Buffalo Mesa Mummy: Young Archeologists, #1

By John Lasne

On Buffalo Mesa three teen-age friends photographing a ghost town accidently discover, in a cave, the mummified body of a long misshng college student. They embark on a mission to discover how and why she came to be there. The search for answers leads them into danger, discovery, and will change their lives forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Lasne
• Release date: Sep 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781452881683

Book preview

Chapter 1

PETER RAMSEY LEANED forward, resting his forearms on the handlebars of his mountain bike, and looked across Buffalo Mesa at The Town. The buildings, sitting less than a half mile away, shimmered in the April morning. It was a very quiet little town as one would expect since there was no one living there unless you counted the ghosts. Peter smiled to himself as he gazed at the buildings. He wondered if every abandoned town was considered a ghost town because in New Mexico there would need to be quite a lot of ghosts.

There were dozens of abandoned towns in the desert and mountain areas, most of them built during the silver rush. Some of them were just a building or two and others were whole towns, like this one. The Town was special because it was like a time capsule. For some yet unknown reason the town had just been abandoned, like everyone just decided to walk away one day. The entire mesa was deeded to the Navajo shortly thereafter and so it had remained untouched for more than a hundred years. Now the Navajo had traded the mesa area to the National Park Service for a piece of land that had access to plenty of water.

According to his father, Dr. Daniel Ramsey, The Town had never been given a proper name. In the late 1800’s, a group of silver speculators opened a mine and soon other buildings began to crop up. There was no other town for so many miles that the place just became known as The Town and the name was finally put on the map so it became official.

Peter looked down the bike trail that joined into the one he had ridden up. It went down the mesa at a steep angle and in the distance he could see two small figures headed up the trail toward him. He knew they would be his best friends, the Shantos. Maria and Charlie were twins, fifteen years old just like Peter.

Peter was nearly six feet tall and Charlie towered over him with Maria just a couple inches shorter than Peter. Charlie was broad shouldered and narrow waisted like his father while Maria was slender like their mother. Their father was Apache; their mother, the daughter of a Navajo medicine man and an Irish nurse from New York. The twins had a smooth dark complexion, straight hair, and typical Indian features. Charlie wore his hair shoulder length. Maria’s hair went halfway to her waist and she often wore it in a ponytail or a French Braid. Peter’s hair was sandy blond and he had dark brown eyes. The desert sun had tanned his skin almost as dark as his two friends.

Jack Shantos, the twin’s father, was the Ranger in charge of the Many Mesa National Park. He was the one that had requested Peter’s father for the task of getting The Town ready for public access after reading a feature article about him in the Park Service magazine. In order for the area to be opened to the public everything had to be scrutinized by an archeologist to make sure nothing historical would be endangered by thousands of people a year tramping through the area.

Peter had been helping by doing initial mapping and scouting of the town, as well as the surrounding mesa area. His mother used to do the same thing Peter was doing, but since she had died he had taken over the job. Margaret Ramsey had contracted a staph infection after emergency surgery, was admitted to the hospital and two days later had lapsed into a coma. In less than a week, she had died.

One of the reasons his father had accepted the temporary transfer to New Mexico was because he felt it might help Peter and himself recover from the grief. Peter still missed his mom every day, but starting a new school, making new friends, and working with his dad on projects like this one helped dull the pain.

Maria and Charlie spotted him on top of the mesa and they both waved, picking up speed to climb the hill with their bikes. The entire area was restricted to feet, horses, and bikes to minimize the human impact on the environment. Occasionally Peter or his dad would bring the Mule out to the area if they had a load to carry. The Mule wasn’t an animal, but a four-wheel drive mini-jeep. It would sit four in a pinch, with a cargo area in the back. For the most part, though, the three friends preferred riding their mountain bikes as they explored the area.

The twins were climbing hard now, both of them up on the pedals and pumping. Maria was the better rider and she was in the lead. Maria arrived at the top breathing hard, Did you have to pick the highest point of the mesa to meet?

Peter answered with a smile, taking in her sweating brow and labored breathing, I had to climb the hill too, you know.

Yea, Charlie said as he dropped his bike, and then followed it to the ground with a groan, but, your side of the hill isn’t as steep as it is from our side.

Well, you are here now so let’s get started, Peter suggested and then added when Charlie started to protest, It is downhill from here to The Town so all we have to do is coast.

Charlie groaned and got to his feet, retrieved his bike from the ground and mounted. The three friends started a lazy coast in the direction of the town. Quickly, though, they began to pick up speed as the decline increased. Before long they were moving at a fast clip and it took all their skill to steer their bikes around the cactus, tumbleweeds, and rocks that dotted the landscape. Peter was in the lead, as was the usual case when they went riding, and Charlie brought up the rear. Peter glanced over his shoulder to see how the others were doing and almost ended up with a mouth full of cactus. His tire hit a rock half buried in the ground and it almost jerked the grips from his hands. Only his fast reflexes and hundreds of hours riding the rough trails saved him.

Maria shot past him, followed by Charlie. Peter regained control and saw his friends begin to pedal full speed down the hill toward the buildings that were now just a hundred yards away. With a big grin, Peter gave chase and the race was on. Dr. Ramsey had often told his son that he didn’t need to be quite so competitive, but Peter never did anything part way. He loves to compete and he figured if he was going to be in the game he might as well come in first. More than once his competitive spirit had cost him skin and while he had yet to break any bones he had more than a few scars to show for his efforts.

Peter’s legs were twirling as fast as he could move them and he began to catch up with the other two. Charlie looked back and picked up his speed. Maria didn’t look behind her because she knew just what was happening. She knew Peter better than anyone else and figured he would be trying to get to Main Street first. Maria wasn’t as fast a rider as Peter but she did have a good lead so she picked up the pace. She began to pull farther away from her brother who watched helplessly as Peter overtook him and passed. Peter never looked over at Charlie; he just had his eyes on Maria as he pushed even harder.

As they entered the edge of the town, less than fifty yards in front of them a shadow, cast by an old flag pole created the obvious finish line for their race. The ground was flat now and devoid of rocks and such. It was to be a clean sprint to the finish line. Both Peter and Maria bore down even harder, but Peter had hit his stride and was quickly pulling up beside Maria. Looking to his left, Peter intended to wave goodbye to Maria as he prepared to pull ahead.

When Peter looked at Maria he could see the intensity on her face. Her eyes were locked on the quickly approaching finish line and her mouth was open as she struggled to bring more air into her lungs for an extra burst of speed. Something happened to Peter, and if you were to ask him why he did what he did next he couldn’t have said for sure. He eased back on his cadence and carefully tapped his rear brake twice. Not enough to skid the tire but just enough to slow the bike a little. In the next instance, they crossed the shadow with Maria in the lead by a scant three inches.

Peter had never intentionally lost a race before, but the big smile on Maria’s face as she realized she had won made him feel glad he had done it. Maria raised both arms over her head in a victory jester as she slowed to a stop. Peter pulled up next to her and Charlie arrived a moment later.

Way to go, sis, you have vanquished the champion, Charlie said as he clapped his sister on the shoulder. Then he looked over at Peter, I don’t remember the last time you lost a bike race. What happened? 

Peter shrugged, Don’t know. And he didn’t.

They leaned their bikes against the old hotel that was at the head of the main street and looked for a place to get out of the sun and catch their breath. Even though it was just mid-April, and only ten in the morning, the desert sun was quickly warming the mesa. It was great weather for spring break, though, and they had an extended one this year. Instead of the usual week off from school, they were getting two.

The roof had to be replaced on the building that housed their school and it was decided it should be done before the spring showers came. Rain seldom came to the desert area, but when it did it came hard and the roof had leaked pretty badly the spring before.

Hanging their bike helmets on the end of their handlebars they moved into the shaded alley between the hotel and assay office next door. Maria sat on the ground with her back against one wall and Charlie took up position across from her.

Peter pulled his Aussie bush hat from his back pocket where it was always rolled up when he wasn’t wearing it. His older cousin Roger, who was a mining engineer and currently working in Australia, had sent it to him last Christmas for a present. The hat had a wide brim that protected the wearer from the sun and elements. When unrolled it took its original shape with only a slight shake. Peter had liked it so much that he was never without it.

Placing the hat on his head, and pulling it down to just above his eyebrows, Peter slid down the wall next to Charlie. The fanny pack he had been wearing was now in his lap and he pulled from it a small digital camera. It was a new one his father had bought and he began to show Charlie the features. Maria studied them both from the other side of the alley; the two boys unaware of her attention.

Chapter 2

Almost two years earlier , not long after spring break, Peter and his dad moved into the District Rangers old house. Maria’s father had told her that Dr. Ramsey would be there for two or three years, heading up the project of getting The Town ready for public access.

Maria learned that Mrs. Ramsey had died a few years before and that Peter was an only child. She wasn’t sure what to expect after hearing that the Ramsey’s had traveled much of the world and that Peter had been homeschooled for most of his education. She wondered if the boy expected that there would be a bunch of ignorant Indians living in huts out here in the desert.

Rachel Shantos, Maria’s mother, had insisted that the new arrivals come over for dinner as soon as they were unpacked, and a couple days later that arrived at the front door. Dr. Ramsey was good looking, tall, and had a quick smile. Peter was a pleasant surprise to Maria and her brother. Peter was polite and took great interest in their arrowhead and pottery collection. When he learned that Maria and her brother were both interested in archeology Peter didn’t point out all the places he had been around the world, taking part in major digs with his parents. Instead, Peter wanted to hear all about how and where they had found the items that lined the shelves in the family room.

Maria had liked him immediately and Charlie told her later he thought Peter was a pretty neat guy. Dr. Ramsey made it well known that he had not come to take charge of the Many Mesas National Park System and that he would be relying on Mr. Shantos to help him since he knew the area so well. The respect Dr. Ramsey gave to her father made Maria sure that they would be friends.

Maria’s mother, always one to care a great deal for others and not shy about asking personal questions, inquired about Peter’s mother.

Daniel and Margaret had met while freshmen at college, where they were both enrolled as archeology majors. They hit it off right away and before they knew it they were in love and planning on getting married once they finished college.

By the beginning of his junior year, Daniel was very discouraged about becoming an archeologist. He just did not like the tedious field work which could involve years without any significant discovery. He still wanted to be an archeologist, just a different kind than the ones he had been studying.

Margaret simply kissed him on the cheek and said, Then be the kind of archeologist you want to be.

Dr. Ramsey explained that he had gone on to become a Macro Archaeologist. Instead of spending hundreds of hours sifting through piles of dirt for one little piece of history, he worked at getting the primary investigation of an area settled so that others could do the time-consuming detail or micro work.

Macro Archeology, which Daniel had basically created as a separate field for himself, had become a popular area of study and he had helped set up the program at several colleges and had even authored two books on the subject.

After college, the two sweethearts had married and immediately began their work as a team. They traveled all over the world plying his Macro Archeology techniques at different digs. A couple years later Peter was born in a tent on the outskirts of a newly discovered Mayan village in Honduras.

Peter went everywhere with them and proved to be a quick study even at an early age. He even came up with some new ideas that his father incorporated into his work.

During a trip to Morocco, where the Ramses’ were helping the local authorities investigate artifact smuggling, Mrs. Ramsey had been injured in an accident while chasing smugglers across the desert on horseback. Her mount had stumbled and thrown her into a pile of rubble. She was discovered a few hours later and rushed to the hospital for surgery on a separated shoulder. It was a good hospital, but still she had contracted a serious infection that was fatal.

Peter had only been eleven when his mother died and for a while his father had gone back to teaching archeology at Clemson University. He had been approached by the National Park Service to help with a couple of projects; preparing areas to be released for public usage. His work so impressed the Park Service that he was asked if he would use his techniques to help them on some other important projects.

Dr. Ramsey continued teaching for a while longer and then one day asked Peter what he thought of moving to New Mexico for a couple of years. Peter, having grown up moving all the time, agreed and now they were sitting in the Shantos’ den drinking lemonade.

Before he left that evening Peter was invited to return in three days for the twin’s birthday party. When Peter told Mrs. Shantos that his birthday was only a week later than theirs, he was made to promise he would not miss the party. Besides Maria’s mother said it would be a great opportunity for him to meet some of the kids he would be going to school within a couple weeks.

Peter returned as promised and found around a dozen other kids ready to celebrate the twin’s birthday. They were all friendly and welcomed Peter to his new hometown. The biggest surprise he got was when the cake was brought out. On top in fancy letters, it said Happy Birthday Charlie, Maria, and Peter.

Mrs. Shantos announced that since Peter’s birthday was pretty close and he had just arrived in town, it made sense to her for him to celebrate his birthday with the family. Besides, she said, she doubted that Peter’s father could make a cake as good as the one sitting on the table before them now.

Everyone sang happy birthday and Peter realized that the twin’s mother was a very special lady. He thanked Mrs. Shantos and when she gave him a hug, he hugged her back. It was a great party; Peter even got a couple of presents. When it was over Mr. Shantos put Peter’s bike in the Park truck and shuttled him the five miles back to his house. Peter went to bed happy that night and felt he was really going to like his new home.

The next day Charlie and Maria showed up early at Peter’s house and asked if he wanted to go mountain biking on some of the local trails. Peter’s dad thought it was a great idea and even gave them money for pizzas later on when they got hungry.

In short order they became best of friends, spending almost all of their free time together. At school, they had quickly become known as The Three Amigos, and they didn’t mind one bit. Peter was very easy going and had little problem fitting into his new school, except this is, for Chuck Carlson. Chuck was bigger than most of the other boys his age and liked to be the big dog around the school. He found reasons to get in Peter’s face, but could never goad him into a fight. Maria knew Peter well enough by then to understand that he wasn’t afraid of Chuck, but rather chose to ignore the challenge.

Things changed one Friday morning in the field right behind Chuck’s house. The twins and Peter lived exactly five miles apart, with the school right in the middle between them. They usually rode their bikes to school, but that day they were meeting Peter’s father in town and then going over to Maria and Charlie’s for supper. It was something they did at least once a week.

As they crossed the field the friends saw a group of other kids gathered together on the far end of the field, so they went to investigate. When they got closer the three friends knew whatever was happening probably wasn’t good. Chuck was in the middle of the crowd pointing a pellet pistol at something on