Trees Hold Up the Sky 22 William James Johnson

General Fernandez Obispo arrived earlier than usual, expecting good news about the attack he had ordered on the Atabapo site. The brief message caused an immediate reaction in the normally controlled Secretary of the Interior.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! Those goddamn gringos killed three of my men," cursed Obispo, pacing up and down, stopping for a moment to feed the fax into the shredder, glancing at the narrow strips of paper curling into the container. He was devastated with the news that the scientists at San Fernando had armed themselves, and had succeeded in running off the attackers he had chosen.

"Rosarita get in here. I want to send a message to Atabapo."

His red cheeks looked about to burst. From experience Rosarita knew this was not the time to be asking questions. Obispo was livid. She had not seen the contents of the fax. It was the General's policy to be the first and only person to scan the morning communications, to ensure his covert activities remained secure.

"To Doctor Henry Newton: I am deeply saddened by the news that there was a breach of security at your base. Thank God no one was harmed. I must warn you, the cartel will not take lightly the loss of three of its men. It was no surprise to learn that Carlos Mendoza was one of the attackers. The man was a traitorous opportunist from America, who has finally gotten what he deserved. Arming yourselves, in my opinion, was a serious mistake in judgment. I would not be surprised if the cartel retaliated soon. You must remember what they did to those poor Supreme Court Justices. What I am worried about Dr. Newton, is the fact that the depth of the evil of the cartel, will without doubt jeopardize the important work you are doing, and will increase the risk of more killing at your site. I am prepared to ask my government for additional funds to guarantee your safety. My request for added security for your team would be greatly helped if you could contact your superiors and get their approval, and some financial assistance. I await your decision. Sign it Fernandez Obispo etc. etc."

"Was there anything else Mr. Secretary?"

"Yes. Send a fax to Miss Garvas. In answer to your question about the condition of your father, I've been informed that he is progressing very well since he got over his bout of pneumonia. I've told him how hard you are working for your country, and he has asked me to tell you how proud he is you are doing such important work. Sign it yours sincerely, General Fernandez Obispo, Secretary of the Interior."

As his secretary prepared to leave his office, Obispo thought of something else. "And Rosarita, call Professor de Queseda and tell him I must see him as soon as possible."

Within the hour, Gonzalo de Queseda arrived in the office of the Secretary of the Interior.

"What have you heard from Atabapo?" asked Obispo.

"Everything is progressing well. The attack by Barbarosa is behind them. All of the injured are back to full time work. The collecting of data from the cave is working better than we thought at first. The Americans have come up with a new technology which allows them to photograph the inscriptions without distortions. I'm pleased with what they have sent me."

"And this morning...you received a fax about the raid on their camp last night."

"Raid! I haven't heard anything about a raid. What happened?"

"What I'm going to tell you must be kept top secret," said Obispo, his voice dropping to a whisper."

"Of course General. You know you can trust me. Like you, I want what is best for my country."

"Three of my men were killed last night."

"My God! How? What happened?"

"Do you remember Carlos Mendoza?"

"The American?"

"The same. He was leading a small group of attackers on the compound, to intimidate the Americans, so I could justify sending in more troops for their protection, but apparently after the Barbarosa fiasco, the gringos have armed themselves and managed to kill three of my men."

"And Mendoza?"

"He was killed too. This is not going very well Gonzalo. Let me ask you.
Do you think we can trust Estrelle Garvas?"

"I'm sure of it. She is like yourself General a true patriot."

"Particularly as long as she believes her father's life depends on her co-operation," said Obispo sarcastically.

"That may be true. But let me assure you, I see no fault with this young woman. Her messages are always completely up to date. No I wouldn't question her trust."

"But what if she learned that her father has died?"

"That could be a different matter. I don't know how she might react," said Gonzalo.

"Well that is why I asked you to come here. I didn't want to risk anyone hearing our conversation. It's a fact Gonzalo. He's dead. Enrico Garvas is gone. Guess he wasn't as tough an old bird as we thought."

Gonzalo was shocked by Obispo's remarks, lacking in sympathy, and compassion. He was careful not to overreact with his superior, because Obispo had the reputation of destroying the career of any who differed with him.

"I'm sorry to hear this. I always liked him. I never believed Enrico was anything more than a trustworthy policeman, doing his job."

"Like stealing drugs, and making up lies about corruption. I don't understand why you thought he was trustworthy. Gonzalo, my friend, one must do what one must do. Let's not waste time debating it. You should be happy the thorn in my side has been removed."

Gonzalo suddenly became silent. He always thought he was one person who could read the changing moods of the General. It was this ability which often made Obispo reveal more of himself than he had intended.

"So...You were saying about our spy Estrelle Garvas. You had some doubt she could be trusted to continue to help us after she learns her father is dead."

"That is a possibility Mr. Secretary. But don't get me wrong. I still believe she is a true Colombian. We must ensure she does not learn of her father's death until she has finished her task."

"I've just replied to her last fax, that her father is progressing well after having pneumonia."

Gonzalo listened carefully to what his leader had just said. Suddenly like a light had been turned on, his anxious expression changed into a look of relief. "That's it then," said Gonzalo. "You must follow up that fax with another in a couple of days, expressing your sorrow that he has relapsed and the doctors were unable to save him. This happens to many old people. Pneumonia is a godsend in this situation."

"See...That's what I like about you. You are a survivor just like me. By letting her know he is gone, I eliminate the risk of her finding out from someone else. We are going to make a good team you and I, when the time comes."

Gonzalo felt a chill run up his spine when he heard Obispo suggesting they would be partners in his future plans. He knew what the underhanded Secretary of the Interior was capable of when it came to controlling everyone around him. Gonzalo had friends on the inside who told him how Enrico Garvas was drowned in the dreaded dungeon at Medellin. The two shook hands, and Obispo hugged the professor before dismissing him.

When the daily fax arrived at San Fernando de Atabapo, Stuart rushed into Estrelle's tent with the message from Bogota. "How's this for a bare faced lie?" asked Stu, as he passed the note to Estrelle.

At first she wanted so much to believe Obispo was telling the truth, she could feel an excitement building up inside her. She looked at Stu, her eyes pleading for his agreement that maybe what Carlos Mendoza had said was the ranting of a desperate man trying to save his life.

"He said he is progressing well," said Estrelle.

"Let's show it to the others," suggested Stu.

In the dining tent, they were preparing to eat breakfast before another day in the cave. Hank was reading the fax Obispo had sent, ridiculing the General's sentiments, that they showed poor judgment in arming themselves.

"I can't believe this guy. He pretends he wants to help us, after ordering the attack. Then he asks me to try to get more money from the U.S., so that he can put more of his men here to keep us under his control. You can be damn sure if we hadn't armed ourselves, we would all be dead now, or rotting away in the Medellin fort."

"Take a look at what he sent me," said Estrelle. "Read it out loud Hank."

When he finished the brief note he slammed it down on the table. "That lying son-of-a bitch."

Arumba was the first to react. "I always knew Enrico was an honest cop. Now we know for sure how far this madman is prepared to go. He had to destroy your father to protect his plan to become el Supremo of Colombia. He pretends he is concerned about our safety, when in fact, we'll all be killed when he gets what he wants out of us. He's that kinda guy."

"So what would you do?" asked Jess.

"Keep him dangling. Make him more dependent on us. He's no fool. As long as he is convinced there is something of value in the cave message, he will be standing in the wings waiting to grab the whole show."

"Whatever we send him, better be credible," said Laura. " I must agree with Arumba, this guy is no dummy."

"We should convince him we really don't need any more protection now that we have Arumba and his men," said Jess.

"No way Jess. Don't mention my name. We don't want to confirm anything. The longer we can keep him from knowing about our defenses, the safer we'll be. Besides, rumours of my underground movement have been spreading throughout the jungle. He probably has already heard that I'm here. Natives who have been as poor as dirt all their lives, are finally earning a livable wage, protected by the drug lords. We are the enemy as far as they are concerned, and Obispo becomes the hero if he declares all out war on me and the zambos."

"You're right," said Estrelle, interrupting him. "The General knows you are here."

"How would you know that?" asked Hank.

"I told him a few weeks ago when I was sending my report. I did it because it was the kind of information he would have gotten sooner or later, and I felt it would convince him he could trust me."

"She's got a point there," said Laura. "That was probably why he sent those guys to attack us."

"Particularly if Mendoza had anything to do with it," said Arumba.

"So where do we begin?" asked Jess, attempting to get the team back on target.

"I think we should tell him we suspect the map in the cave appears to be genuine, and we would like to pursue it further when we have finished recording the message," said Laura. "That way we can keep the project open-ended."

"I think we should also refer to the mountain Ahuntipec," said Hank. "It makes the whole thing about the map sound more genuine."

"And I could send a fax saying how pleased I was to hear my father is getting better," said Estrelle. "And say how much I appreciate his prompt reply to my request."

"Good idea Estrelle," said Jess. "Just don't lay it on too thick. We don't want to wake the sleeping lion."

As Gonzalo had suggested, Obispo's fax about the death of Enrico reached Atabapo three days later. Estrelle agreed with the others this was the General's way of clearing up the uncertainty of her father's fate. She followed up his message thanking him for his sympathetic compassion, with her assurance she wished to continue as a trusted member of the team, a decision she was certain her father would have approved.

Smiling as he read her sincere expression of loyalty, Obispo called Gonzalo.

"You were right. The girl even thanked me for being so caring. I think I am going to let her stay at Atabapo. She'll do more good working there, than bringing her back to university."

"What are you going to do about the rebel leader Arumba?" asked Gonzalo.

"Don't worry about him. He'll end up like Mendoza on a heap of ashes. What I would like to know, is what you can tell me about the mountain Ahuntipec."

"The sacred mountain of the Chibchas," replied de Quesada.

"Where is it exactly?"

"About a hundred miles south of the Atabapo cave. You can't get to it because of the dense forest which conceals most of the mountain. At a distance you can see its overall shape, but I've never heard of anyone approaching it from land. Why do you ask General?"

"Garvas said in her last fax that her team think that there is a map on the cave wall which may refer to Ahuntipec. They even say that they might want to get a closer look at it when their work is done at the cave. What do you think I should do?"

"Acknowledge their message and tell them the project is to study the Atabapo cave, not to investigate the surrounding jungle. That way they haven't got your commitment to continue their work. Then if you choose to pursue it later, you can use the mountain and cave connection as a lever to extract more American dollars from our compadres in the north, and appear to be sincerely interested in developing more knowledge of our native past."

"Especially if I tell them that Ahuntipec is as you say, 'a sacred mountain'."

"Precisely."

"But I've never heard about this sacred mountain, nor do I know much about the original Chibchas."

"That was so long ago General that the subject is practically non-existent. I know something about it, because my doctoral thesis was about the history and myths of our origins. Most Colombians know very little of their ancestral heritage."

"But why sacred? You called it sacred. There must be a reason," insisted Obispo.

"The legend is that a primitive race in pre-history journeyed across a treacherous landscape to the protection of an enormous cave in a mountainside where miraculous power from a special device gave them immortality. It's all myth, but it adds mystery and romance to a dark past."

"But what if it were true?"

"All legends have that element of dream world in them. All have a modicum of truth, but on closer inspection, one sees that there is a normal explanation for them. It is their antiquity which imbues them with mystery."

"So I should just wait?"

"We don't even know that the diagram in the cave is a map and if so, that Ahuntipec is depicted on it. I would say wait and see is your best option at this time."

"Thank you Gonzalo. Before you leave, I've got a very important job I would like you to do for me."

"Of course General. Whatever I can do to help."

"You've got to go to San Fernando and see for yourself what is in that cave. I need someone I can trust, and I've always trusted you."

"When would you like me to go?"

"As soon as I can arrange for Captain Pedro Cervantes to fly you in my staff helicopter. He is in Florida right now on routine servicing of our anti-drug aircraft. I want Pedro to see for himself what is going on in the Atabapo area so that he can take over Verez job. You should be ready to go in about a week."

"I'll start preparing right away."

"When the change happens, and believe me it is going to happen, I will move you over here where we can both work together to build a better Colombia for all our people. Thank you again my friend, and if you hear anything more about the project and the map, please call me."

"I will keep you informed Mr. Secretary."

Again Gonzalo had that sinking feeling when Obispo referred to his future as a member of the team.

Read other novels by William James Johnson at www.noozoon.blogspot.com