CHAPTER SEVEN
Captured!
Since Mama was carrying Flo, she was also able to see out the window too. "Incredible!" she cried in amazement to Mo in telepathy. "It looks like an entire underground city! And all of the buildings look like ancient Aztec designs! All the people on the streets are dressed like Aztecs too!"
"Weird!" answered Mo. "We're underground! Is the city in a big cavern?"
"Yes!" answered Flo. "The ceiling is quite high. This city must be inside the mountain we saw as we drove into town! There's light coming from lanterns all over, although the light from the top of the cavern is too far away to see. Maybe there's an opening up there in the mountain, to let in a little sunshine."
Mama's maternal instinct suddenly kicked back in. "My baby!" she cried, turning from the window to look down the hall for Mo. She smiled in relief when she saw him staring back at her.
"Time for another run in the dark!" called Flo to him.
"See ya later!" called Mo, turning and darting off down the hall once more.
"Clyde!" bellowed Mama. "You've got to catch Mo before he hurts himself!" She gave her husband a shove towards Mo that nearly sent him sprawling.
"Right, hon!" answered Dada, sprinting down the hall.
Mo was moving at tremendous speed down the dark hall. At another fork in the passage, he swung again to the right. He'd been lucky going that way before, so maybe it would work again. He heard Dada blundering after him and knew that, even with all his baby speed, it would not be long until he was captured.
Mo moved as fast as he could on his tiny hands and knees. He was getting tired! Knowing he couldn't carry on much farther, he came to rest under another set of windows in the wall above him. Dada came running up and snatched him from the floor. Then the two of them turned and looked through the window--and froze in surprise.
Inside was a room, about the size of their living room in the shabby two-story house back on Itch Street. But this was no ordinary room. The floor seemed to be paved with pure gold. Intricate Aztec carvings graced the walls, while the few chairs and tables that lay scattered around the room also were made of gold or ivory.
But even more striking than the gold were the people in the room. A middle-aged couple were seated on a golden couch. They wore the rich clothing of Aztec royalty, but their faces were sad. Across from them was an older man, dressed from head to foot in long silver Aztec robes. On the other side of the room stood an elderly lady. She was wearing a regular dress, and looked like she had just walked in from the streets of any town in America.
"Grandmother!" cried Elise excitedly as she came up to the window. She clapped her hands together in glee and yelled again, louder this time, "GRANDMOTHER!"
The old lady in the room didn't stir. Apparently she couldn't hear or see the newcomers. In fact, oddly enough, none of the people in the room seemed to be aware that there was a window looking in on them at all.
"It's a one way, soundproof mirror window," said Flo, as she came up to the window with Mama. "We can see them, but they can't see us."
"Or smell us, fortunately," said Mo, trying to plug his nose with his tiny baby fingers. "I hope Mama changes you soon!"
Flo ignored him. "Look at Elise!" she cried suddenly. Turning, Mo saw that the girl's eyes had become very wide, and tears had started to drip down from them. "Those people ..." she mumbled, pointing. "On the couch ... they look just like my parents! I recognize them from pictures. But I thought they were dead!"
"No, my dear Elise, they are not dead," said a formal voice behind them. "They are very much alive!"
In shock, everyone turned to see a tall man standing not far behind them, dressed in a business suit. He had the facial features of an Indian, although he wasn't dressed like one. But on either side of him were several young Aztec warriors--the same ones that had attacked the house last night! And now some of them were holding guns!
"Allow me to introduce myself," said the tall man with a slight bow. "I am Oaxa Maxilan, head of the secret Coatl League, and acknowledged leader of all the people in this underground city. I have been expecting you."
"You have?" asked Dada in genuine surprise. Flo and Mo exchanged meaningful glances. As a detective, Dada should have realized they were walking into a trap.
"You," said Maxilan as he took a step toward Dada, "are the famous detective, Clyde Flitz." He gazed at Dada for a moment, then said softly, "Since I have now captured you so easily, I must conclude that your powers of deduction have been overrated." Turning, he said, "and this of course is your charming wife and child." As he said this, he involuntarily put his hand to his nose as he caught a whiff of Flo. "And next of course we have Elise, Princess of the River, heir to the throne of the city, and lovely daughter of that sad couple sitting yonder."
"Princess?" repeated Elise in amazement.
"Throne?" said Mama dumbly.
"What do you mean overrated?" asked Dada hotly.
Maxilan nodded to his guards. "Take them," he said simply. "Cast them into the room with the others." He turned to leave.
"Now hold on a darn minute!" cried Dada, struggling against three guards that held his arms pinned to his sides. "You at least owe us an explanation of what's going on!"
Maxilan stared at him once more. Finally he said softly, "I should think a famous detective like you would have already deduced all there is to know in this situation. But since you are either highly ignorant, or are merely pretending to misunderstand, let me just say that this city is the last hidden remnant of the once great Aztec empire. We Aztecs have stayed hidden here for centuries. Yonder in that room is the royal couple that rightfully should be ruling the city right now. I captured them years ago, and imprisoned them there, telling the people that they had been killed when a tunnel on the outskirts of the city collapsed. But sadly, when I captured the couple, an older woman--the queen's servant--mysteriously disappeared with their only daughter Elise. I knew, of course, that she had escaped to the outside world, and was keeping the daughter in hiding until the time was right to bring her back to claim the throne. But I didn't know where they had disappeared to. In your world of course, she claimed to be the girl's grandmother, but she is actually not related at all."
Elise's eyes were filled with tears as the shock of this story washed over her. Mama's eyes had that warning look that clearly told everyone who knew her that they'd better get out of the way if they didn't want to get hurt. Dada's eyes looked baffled and dumfounded, which was not at all uncommon for him.
"You disgusting pig!" cried Mama, shaking off her guards like they were mere raindrops and belting Maxilan with her purse. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" It took five burly guards several minutes of struggle before they finally contained her. In the process, another guard suddenly found himself--to his surprise--holding Flo, since she had to be taken out of the arms of Mama in order for them to control her. The guard's nose twitched unhappily with her smell, but of course there was nothing he could do about it.
Maxilan just smiled. "Of course I am despicable," he said casually. "That's the way it always is with us usurpers who form secret leagues and take over thrones. But we sure have a lot of fun doing it!"
"What about the other man in there?" asked Dada, his slow mind still trying to catch up with everything.
"That is Urlosh, the high priest. He officiates in the Aztec temple. I long suspected him of being in league with the old lady, and involved in Elise's disappearance. But it wasn't until this past week when I intercepted one of his letters that I learned the whole truth!" Maxilan smiled indulgently. "To you, of course, the old geezer is none other than Uncle Earl, who was supposed to show up at your house earlier today to rescue Elise."
At that moment, another Aztec warrior appeared behind the group. He was breathing hard, as if he had just travelled there in a hurry. "We've searched the car," he said. "We found this--" he held up the leather bag Mama had found in the
tool shed at the mansion. "But the amulet is not in it."
Anger flashed across Maxilan's eyes, and for a moment it looked like he would strike the messenger. Rummaging through the pack, he pulled out the leather apron and green headband, and tossed them onto the floor. "Those trinkets are worthless without the amulet!" he cried. "If I had it, I could cease being a mere 'Protector of the People' as I am now, and could claim the throne and proclaim myself king! Whoever has the amulet is the rightful ruler! But that old fool of a lady took it with her when she escaped with Elise!" He turned angrily on his captives. "What have you done with the amulet?"
They just stared back at him in surprise. Elise, of course, had never seen the bag or the amulet, and so was completely unable to respond (as her grandmother had intended). Dada was clueless about where the amulet had gone. Mama was still so fuming mad that she wasn't about to say that she'd given it to one of her babies as a teething ring.
"Search them!" said Maxilan savagely. The warriors performed a quick and thorough search, but found nothing. Naturally they didn't search in the babies diapers, especially since Flo smelled bad.
The warrior that had brought the bag was now staring with wide eyes at Flo. He raised a shaking finger and pointed. "She's the one I told you about!" he cried suddenly. "She talked to me! When I went to the house, pretending to be Uncle Earl!"
Maxilan sneered. "You're either overdue for a vacation or you need counseling," he said curtly. "Babies can't talk!" Then he turned and walked quickly away. "I'm going back to their house, which I will search from top to bottom for the amulet. Toss them in with the others!" Then he was gone.