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“I’m glad you had the data backed up,” he told her.
“I wish she’d told me,” Dr. Estrada sniped.
“This is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than any of us,” Roth said. “You flew close to the Jaguar Temple. You’re lucky to even be here.”
Illari looked down, holding her case as if it were her lifeline.
Estrada shrugged. “I know, Mr. Roth. I’ve spent my whole career exploring the ruins in Guatemala. The preserve in Mexico was always off-limits. Always. No matter how much the university offered. Now I understand why.”
Daniel brought them to a steep escalator heading down. The boys craned their necks, trying to soak in the sights. Roth looked back up the escalator, observing the FBI agent who was bringing up the rear, watching for anyone who might approach them from behind.
“Whoa, they have a cafeteria down here!” Brillante said excitedly as they made their way off the escalator.
“They have a Dunkin’ Donuts in one of the House office buildings,” Jordan told them conspiratorially.
“No way!” Lucas asked. “Are we getting food? I’m hungry again.”
“On our way out,” Monica said. “We’ve got a walk ahead of us. Like I said, we’re taking the underground tunnels to the Capitol.”
“They can’t be as cool as the underground tunnels in the jungle,” Lucas said. “Remember the one with the boats, Dad?”
How could Roth forget? “The tunnels led to a cenote, and there were dozens of plastic crates next to it full of gold from the Maya,” he said. “They used the underground rivers to transport the treasure from one ruin to another, I think.”
“You saw the artifacts?” Estrada asked inquisitively.
“For sure. Just a sample. I guess they must have hidden a lot of it away before the Spanish could get it.”
“They got a lot,” Estrada affirmed.
“We had to escape bad dudes who were chasing us,” Lucas continued for Jordan’s benefit. “There were inflatable boats in the cenote, so we all got into one, and Dad grabbed an ancient spear to stab the other boats so they’d go flat.”
“No way!” Jordan said, looking at Roth, impressed.
“Yeah, well, he almost fell in after he tried jumping into our boat,” Brillante said. “Big oof.”
Illari snickered at the story and tried to cover it. Her troubled look had softened into a smile. The boys’ energy was just infectious.
“Yeah, that was a near miss,” Roth agreed. “I’m not a very good swimmer.”
Monica hadn’t been kidding about the length of the walk. It was a maze under the building that led to some long, slightly inclined tunnels that were painted a pale, flat gray color with a variety of directional signs. When they finally reached the end of the long, narrow tunnel, they arrived at another set of escalators, which brought them into the underbelly of the Capitol building.
Roth found himself geeking out slightly about the historical building. The craftsmanship and statuary were incredible, and the paintings were all originals. They passed a few tour groups, led by staffers, as Daniel led them to the Senate side and then directly to a private conference room. The FBI agent in front went in first and then motioned for the rest to enter.
The room was dimly lit, the walls and furniture a dark mahogany. There were no external windows at all. A short man with salt-and-pepper hair was pacing at the end of the table. A pin on his gray suit proclaimed him a senator. He was no taller than the boys, and he looked overly nervous.
Monica told the final agent and the staffer, Daniel, to wait outside and prevent anyone from coming in.
“Welcome,” the senator greeted them with a tight smile. “I’m Senator Coudron.”
“Jonathon Roth. These are my twins, Brillante and Lucas.”
“And you are Dr. Estrada?” Senator Coudron asked.
“Yes. And my assistant, Illari.”
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I have hearings all afternoon. In fact, I’m already late for one. But this is important to national security. Mr. Roth, or Jonathon, if I may?”
“That’s fine, Senator,” Roth said.