Free Castro Directive by Stephen Mertz Page B

even had a chance to contact you."
    "I didn't buy your tourist story," he said, stepping inside. The living room was decorated with brightly colored
    Guatemalan tapestries. There was a bookcase and a fireplace with ceramic pots and a couple of amethyst clusters displayed on the mantel. On the wall above the fireplace was a circular piece of wood carved with glyphs like he'd seen inscribed on the stone tablets at the Mayan exhibit. "So you're a professional grave robber as well as a liar."
    "Listen, I'm sorry I misled you, but I had to take precautions. I needed to find out more about you before I asked you for help."
    She caught him off-guard. "What do you want from me?"
    "Have a seat. I'd like you to listen to a taped telephone conversation between Paul Loften and my friend Bill Redington."
    Pierce remained standing and watched her walk over to a bookshelf; her slender hips fit perfectly into a pair of white shorts. Her legs were tawny, long, shapely. She picked up a tape cassette and inserted it in a player. "This was recorded three days before Paul Loften was killed."
    She pressed the play switch, walked over and took a seat. Pierce eased down into a chair across from her as he recognized Loften's voice.
    "I think Raymond is up to something. He told me he thought you've found the other skull."
    "Ha. Wish I was so lucky." Redington sounded gruff, almost surly. "Ray is just frustrated."
    "He wants me to hire a private investigator, an old friend of his, to watch you."
    " Let him watch," Redington barked. "He'll get very bored."
    "Well, that's not all. He was asking about the security of the skull in the exhibit. I think he's going after it."
    "For Christ's sake, Paul, I can't see Raymond stealing it. He's got too much to lose."
    "Believe me, there's more to his interest than you know." Loften's voice was hushed, serious. "We should get together to talk. There're some things I need to explain to you."
    "Fine. About time. How about Saturday evening for dinner at my place?"
    "Good. But listen to my plan. Bill, I'm going to hire the detective, but arrange for someone to steal the skull while he's in my office—a simulated robbery. That way we'll be assured Andrews won't get it."
    " My God. How in the world did you come up with that wild-ass scheme?"
    "I'm working with a well-placed contact in law enforcement. He's going to set up the whole thing. It's like a sting, but nobody gets arrested or hurt."
    "Who's this well-placed contact, anyhow?"
    "I don't want to be any more specific right now. He's doing it as a favor."
    "Jesus. Well, it's clever. But won't the skull be in the exhibit?"
    "My plans are not to show it until the official opening Friday evening. I'll meet the detective that afternoon during the preview. The skull will be in my office safe. I'll take it out to show him, and that's when the robbery will take place. The detective will be my witness."
    "You sure you want to go to all this trouble?"
    "I do, because I feel partially at fault for accepting your offer to exhibit the skull. I should have known better."
    "What'll happen to the skull after this fake theft?"
    "Simple. A few days later it'll turn up with some stolen goods in a warehouse. Then it'll go back to its owner."
    Simms stopped the tape, ejected it from the machine. "Of course, we know it didn't work out that way," she said, speaking with her back to him. She turned, crossed her arms. "Well?"
    "Is that what a consultant for a Mayan exhibit does? Tape conversations?"
    "I didn't tape it. Bill did."
    "You want to know what I think? It sounds like whoever the cop hired to steal the skull took matters into his own hands. He stole the skull and shot Loften."
    "And the cop?"
    "Keeping a low profile. He was probably acting outside of regulations to make an extra buck, but the whole thing blew up in his face. If he tells what happened, he turns himself in, he loses his job, and could even serve some time as an accessory."
    She walked over to the fireplace, adjusted