Authors: Sue Guillou
‘They were your escape routes?’
‘Yes,’ nodded Reynata as she led them to a hatch and ordered them upwards into the open air.
A pair of familiar hands lifted them to the surface.
Dale, still shaking from the effects of the drugs, grabbed his daughter’s hand and held her in his embrace.
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
Twenty-four hours passed in hospital before she was allowed to crawl out of bed. It was so damned boring that she almost considered breaking presidential orders to sneak into the next ward and spend some time with Adam.
Gillian grinned. Georgio was four wards down, but she could still hear him swearing, complaining and generally creating havoc until the harassed nurse ordered him to shut up.
It was typical of him to be a pain in the arse.
Gillian crawled back to bed and contemplated the previous few weeks. A lot had come to pass that she had no answers for, although she did appreciate the fact that they were all lucky to be alive. They had come so close to dying on more than one occasion that the few cuts and scrapes they had received seemed almost inconsequential. Even her father had managed to escape with little more than a very large headache and dehydration. Still, the President had insisted on complete rest until the meeting and ceremony tomorrow, the topic of which was supposedly a secret.
Gillian mused. It did not take much to know that it was about Arun’s arrest and their involvement.
Her mind began to drift, settling uneasily on the subject she had managed to avoid – her brother, her father and stirrings of a strange woman with an unfamiliar past. It was so uncomfortable and tedious that she shoved it back into the little black hole from which it came. She would deal with it later as a nurse strode purposely into the room. She was elderly and resembled the ideal image of a gentle nurse. She smiled, her eyes twinkling in good humour.
‘Your friend next door has been asking after you. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought he was keen on you.’
She winked in amusement as she straightened the bed, handed Gillian a clean towel and left the room.
Gillian thought of Adam. He was a gentle man with a surprising inner strength that had earned the respect of her friends. He was not the sort of person she was usually attracted to, but he had grown on her, creeping into her very being like a slow infusion of drugs. Fred, on the other hand, had rarely entered her thoughts since his death. For someone she had presumably loved, this was an inconceivable notion. How could she have been so blind to his traitorous personality? She was relieved to lose her cancerous growth, giving credence to her father‘s numerous warnings. Gillian wished she had listened to him in the first place.
Shivering involuntarily, Gillian hurried to ready herself for their departure to the White House in less than an hour. Government assistants had delivered her favourite pair of pants, black shirt and flat heels which she accessorised with two strands of clear beads. She brushed her long auburn hair to its glossy best and applied basic foundation, mascara and a whisper of blush. Her pale complexion shone with renewed vigour after twenty-four hours of rest, and her strength had returned. A quick glance in the mirror revealed a nice reflection that increased her confidence as she walked out the door.
Dale, Adam and Reynata were already waiting and they were joined momentarily by Georgio who sauntered out with a smug smile followed by a blushing nurse.
‘You dirty dog,’ laughed Dale.
‘At least I’m still desirable,’ retorted Georgio with a grin.
Gillian rolled her eyes and gave everyone a quick hug, lingering longer with Adam than was necessary.
They were bundled into a black bullet-reinforced limousine and rode in silence for the twenty minutes to the White House.
A uniformed officer ushered them through the rear entrance.
Georgio whistled appreciatively. ’This place never ceases to impress.’
Adam was simply speechless.
They were met by the President who gestured that they follow him to a private room where Sean was waiting for them.
It was a nice surprise and Dale hurried to him with such a rush of emotion that even Gillian stopped to stare.
‘It’s good to see you, boy,’ said Dale as he wrapped Sean in his arms.
Marcus Winston chuckled.
‘Sean is part of the reason that we are here today. Not only do I need to honour him for the job he’s done but to thank all of you for your services to this country. Your hard work has successfully allowed us to arrest one of the largest and most prominent drug dealers in our country. We have also managed to remand over 200 top executives, ten corporation CEOs and one from my own party. Countless drug runners have been named and we are currently trying to round them all up although this may prove to be an impossible task. Arun’s clifftop house has been raided and we have uncovered numerous ill gained and stolen artefacts which have been placed with the appropriate museums. I have also placed my most trusted men in Tajumulco to deal with the community.’
‘What’s the plan there?’ interrupted Gillian.
The President’s smile was of genuine concern ‘As you know, we have discovered a large child smuggling racket. I have dispatched my top welfare workers to locate and return as many of the children as possible to their parents.’
‘What about those who were born and raised in that community?’ asked Adam.
‘Good question. I have given this considerable thought, taking into account that the removal of the drug manufacturing facility also eliminates their income. In light of this and noting that there are still a couple of hundred people who wish to remain, we have put together a funding strategy to allow them permanent residency. Their current drug manufacturing facilities are of a high standard, so the plan is to use this plant to produce, pack and store large quantities of spices and various other condiments.’
Gillian nodded. She was pleased with the outcome.
‘Anyway … down to business. It is my intention to honour each of you with an award for your services to this country. Your dedication and commitment was of the highest standard and this country has a lot to thank you for. Unfortunately, due to secretary surrounding this mission, these awards cannot be publicised, hence this meeting. I hope you all understand.’
Everyone nodded.
‘So, with my pleasure, I now wish to bestow upon each of you the following. Gillian and Reynata, the President Citizens Medal. Georgio and Dale, the military’s Medal of Honour. Adam, your situation is unique in that you are not an American citizen. As such, we wish to offer you permanent residency and unlimited flights, within reason of course, to this country at our cost … and last but not least, Sean. You have been instrumental in the success of this operation. Without you, we would have failed. I wish to award you the President Citizens Medal, an immediate job as assistant to Dale Bright and a fully maintained government house for your family.’
Sean burst into tears amidst the raucous cheering from all in the room.
Gillian smiled at him in delight. Excepting her own recognition, Sean had removed his family from poverty and the look on his face was priceless. A home, which is quite often taken for granted, literally meant the world to Sean and he looked as if he was going to burst with pride and emotion.
Even the president was smiling.
‘Thankyou, Sir,’ gushed Sean as he showed his youth and went to leap at the President but restrained himself at the last moment.
‘You deserve it, but let it be known that I am expecting great things from you. This offer is based on the prospects you offer this country and I do not want to be disappointed.’
‘Yes, Sir. I will give you my best.’
‘I know you will. Now I am going to ask that everyone leave this room with the exception of Gillian. My assistant will provide Sean with the house keys and Adam with his dual residency and airfare grant. Once again I would like to thank you all. Our country is better off with each of you in it.’
With that, the President handed out the medals and shook the hands of Reynata, Dale, Georgio and Adam.
Gillian stayed behind and waited anxiously until the President closed the door. She admitted to feeling a moment of trepidation at the departure of her friends, worried what the President might want from her. He was the leader of the free world and here she was by herself in his company.
Marcus noticed her tension and smiled with a look of gentle understanding.
‘Gillian, I do not need to tell you that your actions saved both the archaeologists and assisted in uncovering the largest drug organisation in this country’s history; however, this is not my reason for wanting to talk to you. During Arun’s interrogations he mentioned a treasure greater than anything he currently owned. At first we thought these were the ravings of an insane man but the topic persisted. Further investigations and discussions with Professor Richard Deinhart have confirmed the possibility that Arun was telling the truth. This was backed up by the extensive digging Arun has completed at Tikal without our knowledge. I was hoping you could enlighten me.’
Gillian nodded and conveyed the proceedings of the last few weeks to the President, ensuring that nothing was omitted.’
He sat silently and waited for her to finish before replying. ‘I am aware of the disk that Adam brought with him from Australia, but I have no idea the extent of this mystery.’
‘Kinix is an amazing person and I am longing to uncover the rest of his secret. His trail of clues led us to believe that he is hiding something large which is backed up by the construction of the lift and associated paintings.’
The President sat silent for a moment. ‘If it is as you say, then it could be the most important discovery in American history.’
‘Yes. Now that we believe Kinix had contact with the Egyptians and other nationalities long before Christopher Columbus and even the Norse, it could change the entire way we view our history.’
‘We would be ignorant to believe this was not the case anyway, but to have physical evidence would be wonderful.’
‘The diaries I have reveal that Kinix met an Egyptian during his travels and had a clear understanding of Medieval Latin. This has been confirmed by the series of clues also written in the same language,’ said Gillian.
‘Yes, I understand that, but this is a major revelation and to have something more concrete would assist in clarifying these claims. It is for this reason that I am going to allow you one week at Tikal with a team of your choosing. I’m sure that I do not need to remind you that your assistants need to be trustworthy.’
‘The professor, his team and Adam came to mind,’ offered Gillian.
‘Excellent, although I will be providing you with a contingency of my most trusted security guards.’
‘No offence, but some of the people corrupted by Arun were your security guards. I would prefer to use my Dad, Georgio and some of his men,’ said Gillian.
‘Point taken. I’ll look forward to your updates.’
‘Thankyou,’ replied Gillian as she shook the President’s hand and left the room to find herself surrounded by her friends. They were looking at her like a germ under a microscope, waiting for an explanation of her preferential treatment.
‘For me to know and you to find out,’ Gillian teased as they all moaned in mock annoyance.
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
Gillian rang Richard’s mobile phone and had to wait almost a minute before he answered.
‘Yello!’ he yelled amidst a raucous din in the background.
‘Hi, Professor. It’s me, Gillian!’ she screamed.
‘I know! Hang on! I’ll go somewhere a bit quieter!’
‘Okay, that’s better,’ he said a few seconds later. ‘I have people repairing the house.’
‘Is it all right?’
‘Yes, thanks to your father. He had the foresight to request the same people who removed the helicopter to board up and protect my house. It was not the best job I’ve ever seen, but at least it was secure. Nothing a bit of restoration won’t fix, but I’m sure you’re not ringing about my house.’
‘I have a proposal for you but best not to talk about it over the phone. I’m in your area. Do you mind if I pop over?’
‘You don’t need to ring and ask. You’re like family to us and family do not require an invitation.’
Ten minutes later, Gillian arrived at the home of Richard Deinhart and was met by Julia. She gave her a big hug.
‘It’s lovely to see you. Come on in. I apologise for the mess, but at least the kitchen and parlour are undamaged.’
They were met by Richard a few minutes later. He welcomed her with another hug and kiss.’
‘Okay, out with it. I always know when you are up to something,’ he ordered after they had sat on the plush chairs with a cup of tea and Gillian’s favourite chocolate biscuit.
Gillian placed her cup down and leant forward. ‘I have just met with the President who was very keen to know more about Kinix. He believes that the notion of Christopher Columbus being the first learned man to discover America is so ingrained that it will take a major find to change their minds. Australia has the same problem in that it was taught for many years that Captain James Cook discovered the country when really the Dutch arrived a couple of hundred years earlier.’
‘Yes, but we now know that the Norse preceded Christopher Columbus by 500 years. This is considered a fact,’ added Julia.