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Isabella blinked at the strong stream of sunlight shining through her window. As the veil of sleep lifted, the noise coming from the street had her checking her watch. Noon. She’d slept away the whole morning.
She should have been back at the museum hours ago. Now, she’d have to work late tonight until she’d read through every page and entry in the ledgers. She walked into the small bathroom and splashed water on her face, tracing her fingers over her lips. Tino still wanted her. She’d feared he’d see a more curvy and beautiful woman and forget about her stick figure and plain features. But last night he’d washed away any doubts she’d harbored about him finding someone else. Being held in his arms, experiencing his hot kisses, and sultry words, she believed in the two of them and would wait as long as it took for them to be together.
The clothes from the day before lay in a pile beside the bed where she’d shed them. Isabella quickly dressed and took the stairs to the lower floor. She smiled at the clerk behind the bright blue semi-circle counter and followed the enticing aromas of spicy food into the restaurant. Her stomach rumbled as she took a seat in a wicker barrel chair by the window.
A waiter appeared. He was neatly dressed and sporting a wide smile. “Buenas dias, señorita.”
“Good morning or barely morning. I’ll have hot chocolate, chicharrón en salsa verde, frijoles refritos, sopes, and crema de piñón.”
The waiter grinned. “Señorita, that is a lot of food for one so small.”
Isabella winked. “I have a long day ahead and need lots of energy.”
The man chuckled and wandered off with her order. A young woman arrived with her drink and water.
The room buzzed with energy. Leaning back in the chair, she studied the travelers, the archeology students, and the locals who seemed to be hanging about. The locals caught her attention. Mainly because two men seemed to be unusually interested in her. Her plain appearance and lack of womanly attributes rarely garnered her a second glance. To have the two men watching, yet trying not to appear as if they were, made her edgy. Did she call Tino? What could he do? She couldn’t call him every time someone made her feel uncomfortable.
She turned her attention to the street and the bustling activity of cars and pedestrians. Footsteps and the smell of food drew her attention from the outside. The waiter placed her large fare on the table and shook his head.
Isabella picked up her fork and dug in, giving the food her full attention until every morsel had enticed her taste buds and filled her stomach. She leaned back and sighed. That was the first large meal she’d consumed since arriving. Even though she’d taken precautions against the influenza that struck most tourists, she’d come down with a brief case of the flu. But her body was now acclimated, and she was going to take full advantage of Mexican cuisine.
The waiter walked up and stared at the empty plates. “You have a very good appetite, no?”
“Sí, I enjoy food.” She handed him ninety pesos for the meal and his service.
“Señorita, please, come back again.”
“I will. Gracias.” Since she’d donned her vest and everything she needed was hid in the pockets, Isabella left the restaurant and the hostel. The day was warm and sunny, lifting her spirits even more than the food. If only the toxic exhaust would lift, the day would be perfect.
Tourists meandered in and out of Templo Mayor. I wonder if they did find the burial site? She started to head for the excavation site and turned her toes. There would be media and more crowds if they’d come across the old ruler’s final resting place. She had to get through those ledgers.
Someone bumped her from behind. The sound of Velcro and a tug on her vest spun her around. Feet planted and hands in defensive placement, she confronted her assailant. It was one of the men who’d watched her so intently in the restaurant. She reached around and felt the pocket he’d tried to pick. It held her energy bars.
“If you need it that bad it’s yours.” She snatched a bar from the pocket and flung it at the man.
He caught the bar and stared at it as if unsure what to do.
“Not what you were after?”
The man’s gaze drifted over her shoulder and he turned, running away from the site. She spun around to find a guard walking their direction. Unlatching a pocket, she pulled out her visitor credentials and met the man halfway.
“That man just tried to steal from me.” She pointed to the crowd where the man had disappeared. She’d remember his face, but realized it was useless to try and have police do anything. “Never mind.”
“You are Dr. Mumphrey?” The officer grasped her elbow.
“Sí.”
“Director Bastante is looking for you.”
“I really need to get to work.” Without appearing rude, she extracted her hand from his grip.
“Doctor, I must bring you to him. It would not be good for me to not follow his wishes.” The man turned and walked toward the museum.
Isabella fell into step beside him. Perhaps Director Bastante only wished to ask about her progress, which was little, and she could tuck herself back behind the ledgers.
They entered through the main entrance and headed to the elevator leading to the offices on the fourth floor. The security guard pushed the button and the doors dinged open. She stepped inside the elevator but kept enough space between them she could counter act any offensive move he might make.
You are paranoid. The security guard isn’t a threat. But Tino’s anxiousness last night and the man who tried to steal from her moments ago reminded her she wasn’t in Arizona and she was on a mission to uncover dishonest people. She would be more careful.
The elevator bounced to a stop, the doors swished open, and the guard waited for her to alight from the conveyance.
Isabella stepped into the reception area and crossed to the secretary sitting at a large new age looking desk.
“Director Bastante is waiting for you,” the young women said, pointing her long tangerine colored nails to the door of the inner office.
Had Isabella been fashion conscious, she would have asked where the secretary found the tangerine spiked heels. But she’d never understood the need to totter on the tiny heels and worry about sprained ankles.
The security guard opened the office door, and she entered. Before the man in the seat facing the director rose, she knew who it was. There was no mistaking the hair style, body language, and expensive style shirt Paolo Garza wore the day before.
“Dr. Mumphrey, Paolo was just telling me how much he enjoyed your visit to his collection yesterday.” Director Bastante’s small teeth reminded her of a piranha as he smiled and motioned for her to take the chair beside Garza.
She seated herself, noting the careful perusal Garza was taking of her clothing. His gaze lingered on the many pockets of her vest as if x-raying and seeing the items inside.
“Señor Garza has an impressive collection. It rivals the collection in this building depicting the Aztec history in wonderful detail.” She set a fake smile on her lips when she really wanted to rise out of the chair and stand at the far wall. Until meeting with Tino, and feeling his anxiety and fear she would get caught in the drug lord’s business, she’d been comfortable with the man. And watching his slightly raised eyebrows, her fear was being read by him.
“Indeed.” Director Bastante smiled benevolently at Garza. If he knew of Garza’s illegal doings, it didn’t seem to bother him.
“Director, if you only brought me in to agree with señor Garza’s impressive collection, I really need to get back to work.” She put her hands on the chair arms to push out of the plush seat.
Garza placed a hand on hers closest to him. “I wished to speak with you.” The tone of his voice said, “sit down”.
Her desire to please, a trait many older students had used to their advantage when she tried so hard as a child to fit into the higher academics, took her back to her adolescence, and she sat. Hating the fact she acquiesced, anger blossomed. She was an adult and should stand up for herself. But to avoid a conflict with a man she knew killed people, she did the only thing she could do.
She retracted her hand from his and tangled her fingers together in her lap. “Is it something that can’t wait until Saturday?”
“I would like to pay the museum for your time to help me catalog and identify some artifacts that I believe a dealer may have been dishonest with me about.” Garza peered at the director who nodded.
She could have sworn she saw dollar signs glimmering in Director Bastante’s eyes.
“I see, but I don’t work for the museum. I’m down here gathering information for a paper I’m writing.” She peered into the director’s eyes. He didn’t know she was also looking into the missing artifacts. She had to be in the museum and vicinity to discover how the artifacts were stolen.
“I would think some of what you see and learn at Paolo’s collection will help with the writing of your paper.”
This time the director gave her a look that put her theory he was greedy back in her mind and added him to her list of suspects. If he were the one stealing, he’d jump at the chance to pad his pockets and get her out of his hair. But Tino wouldn’t be happy with her working in Garza’s compound.
To hide the disgust she felt toward the museum director, she turned to Garza. “Is this the same project you discussed with me yesterday?”
He didn’t show surprise at her directness. If anything, she saw a flash of admiration in his brown eyes.
“Yes, and more.”
“I have documents I’m reading in the archives. I could spend my mornings here and come out to your house in the afternoons, if that would work.” Tino was really not going to like this, but there was no way to get around it without raising suspicion.
Garza watched her intently and steepled his fingers under his chin. “I was thinking you could move into my house, keep my wife company, and show her how to catalog my discoveries.”
Trepidation trickled down her spine and her stomach lurched. There was no way she’d become locked in the house of a drug dealer.
“I’m here on a grant. I can’t squander my time by working only for you. I’ll come over around noon and will work with your wife, but I’ll not stay in your home.” Her voice remained calm and firm.
His pleasant demeanor started to darken.
“I think that is a very workable situation, Paolo. I know Dr. Mumphrey is on a deadline for her paper, and I am sure you would not want her to lose her funding.”
“I can pay you three times as much as your government is willing to pay you.” Garza shifted in his chair, giving her his full-on glare.
“That may be so, but I still have many years I want to work for the university and if I take money from you and not write my paper, I’ll lose my tenure. I’ve worked too hard and sacrificed too much to allow greed to shove me into anonymity in anthropology circles.” Isabella glared back at him. As much as he scared her, she would not get herself locked up in his compound nor compromise a career she’d set her sights on at seven years of age.
Isabella stood. “I’m going to the archives,” she said to the director. She walked to the door and stopped with her hand on the knob, and peered back at Garza. “I’ll take a taxi to your residence when I finish today, unless you want me to wait until tomorrow when your wife arrives.”
The dark hooded eyes and scrunched brow proved he was not used to people disobeying him. She sent a plea to all the deities she’d ever learned about to make sure Garza never discovered her connection to Tino. She feared for both their lives.
“Come to the welcome home party tomorrow to meet my wife. You can begin work after that.” The sentences sounded forced almost as if he choked on the words.
“I’ll see you then.” Isabella slipped out the door, took a deep breath, nodded to the secretary, and headed for the elevator and the archive room. She had the rest of today and tonight to finish going over the ledgers of the retrieved artifacts from Templo Mayor. If she didn’t see any artifacts at Garza’s that corresponded to the ledger, she’d have to find a way to get out of there and search for other clues.