Deity (40 page)

She
laid her head back against the pillar and closed her eyes again.

Why
couldn’t it have been Dr. Friedman?

* * * *

Peet’s
mind was drawing a blank, that part was obvious. The scientist moved slowly
around the backside of the pillar, scratching at the stubble on his chin,
studying. But studying what? Abe saw nothing of interest, let alone anything
that might explain the irritating drone that pulsated within his ears. The
ancient Maya had discovered a way to talk to God. They had left their
instruments for them to utilize and yet, this Peet son-of-a-bitch was merely
observing them like one would admire a piece of art.

He
hadn’t even touched it, and Abe was getting impatient.

“I’m
giving you to the count of three to find the answer,” Abe pressed, his finger
slipping inside the Sig Sauer’s trigger guard.

That
seemed to have no effect on the man. Abe needed to light a fire under him.

“One…”

The
scientist appeared unfazed. In fact, he even dared to look away from the pillar
to glance around the dim chamber. Abe wondered if his pistol was aimed at the
wrong head.

“Two…”

Peet’s
eyes stopped roaming and held to the chamber’s tunnel entrance where Tarah,
Sonjay and Rafi waited. Abe tightened his grip on the pistol, preparing to
fire.

“Three!”

“Wait!”
As if suddenly snapping out of his distracted thoughts, Peet lifted his arms in
a don’t
shoot gesture. “I know what the sound is,” he
said.

Abe
was unconvinced but his finger quit the trigger nonetheless. Even Lori lifted
her head off the pillar in surprise.

“You
were right,” Peet explained. “The calendar wheel needs to be set on the correct
date.”

“So
how do you propose we set it there?” Abe asked.

“The
pillar controls the wheel. Once I re-align the pillar, the wheel should return
to its proper date.”

“So
get on with it then.”

Peet
hesitated. Was that nervous sweat dampening his brow? “There’s just one
problem.”

Abe
waited.

“I
don’t know how fast this thing will spin. It might throw us all off.”

Abe
considered a moment. The scientist had a point. The wheel might spring into
action and with little room between the spokes there at the center hub, getting
thrown off meant certain death. The only safe bet would be to brace
himself
against the pillar.

Abe
wrapped an arm around the pillar—effectively gripping Lori in a choke hold. “Proceed,”
he said.

Peet
didn’t appear satisfied with the plan. “That may not be enough,” he rallied
nervously.

Abe
frowned. He had no intentions of getting thrown from the wheel and if he could
remain with the pillar long enough for the giant calendar to realign itself,
he’d be in perfect position to intercept God. Or so he thought until Peet
pointed to a life-sized fresco on the far chamber wall.

“That’s
Kukulkan,” Peet explained.

“So?”

“Jesus
is said to be the light of the whole world, not just the old world. Therefore
Jesus must have visited the New World at some
point, right?”

“Sounds
like you’ve been talking to Matt,” Abe growled impatiently. “Get to the point.”

“Jesus
did in fact visit the New World, but the
natives only knew him as Kukulkan.” Peet pointed to the fresco again. “If you
want to speak with God, you have to meet him in the light.”

Abe
studied the fresco and noted for the first time the beam of light that had
slipped down the wall to illuminate the Mayan god. He recalled Matt Webb’s
work. What if the parallels Matt made between Kukulkan and Jesus were true? Could
the fabled return of Quetzalcoatl actually be the second coming of Christ? The
more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If the Long Count Calendar
marked the time of Christ’s return, the fresco must also mark the location.

“All
right,” Abe said, releasing his hold from Lori and the pillar. “You better pray
that you’re right.”

He
reached back and grabbed the scientist by the shirt and pulled him to the front
of the pillar. With a shove he pinned him against Lori’s shoulder, all the
while calling for Tarah over his radio. She immediately returned.

“Keep
your rifles fixed on these two,” Abe instructed. “If either of them
move
while I get off this thing, shoot them dead.” He put
his radio away and smiled at Peet. “I wouldn’t want you starting that wheel
prematurely,” he said.

Pieces

Lori
couldn’t move. She could hardly breathe and Dr. Peet stood at her shoulder like
a frozen statue. He’d be touching her if he leaned back just a fraction, but he
didn’t, and that was just fine by her. In fact, it made her skin crawl to have
him so near, his gaze holding fast to Abe’s back as their captor negotiated the
wooden beam back to the outer rim of the wheel.

“You
don’t honestly believe that line of bull you just gave him, do you?” Lori
nearly whispered.

Dr.
Peet didn’t budge. She was sure his mind was miles away, which was fitting. He’d
disregarded her for so long, why should he stop now? But truth be known, Lori
hoped he was merely conjuring up a plan. After all, even she realized they were
going to need a solution the moment Abe discovered that the Calendar Deity
wasn’t Quetzalcoatl; that this wasn’t the place to witness the second coming of
Christ.

“Maybe
that theory is supported somewhere in the Book of Mormon,” Dr. Peet finally
jested, half-heartedly.

“Cute,”
Lori said and groaned. This was no time for games. With their only route of
escape guarded by Tarah and her ruffians, their only chance of survival was to
appease Abe. Thus far, Dr. Peet managed to only deepen their graves by promising
him the impossible.

Abe
stepped off the rim of the wheel and when he reached the Calendar Deity he
turned around to call back to them. “All right,” he hollered above the low
drone still idling throughout the chamber. “Do what you need to do.”

Dr.
Peet immediately stepped around to the back of the pillar, leaving Lori exposed
to the lineup of weapons alone.
Coward
!
Not only was her former professor gambling with her life, Dr. Peet was now
safely hidden behind the pillar.

Lori
had gotten a good look at the pillar before Tarah’s men tied her to it. It
looked strikingly similar to the pillar in Izapa. The only difference lay with
the pillar ball. In Izapa, the pillar ball had been carved with two hands
wrapped around either side, the fingers meeting at the lone Tun symbol. There
were no hands on this pillar ball. Instead, the ball was ringed with all five
symbols from the Long Count Calendar—Kin, Uinal, Tun, Katun and Baktun.

She’d
since had time to consider the symbols, but their position on the pillar ball
offered no clues to their purpose. Perhaps they had no purpose. Could they be
mere decoration on the lock to the calendar wheel?

She
heard Peet place his hands on the ball and then there was a grinding of stone
as he turned the ball atop the pillar. To her surprise, the ball spun with
little resistance behind her head. She noticed the dim shadow of the Talking
Cross twirling above her head, but other than that, the ball was having no
effect on the wheel, much less killing the constant hum that vibrated the
pillar.

“I
wish you’d hurry,” she said. “I don’t care for all these guns pointing at me.”

There
was a hesitation as though Dr. Peet suddenly realized her predicament. Lori
couldn’t help but wonder what he was considering. His hands shifted over the
stone. Then, with a shallow grunt, he lifted the weighty ball from the top of
the pillar!

“What
are you doing?” she snapped, nervously awaiting a reaction from Abe and his
men. There was none.

“I’m
giving you a chance should things go bad,” Dr. Peet said, his voice dropping to
her feet as he lowered the ball to the platform directly behind the pillar.

Lori
suddenly expected the worse. Apparently turning the pillar ball had been Dr.
Peet’s only ace and now that he’d unsuccessfully played his hand, he seemed to
be switching tactics.

“Just
get this thing spinning like the man said,” Lori protested over her shoulder.

“Without
the ball we should be able to slip your arms over the top of the pillar.”

“Are
you crazy?” Lori hissed. “They’re going to notice something suspicious going
on.”

Dr.
Peet’s warm hands gently lighted on her wrists. “The chamber is dark enough that
they can’t see us very clearly from that distance. They won’t notice if we move
slowly.”

“That’s
easy for you to say. You’re not the one standing in the line of fire. Course,
what does it matter to you if I get shot?”

Slowly,
gently, Dr. Peet began to lift Lori’s arms behind her back. “What’s that
supposed to mean?”

“You’ve
been hiding from me all semester long,” Lori spat.

“I
wasn’t hiding,” Peet said, easing her arms up the pillar column.

“What
would you call it then? I’m sure you wish I’d just drowned in that cenotre. Then
you wouldn’t have to keep avoiding me.”

Lori’s
words must have stunned Dr. Peet for his fingers suddenly fumbled and lost
their grip on her wrists. The metal cuffs screeched against the stone as her
arms dropped back in place around the pillar. Lori held her breath, hoping Abe
hadn’t noticed. He and his firing squad showed no sign of alarm.

“I
looked for you,” Dr. Peet said, gathering her wrists and resuming their lift
behind her back. “Chac and I both tried to find you.”

Lori
hardly believed that. She didn’t want to believe it. “You must not have tried
very hard.”

“I’m
trying to save you now.”

Lori
snorted. “You’d have a better chance of convincing me if you’d just explain why
you’ve been avoiding me.”

Dr.
Peet took a deep breath. “I had no choice, Lori.”

Lori
noticed the hesitation in his voice. “That’s not an explanation,” she prodded,
shifting her body as her arms lifted higher along the pillar behind her.

“Look,”
Dr. Peet began, “the dean didn’t like me working so close with you on the
Effigy. He feared our work might lead to extracurricular activities between us,
if you know what I mean.”

Lori
felt her guard slipping. “Fraternizing?”

“Right.
With you getting so close to
graduation, I couldn’t let that kind of rumor tarnish your record, let alone
lose my job over it, so I removed myself from your project entirely.”

Lori
softened, though still wary of deception. Dr. Peet’s explanation sounded
simple, too simple. Yet, his reasoning was sound. Having been victimized by
malicious fraternizing rumors before, he had every reason to avoid stirring
suspicion again. Could that really be all there was to it? Could she have
overreacted to an honest misunderstanding?

“Why
didn’t you just tell me?” she asked.

“I
wanted to but the timing was never right. I feel like I’m under constant
surveillance on campus, not only from the dean and the board of regents, but
also from my co-workers and even the students. Speaking to you privately just
seemed suspect to trouble.”

Lori recalled the evening she’d confronted him about his
form letter, how upset she’d been over the rejection of her field study
application. She’d caught him in his office, working late as he often did. She
recalled his surprise, and the first words he said to her.

We can’t keep meeting like
this.

He
had tried to tell her. She didn’t realize it then, but she recognized it now. Those
weathered eyes that kept shifting to his office door—she thought it was only a
display of cornered nervousness. She realized now that he hadn’t been looking
for a chance to get away. He was checking the surveillance camera conveniently
positioned in the hallway outside his office door. He was checking for
eavesdroppers.

Lori’s
shoulders tightened as Dr. Peet raised her arms even higher along the pillar. To
go any further she’d have to lean forward which was virtually impossible with
the rigid pillar at her back.

“We’re
going to make a run for it,” Dr. Peet said. “As soon as I free you from this
pillar you’ll have to move fast. Duck behind the pillar where you’ll be out of
the line of fire.”

“Then what?”

“We
swim for it.”

Swim?
“Are you crazy!” she snapped. “Have you forgotten my hands will still be cuffed
behind my back? And where do you propose we swim to?”

“Just
a few more inches,” Peet said.

Lori
winced. “I can’t.”

“We’re
almost there,” he insisted.