left Mary to go back to the station not long after.”
“Did you see George that night?”
A reflective pause. “Yes. He was at a table on the deck with two men.” He draws a quick, sharp breath. “I didn’t recognize them.”
Kayani and I both retreat into our thoughts. Can it be this easy? The cynic in me says no, the pragmatist says sometimes things
Stil a long way from connecting George to the deaths of the sisters. Could Mary have overheard a snatch of conversation that might have made her suspicious? Could George have suspected that she did?
“Kayani, how much money can be made from sel ing counterfeit artifacts?”
“Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. There’s a thriving market both legitimate and black market for Native American art. Especial y the art of the ancients.”
Wel, there’s motive. If George was meeting with the two strangers to talk business, and Mary heard something incriminating, George could easily have arranged that accident.
Kayani snatches his car keys from the table. “Let’s take a ride. Copies of art from that cave are the newest ones to show up on the black market. If you show me how you gained access, maybe I can find out how the counterfeiters are doing it.”
He opens the screen door and tel s Frey that we’l be right back. We’re down the stairs and at the car before Frey can offer a reply.
CHAPTER 39
WE’VE ARRIVED AT THE CAVE. KAYANI PULLS OVER in the same spot I had twenty-four hours before. Now that the ground has ful y dried, I realize the path would be invisible to the naked eye. We climb out and Kayani stops to grab a large flashlight from the back of the van. Then he motions me ahead. “Show me.”
It isn’t difficul retrace my steps. I recognize my own scent stil lingering in the quiet air. When I come to the fork, I point to the left. I look back to see Kayani frowning at me.
“What?”
“I can’t believe you wandered in here. This area is off-limits. Not even tour guides are al owed here without permission.”
“And I can’t believe you’re acting like I’m the only one to ever discover these caves. Surely, any hiker could stumble on them.”
“How?” Kayani’s tone rings with accusation. “Did you notice any other tracks? We are very careful to limit access to certain areas of the tribal park. If you’d been caught here, the penalties would have been stiff.”
“So, what now? Are you going to arrest me for trespassing
?”
Grudgingly, he does the “go on” motion again with the flashlight. As I turn to lead him deeper inside, I catch another whiff of scent. This comes from the right fork. It’s the unmistakable odor of men, hanging in the air the same way mine does.
“Where does that fork lead?” I pause to ask Kayani.
“It goes deeper into the mountain. Exits about a mile to the east. Comes out close to the hogan where you and Frey spent the night.”
Sarah must have told him. The subtle emphasis he puts on the words “spent the night” makes it obvious he’s stil not sure Frey and I are just friends.
As soon as we start out, he clicks on the flashlight. The powerful beam almost disorients me with its glare. I’d have done better without it, but he wouldn’t have. I let my eyes adjust and keep going.
I also listen. No tel tale beat of the drum today.
We come to the wal with the petroglyphs. Kayani lays a respectful hand against the rock. “My ancestors left these to mark their passing. It angers me to see them desecrated.”
“At least they weren’t taken from the cave,” I offer as some measure of consolation.
He doesn’t look consoled. He flashes the light on the ground. Nothing. But once again, I detect a scent. There have been men here. Not Sani and his two companions, I realize with a start. There is nothing of their scent that lingers.
I move back into the cave. I let my fingers trace the rock. Is there some kind of entrance to the chamber where I met with Sani? I close my eyes and let my sense of touch take over.
“What are you doing?” Kayani asks.
“Just wondering if there was another way out of this cave.”
“Not here. Why would you ask?”
I shrug in a noncommittal response.
“Do you think there might be another entrance?” He’s beside me, running his hands along the wal the same way I did. He feels nothing.
When our hands accidental y come in contact, he says,
“Your skin is like ice. Do you want my jacket?”
“No. Thanks. I’m fine.”
His eyes turn back to the wal. In the glare of the flashlight, an angry scowl shadow paints his face into a contorted grimace. “Nowhere to hide. No way of knowing how often they visit the place. Shit.”
First time I’ve heard a curse pass those stoic lips. “So what derewant to do?”
“What I’d like to do is find George and beat some answers out of him.”
I’m beginning to like Kayani more and more. For once, I’m not the one suggesting brute force to solve a problem.
“Does George work today?”
I may as wel have asked if mud tastes like taffy. He blinks at me. “What?”
“Does George work today?”
“I think so. Why?”
“What about his wife?”
“She works in the lodge gift shop.”
“Any kids?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Are there any kids at home?” I enunciate each word as if talking to a slow first grader.
Awareness blooms. “No. Are you suggesting a little breaking and entering?”
“Not if it’s going to get me arrested.”
He stares at me. “I can’t help.”
“Don’t expect you to.”
“You can do this?”
“Did Frey mention what I do in San Diego?”
A shake of the head.
“I’m a fugitive apprehension officer. I can pick any lock made.”
That sly look crosses his face. “Except maybe keypad locks, huh?”
So he noticed, did he? “How’d you know?”
“Heard the alarm. Since it shut off pretty quickly, I figured I didn’t need to come back. Were you planning to take the car for a joyride?”
“Just needed the GPS.”
“Right.” He starts to lead the way out of the cave. “No need to test your expertise. Nobody locks their doors around here.”
When we come to the fork, I once again pick up the scent of men — the same scent I detected in the cave. “I think you should watch the entryway near the hogan.”
