Into the Fray (Daring Escapes #3) - Margaret Daley Page 0,37

of the skull of the person buried over thousands of years ago. He watched her while he remained by the entrance. Her delicate movements were similar to Anna’s when she worked a dig site. When an object or bones were discovered, the archaeologist was even more cautious. One slight slip could cause damage.

“Thanks for the food and water.” Tory didn’t look up, her attention focused on the skull she was painstakingly trying to reveal.

“You’re welcome. Besides, it gave me a reason to see what progress you were making.”

“You don’t need a reason to come see me.” She paused, lifted her gaze, and smiled.

Her intense look trapped him. His throat went dry, and he couldn’t think of anything to say back to her. He studied her as she did him, and all he could think about was the similarity between Tory and Anna. Finally, he shook his head and broke eye contact.

“Is something wrong?” She went back to clear the dirt around her find.

“No. Do you think this was a burial room? It’s smaller than the other one that Ramon is working in.”

“If it is, we’ll probably uncover a lot of artifacts. Often personal items were buried with the person.” She brushed more dirt into the dustpan then dumped it into a bucket near her. “I think this is a woman, possibly a queen.” As she whisked the brush again, she suddenly stopped in mid-motion. Her eyes wide, she glanced at him. “I think she’s wearing a headdress.” She removed more dirt away from the skull. “Made with gold.” She pointed at the area near where the woman’s ear would be.

Guerrero stooped in the doorway. “Mayans didn’t have gold. They used jade and semiprecious stones like onyx and quartz. The Aztec and Inca peoples used gold, but they were hundreds of miles away. There’s no gold in this area.”

“What if this group of people traded with others who had gold? I think the people I believed were here before the Mayans took over had extensive trade routes to different areas.”

“This find will give Juan the reason he needs to get more money for this site.”

She grinned, excitement dancing in her eyes. “I hope so. I can only afford the extra men Aapo brought back for three or four weeks.” She waved him into the room.

“Do you want me to have a guard placed in here?”

“No. I don’t want anyone to know about this. We need to keep it quiet. If it’s what I think it is, then we need to secretly get it to Juan. Even with the additional guards, we aren’t safe if people hear of this find. Very likely, there will be more gold on the artifact.” She pointed to the piece she was talking about.

“You don’t trust your co-workers?” He didn’t because he didn’t trust easily, especially after the police discovered the museum guard had let inside the two assassins who murdered his wife. A video camera across the street the night she was killed showed two people being let into the building after closing. On the feed, it only showed the backs of the two men, but the guard’s face was revealed as he stepped to the side to let the murderers enter. Either they had been someone involved with the museum who would have been given after-hours access, or the guard had been involved and then killed to keep him silent.

“No. How did someone know I was in the capitol city that day to see Juan? Or for that matter, how did the fer-de-lance end up on my cot? I feel like we’re being watched. It might just be my imagination but…” Her voice trailed off into silence as she continued working to remove the dirt around the skull.

“How can I help?”

She looked up at him. “Come every hour to take the buckets of dirt out to where Katie’s shifting through what we’re processing. You’re the only one I trust right now. I don’t want anyone in here. This is a small space, and if I have a body totally intact, that doesn’t leave much room for anyone else except you.”

“Is that how you want me to frame it with the others?”

She nodded and returned to working.

Guerrero grabbed a full bucket nearby. “I’ll be back soon.”

As he ascended to the top of the temple, he smiled. Tory trusted him. He didn’t realize how much that meant to him until she said those words. In his gut, the more he learned convinced him that Anna’s death was