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At the base of the structure was a reddish patch In his eagerness for a better look Trout ignored the sergeant's adeant to the mound and picked up Gaiven her as a Christed inside and found her cas, empty soda cans, and a bottle of water Nearby was another pack h over his head for the benefit of Morales, alking briskly to catch up

"This pack belongs to my wife," the NUMA scientist said triu"

Morales inspected the professor's bag His face was clouded "This is not good"

"What do you wean, not good? This shows they've been here"

"You lance around "I found a ca Trout's blank expression, he explained, "They are bad men who steal antiquities for sale"

"What's that got to do with my wife and the professor?"

"The coals arns of many men I also find these" He opened his pales

Trout put a shell to his nose The bullet had been fired recently

"Where did you find them?"

Trout's eyes followed the police officer's pointing finger, then looked back to where he had found the rucksacks as if he could draw a line connecting the two points That's when he noticed the strange carvings on the wall of the structure He stepped closer and inspected the boats and other figures on the bared stone His guess was that Gamay and the professor had lunch, then cas Gae etchings, but so must have distracted them

He turned back to Morales "You think my wife and the professor ran into these chicleros?"

"Si," Morales said with a shrug "It is possible Why else would they leave their sacks?"

"I was thinking the saeant, would you please shohere you found these shells?"

"Come this way" Morales said with a nod "Be careful where you walk There are holes all over the field"

They slowly made their way across the plain There were far more of the mysterious mounds than Trout first assumed If each one had a stone structure under it, this oodsized settlement at one time