Free TEMPLARS QUEST: LUCEM SANCTAM (THE TEMPLARS QUEST CHRONICLES: A Historical Mystery Book 3) by Thomas H. Ward Page B

them, but I could hear what they said. They uttered the same words that I did when I was twelve years old.
     
    The sight of the canyon brought back memories. In the old days, very few people went to the Grand Canyon, mainly because it was a transportation issue. You had to have a good car or truck. You had to be an adventurer. My Dad didn’t have the best car but he took care of it and knew how to fix it. It was a 1954 Chevy with a six cylinder motor. Dad wasn’t afraid of anything, especially going on a three-week camping trip to the middle of nowhere. He knew how to do everything.
    I recall we camped out in a Sear’s tent and cooked over the open fire. If my memory serves me right, only four other campers were at the canyon at that time. Everyone had tents, because RVs didn’t exist. You didn’t need a reservation or permit to camp.
    When we went camping, everyone had a job to do. Dad gave us boys the privilege of putting up the tent and digging a drainage ditch around it in case of rain, which we did with great pride. Then we had to blow up the air mattresses and lay out the sleeping bags inside the tent. My brothers and I collected firewood from the dead pine trees. Since I was the oldest, I got to start the fire. I thought that was the most important job. Dad taught me how to start a fire and keep it burning. Those were some of the best days of my life. Thanks, Dad.
     
    Maggie shouted, “Jack, this is incredible! It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
    About twenty other people were meandering about the rim, looking at the sights. When they saw us dressed in our SWAT gear, loaded down with weapons, they quickly beat a path back to their cars.
    Adam said, “The canyon is really massive.”
    I asked, “Baldwin, what do you think?”
    He replied, “I’ve seen a lot of things, all over the world, but this takes the cake. It’s so large I wonder where to start looking for the treasure.”
    “Ok, I got some ideas. Let’s mount up and head to the Bright Angel Lodge. We’ll make that our HQ and operate out of there, because it’s close to the trail we’re going to use.”
    Needless to say, the lodge was officially closed, so we opened it. The stores and concession stands had been looted and ransacked. The lodge rooms were cabin-like structures, and we took twelve of them, making ourselves at home. We had to clean the rooms up because they hadn’t been used in a while. Baldwin posted security, covering the cabins and vehicles. He had his crew unload the ATVs and bring them to the cabins.
    I called a meeting with Baldwin, Pete, Maggie, and Adam to discuss our plan. Adam printed out eight copies of a satellite map which showed the canyon and trails.
    I said, “George, what I suggest is have your men do a recon on Hermit Road, Rim Trail, and Desert View Road before it gets dark. You and I will take a look at Bright Angel Trail to check for ATV tracks.”
    Pete asked, “Boss, what do you think?”
    “Take two ATVs to cover each trail and use two men on each patrol to recon those roads. Have them report in if they see any nomads,” Baldwin ordered.
    “Roger that, Boss.” Pete left to hand out the maps and give his men Baldwin’s orders.
    After grabbing some binoculars, Baldwin and I walked outside, heading towards the Bright Angel Trailhead. Walking up to the canyon rim, we stood there observing the sight. He said, “Look at that tower shaped like a pyramid,” as he pointed in a slight easterly direction.
    “That, my friend is Isis Temple. The treasure could be hidden in a cave on Isis.” We proceeded to look at the temple through the binoculars.
    “That thing is gigantic.”
    “Yeah, it’s big alright.”
    Proceeding down the trail we ran into a few people hiking up Bright Angel, so I stopped them and asked, “Are you coming from the bottom of the canyon?”
    One replied, “Yes, why?”
    “Did you see anyone else, a group of men on ATVs?”
    “No. We didn’t see anyone else. Why, is