Mystery of The Kukulcan Temple: Erin and Craig Books, #4

By Kenneth Joel Teicher

During a time in their lives when a much-needed vacation is in order, Dr. Erin Mathews and her husband Craig Johnson find themselves involved in an unexpected adventure in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Erin, a world-renowned archeologist, recently completed her share of some research work. Craig, the owner of an international security firm, has just hired two new agents, he hopes will allow him to spend more time at home in New York. They choose an exclusive resort in Cancun, and are looking forward to rest, water sports, fine dining and isolation from the distractions of work. When a Mexican archeologist call, their plans are shattered.

A newly discovered sinkhole under the fabled Kukulcan Temple, at Chichén Itza, is threatening the structure and all that lies within. A team is assembled, including the leader, two additional archeologists and a group of six graduate students. As work is begun, a five-man group of men, considering themselves direct descendants of the Mayan builders of the site, are determined to prevent the desecration of their holy site. Continuous spying, Erin's short-lived abduction and armed conflicts with the police, turn the archeological investigations into a nightmare.

This history-filled, fast moving story follows the efforts of the two opposing groups to each reach their goals. In the end, Craig brings down some of his agents and together with the police at last capture the men, while Erin and the team complete their mission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Joel Teicher
• Release date: Nov 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370927500

Kenneth Joel Teicher

Having grown up in a home where reading was treated as not just a pastime but also a true pursuit. I have been reading many genres all my life, from historical biographies to science fiction. I have also learned to love the craft of writing. After years of diligent effort, I self-published my first book in 1991. Trips including historic sites, during a period of more than forty-five years, have always fascinated me - from the Roman Forum and Pompeii in Italy, the Acropolis in Greece, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths in England, the fantastic ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey, the ruins of Carthage in Tunisia, the fabulous Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, various sites in Israel, the fabled city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzä in Mexico, The Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall in China, and countless other locations around the world. These adventures have strengthened my fascination with the wonders of ancient civilizations and my growing amateur interest in the study of archaeology. They also triggered my desire to create a series of stories that have developed into the Erin and Craig action/adventure series. These stories are based on many of the locations noted above. I am currently working on the fifth book in the series. Future trips to other exotic and historic locals will, I hope, provide additional stimulating sites on which to base future stories in the series. My other passion is the fanciful world of science fiction. Over the years, I have sought to add my own work to the field. I am currently editing the seventh addition to this part of my collection.

Book preview

MYSTERY OF THE KUKULCAN TEMPLE

Copyright 2016 Kenneth Joel Teicher

Smashwords Addition

Erin & Craig adventure stories

The Alkano Letters

The Carthage Connection

Carved in Stone

Science Fiction Stories

The Mission

A Matter of Time

The Yesterday Tree

Solitude

Temporal Consciousness Transposition

Gateway: The Shula Intervention

This is a book of fiction. Descriptions of locations are based on the author’s recollections and altered or enhanced to suit the story. None of the characters are intended to portray real people. Names and incidents either are the product of the author’s own imagination or are fictitiously used and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead is entirely by coincidence. Historical information is the result of the author’s research and has been modified or altered to enhance the needs of the story. Photographs used, both on the cover and interior, are the property of the author, with the exception of the reproduced images of the red Jaguar throne and the Chac Mool, that are royalty free.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.

Prologue

As soon as they got out of the bus, they were exposed to a blast of hot, humid air. The group of four archeologists, six graduate students, and another man were led through a large modern building that served as both the administration offices, a number of approved shops selling an assortment of items aimed at the multitude of tourists, and a restaurant. The team exited the building and continued walking along a slightly inclined broad stone path, happily shaded by tall trees. Along the way, they passed table after table filled with items, both relevant to the area and not, being hawked by mostly scrawny young men and a few older women. A police escort, of six uniformed local police officers, helped clear the path bustling with curious tourists.

The archeological group abruptly found themselves at the edge of an open carefully manicured grass field. The Temple of Kukulcan stood in sharp contrast to the bright blue almost cloudless sky. More tourists were forced to move out of the way, as the group continued toward the left face on the four-sided structure. At the base of the ninety-one step sharply inclined staircase, a small doorway had been cut into the finely chiseled limestone. The group leader stepped forward and inserted an old-fashioned black key into the wrought iron padlock. After twisting the key back and forth several times, he, at last, unlocked the wood door. He almost slipped as he pulled open the heavy door.

Several members of the team pulled out flashlights as they entered the pitch-black interior of the century’s old structure. The police escort entered last, closing the heavy door with an echoing thud. One of the uniformed officers asked the leader something in Spanish. Instead of a reply, the man merely shook his head from side to side. Apparently, the door could not be locked from the inside, so two of the officers were assigned to stand guard at the door. As the team slowly moved further into the four-foot wide passageway, they swung their flashlights around in the darkness. The inside of the wall appeared to be a uniform stack of small limestone blocks, about the size of a standard cinderblock.

The structure within the Temple of Kukulcan was the target. As they directed the beams of their flashlights toward the much older and small structure within, a strange almost moaning sound could be heard. Combined with this disturbing noise was the barely audible sound of gurgling water. Everyone froze in position. Had they arrived too late? Had descendants of the ancient Mayans responsible for building the Temple somehow managed to gain entry and were the cause of the eerie sounds?

Hidden deep within the old Temple, several men lay in wait. They counted themselves as descendants of the Mayan people, builders of the Kukulcan Temple. The men had been hiding since late the previous night. They feared the archeologists came to desecrate their holy site. Armed with guns and knives, they were resigned to doing whatever it took to prevent the archeologists from doing anything to harm their holiest of places in the ancient city of Chichén Itza. The leader of the group worried that the situation might become more than simply an effort to scare off the unwanted intruders. Never the less, he felt an obligation to the memory of their ancestors to do whatever was necessary.

During a tedious and sometimes passionate discussion, the leader convinced his associates to refrain from any violent action. At least for the time being. Instead, the men gathered small stones and bone fragments they planned to use to create a troubling noise they hoped would scare off the archeologists. In addition, they had brought locally made animal noisemakers, which they anticipated would be of value in their efforts. The oddly shaped wood horns were normally sold to tourists and created the sound of a mountain lion. The men sat apart from their leader and spoke in whispers, planning to use their guns and knives regardless of their leaders’ desire to avoid violent acts. As they sat, they began hearing voices and realized that their holy site was being violated by the ‘invaders’.

Chapter 1

Craig ignored Erin’s questioning look as he stared out the window of their East Midtown Manhattan apartment. He chewed his steak thoughtlessly as he attempted to figure out what the current combination of colored lighting on top of the Empire State Building represented. A few years ago, the historic tower had been retrofitted with a large array of computer controlled colored LED lights. The lights changed periodically, especially to reflect a national holiday, but also to honor a sporting event, religious holiday, or other particular city event.

What’s bothering you? Erin asked, concern creeping into her voice.

Huh? Oh, nothing much, I was just wondering what the lights mean, Craig nodded toward the building.

As Erin turned to face the window, snowflakes began drifting through the air.

God, I hate winter in New York. It’s already March and we’re still getting snow.

Really? You’d rather be digging in some burning hot desert or damp swamp?

Craig’s wife, Erin was an acclaimed archeologist with several fantastic discoveries to her credit, which radically altered conventional thinking that existed for centuries. They met years ago when Craig was hired as part of a team to protect an archeological dig being conducted on a tiny Greek Island. Some mysterious conflict was credited with the need for protection. The situation quickly developed into a major conflict between the archeological team and a group representing an ancient religious group of zealots.

Not really, it’s just that even the office is chilly this time of year and it gets into my bones, Erin explained.

Speaking of your office, how’s the work going?

Almost a year ago, Erin had been invited to join a team of six archeologists and their graduate students to investigate an area on the outskirts of the well-known site of ancient Carthage. New NASA technology, aboard a telecommunications satellite, detected the outline of what might be a small complex of buildings. The Tunisian government was immediately alerted to the possibility of a potentially exciting new discovery.

The Department of Tunisian Archeology sent out invitations to several qualified people and Erin was able to obtain permission from her employer, The American Museum of Natural History, to join the expedition. After six months of field work, Erin was back in her lab, analyzing her share of the newly discovered artifacts and writing detailed descriptions. Her report would be used in a joint research paper on the discovery.

I’m almost through with my share of the discoveries. I should be done by the end of the week. We have a meeting scheduled toward the end of April to begin putting all of our data together and finalizing our report.

Erin noticed that her husband’s plate was empty and reached out to stack it on hers. Ready for dessert?

Craig continued to look out the window and acted as if he had not heard the question.

What’s bothering you, babe?

Ah, oh sorry. I decided to hire both Shirley and Dan.

Craig’s thoughts went back to late afternoon in his office. His international security business had been growing quickly and the search for high quality personnel was occupying more and more of his time. He managed to cull many old friends from his time in military intelligence but still needed more people. His previous job, at the CIA, gave him access to a raft of qualified people and both Shirley and Dan were operatives he had worked with on several operations. Becoming unhappy with their work at the CIA, they had both recently left the agency in search of positions in the private sector, which they hoped would be more lucrative.

Shirley, a slight woman, about 5’ 3", weighed little more than one hundred pounds. Her long blond hair swathed a perfectly chiseled face. Her appearance was very deceiving. Aside from being an expert sharpshooter with nearly every weapon available, she was also adept in virtually all forms of self-defense. Craig watched her in action on several missions. He was amazed on one occasion when she was forced to take on three men, almost twice her size, and put them all down within seconds. Shirley was also a stickler for details and always followed her orders to the letter.

Dan, on the other hand, towered over Shirley. His 6’ 3" height and weight of about two-hundred-twenty pounds made him a very imposing presence. He kept his red hair short and loved to explain where he got his many tattoos and what they represented. Although his abilities almost matched Shirley’s, his most notable characteristic was not physical. Dan possessed the most unbelievable photographic memory and power of observation that Craig had ever encountered.

On one occasion, while walking along about two crowded city blocks in midtown, Dan seemed to be looking around very casually. As the men waited for the traffic light to change, Dan recited an accurate physical description of all of the forty-five people they passed. He described each person’s physical attributes and the clothing they wore. For most, he easily determined if they were left-handed or right, their approximate age, and for most, if they were residents or tourists.

To prove his point, Dan turned and randomly selected a person they were waiting with at the corner. Begging the woman’s pardon and explaining he wanted to prove something to his friend, he asked if the woman was left or right handed, her approximate age and if she lived in the city. The woman, at first, looked alarmed. But Dan’s soft tone and warm smile seemed to calm any fears she might have. She responded to his questions and then turned back on her way after a warm thank you from Dan. He turned back to Craig with a big smile on his face; he had been right on all counts.

Why is that a problem? Erin asked, shaking Craig from his thoughts.

It’s not a problem. It’s just that they’re going to make it harder for me to find an excuse to work in the field. In fact, between my secretary and office manager, there’s very little for me to do.

Isn’t that the point? I thought you had aspirations of us just living off the income from your company. Her own salary was barely enough to pay the mortgage on their co-op.

Yeah, but I thought it would take a lot longer, years to get to that point. I’m way too young to just sit around at home and stare out the window.

Erin’s face lit up as an idea popped into her mind. If that’s the case, how about a little vacation?

Sounds like a great idea but what about your current project?

Like I said I’m just about finished and could use a break before our meeting in Tunisia, Erin explained.

Where would you like to go? Craig asked, returning Erin’s smile.

I don’t know for sure, but it has to be someplace warm with a beach. Someplace we can relax and be waited on, Erin added as her eyes darted from the window displaying the late winter snow to the dirty dishes on the table and in the sink.

Florida? Craig offered.

No, some place a little more exotic.

Exotic, where in the world do you have in mind? Craig asked, knowing his wife never limited her interest only to nearby locations.

Erin thought for a while, mentally ticking off places they had been to or heard about that would satisfy their needs. After a while, her face lit up. How about Cancun? I hear it’s wonderful this time of year.

Hm, Mexico. Not too far and only a one-hour time change.

Why are you worried about the time difference?

Oh, only if the office needs me. Being on the other side of the world would mean getting calls in the middle of the night.

Erin nodded her understanding. Should I make the air and hotel reservations or can you have your secretary, Margret handle all the details?

Let’s have Margret take care of it. She always manages to find the best hotel in the area, not to mention the best flights and first-class air seats.

Erin nodded, knowing that Craig could never get comfortable in economy because of his long legs and always wanted a window seat. Great, we can leave anytime next week, and … well I don’t have to be back for a couple of weeks so it’s up to you how long our vacation should be.

Oh, a couple of weeks at the most. I feel a little uncomfortable being away from the office for any longer than that.

Me too, I do have to finish up my work so I’ll be ready for the meeting.

There’s just one thing.

What? Erin asked, having a feeling she knew what was coming.

You’ve got to promise me you won’t go digging around anywhere.

The couple shared a long, happy laugh. Both recalling more than one previous vacation that turned into an archeological expedition.

I promise. There’s nothing much nearby worth exploring anyway.

Oh, really? What about all the Mayan ruins?

None are really that close to Cancun. And, as far as I know, the few that are have all been thoroughly examined.

Yeah, I’ve heard that before.

Once again, Erin and Craig shared a fit of laughter. They both turned to look out the window, observing the snowflakes growing heavier and denser.

Boy, now that we’ve agreed to take a little vacation, the snow looks even more ominous.

Craig kept staring out the window, deep in thought. After a while, he turned back to Erin. I’m sorry Hun, did you say something?

Erin gave him a skeptical look. There’s something else on your mind. Come on, out with it. What’s bothering you?

Ah … well, it’s just that we seem to have spent so little time together in a long while. You were away for six months in Tunisia and then I went on an assignment on the West Coast that lasted five weeks. Maybe we should take more than just a couple of weeks in Cancun.

That would be nice except for one thing.

Yeah, what’s that?

You. I know how you get when you’re away from your office. You keep calling to check in and telling me no one knows how to do things the way you want everything done. I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re involved in your work. And, sometimes your assignments take a lot longer than planned.

Or I travel with you, out in some God forsaken desert or mountain top protecting you and your team, Craig interrupted.

Erin ignored the remark as she continued. At least when I’m on a dig there is a definite time frame and I don’t have to worry about what’s going on at the museum.

Okay, okay. I promise I will forget all about the office. In fact, you can hold my cell phone and we can have the room phone disconnected.

I don’t think we have to go that far. On the other hand, at least then I’ll know I’ll have you all to myself, Erin smiled as she came over to give her husband a warm hug and long kiss.

And you have to promise not to take any calls from the museum and not to go off on any mysterious excavations.

That’s silly, but of course I promise. We’ll make this like a second honeymoon. After all, it has been almost eight years since we got married.

If I remember correctly, our honeymoon was spent in Egypt. But you spent more time at the Cairo Museum studying the ancient scrolls you discovered at Ephesus than you did with me.

Yeah, but I really didn’t have any other choice. The Egyptian government claimed ownership of the scrolls and insisted they be examined on their land. And, if you remember, the Egyptian Department of Antiquities paid all of our expenses.

That’s true. Okay, Cancun it is. I’ll have Margret make the reservations first thing in the morning. I just hope we can get a nice room and a decent flight so soon before our trip.

Just remind her not to book us into a family resort. I’d like some peace and quiet. As much as I love children, I’d much rather not have any distractions, especially a load of noisy children running all around.

Craig nodded his understanding. They often spoke about starting a family but it never seemed like the right time. Erin loved kids and enjoyed interacting with any that were around, no matter where she was or what she was doing. Craig, on the other hand, felt too distracted by children, especially when he was on an assignment. He tried to imagine what it would be like coming home to a family and being called ‘dad’ but could never get comfortable with the idea. Still, he knew it would make their lives complete and was something that Erin wanted very much.

As if reading Craig’s mind, Erin offered him a broad smile. Sooner or later, we have to talk about having a family. You do want to have a family, don’t you?

Sure, have you forgotten that we’ve had this conversation before?

No, I just like to hear you agree.

Of course, I agree. It’s just that we’ve both been so busy with our jobs since we got married that I can’t see a time when our professional careers will be stable enough so that we can even think about starting a family.

I know. I have to find out when my boss is planning to retire. If it’s not too far off, maybe I can persuade my superiors to consider me for the position. I am the next in line. That’ll keep me home.

In New York, yes. But will it really keep you ‘home’?

Erin thought for a while before responding. "I think so. My boss hasn’t traveled for work in a long time. I can’t remember the last time he did any fieldwork. Running the department fills his days and so he does stay in New York. If I am promoted