Alex Archer - Forbidden City

Annja nodded. She’d had a hard time resisting the impulse to open her notebook computer and research the belt plaque. But she knew if she showed an interest in it the piece would have been confiscated. She was sure she could do more toward solving the riddle it proposed than the park rangers or the sheriff’s department.

“Could you answer a couple questions for me first?” Annja picked up the bottle of water she had been given and took a sip.

Sheriff Barfield sat in the straight-backed wooden chair across from her. His cologne was fragrant, Old Spice or something like it.

“Sure.” Barfield nodded. “If I can.”

“Have you found Huangfu?”

“No.”

“What about the helicopter?”

The sheriff hesitated for a moment, as if flipping a mental coin. “We located it outside of Sacramento. It had been abandoned.”

“Do you think the men left California?”

Barfield’s eyes were steady. “You know more about them than I do, Miss Creed. Do you think they left California?”

“I don’t know.”

Taking out a small notebook, Barfield glanced through pages of notes written in a clear, concise hand. “I talked with a New York Police Department detective named McGilley. He said he looked into Huangfu Cao for you.”

“He did.”

“McGilley also says he told you he thought you should stay away from Huangfu because he couldn’t find out much information about him.”

“I’m an archaeologist, Sheriff. Sometimes I don’t get to pick and choose who I deal with. Archaeologists have been dealing with grave robbers since the field of study began.”

“Is that what you think Huangfu went there to do? To rob a grave?”

“I don’t know. Right after we found the remains of the miners, we were held at gunpoint by those three men.”

“Do you think he’s a criminal?”

“Based on the skill and lack of qualms he showed in killing those men—and while trying to kill me— I’d have to think that, wouldn’t I?”

“Are you in the habit of dealing with criminals, Miss Creed?” Barfield’s voice was low and neutral.

“Not if I know they’re criminals. I didn’t know Huangfu was a criminal until he killed those three men. And tried to kill me.”

“What did he want?”

“He wanted to find his ancestor’s grave.”

“To rob it?”

“He said it was so he could take the bones home to be interred in a family graveyard.”

“That didn’t strike you as odd?”

“Different cultures practice different beliefs, Sheriff. I’ve got friends in New York who believe that everyone in California is involved in some kind of environmental protection group or practice strange religion.”

A faint grin tweaked Barfield’s lips. “Do you help people find their lost ancestors very often?”

“No.”

“But you did this time. Why?”

“Because of the story involved.” That was partially the truth.

“What story?”

“Ghost towns are always interesting.”

Barfield rubbed his chin. “Volcanoville isn’t really known as a ghost town in the area. It’s just another failed gold mining operation.”

“One person’s failed gold mining operation is another person’s ghost town.” Annja glanced pointedly at her watch. It was 2:18 a.m. With the three-hour time zone deficit, she was running on fumes.

“Did you know you were going to find Huangfu’s ancestor?”

“If he was out here, I was going to try.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?”

Annja folded her arms and regarded the sheriff. “Stories don’t always have truth in them. Huangfu had the diary of a family member that said Ban Zexu was murdered in Volcanoville.”

The sheriff made notes and asked how to spell Ban Zexu’s name. “Did you see the book?”

“I saw copies of the book.”

“The book could have been faked.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know, Miss Creed. I’m still trying to figure out why three men are dead tonight.”

“They’re dead because they tried to kill us.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because they were high and paranoid about us stumbling across their marijuana crop.”

“Is that your professional opinion?”

“That they were high?”

“Yes.” Annja started to grow more irritated. She’d known she was going to face repeated and redundant questions, but this was stretching her patience beyond the breaking point.

“I’ve seen people under the influence of drugs before, Sheriff. I don’t need a medical degree to know what it looks like.”

“Where did you get experience like that?”

“I travel frequently. Some of the cultures I’ve been involved with in my field of study use drugs regularly in religious ceremonies.”

The sheriff flipped another couple of pages. “Do you ever do drugs yourself?”

Irritation turned to anger. “Frankly, that’s none of your business, Sheriff. But the answer is no.”

Annja stood. “This interview is over. I’ve been patient and I’ve been considerate, especially in light of the fact that I very nearly ended up dead myself.”

“I’ve got three murders that I have to explain.” Barfield stared hard at her. “You can’t just walk out of here.”

“I can unless you want to arrest me. I know my rights. I didn’t have to talk to you at all. But I did. Now I’m leaving.”

“And if I arrest you?”

“Then I’m going to call my attorney, arrange bail, and get out of here a little later than I intended.”

Barfield sighed and stood up. “Forgive me, Miss Creed. I’m a little testy tonight. Those boys out there—and I know they’re old enough to be called young men, but they weren’t much more than boys—didn’t deserve what happened to them.”

“They were going to kill us,” Annja said.

“They’ve never killed anyone before.”

“You’re right. I should have given them the benefit of the doubt,” Annja said sarcastically.

“That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that maybe this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t come here.”

“And maybe if you look out there and find their marijuana field you’ll find a missing hiker or two.” Annja reached for her backpack and slung it across her shoulders. She walked to the front of the ranger station.

A handful of cars were parked out front. Most of them were sheriff’s department vehicles, but there were also a couple from local news stations. Two reporters started forward at once, flanked by camcorder operators.

“You’ve got a fan club.” Barfield stood beside Annja. “Once they found out you were involved with television, they had to come.”

Terrific, Annja thought sourly.

“Let me arrange a car to take you back to Georgetown. You’re staying at the bed-and-breakfast there, right?”

Annja nodded. “If you can have someone take me back to my rental car, that would be great.”

Barfield spoke briefly on his radio, telling one of his deputies to meet them in back of the ranger station. He walked her back.

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, Miss Creed,” Barfield said. “I’m not a bad guy, and I don’t think you’re a criminal. But I do get the sense that you’re not telling me everything you know.”

“Sheriff, I can’t tell you any more about Huangfu Cao than I already have. If I never see him again, that will be fine.”

“He may not feel the same way about you. He had a helicopter standing by in Georgetown, and they hunted for you before you were able to get a call for help out.”

“I know.”

“If he tried to have you killed because you were a potential witness, you may not have seen the last of him.” Barfield held the door open and looked at her. “But if there’s something more to this, some other reason that he and his men chased you, then you may be in serious trouble.”