Scoring Big by Sterling Rex

Author:Sterling, Rex
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2021-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Inside the research center, a note hung on Hazel’s office door telling us to meet her in Lab Room D. Brooke and I wandered the halls until we found the room and pushed open the door.

Hazel sat on a high stool, bent over a long stainless-steel table, pressing a jeweler’s magnifying glass against her eye, examining the figurine of the goddess, Xochiquetzal. The figurine gleamed under the bright fluorescent lights, its gold shimmering, and the rubies set in the goddess’s crown sparkled with a vibrancy that left me spellbound.

Beside me, Brooke let out a quick gasp and her eyes widened as she locked her gaze on the figurine.

Hazel looked up as we entered and grinned, gazing right at me. “Morning, Trap,” she said, seeming to ignore Brooke. As if realizing her error, she abruptly turned to Brooke and gave her a slight wave. “Sorry. You too, Brooke.” Hazel blushed slightly and averted her gaze.

“It’s okay,” Brooke said before eyeing me with an I-told-you-so look.

I rolled my eyes at her and turned back to Hazel. “What have you got?”

Hazel’s beautiful blue eyes lit up. “A lot,” she said. “You stumbled on a gold mine.”

“Music to my ears,” I said and came closer, with Brooke following close behind. I picked up the figurine of the goddess and inspected it. “I can’t believe this is the same statue.”

The figurine’s pure gold exterior glowed under the bright lights, and it seemed to feel even heavier in my hand then the last time I held it. The rubies glittered with what looked like an inner light, and the details of the goddess’s hair, face, and outfit appeared crisp and clean after Hazel’s restoration.

“It’s definitely the real thing,” Hazel said. “But the most interesting discovery was the inscription I found on the bottom.”

Brooke and I exchanged a surprised look while I turned the figurine upside down and squinted. “I don’t see it,” I said.

“It’s so faint it only shows up under high magnification,” Hazel said.

“What does it say?” Brooked asked as I passed her the statue.

“It translates to the word, October in modern English,” Hazel said.

As I ran through the various traditions and customs of the Aztec nation, I didn’t know the significance of the word October. “That could mean anything,” I said.

“Yeah,” Hazel said. “I agree. It’s hard to infer anything from a single word. Which makes me believe there are more figurines floating around. Together, they might form a message.”

“Unless they’re gone forever,” Brooke said.

I frowned at her. “Way to think positive, Miss Negative Nelly.”

Brooke shrugged. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t try, but hopefully there’s more than one way to decipher its meaning.”

“What about the slate tablet,” I asked.

Hazel nodded and slid it across the table toward us. “I believe it’s a treasure map. Or at least part of a treasure map.”

I leaned over the stone and studied the lines and etchings marking the surface. Unlike the last time I saw it, the grooves and indentations were much more noticeable after Hazel had scoured away the centuries of muck.

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