“There you are, Carol!”

 

I had visited her room many times prior. Somehow she found space enough amongst the heaped papers, books, and bags to play cards with me. 

 

When I walked in, she was rifling through her filing cabinet, her back to the door.

 

“What are you doing, Carol?”

 

Her narrow shoulders spasmed with surprise.

 

“Oh, hello, David! How goes the investigation?” she said, recognizing my voice.

 

“Many moving parts, as I’m sure you can imagine. I’m surprised to find you here.”

 

She turned from her work to face me, shuffling with intent through a stack of papers in her hands.

 

“I needed my logbooks. I know you’ve forbidden entry to our rooms, but I simply must ensure the artifacts are accounted for. And I can’t do that without my notes.”

 

Carol was a slight woman of 50. If you didn’t already know she was there, you might miss her in passing. I found myself wondering if one day she might accidently file herself in one of her cabinet drawers, and we’d never hear from her again. 

 

Her long, grey hair was pulled into a tight bun. We had known each other for many years, having met in school.

 

Looking around the disheveled space, I asked, “As the head scribe, you must have a full record of our activities in Teotehuacan. Anything missing from your room?”

 

“No. Luckily, it’s all accounted for, David.”

 

She stooped to pull a pile of papers from under her bed and continued, “It’s just a shame the poor girl has died–and in such a terrible way. I thought I might cry when covering her body with that sheet.”

 

Her voice was flat and void of emotion.

 

“Such a tragedy, I agree. What did you think of Emilia, Carol? I noticed you working with her on occasion while on the expedition.”

 

“Kind girl, I guess–but only in a superficial way.” A little crevice formed between her eyebrows as she said it. 

 

She explained further, “In the early days Emilia was a great help, but she quickly turned into something of a nuisance.”

 

“Oh, really? Why is that?”

 

“Well, very quickly she gained full control of the artifact logging. David, I was left to sit on my hands with nothing to do. In fact, by the second week, I was hardly allowed to even be near them at all. Robert gave her full control. I was furious.”

“That is strange. Surely that would have been your job as head scribe.”

“It absolutely was, and it gets worse: more than once I caught the trouble-maker late at night in the store tent. She was fussing with the artifacts.”

 

“Oh my. What was she doing with them?”

 

“I couldn’t tell, but I reported her immediately! I even demanded she be sent home and relieved of her duties…Robert did nothing!!”

 

“What an interesting relationship they have: Emilia and Robert. Why would he permit her to risk the integrity of the expedition?”

 

“I never found out. But you know what else, David?”

 

She grabbed the collar of my coat and pulled me closer saying, “It continued…on this very train...”

 

“What?! What do you mean?”

 

“More than once I have caught her in the Baggage Car. I never figured out what she was doing, but whatever it was, David, you need to get to the bottom of it. Look at the mess she’s created!”

 

Her cheeks were red as she shot,  “Maybe history is better off now that she’s dead.”

 

I couldn’t believe my ears. For all the time I’d known Carol, she had been a sweet, gentle person–not an enemy in her life. 

 

Seeing the shock on my face, she quickly muttered an apology, “I shouldn’t have said that, David. Oh, I’m so embarrassed.”

 

“Well, I can’t say I disagree. Let’s move on. Did you see anything tonight?”

 

“No. I was sleeping when I heard the shots. I’ll admit to stepping briefly into the hall, but I chickened out while hiding behind a chair in the Passenger Car lounge.”

 

“You returned to your room shortly after?”

 

“Yes. From my place at the chair I saw both Mr. Pearson and Mr. Reid creeping around–separately and apparently unaware of each other.”

 

“Thank you, Carol. Before I leave, would you mind giving me a list of the missing artifacts?”

 

“I have only just determined which those are, David. The rest of them are accounted for, but in a strange state is disassembly.”

 

“Disassembly?”

 

“Many of them have been taken apart and dumped back inside the crates without proper care.”

 

Again her face grew red as she added, “It will take ages to restore the damage that she has done.”

 

“I see. Listen, I’d love to look at that list of the missing ones, Carol.”

 

She hesitated as if she had forgotten, then finally said, “But, of course, David. I’ve already written them on this piece of paper for you.”

 

“Thank you. Now that you’ve finished your cataloguing, please leave your room and lock it behind you.”

 

She nodded and put what little strength she had into closing a large leather suitcase stuffed beyond capacity with loose pages.

 

I quickly scanned the items on the note she’d handed me before putting it in my pocket and stepping back into the hall.