‘No, I think we have had enough excitement for one day, and we want to be sure to be thorough in our interpretation of the work. We can head home in the morning and spend a few days on the first read and translation.’
‘I guess so,’ Julia said, as she slumped back in her chair, looking distinctly disappointed.
Matt watched out the window as a swan and a duck appeared to fight over a piece of bread. Just as it looked like the swan had won, a sparrow flew down between them, grabbed the bread, and was gone before either of the fowl knew what happened.
‘I’m sorry we haven’t been around for longer, Andreas, I’d have liked to have had a good catch up.’
‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve really enjoyed today. It isn’t every day you get to be involved in such a monumental discovery.’
‘Looks like ours,’ Julia said as she indicated the approaching waiters.
Matt watched, amused, as the waiters placed their meals, concealed under silver food domes, on the table in front of them. Then, as one of the waiters counted to three silently, all three domes were removed with a precision that only Swiss could muster. Julia almost clapped. It was one of the things that Matt had always enjoyed at some of the better Swiss restaurants. He loved the sense of surprise that you still got when you saw the meal that you had ordered. Some surprises in life were great, others not so. Matt hoped that he would get a few less of the bad ones, and that the journal would continue to deliver only pleasant discoveries from now on.
CHAPTER 62
Sunday, September 8, 1529
My son is now two years old. We arrived in Galatas Nueva a year before he was born. Yet no other Spanish have come. Are they no longer searching for Terra Australis? To have given up would have been foolish. Granted, Galatas Nueva is not the imagined great southern continent that we dreamed of, but the land is also not low on resources. The wood grows in abundance and on a scale not to be found in Spain. We have also seen many fine gems and rocks, aside from the jade jewellery that is made in Whareakeake, we have also seen gold.
The sea offers up the best fishing I know, with a wonderful variety of fleshy white fish and shellfish of all sizes. There are whales coming past, not too distant from the land, and seals even sleep on the beaches around us. Any nation that settled here would be pleased with the island’s riches. Indeed, I am more than pleased with my lot.
There has, it must be said, been some brawling among a few of the men. Two were killed. The incidences seem to be isolated however, and for the most part, everyone is settled in and showing no signs of interest in returning to Spain. We are, now, deserters. If we did return, we would likely be executed. A good thing it is then that life here is so good.
CHAPTER 63
Everything was packed and ready to go. Matt’s suitcase sat at the end of the hotel bed but it wasn’t going to be rolled out the door for at least an hour yet. Matt was early. That was a problem, because he had to fill in time, and he had hoped to find an excuse to not do what he knew he had to do. He picked up the phone and dialled.
‘Hello?’ Her voice sounded as sweet as ever. Damn.
‘Hi Aimee.’
‘Oh my God, Matt. Thanks for calling. Are you OK?’
‘I promised I’d let the DCI know if I found anything. So here I am.’
Matt wanted to come off as scathing, and it seemed to work.
‘Oh. What did you find?’
‘We found the journal. The Journal of Francisco de Hoces, Captain of the San Lesmes. He reached New Zealand.’
‘That’s great. Wow, Matt, this will change everything.’
Matt struggled to be angry at Aimee. He continued to tell her about the previous days’ events and what they had found. As time ticked by, the conversation got warmer and warmer. Before long, Matt had all but forgotten about Aimee’s betrayal.
‘I never knew how dangerous Warren was, or I would have told you. Do you understand that I was just doing my job?’ Aimee asked.
‘I guess I do. I was just doing mine too. But I fell in love with you. It hurt so much to find out you were only using me for your investigation.’
‘I wasn’t. At first, I flirted to get closer to you. But then I got to know you. I couldn’t stop myself from loving you.’
‘That only makes it a little better. How could I trust you again? How can I trust anyone?’
‘You would have to give me a chance. Give us a chance. Without trying, we can never go past where we are now.’
They talked for a few minutes about the situation. Matt realised that Aimee was hurting too. She seemed so genuine about her emotions. He thought of the night on the golf course. His jacket still had light grass stains. That night had been real. That was the real Aimee. He loved her, and needed her by his side.
‘I need time.’
‘Take it. But don’t give up on the idea.’
They ended their call on promises to keep in touch. Matt wanted to believe that Aimee meant what she said. He wanted to believe they would be with each other. But he had doubts it would ever be more than words. He needed to sort his own thoughts out too.
The hour had passed. He grabbed the handle of his case and rolled it out the door, in search of Julia.
Greg Scowen
The Spanish Helmet
The short flight from Zurich to Heathrow wasn’t something that bothered Matt too much. But he was fidgety. Nervous. He had his reasons of course. In his satchel, tucked under his seat, was a document that would change his life, his career, forever. Next to him, Julia was also fidgeting.
‘We have another hour, Matt, let’s look at the journal some more.’
‘Not here, not now. I think it’s best to try and keep this private until we have a true understanding of what it means.’
Julia looked disappointed. Matt didn’t care though, this was too important for its value to be diminished through leaks, or worse, espionage. And since Matt’s experiences of the last few weeks, he wasn’t ready to give away too much anymore. You never knew who was sitting next to, or near you, on a plane. Up until now, the only people that had an inkling of the importance of the documents he carried were the Swiss librarian, Aimee, Andreas, Julia and himself. Of those, only three of them knew the gravity of the content. He studied Julia’s face, as she looked out the window. He had to admire how someone so innocent and normal was able to hide such an intelligent, clever, and witty intellect. She never ceased to surprise him.
Time flew along with their aircraft and before long, Matt and Julia walked side by side towards the arrivals lounge. They had cleared European customs in Zurich, so here all they had to do was collect the bags and get to the train station. Matt watched as the gate to the arrivals lounge drew closer to them with each step. His heart raced as they turned the corner through the exits and two uniformed police officers stood in front of them. Different uniforms, same feeling, the second time in two days that Matt was greeted by police.
‘Dr. Matthew Cameron?’ The tall, kindly looking policeman asked him as they approached.
‘Yes,’ Matthew said with as much calm as he could muster. ‘And this is my colleague, Julia McKenzie.’
The shorter, plumper of the two officers turned to Julia. ‘Miss McKenzie,’ he said as he extended his hand.
