. “What if it was something important was transcribed onto one of the pieces of treasure you left behind?”
“Nate and I thought about that,” replied Mitchell. “Before we left our safe house we checked each and every piece of treasure for writing or markings. There was nothing we could see that looked out of the ordinary. The book has to be what we’re looking for.”
“I don’t get it,” said Julia. “Why would the order hide a fortune in gold and gems in a church?”
“I think I can answer that,” said Jen. “I suspect that the treasure was accumulated over the years as insurance, in case things turned against them. This way, they would have had some money to help them through the hard times.”
“Have you had a chance to go through the book?” asked O’Reilly.
“I have,” replied Mitchell. “The problem is a lot of what is written is in Latin, and that’s a language I know nothing about.”
“That won’t be an issue for me,” said Julia, cheerfully. “I can read and write Latin. I studied it at university.”
“Well, that’s one problem solved,” said Mitchell.
“There’s more?” asked Jen.
Mitchell held up the book and opened it to the last page. “There’s a note in Spanish about a map that accompanies the diary. The problem is, there isn’t a map anywhere in the book. I’ve looked through it from cover to cover, and I can’t find one.”
“Perhaps it is not a map as we know it,” said Jen. “It could be directions written in code somewhere in the text.”
“Like the ones we found in James Lucifer’s diary,” said O’Reilly.
Jen nodded. “Precisely. Until we get a chance to read the book, we’ll never know.”
“According to my watch,” said Mitchell, “we should be landing at LaGuardia at a quarter past one. I take it a car will be waiting for us?”
“Yes,” said O’Reilly. “Ray Hamilton from the tactical driving cell will be there to drive you to Ms. Cruz’s home.”
“General, tell Ray to have a couple of coffees and some sticky buns waiting in the back of his SUV, or he’ll hear it from me,” said Jackson. “Last time he picked us up, I had to ask him to stop for coffee.”
“You’ll get what you deserve, Nate.”
“So nothing, then,” said Mitchell, smiling.
“Where’s Nate?” Jen asked, as Mitchell waved his ride goodbye.
“I gave him a couple of days off,” replied Mitchell. “His Latin is even worse than mine, and since mine is non-existent, we both agreed that he should take this opportunity to spend some time with his family.”
Jen took Mitchell by the arm. “Well, I for one am glad he’s not here. Sometimes I think you two spend more time together than you do with me.”
Mitchell bent his head down and kissed his wife gently on the lips. “It’s all part of the job. Trust me, I’d rather spend time with you. He’s not as good-looking as you are in the morning.”
“I would hope not. Come on. Julia is waiting for us in the study. She’s been pacing back and forth like an expectant father ever since you mentioned finding Father Dorado’s book.”
They had barely stepped inside the house when Julia waved at Mitchell and ran over. “Ryan, I’m glad you and Mister Jackson made it home in one piece. Can I see the book?”
“Sure,” he replied, retrieving the book from a pocket.
Julia took the diary and held it in her hands for a few seconds. Her eyes filled with tears as she let her hands run over the worn leather cover as if it were the most precious thing Julia had ever owned. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a cursory look at the book by myself. I find it so hard to believe that my family could have a secret from the sixteenth century that people would kill to possess.”
“It’s your book to do with as you please,” said Mitchell.
Julia smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Why don’t we all get back together in the study at suppertime. That should give me plenty of time to comb through the book.”
Mitchell wrapped an arm around Jen’s waist and pulled her close. “That sounds great. I’m sure Jen and I can find something to do for a few hours.”
“Yeah, I want to head into town to do some clothes shopping,” said Jen, dashing her husband’s hopes for some romance against the rocks.
When they walked into the study, Jen and Mitchell saw that Julia had arranged for a light supper to be waiting for them. Julia sat behind a desk. Her eyes were red and swollen.
Jen placed an arm around her shoulder’s and gave her a squeeze. “Hey there, are you okay?”
“Sorry,” said Julia. “I found it really hard to read the book without getting emotional.”
“I hear you. Some of the things I read about while I was working on my doctorate—particularly what happened to the children of slaves— made me cry too.”
Julia reached for a Kleenex and blew her nose. “Please, grab some food and take a seat.”
After grabbing a plateful of sandwiches and vegetables, Jen and Mitchell sat down on a green leather sofa.
“How far did you get?” asked Jen.
“Only about twenty or so pages,” replied Julia.
“Did you learn anything?” said Mitchell.
“A couple of things. My ancestor, Fernando Cruz, was barely literate. That is why the book was written by Father Dorado. The other thing is that Fernando was part of an expedition to the Amazon led by a nobleman named Juan de Sandoval.”
“What were they looking for?” asked Mitchell.
“According to Fernando, they were looking for the fabled fountain of youth.”
“Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have disappeared over the centuries looking for the fountain,” said Jen.
“I have to ask…did they find it?” said Mitchell.
“I don’t know,” said Julia. “I didn’t get that far. I’m sorry, between my kidnapping, my divorce, and the fact that there are people out there willing to kill me to know what is written in Fernando’s book, all of it has played havoc on my nerves. I thought I could, but I’m not sure if I can carry on.”
“Julia, you don’t have to do this on your own,” said Jen. “Together, you and I will read that book from cover to cover, and learn what happened during that expedition. I’ll kick Ryan out of the house for the day. What do you say? Want to solve this mystery together?”
Julia smiled. “I’d like that.”
“Hey, what am I supposed to do?” queried Mitchell.
Jen shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re always complaining that you don’t get to go fishing anymore.”
“Yeah, I suppose I could do that.”
“Good, because you’re not being let back in the front door until Julia and I are ready to present our findings.”
Mitchell’s fishing trip turned into a three-day visit to his parents. On the fourth day, he was picked up at the airport by Jackson and driven back to the Cruz estate.
“I take it Jen and Ms. Cruz have solved the riddle?” said Jackson.
Mitchel shrugged. “At this point, you know as much as I do.”
“You’re the one married to Jen, she must have said something to you.”
“Nope. She wouldn’t say a word over an unsecured line.”
Jackson chuckled. “She’s really taken to all this secrecy stuff. I always knew the people who worked for the Office of Dirty Tricks in the basement of our old building were a bit off. This just proves it.”
“In a world where every phone conversation is being listened to, perhaps she’s just being cautious.”
Jackson turned off the highway onto a road leading to the mansion. As before, they had to be cleared by security before being allowed to enter. Both men were surprised to see General O’Reilly’s silver BMW X6 parked out front of the home.
“Did you know the general was coming?” asked Mitchell.
“No. I thought he was in Sacramento for the week, meeting with a couple of potential new clients,” replied Jackson.
After parking the car, they were escorted in inside by a stern-faced man with broad shoulders in a gray suit. Mitchell took a quick look around and saw several more guards walking the grounds. He tapped Jackson on the arm. “They’ve doubled their security.”
“Whatever they’ve found must be big,” replied Jackson.
They found everyone else in the mansion’s spacious living room, standing around chatting with one another. Alejandro Cruz waved at them to join him. A young Hispanic servant in a white jacket and black bowtie walked over and offered them each a flute of champagne.
“Thanks,” said Mitchell, taking a glass. He smiled when he saw Jen’s eyes light up when she saw him.
Jen asked, “How are your mom and dad doing?”
“You should have gone there and left me here,” he replied. “All Mom kept doing was going on about how she doesn’t see you enough.”
“Can’t blame her,” said Jackson. He winked at his friend and took a sip of champagne.
“General, Nate said you were supposed to be in California this week, did something fall through?” Mitchell asked O’Reilly.
“No, everything is fine,” answered the general. “I decided to send Mike and Fahimah in my place. He’s a lot more mobile these days, so I thought, why not send them. If this works out, I can see him doing a lot more of the client interviews in the future.”
“Good idea,” said Jen. “Keeping active after a severe trauma is good for the mind and the body.”
“Gentlemen, I didn’t get the chance to congratulate you on finding Father Dorado’s diary,” said Alejandro. “According to my sister, it was key to cracking this centuries-old mystery.”
“I’m looking forward to hearing what Julia and Jen have learned,” said Mitchell.
“And so you shall,” said Julia. She was smiling from ear to ear. She reminded him of a schoolgirl with a secret to tell. “If everyone would take a seat, Jen and I will begin our presentation.”
Mitchell and Jackson sat down on a long leather couch facing a large television screen that was mounted on the wall.
Jen picked up a tablet and activated the screen. A map of the Amazon rainforest appeared.
Julia cleared her throat. “To understand what we are about to discuss, we must take a step back in time to February 11, 1535, when Fernando Cardero, along with twenty-one other men, set off to find the fabled fountain of youth. The expedition was led by Juan de Sandoval, who believed he had found directions to the fountain. There would be no word from the party until the only survivor, Fernando, stumbled out of the jungle almost two years later. When he recovered his strength, Fernando confided a secret to the priest who had found him and nursed him back to life.”
