Indisputable Proof by Gary Williams, Vicky Knerly Page B
Authors: Gary Williams, Vicky Knerly
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say, one does,” Jade said, reaching to the side and sliding a laptop PC from her bag. She propped it in her lap and booted it up. “Remember what I said about the deciphered text: The stone sphere with the creature of anonymity will lead to my tomb? Phillip...I mean…Dr. Cherrigan and I didn’t know what ‘creature of anonymity’ meant—I still don’t—but we searched every stone we knew to exist in Costa Rica for an image or etching of a creature on it. It was a daunting task, given the 300 or so spheres in and around Palmar Sur and the numerous ones dispersed throughout the country.”
The engines roared to life, and the plane taxied slowly toward the runway. Jade felt pressure to make her case, so she pushed on. She spun the PC toward them so that they could see the screen. It was a map of Costa Rica with plotted red points, primarily grouped at Palmar Sur, although some were quite a distance away. “Ultimately, we were disappointed. None of the stones contained a picture of a creature.”
“What were you expecting to learn from this stone if you had found it?” Tolen asked.
“That’s just it. I won’t know until I find it. I assume it will be directions, or possibly a map, to Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb,” she said, turning the screen back toward her.
“In Costa Rica?” Diaz asked.
Jade nodded.
The plane turned and came to a halt. A quick glance out the window confirmed they were in position on the runway for takeoff. It would only be a minute or so before Reba Zee gunned the engine and they went airborne southward toward Costa Rica. She needed to convince them quickly.
“Look,” Jade began, “Joseph of Arimathea was a very wealthy man; possibly one of the richest men of his time. He made his fortune as a metals dealer. Many scholars have theorized he traveled to South and Central America as part of his trade business.”
“You’re talking about sailing across the ocean 1,400 years before the first Europeans discovered the New World,” Diaz exclaimed in amazement.
The engines revved up again, and there was a jerk as the brakes released. The plane began rolling down the runway, tires bounding over the rough surface as it picked up speed. Out of sight in the cockpit, Reba Zee flipped a switch that doused the cabin lighting, and the three passengers were mired in darkness, save for the weak light coming in through the windows and the glow of Jade’s computer screen.
“An early cross-oceanic expedition is not inconceivable,” Tolen cut in.
Even as the plane rumbled ahead, Jade felt welcome relief that Tolen was siding with her. She offered him a half smile before she realized she had done so.
Tolen continued. “There is evidence to point toward ancient cross-oceanic travels. In Munich, in 1992, researchers began a project to investigate seven 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. A toxicologist discovered the presence of nicotine and cocaine in all seven mummies. Before Columbus, these plants had not been found anywhere in the world outside of the Americas, suggesting there had been trade trips as early as 1500 BCE.”
Jade was surprised that Tolen was familiar with these findings.
The cabin tilted, and Jade felt her stomach lurch as the plane left the ground soaring upward. The craft continued to climb sharply. The rumble of the engines threatened to drown out their conversation.
Tolen seemed unfazed by the gut-knotting takeoff.
Diaz chose not to challenge Tolen’s facts. “You still haven’t answered the question as to why you want us to stay in the U.S. You’ve already said the stone spheres and the tomb are in Central America.”
“There are only two Costa Rican spheres we haven’t examined, and they’re both in the United States on display as ornamental pieces. One is in the museum of the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC. The other is in a courtyard near the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I had
The engines roared to life, and the plane taxied slowly toward the runway. Jade felt pressure to make her case, so she pushed on. She spun the PC toward them so that they could see the screen. It was a map of Costa Rica with plotted red points, primarily grouped at Palmar Sur, although some were quite a distance away. “Ultimately, we were disappointed. None of the stones contained a picture of a creature.”
“What were you expecting to learn from this stone if you had found it?” Tolen asked.
“That’s just it. I won’t know until I find it. I assume it will be directions, or possibly a map, to Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb,” she said, turning the screen back toward her.
“In Costa Rica?” Diaz asked.
Jade nodded.
The plane turned and came to a halt. A quick glance out the window confirmed they were in position on the runway for takeoff. It would only be a minute or so before Reba Zee gunned the engine and they went airborne southward toward Costa Rica. She needed to convince them quickly.
“Look,” Jade began, “Joseph of Arimathea was a very wealthy man; possibly one of the richest men of his time. He made his fortune as a metals dealer. Many scholars have theorized he traveled to South and Central America as part of his trade business.”
“You’re talking about sailing across the ocean 1,400 years before the first Europeans discovered the New World,” Diaz exclaimed in amazement.
The engines revved up again, and there was a jerk as the brakes released. The plane began rolling down the runway, tires bounding over the rough surface as it picked up speed. Out of sight in the cockpit, Reba Zee flipped a switch that doused the cabin lighting, and the three passengers were mired in darkness, save for the weak light coming in through the windows and the glow of Jade’s computer screen.
“An early cross-oceanic expedition is not inconceivable,” Tolen cut in.
Even as the plane rumbled ahead, Jade felt welcome relief that Tolen was siding with her. She offered him a half smile before she realized she had done so.
Tolen continued. “There is evidence to point toward ancient cross-oceanic travels. In Munich, in 1992, researchers began a project to investigate seven 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. A toxicologist discovered the presence of nicotine and cocaine in all seven mummies. Before Columbus, these plants had not been found anywhere in the world outside of the Americas, suggesting there had been trade trips as early as 1500 BCE.”
Jade was surprised that Tolen was familiar with these findings.
The cabin tilted, and Jade felt her stomach lurch as the plane left the ground soaring upward. The craft continued to climb sharply. The rumble of the engines threatened to drown out their conversation.
Tolen seemed unfazed by the gut-knotting takeoff.
Diaz chose not to challenge Tolen’s facts. “You still haven’t answered the question as to why you want us to stay in the U.S. You’ve already said the stone spheres and the tomb are in Central America.”
“There are only two Costa Rican spheres we haven’t examined, and they’re both in the United States on display as ornamental pieces. One is in the museum of the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC. The other is in a courtyard near the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I had
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