Panama Pursuit by Andreas Oertel

Author:Andreas Oertel
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-77203-098-3
Publisher: Heritage House
Published: 2016-06-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

THE ASSISTANT CAMP director frowned at my rudeness and moved on to speak with the American team.

“Mr. Zola’s in Panama?” Eric said, thumping the pepper on the table.

Bruno frowned. “Did I not mention Mr. Zola?”

“You told us he might be spying on you,” Rachel said, “but you never said he was going to be here.”

“No,” Eric said, “we would have remembered that.”

“But I must have told you,” Bruno said. “In Sultana. After meeting with your parents.”

We shook our heads vigorously. No way!

Bruno now looked like he might throw up. He stared at his daughter for support. “Did I not tell you that another set of pillars might be in the area?”

“Yes, Papa,” she said, “you told us about the pillars.”

“And did I not mention Mr. Zola could be here too?”

“No, Papa.”

“I’m... I’m sorry,” Bruno said, sounding truly sorry. “I meant to tell you he might be here. I suppose I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Rachel said.

“Yeah, it’s not really that big a deal,” I lied. “It was just a surprise—that’s all.”

Eric resumed playing with the salt and pepper—sliding the containers from hand to hand. “Considering what you told us, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t responsible for stealing those artifacts.”

Bruno shook his head. “I don’t believe so.”

“But then why is he here?” Eric asked.

“The company he owns, Zola Global, is a major financier of the canal expansion,” Bruno said. “The project will cost five billion dollars and he is investing one billion.”

Ben was trying hard to make sense of everything he heard. “So that guy in the fancy boat—this Mr. Zola dude—is here to keep an eye on the canal expansion work.”

“Yes,” Bruno said. “The expansion project is just as complex as the original canal excavation. It is reasonable to think that he would want to ensure the project remains on schedule.”

“So he’s probably not too happy,” I said, “about the delay caused by the discovery of the skulls.”

“Not at all,” Bruno said. “When he first heard that crystal skull fragments were discovered, he was the one who ordered all work to be stopped so that the site could be properly examined.”

I looked at Rachel.

Rachel went, “Hmmm...”

Bruno shuffled from foot to foot and looked relieved when the assistant camp director came back to our table to fetch him. Bruno waved goodbye and left the dining tent with the assistant camp director.

“I’m guessing,” Ben said when we were alone again, “that you guys are suspicious of Mr. Zola.”

I nodded.

“I’d bet anything,” Eric said, banging the salt into the pepper shaker, “that he’s somehow involved in this crazy skull business.”

“Yes,” Anna agreed. “It’s much too much of a coincidence that he is here at the same time that two important artifacts are stolen.”

“Anyone who prowls around at night with a infrared night vision light is a shady character, as far as I’m concerned,” Ben added.

I didn’t say anything, but I thought Ben’s comment was kind of funny, because that’s exactly what we were doing last night.

“That’s for sure,” Eric said. “He’s definitely on Lake Gatun for more than just watching bulldozers push mud around—he’s up to something.

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