Red, White, And Dead (The God Conspiracy Book 1) by Jeffrey A. Friedberg

Author:Jeffrey A. Friedberg [Friedberg, Jeffrey A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jeffrey A. Friedberg
Published: 2013-11-27T23:00:00+00:00

Rio Rancho

North of Albuquerque, northwest of the tramway

CHAPTER 15

Jack and Cisco were keeping low profiles at Cisco’s rented house in semi-rural Rio Rancho.

“Why are you helping me?”

“I will tell you, Jack. First, your skills interest me. Second, I also know you were on that mountain and not downtown killing Armijo. But I’m only a guy from Spain who just bashed a billionaire over the head and helped a fugitive escape.”

“What are you doing here in New Mexico?”

Cisco explained how he’d been at home in Spain when he’d received an inquiry from Yaakov Irgun regarding the lost treasure of his ancestor Francisco Coronado.

The old mobster Irgun had posed as an historian, using contacts and credentials from the University of New Mexico.

The inquiry had come to Coronado via several high Spanish officials, who paid Cisco a personal visit, adding another layer to the deception.

But Cisco was not going to impart any such family data to anybody, so he simply told the officials—and Irgun—that the “missing” treasure was only a legend.

“I told them it was just a fantasy my family joked about at dinners and reunions.

“But I’m telling you in confidence right now, Jack. I’d always really heard that after Francisco’s death in 1554, the treasure remained lost somewhere in New Mexico. I mean, he was bankrupt when he died, which might give the legend some credibility—he could not have spent it all because the expedition fell apart.

“I had possession of old records handed down by my ancestors for centuries, but there were cartons of them and I never bothered getting them out of the family vault in Banca March. That’s in Madrid. There was just so much of it that I never even reviewed it myself.” He shrugged and made a dismissive face, “But it had been all done and mapped out in the past.

“But get this. A few days after the inquiry, my house was burglarized. Nothing was taken, but I started to think.”

His eyes got bigger. “Jack—if someone was that interested, that desperate—‘if’—I started to think, then maybe the treasure was really still out there.” His brows went up. “Wouldn’t you think that too?”

“Then—the topper—the bank phoned me to say that my vault had been accessed. This was done by someone signing in as me—copying my signature on the spot, very deftly, right from the card. But a routine security review of the video by the bank had revealed an unknown person.

“I was asked to come down and verify or deny the identity of the man in the video. So I went with some family members, friends, and lawyers.”

He stared hard at Jack. “The video showed an unknown face…but one I can now ID as you, Jack Vane.”

Cisco spread his hands, raised his brows, and sat back in the couch. “It was you who signed in as me, Jack.”

Vane was lost in confusion. He pounded fist to palm. “Cisco, this is crazy. I’m telling you—not only did I not do this, but I haven’t been to Spain in fifteen years. I don’t even speak Spanish that well anymore!”

Cisco gazed at him with what seemed sympathy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.