Zero Point Read Online Free PDF Page B

time period, but the real substance will hopefully come from the parchment translation, which I hope Maria will have with her.”
    At that moment, Maria Santiago strolled up to the upper level followed by Samuel Caberra, Peruvian native and longtime friend of Turner.
    Turner knew Maria Santiago’s striking beauty and elegance never failed to turn heads wherever she went, and this evening would be no exception. Turner watched her gracefully approach with her long, dark flowing hair pulled back in a bun. She wore a brightly flowered sundress with spaghetti straps that dramatically accented her dark skin and slim, athletic figure. She slowly made her way toward them carrying her laptop computer under her arm, which amused Turner.
    “Hello, Father,” she said to Carlos as the four men rose from their chairs. As she approached, she winked at Turner, sending his heart racing.
    “Good evening, my dear,” Carlos said giving his daughter a hug.
    “Hello, Maria,” Eli added.
    “Good evening, Dr. Turner. You’re looking especially handsome tonight. It’s so nice to be able to see your hair without that hat on,” she said with a laugh.
    “What’s left of my hair anyway,” Eli joked.
    “Samuel, you’re looking as fit as ever,” Turner said to his long-time friend, who simply smiled then proceeded to give Turner one of his trademark bear hugs. His ribs aching, Turner pleaded, “Okay, okay. I give up!”
    Josh Turner had felt like a brother to Samuel Caberra ever since their meeting at a pyramid excavation in Lima Peru back in the late 90’s.
    Samuel Caberra, a Huarochiri Quechua native, was born and raised in the village of Tupicocha, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. As a Quechuan, he was a descendant of the Inca, the indigenous peoples of South America, who were conquered by the Spanish.
    Turner learned from Samuel that much of their heritage and culture had been stifled by the Spanish. Even their native tongue had been considered by their conquerors to be ‘animal talk’. Only in recent years had their culture been re-established by legislation in an effort to recognize the Quechua as an indigenous people.
    Samuel had grown up the eldest son in a poor family of six and worked with his father on the terrace fields raising crops to provide a meager existence for his family. The many years of hunting and working in the high altitudes of the Andes made him the perfect athlete.
    He’d be more at home on a rocky slope than in this restaurant , Turner mused, noting the Peruvian’s obvious discomfort at being there.
    “Hello, Eli, how goes it?” Samuel said, giving his second father a powerful hug that caused Eli’s back to crack.
    “Good God, I won’t need a chiropractor for a while after that,” Eli said rubbing his lower back.
    Samuel had first encountered Eli and his son, Josh Turner in Lima, the Capitol city of Peru after making the decision to make a better life for himself and his family by leaving for the coastal city in search of meaningful work. At the time, the research team working on the pyramid in the center of Lima made the discovery of a tomb deep within the structure. Eli Turner was invited to aide in the identification and preservation of the many Incan artifacts found within.
    Samuel got word on the street that work could be procured as a laborer. So, one evening, he went to the site to speak to anyone he could find about acquiring employment. As luck would have it, the site was closed. Before turning to leave, Samuel heard sounds coming from the site entrance and went to see if he could find someone.
    Rounding the corner and going down a long ramp out of view of the street, he saw a young man carrying a metal box being shoved about by two rather large men. It didn’t take long for Samuel to realize that this was a robbery in progress and immediately, he went to his aid. The two men quickly turned on Samuel, which turned out to be a mistake on their part, as the native Quechuan made quick work