She signaled for him to follow her. This was a horrible idea. Sure, Corrie had made it under. But Corrie was a badass who could do pretty much anything.
Well, here goes nothing.
Ford took off his glasses, clutched them in his hand, took a deep breath, then prayed for his survival as he plunged beneath the falls. With the churning water, it was hard to see where he was going. Even harder without the aid of his glasses. He swam with his arms outstretched in front of him to avoid butting his head into a rock as the crashing falls beat against his skin. But the beating faded along with the deafening noise. Once he determined he was out of harm’s way, Ford slowly rose to the surface and found Corrie staring at him with a huge smile on her face.
“That was incredibly dangerous,” he said, putting his glasses back on, as if he could see any better with water-covered spectacles. “What if something had happened to one of us?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ford, you really need to live a little. We’re fine. It wasn’t even that bad. Now, come on . . . How awesome is this?” she asked, lifting her head and gazing at the cavernous space.
Ford closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh. Live a little. Tipping back his head with his face toward the ceiling of the cave, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Jagged, wet rock defined the space. Cold, damp. Yet beautiful.
“Wow . . .”
“Wow is right,” Corrie said, sidling up beside him as they stared into the dark space.
“How did we not notice this hours ago?” he asked, unable to stop his eyes roving over their backdrop.
“That waterfall. It’s like a curtain.”
The instant she said the word, Ford and Corrie snapped their gazes to each other. “？‘Nature’s curtain,’？” Ford said. “The real one.”
“Oh my God, Ford. This is it. This is Chimalli’s hiding place!”
It would make some sense, seeing as the cave they’d previously found hadn’t amounted to anything.
“Do you think it’s possible? I mean, to come through the water every time?”
“I don’t know . . . maybe. What’s up there?” she said, pointing to a crack in the rock.
“It’s too dark to see,” Ford said. Corrie started climbing onto the rock. “Corrie, wait. You won’t be able to see a thing up there. I know you want me to live a little, but I want you to live, too, and that’s a recipe for disaster.”
She sighed. “Fine. You’re right. I’ll be right back,” she said, swimming toward the waterfall.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve got a waterproof flashlight in my bag. I’m going to get it. Wait here.”
And she disappeared again.
The cave felt colder and darker without her. As if that wasn’t the most appropriate metaphor. He shook his head. Way to come clean. But could she blame him? This clearly wasn’t any old cave. And it ticked all the boxes—nature’s curtain, close to the bowl, damp and hidden. And the other cave hadn’t led to a single artifact. They’d assumed it was simply because Chimalli must not have left anything in it. Which could still be the case. But with Corrie hot on the trail with this new potential discovery, Ford would be hard-pressed to resume their prior conversation anytime soon.
Moments later, Corrie popped up from the water wearing a black tank top. “Here,” she said, tossing Ford a pair of sopping-wet boxers.
“Seriously?”
“Hey, I’m not about to embark on what might be the biggest Aztec discovery in a hundred years while naked and staring at each other’s genitals.”
Fair point.
“Did you see anyone out there?” he asked as he pulled on the boxers underneath the water.
She shook her head and flicked on the flashlight. “No, they must have moved on.” She shined the light around the cave, taking in every inch of the damp space. “Come on.”
They carefully made their way up the slippery rocks, a task made even more treacherous without shoes. If this was the place, it was going to be a bitch to work in. But they took their time, inching along the stone toward the narrow slit in the surface. Corrie reached her arm in to shine the light inside and sucked in a breath.
“What? What is it?” Ford asked, unable to see around her.
Corrie turned back toward Ford, her face full of relief and something else . . . What was it?
Disappointment? Loss?
Sorrow?
“We found him,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “Ford . . . we found him. All of them.”
“All of them?”
She nodded. “There are three bodies in there . . . two adults and a child.”
A . . . child? Wait . . .
“It has to be them. Chimalli, Yaretzi, and their child. I mean, what are the chances that they could be anyone else?”
“Let me see,” he said, inching closer and taking the flashlight.
With his outstretched arm, he leaned into the crevice, illuminating the tight space. And there . . . on the ground were the remains of three bodies, clearly two adults and a child, like Corrie had described.
But if this was Chimalli and his family, that meant they hadn’t made their way to a local village to live out their days like Corrie had predicted.
Meaning Corrie wasn’t a descendant of Chimalli after all.
Chapter
Seventeen
She’d dreamed of this moment hundreds of times since she’d read her first Hannah Hollis book. Finding Chimalli. Confirming her ancestry. Being someone. Hannah Hollis and her archaeological adventures had given Corrie something to aspire to. And once her grandfather had told her that they were descendants of an Aztec warrior, she’d become obsessed. Obsessed with being the person to find this fabled warrior who no man had been able to find. Her discovery would prove to all those girls from junior high school that she’d amounted to more than a bimbo. Prove to everyone who’d underestimated her that she was a triple threat—beauty, brawn, and brains.
In terms of archaeological digs, their discovery was the equivalent of hitting the jackpot. Three bodies. Drawings on the cave walls that told the story of who they were and how they’d come to rest in that cave. And even what appeared to be the hilt of a knife, adorned with turquoise and a shell mosaic, poking out from beneath the dirt. It was Chimalli, no doubt about it.
There was so much to take in that their hour or so in the cave only scratched the surface, and half that time was spent merely working out the logistics. They’d know more once they returned with better lighting and tools—and definitely some clothes and shoes—but waterproof gear was a must. And the space wasn’t big enough for more than a few people, so they’d have to plan accordingly. But they had found everything they’d hoped to find and then some. Corrie was right—it was the greatest Aztec discovery in a hundred years.
So why, now that they’d found Chimalli, didn’t she feel like she’d accomplished her goal? Why did it feel like a failure?
At least she wasn’t naked when it had happened.
At least Corrie garnered some relief finally having found Chimalli. At least now she could get on with her life, once this dig wrapped up, without it hanging over her head anymore. What that life looked like, however, was anyone’s guess.