Deity by Theresa Danley Read Free Book Online Page B

and backed up a step,
giving her space.
    “The
difference is you said you were looking for your father-in-law in Mexico City, not Chichen
Itza.”
    “Plans
have changed. It could be that John has some sort of connection with Matt
Webb’s archaeological work in Chichen
Itza.”
    A
gust of wind threatened to push her back into him. She suddenly hated him for
the anticipation stirred by that very idea.
    “So
remind me again why this priest needs to tag along,” she blurted.
    “It
could be that Matt took something from the cathedral.”
    “Took?
As in, stole? Are you saying your father-in-law is associated with a criminal?”
    Peet
sighed in frustration as his hand chased the wind out of his hair. KC could
tell she was further confusing the issue which gave her some sense of
retribution. Why couldn’t he be a little less easy on the eyes?
    “I
don’t know exactly what’s going on,” he admitted. “I just know we have to get
to Chichen Itza
as soon as possible.”
    * * * *
    Compliments
of the Metropolitan Cathedral, it took the pre-payment of a doubled fare for
both Peet and Father Ruiz to finally convince KC to take them to Chichen Itza. That expense
alone implied the cardinal meant business. It also suggested the importance
placed upon the reliquary cross, though Peet could not fathom what that was.
    The
search for the reliquary cross was an interesting but secondary quest, but with
Father Ruiz in tow, Peet worried it might distract from his search for John. With
any luck, the two were together under some reasonable explanation, but even he
knew the odds were against him. He felt like he was groping in the dark. Nothing
about John’s disappearance was adding up, and the only thing he knew about the
stolen reliquary cross was that by judging from the chapel reliquary it had
been contained in, it couldn’t be much more than a foot tall.
    Peet
exhaled deeply, finally lifting his head from between his knees. The questions
in his head had temporarily distracted from the queasiness in his stomach,
which now subsided with the leveling of The Ladybug. The takeoff had been
particularly rough against a crosswind but now, ten thousand feet in the air,
the ride was tolerably smooth again.
    “You
dislike flying, senor?” Father Ruiz asked from the window seat—the only other
seat outside the cockpit.
    Peet
tugged on his constricting seat belt. “It’s not that I dislike flying,” Peet
said. “I just prefer my feet on the ground.”
    Father
Ruiz smiled and cast a quick glance out the window. “I enjoy flying,” he said. “It
provides me the rare opportunity to see the world from God’s point of view.”
    Peet
smiled at the childlike response from the small priest. “Don’t let KC hear you
talk like that,” he warned. “She might throw you out and give you a fallen
angel’s experience.”
    They
shared a chuckle as Peet checked his phone. Still no message
from Martha.
    “Once
we are back on the ground, where do you expect to find this Dr. Webb?” Father
Ruiz asked.
    “Last
I heard , Matt was working in Chichen Itza. If he’s still experimenting
with religious tolerance, he might be targeting all the activity there. The end
of the Mayan Long Count Calendar has drawn a lot of attention so I expect there
will be native rituals or ceremonies performed to commemorate the event. If
Matt left the Effigy in the cathedral, he’s probably looking to deposit your
reliquary cross with the Mayans.”
    “Unless we can stop him and get the cross
back.”
    “Right. The only problem is, the cardinal
didn’t describe this cross and you haven’t offered me any clues.”
    Father
Ruiz folded his hands in his lap. “Please forgive our hesitancy. The church
regards our relics very sacred.”
    Peet
nodded. As an anthropologist he’d long learned to respect the sacred, even if
he couldn’t relate to the significance himself. Artifacts often provided
insight into a people’s behavior or illustrated how religion shaped