Chapter 9

July 1st, Billy Bob called. "We have some strangers sniffing around town. I get the feeling they are looking for you. The town clerk told me they were in looking for records in your name. Would it be possible for you to come down and see what they want?"

"How many are there?"

"There are four altogether. One older guy and three college-age kids. Two girls and a boy. They ate in Daisy's diner yesterday and she saw they had a topographical map laid out on the table. Daisy overheard them mention the name 'Gruber, ' so they have pinpointed the area without doubt. How do you want me to handle them if they approach me about the Ryan (Miss Maudie) property?"

"This is most likely the professor from the University of Kentucky. The one that I talked to late last fall. If he finds you, tell him you will contact me. I will leave here and be down sometime tomorrow. I think I can handle him without trouble."

I decided to drive down the next morning because trying to make connections by plane was time consuming. About ten-thirty my cell phone rang and I could see that it was from Billy Bob. I pulled over beside the road in order to concentrate on what he had to say. "Jim, those people showed up at the farm this morning wanting to cross my land. I asked 'what for' and they said they wanted to look for a cave they had heard about on the mountain.

"You got permission from Mister Ryan, I asked. They said they didn't, but was sure that he wouldn't mind. I didn't like that professor's attitude. He wanted to know where you could be found. I told him that you worked in a mine in Ohio, and I would call you. I took his cell number and said you would call him. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing for now. They probably are taking their food at Miss Daisy's diner. I'll see them there for the evening meal. Thanks a lot for keeping me posted. I'll be talking to you tonight."

I was sitting in the diner talking to Miss Daisy and telling how smart her new grandson was, when the four came in for supper. The professor was strutting before his three students. One of the girls, a petite flashy blonde, was hanging onto his every word. The other girl, tall, with brown curly hair and somewhat irregular features, looked like she had more intelligence in her little finger than the blonde. The boy, small and a black, carried a notepad. As soon as he sat down, he started sketching Miss Daisy as she was talking to me.

I was tired after my long drive so I dawdled over my coffee while waiting for Miss Daisy to finish up at the diner. The boy had completed his sketch and gave it to Miss Daisy before he finished his meal. While he was drinking his coffee, I realized that he was drawing me as I sat at the counter. It was lying on the table as the group were getting ready to pay their tab. Suddenly the professor stared at the sketch and exclaimed, "That's Jim Ryan, the man we are looking for!" He turned and spotted me. "We're hunting you. How long have you been here?"

"Since you came in. I was waiting for you to finish your meal. I was just about to introduce myself. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to see the cave where you claim to have the remains of an old, old priest. I tried to get up to the property you own this morning, but an old man named Gruber wouldn't let me cross his land."

Miss Daisy, who had been standing there with change for their bill said, "That would be my husband, Billy Bob."

I said, "And Billy Bob is my father-in-law. This is my mother-in-law, Miss Daisy."

The curly headed student acted excited. She interjected, "You're the Jim Ryan from the Water Bubble mine in Ohio, aren't you? You saved my cousin's life. He said if Jim Ryan hadn't planned out an escape route before the disaster, some or all of the miners would have been killed. He talks of you all the time. He also owns some shares in the mine just the same as you. And you made it possible for the miners to buy the property by investing in it with them. He built a new house when your grandmother gave out the huge bonuses when she sold the mine."

The professor wasn't happy as the conversation moved away from the reason he was here. "Whatever. Are you going to show us what you came to me about? My time is valuable. If I'm going to be of use to you this year, I have to get started soon."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is nothing to be done. What I wanted was for the priest's remains to be sent back to Spain. This has been done and I had it done in a respectful manner. I approached you and you told me how you would be doing it. I decided that you were not going to proceed in a manner that I could be comfortable with. I thought this was understood when I terminated our discussion."

"You mean you are going to keep this discovery hidden?"

"No, it isn't hidden. The project has just been completed, that's all. The remains have been removed to Spain and I am happy to say he is laying with his ancestors where it was directed in the last tablet inscription."

"I don't believe you. There has been nothing in the papers about it."

"That's the point. I wanted it kept out of the media. They would have made a circus out of it. I couldn't let that happen."

"What about breaking the law? You just can't move a body and ship it anywhere you want. I'm going to call for an investigation."

He was making me angry now, "Go ahead. I found out if someone related to the deceased and is verified as such, he or she can have the remains removed and disposed of anyway they see fit. All of those requirements were met. The remains were removed and sent to Spain with all of the documents that made it legal. You don't have a leg to stand on." I could see that he still was unconvinced.

"Do you remember that dark haired girl, Maria, that I introduced you to at the university?" He nodded. "She is a direct descendant of this priest, Father Juan Carlos Domingo. He also had a famous ancestor--one Saint Dominic. He was one who was beatified in the twelve hundreds. Maria was confirmed by a DNA sample taken from both she and Father Juan. There are records in Spain that travel down through the ages in a direct line to substantiate all of this along with the DNA.

"The major requirement to have a body exhumed and transported is to have a relative fill and sign the order. Maria fulfilled that requirement, although there was another present that could have legally done so (no one picked up on this). The records are here in town if you feel the need to see them."

The professor was pissed. He whirled and headed for the diner's door with the blonde trailing behind. I walked out with the curly haired girl and the black boy. "What is your name and what is your cousin's name?"

She said, "Sandy Takazuk. My cousin is Herman Takazuk. I live in the next town over from the mine. I do visit my aunt and uncle quite often. Maybe I will see you sometime." She left to speak with the professor. Immediately I could see that there were angry words exchanged between them.

The professor stomped away from her and got in his van. He started the engine and shouted, "Come on, now! Get in or I'm leaving you here to find your own way home."

Sandy ran up to me. "Are you traveling by car?"

"Yes."

"Can Burt and I go with you?"

"Of course, if you want to. You can help drive."

Sandy went back over to the van. There was an animated conversation and then the professor drove off. "So what now?" she said.

"I'm going to call my wife Kate and tell her that I will be home by evening tomorrow. Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"No not really. I hate to spend another night in the motel. Burt and the professor bunked in the same room last night and BB and I shared another room. I don't think that Burt and I should share a room and we are on a tight budget."

"Who is BB?"

"BB is short for Blonde Bimbo. The professor has one every year. Her name is actually Sarah."

"Look, I have a cabin I'm staying in. If you want to stay there it would be all right. Besides it is too bad for you both to come here and not find what you are looking for. I can show you the cave and I don't see why I can't tell you the story about Father Juan."

They both were enthusiastic over the turn of events. We stopped at a convenience store and purchased snacks and some eggs for breakfast. We went by the motel and picked up Sandy and Burt's effects which the professor had taken to the motel office when he checked out.

I met Billy Bob coming in from the farm. He stopped with his SUV when he recognized my BMW. I told him that we were staying in Miss Maudie's cabin. We talked long enough for me to ask to borrow his jeep from the farm and to show him the latest pictures of his new grandson. I said I was leaving right after I went up to the cave in the morning.

He laughed when I told him about the professor. He was sorry that I wasn't staying longer to be with the family, but understood my reluctance to be away from Kate and JG. I went into the farmhouse when we got there and found the keys for the jeep. I glanced into the room where the gun safes were located and saw that my two were dust covered, so I knew they had not been tampered with. Loading the jeep with our belongings we set out across the farm to the trail up to the cabin.

On the way up I asked, "How brave are you two?"

"Why?"

"I thought maybe we could go up to the cave tonight. It will be dark when we come out, but not as dark as we will find it inside."

Sandy, who was sitting in the front seat, turned and looked at Burt. I suspected that this might not be to his liking, but he would be ashamed to admit it in front of Sandy. "I'm game," Sandy said.

"I'm up for it," replied Burt.

We quick-like unloaded the jeep and took a few minutes to admire the view from the piazza. With the sun setting at that moment it was awesome! Finding the flashlights where I had left them, and checking the batteries, we started up the incline to the entrance of the cave. I pulled aside the bushes disguising the opening, we crawled up and into the cave. Again, as I cautioned everyone that had to enter the cave, they shouldn't speak or make any unnecessary noise.

And again, no one took the warning to heart. Burt stood and ran his flash around the interior. "Awesome," he shouted. Even I, expecting some stupid exclamation, was shocked as the sound reverberated around and around, nearly deafening us. When it was quiet again, he whispered, "You could have given me more warning."

Motioning them to follow me, I eased around the side of the cavern, and angled into the passage leading to the crypt. Approaching the door and able to talk out loud again, I explained that there was a key that had been made for the entrance. "I consider the original key to be an artifact so I brought this large file that should work just as well."

Burt and Sandy inspected the door before I opened it and how it was fitted into the solid rock wall. They made no comment and watched with interest as I opened the portal into the crypt. "Not much air in here is there?" I commented on entrance.

We were all inside. The feeling was, well I guess the best way to describe it, was no feeling. Some different than when I was here with the remains of Father Juan Carlos. I said as much to the two college kids with me, but I'm sure there was no way to get across to them what I meant.

"When I entered here the first time, there was a mummy lying on this shelf. Stacked neatly were some clay tablets with writing on them right here." I pointed to where they had been. "And right here were some dolls standing in a row. They were all named and each represented a person living at one time. Their purpose was to carry the tale of this priest down through time until someone was capable of granting his wish to return to his homeland and be buried with his family. That person was me."

Sandy, I could see her mulling something over in her mind, came out with, "You told the professor that a person named Maria was entirely qualified through blood to sign the papers. You also said that there was one other there that could have done it." She smiled, "That person was you wasn't it?"

"Yes, but truthfully I didn't know until a later date when I had my DNA checked. The results of the test showed that I indeed was a very distant cousin to Maria and of course a descendant of Father Juan Carlos. I was the happiest person alive when I found that out. When we get back to the cabin, I'll give you some background on how and why I was picked. You'll find it interesting, I'm sure."

Sandy thanked me for showing them the crypt when we returned to the cabin. She felt that they were one up on the professor. "Why did you show us and not him?"

"I just don't trust him. Somehow I felt he was in this for his own gain. I wonder if the university would have had their share of the notoriety that this story would have generated if I had gone with him. What is he like, anyway?"

"Okay, well he knows his subject, and when he first joined the university he was well credited. When he became tenured, he started looking out for number one. He did some digs and was brilliant, but now he is resting on his laurels. The way a dig works as far as we students are concerned, is the professors find some place in the world to work on while school is out. We have to pay our own way, because we are really only volunteers looking for experience.

"When he approached us this year he said he had a project that was close to home and didn't entail too much physical labor. It had a lot of record checking and some interpretation of the Spanish language. He said that the person who brought this to his attention would be a pushover and he could control the operation." She paused, "Somehow, I don't think you are a pushover. I think the professor met his match in you."

I laughed. "I guess I read him right. So where does that leave you two? Does he have anything else to replace this?"

Burt spoke, "No, and it puts a crimp in my education, because it is too late in the season. I was planning on this to get on with someone else next year. My expertise is sketching during the dig, the people involved and of course the artifacts that are found, if any. I do a lot of measuring, schematics and boundary work, sketching in where something is found, etc. Much more effective than mere photographs. I'll probably have to take next semester off and make some money before I return to school."

Sandy was waiting for him to finish and then said, "It looks as though I will be flipping burgers for the rest of the summer. It would be nice to have a real job that pays above minimum. My job here was to take notes and put the project down on paper for the professor to report on to the university. Actually the professor is the one that is getting screwed."

As Sandy said this she and Burt went into gales of laughter. "What's funny?" I asked.

"Actually I think BB is the one getting screwed and I bet it's right about now. BB, that would be Sarah. The professor always finds someone at the start of the semester and lets them know that their grades will be much higher if they are particularly friendly. This year it happens to be Sarah. It doesn't matter though, her daddy is rich and she is here just to get away from home."

I had snagged some beer when I picked up the snacks, which went well as I told these kids about Father Juan and how I became involved. In my briefcase I had some pictures of the dolls that were in the crypt. Picking up the number-one doll, I related her story as it had been passed down through the ages. I gave them the full treatment. "My name is Ooo Neh Na. Father Juan has named me a Chosen One. This is his story." I repeated it word-for-word through the third Chosen One as I had learned it from Miss Maudie. I went on to tell how it had come down by the Indians word of mouth, until it had been translated and written down in English by Andrew McPhereson. Sandy and Burt were impressed with my ability. I explained that I had tapes relating the story from start to finish. I was the last Chosen One and had fulfilled Father Juan's wish to be returned to his homeland.

Even after we retired for the night, I was bombarded by questions about Father Juan. When I reflected sometimes, it did seem to be an impossible chain of events happening over centuries. How could a person, alone and cut off from all his known world and culture, make a plan to return to his home and family so many years in the future? I didn't have the answer to that question. I guess it remained in the hands of a higher being.

I was up early. If the sun was going to shine that day, I wanted Sandy and Burt to see the sun slowly bathe the valley in the beautiful morning light. It was. I said that Miss Maudie saw this sight most every day for ninety plus years. Maybe that kept her alive until I was able to come on the scene. Who knows? We had a quick breakfast and were shortly on our way down the mountain. We met Billy Bob on his way in to feed his dogs. I didn't stop, I just waved.

We traveled right along as I wanted to get home to Kate and JG. About fifty miles into our trip we passed a sleazy motel with the professor's van parked before unit number nine. I don't guess that Sandy and Burt had much respect for him and even less with the BB that was with him. The two that were with me seemed pretty dedicated. I was sorry for them because I had thrown a wrench in the works by not letting the professor work on the Father Juan saga.

I let Sandy drive my car for awhile. I laid down in the back seat. I was trying to think of some way I could make up to Sandy and Burt for losing the summer work they had saved and planned for. As scant as the benefits would have been for them, they needed the experience. "Sandy," I asked as I leaned over the seat, "what would have happened if this dig had gone through and been completed? What would you have done with the material and Burt's sketches you gathered?"

"Probably make it into an article and have it printed in the university print shop. I try to do interviews on how the site was discovered and what was expected to be found. That is where Burt would come in. He sketches the interviewee. We would follow a step-by-step process through the summer with text and sketches as much as we had time for.

"After it is printed, the paper would be used for teaching in the classroom. The professor would use it to critique our work and how it was conducted. We laugh at the professor, but he does know how to get his point across. Then the paper is put on file so that the next class can take up where we left off. Again, it is very seldom that a project is completed in one season. It is on-going."

"I've been thinking I could give you a job. It would be on a different subject, but it would use the same skills. It would entail doing some interviews and doing some background work. Actually I would like it to be like a promo for the mine. I would like it to stress the energy angle and how coal plays a big part in fueling the country's needs. Also, I would want one chapter on my grandmother from the time she married my grandfather. They together were heavily involved in mining in various parts of the country. I will make sure she is available to be interviewed for you when the time comes.

"Something should be said about Will Greene and his management of the mine. It was his expert management that decided Gram to sell it to the employees. Gram always referred to this mine as the 'Ohio' mine. Now even she refers to it as the 'Water Bubble' mine. You could put that in. Burt could sketch everyone you talk to and sketch different pieces of machinery that are used in mining. We could go into more of what I want when we put everything together.

"Would you two be interested in something like that? It would pay considerably more than flipping burgers."

Burt and Sandy thought this would be something to do for the summer and wouldn't be that much different than what they were going to do with the professor. The rest of the trip we bounced around what should and shouldn't be in the script. I even thought that I might get our non-profit to finance the project with a grant. By the time I dropped Sandy off at her cousin's house and found a place for Burt to stay, they were really fired up.

Two long days I had been gone from my wife and son. JG had grown I swear. Kate was waiting for me with the information that the doctor said it was okay to resume our lovemaking. We did just that. I knew I should be gentle, but pent-up passion finally took over and I really had to work to restrain myself. Kate kept urging me on until we both were satiated. We were just a loving, normal family doing normal things.

The summer flew by. Kate spent part time at the mine as a financial policy maker. We needed more money to open up the new vein in the water bubble. Kate asked why I didn't invest more money in the mine, but I felt that I was too close to the operation. I didn't want the new employee owners to get used to me putting up cash every time the mine required some. I did go to the bank we dealt with and said that I would guarantee the amount needed if my name never appeared in any of the mine papers. The bank was glad to oblige. Sandy and Burt dug into the job I had given them. They had some great ideas. I had a few that I wanted included. The plans came together and now all they had to do was implement them. Sandy was perfect at this because her cousin was well-liked at the mine which gave her an "in." Many of the miners were of Polish descent as she was. Some of the retired miners were interviewed in their native tongue.

She tracked down three of the original crew that had opened the mine many years ago. Instead of going for one-on-one, she brought them together and started them reminiscing. Then she sat back and listened to their anecdotes and stories, taking notes all the while. It was an effective method and it produced a true picture of not only the people but a factual history of the mine.

With the sketches that Burt was producing of the miners and the mine, this was going beyond what I had envisioned--and better. Gram was interviewed. Originally, the mine was too small and near failing. The original mine owners sold and Gramp invested, using the profits of his other mine holdings. From that point on the mine was a success. In the later years, with Gram as owner and under Will Greene's management, the mine had continued to turn a profit even with the peaks and lows of the energy market.

The third week of August, Kate, JG and I started an extended vacation. We spent five days with Kate's family in Kentucky. Gram, always welcome, joined us there. JG was spoiled rotten. He had a sunny disposition and still less than three months old, he was fawned on by all of his aunts, uncles and cousins. Traveling with Gram, we went to West Virginia, leaving her three days later.

Kate was keeping Maria posted on our journey by e-mail. Maria was begging us to speed up. She wanted us with her when our baby was born. I had been a lot less troubled over my feeling for Maria since my talk with The Preacher. Now though, as the days counted down until we met again, I was getting nervous. Nervous because I couldn't catalog my feelings. Kate, who was in daily contact by e-mail, never said if Maria mentioned me except to say she missed us both.

One other thing. I couldn't figure out our relationships to each other. Mine and Maria. Kate and Maria. Then you turn it around--Maria and me and also Maria and Kate. It almost made you wonder about Kate and me, especially when you threw Maria into the triangle. I tried to sort it out in my mind and defined one certainty--I loved Kate. Nothing was going to change that.

When I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that I really didn't know Maria that well. Sure I had a very short intimate interlude with her, but other than that, my contact could be counted in days. Maria was sweet to think about though. Everyone has a "Fantasy" person. Maria was destined to be mine I guess.

Kate knew Maria better than I did, being often in e-mail contact with her for the last many months. Was there any physical attraction between the two women? I doubted that--positively! At least on Kate's part. All of us would be together in a couple of days. Maybe the situation would play itself out.

Madrid, Spain, the last of August. It was hot. I had never been in the country before and was very curious to see the different style of homes and villas as we traveled to Maria's village. Maria had us picked up at the airport by car and we soon arrived at her mother's compound. The house was of stone, set in the rear of a tree shaded lawn. Maria lived in her own private wing. She was so excited to see us! She waited at the stone flagged entrance for us to approach.

Kate got the first hug as I held JG. Kate then took JG and proudly presented our son to Maria. "He's so beautiful. I hope my son is going to look just like him. I think he will, too. He will have to as he has the same father." She said this as she hugged me. Then she took my face in both hands and gave me a lover's gentle kiss on the lips. "Oh how many times I have thought of this meeting."

I glanced over her head at Kate. No sign of jealousy. Maria was as pretty as Kate had been in her pregnancy. Being much more petite, Maria was obviously the more pronounced pregnant. Her breasts were beautifully full and her stomach looked like she was carrying a big round ball. Kate, more robust, had not been quite so obvious in carrying JG. Maria sparkled even as she navigated around with her burden. She soon had us sitting, one on each side of her, on the couch. A maid brought us refreshments, a cool iced lemonade and a chilled cucumber salad and crackers. It made the fatigue from our journey retreat into the background.

"Tonight I have invited my mama, my uncle and aunt to dine with us. Also Terri Gonzalas will be here. Remember she was my companion and lover before I became pregnant. She still is a close friend and I include her in most of my activities. Please overlook any disparaging remarks my mother is sure to make. I am a big disappointment to her and she lets everyone know it. I am hoping that when little Juan is born he will melt her heart."

"Is this uncle the ambassador to the UN whom I met and liked so much?"

"Yes. He made me promise that if you ever came to visit, I would have you meet." Maria turned to Kate. "Can I tell Jim now?"

"No time like the present. You do have to have his okay before tonight. Go ahead and tell him. I know he will be pleased."

Maria took my hand in hers and looked into my eyes. "Jim, I want our son to grow up with your name. Kate knows about this and approves. A few months ago I petitioned our courts for a name change--my name. My last name will be Cortez-Ryan and the change will be granted before our baby is born. That is if there are no objections. When our son is born your name, James Ryan, will be listed as father. To all intents and purposes the records will indicate that I am your wife."

Kate said, "Maria wants to announce to her family tonight that you have agreed to have your name listed as father on the baby's birth certificate. They do not know that you really are the father and this is just a gesture of friendship by us both to Maria. Her mother has been highly upset thinking that the father was unknown and listed as such on the certificate. This will make things better between Maria and her mother. You will do this won't you? Please?"

How could I refuse? God save me from devious women! Actually I couldn't have thought of a better solution to naming my son and it made me proud. I did have to find out sometime how much of this was Kate's doing. I bet it was a lot.

Terri Gonzalas was the first of the guests to arrive. She was a little shy around Kate and me at first. She brought her little girl with her. She was just walking and toddled over to Maria and clung to her leg. I engaged Terri in conversation, hearing about how much Maria thought of her two friends from the States. Terri announced to me, as she watched her little girl and Maria, "Maria is a remarkable person. I am glad she is my friend."

I had to say something. "She is our friend too." Terri came across as very intelligent and open. "I understand that you were more than friends at one time." It felt like the thing to say to this person I had just met.

"Yes we were lovers. I thought for awhile that we would be together forever. When Maria came home so excited over finding her ancestor, she also announced that she had found someone to impregnate her. Earlier, our plan was to each have a child. The difference is, I became pregnant artificially. When I found out that she went natural, I guess I lost it. I was so jealous, especially when she said how beautiful the experience was for her."

I took Terri's hand and gave it a little squeeze. Terri continued, "Maria told me that she could never marry the father of her child, as he was taken. Still, she said that she was going to remain faithful to his memory and concentrate on having friends. So, theoretically, she and I are in the same situation. She is now my dearest friend and I see her almost as often as I would like, but it isn't the same."