Deity by Theresa Danley Read Free Book Online

The catedral rests on an island where the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan once stood. But
the ground is soft and the catedral is sinking. Major work has been done to stabilize
the foundation and one week ago, a crew of engineers came to inspect for
weaknesses in the foundation and walls. Under my observation they checked this
chapel. Nothing was taken.”
    “And
they didn’t leave the Effigy.”
    The
cardinal held up a finger. “Two days ago un ingeniero returned to check a
measurement. We let him go. The capilla was locked, as always, and he took only
minutos.”
    “But
long enough to drop off the Effigy and take your reliquary cross, if he had a
key.”
    “Sí. We cannot explain exactly how he got in. But
the cruz is most important.”
    “Was
the engineer American?”
    “No,”
Father Ruiz said. “But he wasn’t Mexican either. He looked very much native. Possibly Mayan.”
    “Wait
a second. Are you suggesting Matt set up one of his Mayan friends to enter this
chapel and make the trade?”
    “It
only makes sense, no?”
    Peet shook his head. What kind of mess had he gotten
into? First the Effigy, now a reliquary cross . In the
middle of it all John Friedman had disappeared and now Matt Webb was vaguely in
the picture, with a native posing as an engineer. It all sounded too
far-fetched and yet, there was a nagging possibility to it all. And only Matt
Webb would find more interest in the Effigy’s religious value than its monetary
value. Any other thief would have sold the Effigy for its riches. But Matt
wasn’t crafty enough to steal John’s security codes to get into the museum,
unless he found another friend to do his dirty work.
    A friend like John.
    Matt
and John were once close friends—two Mesoamerican anthropologists working out
of two universities that shared the same town. But could Matt really convince
his colleague to rob the museum of the very object that had possessed John for
over a year?
    It
may be possible—if John knew the Effigy would be recovered.
    “Let
me get this straight,” Peet said. “You want me to track down Matt and get your
reliquary cross back.”
    The
archbishop’s eyes sparkled. “Sí.”
    “What
if he doesn’t have it?”
    “We
will worry about that when the time comes. There is much reward for you if he
does have it.”
    “You
mean, if I can get the cross back.”
    “If
you get it back, there will be mucho recompensa.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    The Ladybug

 
    “When
I brought you to Mexico
I didn’t agree to no Jesus revival on my plane!”
    KC
jerked the tie free from the underside of the Twin Commander’s overhead wing. She
heard Peet step into The Ladybug’s shadow behind her. The warm Mexican sun had
climbed ever higher in the sky, bringing with it a mild temperature inversion
that resulted in wind gusts swirling around them.
    “He’s
just one priest,” Peet reasoned.
    “Yeah,
and the next thing you know he’ll want to convert us into pious Jesus freaks.” She
unhooked the strap from the anchor loop sunk into the tarmac and threw it over
her shoulder. The heavy metal latch swung around, missing Peet’s face by
inches. “I won’t put up with that. Not on my plane.”
    KC
had no love for religion. It was bogus. Worship to a god of any sort was
comparable to a child keeping an invisible friend. Oh, she’d given religion a
try once but it did nothing for her except open her
eyes to the hypocrisy of it all. The very advocates of forgiveness, love and
morals were the first to criticize, condemn and justify the laws they
themselves couldn’t follow. Religion, KC discovered, was nothing more than a
feel-good mask to hide the true character inside.
    It
reminded her of men.
    If
there was anything KC distrusted more than the gods, it was men. The past
twenty years had nothing more to show than a long lineup of disappointments. So many men unwilling to commit, who loved her until she peeled
away the layers of their own masks and discovered who