Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page A

locked up in some vault in Mexico City.”
    Jake nodded. Shortly after the bandits had attacked his parents’ camp, the Mexican military had flown in and locked down the site. It was unknown how many items were stolen or what became of the bodies of Jake’s mother and father. Another colleague had also gone missing. Dr. Henry Bethel.
    But the military did recover most of the Mayan artifacts. Due to their value as national treasures, they had never left Mexico.
    Until now.
    The London museum had them on loan for this exhibit.
    “Mayan Treasures of the New World.”
    “No wonder they invited you,” his uncle said at his side as he read over Jake’s shoulder. “The son and daughter of the team who discovered the artifacts.”
    Jake could not take his eyes off the brochure. A finger traced the curves of the two-headed snake. Surely his parents had also touched it, unearthed it with their hands.
    “I have to go,” Jake said with a fierce determination in his voice.
    Uncle Edward placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
    Who knew when he’d get another chance before the relics were all locked up again? Jake felt tears begin to well. To be that much closer to his parents.
    The crunch and squeal of tires sounded from the front of the house. Laughter and shouted good-byes echoed to them. A moment later, the door swung open and Kady swept inside. She turned and waved to her departing ride, using her whole arm.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, Randy!”
    She came in and discovered Jake and Uncle Edward staring at her. Seeing the expressions on their faces, a single line of worry etched her perfect forehead.
    “What?” she asked.
     
    “Well, I’m not going,” Kady declared.
    Jake watched her tick off her reasons on her fingers.
    “I have Jeffrey’s pool party on Sunday. Then there’s cheer practice on Monday…followed by anotherparty. And that doesn’t even count the two parties on Tuesday.”
    She finished with a slight stamp of her heel. “And I’m certainly not giving up all that just to babysit Jake at some boring museum.”
    Jake felt his face growing hotter. She had hardly taken a breath to listen to them. His heart pounded. He knew that if Kady didn’t go he wouldn’t be going. Uncle Edward would not let him travel alone.
    “Kady! It’s Mom and Dad’s artifacts!”
    She swallowed. Her eyes darted to the brochure and away again. Kady was far better at drawing and art than Jake. She had studied their mother’s sketchbook at length. Or at least she had when the books first came in the mail. For the past two years, she hadn’t bothered to look at them again.
    But Jake had noticed the slight tremble to Kady’s hands when she’d first looked at the brochure. She also had recognized the double-headed snake.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “I still have too much to do.”
    Jake turned to Uncle Edward with a pleading expression.
    His uncle only shrugged. He plainly still questioned whether they should go. Especially without Kady’s cooperation.
    “Are these first -class tickets?” Kady suddenly asked. She shifted the papers in her hands. “And a penthouse reserved at the Savoy?”
    Sensing a chink in her armor, Jake changed his approach. In all his excitement, he’d forgotten with whom he was dealing here.
    “It’s…I’m sure, a big deal,” Jake said cautiously. He waved to the tickets. “Look at the expense. And they even timed it to the solar eclipse. I guess it’s all just a stupid publicity stunt. Still…”
    He noted how her shoulders twitched at the word publicity .
    “I’m sure there will be cameras,” he pressed. “News crews, television stations, possibly celebrities.”
    Her eyes grew brighter. She took another look down at the invitation.
    As Kady took the bait, Jake set the hook. “Besides,” he said, “think of all the shopping…all the newest European fashions that haven’t reached the North Hampshire Mall. You’ll be the first to wear them.”
    Kady glanced down to her