Steve Alten - The Mayan Resurrection

‘Yes, sir. I was visiting my uncle at his hotel. My grandfather was lying on his bed when I got here.’

‘Did you ever see your grandfather use drugs?’

‘He… he pops these pills. Said it was for his arthritis.’

‘According to the coroner, those pills were Oxycontin. Coroner found about six hundred milligrams of the stuff in him, and it was all chewed up. Oxycontin is a time-released drug, it was made to swallow whole. Chew it up and you release toxic amounts of the drug.’

‘Oh my God… He should have known that, right?’

‘I think he did. I think your grandfather committed suicide.’

‘No… he was murdered. Look at those wounds? How do you explain the blood loss?’

‘Self-inflicted. With all that painkiller in him, he probably never felt a thing. Did you know he changed his Will?’

‘I didn’t even know he had a Will.’

‘Changed it yesterday. Fits the suicide pattern. This whole thing was premeditated. His lawyer will be speaking with you later this afternoon.’ Colson checks his notes. ‘Now this uncle of yours-Don Rafelo. I’m going to need his statement.’

‘Of course.’

Colson looks over her shoulder, his expression darkening. ‘Oh, hell-’ He hurries into the living room to the television.

The scene is live, broadcast from a news chopper hovering over the Gandy Bridge in Tampa. Rescue boats are circling, divers are in the water.

Colson turns up the sound.

‘… the former president’s limousine was struck as it approached the construction area of the bridge. The vehicle crashed through the temporary barricade and into the bay.’

The scene zooms in on a Coast Guard rescue boat.

‘Jennie, Brian Bahder here. We’ve just received word that former president Ennis Chaney and the driver of the vehicle have been rescued. Both men are now aboard the Coast Guard rescue boat in stable condition.’

‘Brian, what about the missing Gabriel twin?’

Lilith kneels by the screen, her heart racing. Please not Jacob…

‘Divers are still searching, but I have to tell you, it doesn’t look good. Eyewitnesses report the limo sank at least ten minutes ago.’

‘For those of you just joining us, you’re looking at a live telecast over the Gandy Bridge where a limousine transporting former president Ennis Chaney and one of his godsons was struck by a hit-and-run driver as it was heading east into Tampa. Chaney and his driver have been rescued, but the unidentified Gabriel twin is still missing.’

‘Jennie, from what we understand, Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners Dan and Linda Broersma, had invited Chaney and his godson to watch this afternoon’s football game-’

‘Stand by, Jennie, it looks like divers have surfaced.’

The camera angle changes, zooming in on the stern of the Coast Guard rescue boat where a body is being lifted out of the water.

Lilith holds her breath as the carcass, supported by a team of divers, breaks the surface.

It is the dark-haired twin, Immanuel.

For one more terrible moment in man’s history, the world seemed to stop spinning.

Over the years, stories about the Gabriel twins had grown to almost legendary proportions. News of Immanuel’s demise stunned the public as much as the deaths of John Lennon, Princess Diana, or John F. Kennedy, Jr.. But it was in Mesoamerica where the Mayan Indians had worshiped the teens as living deities that the news was hardest to swallow.

Riots broke out in Central America. Zealots took nosedives off pyramids. Schools and businesses closed. People wept openly in the streets. Back in the States, news journalists stormed the gates of the Gabriel compound by the hundreds, forcing the military to shut down access bridges leading into Longboat Key.

What the public wanted was information, what the media insisted upon was proof. They demanded to examine the body, which had been transported back to the compound to be readied for burial.

In her grief, Dominique finally relented, knowing there would be no peace without verification. A team of physicians were allowed to enter the Gabriel compound, along with a CNN film crew and two witnesses drawn from a lottery.

The morbid event was telecast around the world.

After thirty minutes, a heavily sedated Dominique could handle no more. Everyone but Ennis Chaney and the immediate family were banned from the compound.

The former president spoke to the world later that evening, providing sparse details about the hit-and-run, saying only that Immanuel’s body would be cremated. A public mass and international day of mourning was scheduled for Monday in Washington, DC.

Belle Glade, Florida November 5, 2027

The unmarked police car enters the lot of the Belle Glade Breakers Motel and parks. Lilith gets out of the passenger side and knocks on the door of Room 113. ‘Open up, Uncle Don, it’s me-Lilith.’

Detective Colson joins her at the door. ‘Do you have a key?’

‘Yes.’ She slips the magnetic key in the lock and opens the door.

The room is empty.

‘So? Where is he?’

‘I… I don’t know. He was supposed to meet me here this evening.’

‘Anyone at the front desk ever meet this uncle of yours?’

‘No. I paid for the room. His English isn’t too good.’

Colson searches the chest of drawers. Looks under the bed. Checks the bathroom. Finds nothing.

‘Looks like he took off on you. What was his relationship with your grandfather?’

‘I… I don’t know? But if you’re thinking… Detective, I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Please don’t jump to any conclusions.’

‘Here’s my card. I want you to wait here and call me the moment he comes back. Meanwhile, I’m going to contact someone from Family Services. If your uncle doesn’t show up by tonight, you’ll go with them.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Colson leaves. Lilith locks the door behind him.

‘Bastard.’

She spins around, shocked to find Don Rafelo lying spread-eagle on the bed.

‘Don’t worry, I put the evil eye on him.’

‘Where were you? How did you get…’ The sudden realization shocks her, dropping her to her knees. ‘No… you’re… you’re not real, are you?’

His smile reveals diseased gums. ‘Of course I’m real. Thoughts are real, aren’t they?’

‘But-’

‘The power of the Succubus is real.’

‘But you’re just in my mind. You’re not really here. Not in the physical sense.’

He sits up and leans in close, and she can smell his foul old man’s breath. ‘Real is what the mind can conceive and believe. Thoughts are things. Your thought energy is as real as mine.’

Lilith swoons. ‘Those boys you killed-’

‘You mean, the ones you killed. And the old woman.’

‘And Quenton?’

‘Of course. I instructed you, gave you confidence, but it was you who did the deed. And now there’s more to be done, before we travel to Mexico.’

‘Jacob?’

Don Rafelo nods. ‘He’ll be in Washington for the memorial service. Security will be tight, but he’ll be out in the open, where we can reach him through the nexus.’

‘He doesn’t want to see me anymore.’

‘Jacob’s value is in his seed. Your union will be the first of two nearly pure Hunahpu. Your child, Lilith, shall be a god.’

West Potomac Park, Washington, DC November 7, 2027

Towering 555 feet high, the alabaster marble obelisk known as the Washington Monument is located at the east end of Potomac Park, approximately one mile west of the Capitol Building. At the very top of this hollow structure is an observation room, affording visitors a magnificent view of the park’s reflecting pool, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 9-11 wall, the Middle East War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.