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"The imposter?"

"More likely Amaru The man who took Miller's place didn't want to risk exposure and investigation by Peruvian authorities, not before they cleaned out the City of the Dead The Solperrzachaco had robbed the sacrificial well of its artifacts long before you arrived That's why the imposter sent out a call for help when you and Shannon vanished in the sinkhole It was all part of the plot to h he felt reasonably sure that you'd be sucked into the adjoining cavern by the underwater surge before you could fully search the bottoed his bets by lowering the phony conquistador into position purely as a red herring to blow you to pieces in the event the surge didn't carry you away"

Shannon's eyes took on a saddened and disillusioned look "Then all antiquities froone"

"You can take a s they were removed and not destroyed," said Pitt

"They'll turn up," said Giordino consolingly "They can't reuy's collection forever"

"You don't understand the discipline of archaeology," Shannon said dully "No scholar can study the artifacts, classify or trace thein Noe can learn nothing of the people who once lived here and built the city A vast archive, a time capsule of scientific information, has been irretrievably lost"

"I'rief," Pitt said sincerely

"Grief, yes," she said, thoroughly defeated now "More like a tragedy"

Rudi Gunn walked back fro Miller's body to the ue in Lima

"Sorry to interrupt," he said to Pitt "Our job is finished here I suggest we pack up the helicopter, lift off, and rendezvous with Dr Ortiz at the City of the Dead"

Pitt nodded and turned to Shannon "Well, shall we move on to the next disaster your antiquity looters have left us?"

Dr Alberto Ortiz was a lean, wiry old bird in his early seventies He stood off to one side of the helicopter landing site dressed in a white duck shirt and , whitehi Mexican bandido If flamboyance was his trademark, it was de a colorful band, a pair of expensive designer sandals, and a tall iced drink in one hand A Hollywood casting director searching for someone to play a beachcomber in a South Seas epic would easily have decided that Dr Ortiz fit the role to perfection He was not what the NUMA men had pictured as Peru's most renowned expert on ancient culture

He caht extended for shaking "You're early,"

he said warlish "I didn't expect you for another two or three days"

"Dr Kelsey's project was cut short unexpectedly," said Pitt, grasping a strong, callused hand