The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey Read Free

“My kids haven’t seen everything, but they’ve seen enough in our travels. They’ll be all right.”
    Dr. Basehart accepted that, then he called to one of the workers. “Tomás!”
    â€œSí, señor.” Tomás came running.
    Dr. Basehart introduced them. “Dr. Cooper, Jay, Lila, this is Tomás Lopez, my assistant.” Tomás shook their hands, grinning a toothy grin, happy to be of service. “He’ll take you to see the Corys’ camp and answer any questions you have.”
    Tomás’s smile vanished, and he looked wide-eyed at his boss. “Señor Basehart . . . is that such a good idea?”
    Basehart became quite impatient. “Tomás, I will not have this discussion again with you! There is nothing to be afraid of!”
    â€œBut—” Tomás got a cold glare from his boss and cut short his protest. “Muy bien.”
    Dr. Basehart told the Coopers, “When you return, I’ll show you the video tape the Corys made of their findings. It will give you an idea of what they were doing and possibly give you some clues to follow.”
    Dr. Cooper nodded. “I’ll definitely want to see that.”
    Tomás eyed the holster on Dr. Cooper’s hip. “Ah, you have a gun. That is good. Come with me.” Tomás stopped by his hut to grab a rifle and a machete, then he led the Coopers down the trail into the jungle. The thick vegetation closed in around them, making them stoop and push branches aside. The thick canopy overhead choked out the daylight.
    Tomás was upset. For several minutes he muttered to himself in Spanish, and then he shared his thoughts with the Coopers in English. “This is not a safe place! It is magic, you know. Bad magic. We should not even be here!”
    They journeyed farther into the deep jungle, surrounded by noisy birds and cicadas, until finally they saw a bluish glint ahead. Tomás slowed his pace and crouched as if sneaking up on something. The Coopers instinctively crouched as well and followed.
    â€œThere,” Tomás whispered, gesturing toward a small clearing with his machete. From the edge of the clearing, they could see the ragged tent and blue tarpaulin lean-to, the camp where the Corys had been ambushed. “Before we go farther, I will warn you: You will see blood inside, and terror, and signs of Kachaka magic. The Corys came this far, and now they are dead.” He looked directly at them. “There is a curse on this place. If you go farther, you may end up dead too. So decide!”

TWO
    T he Coopers were cautious but not afraid. With firm resolve, they stepped into the clearing, moving carefully, observing every detail. Tomás followed behind, sticking close, eyes wary, the rifle and machete ready.
    The camp was a disaster area with camp chairs knocked over, the tent half collapsed, the camp stove overturned on the ground, food and supplies torn, scattered, and spilled everywhere. It had been a mess to begin with, and now scavenging animals had made it even worse.
    Jay found a small, thin reed stuck in a tree trunk near the tent. “Dad.”
    Jacob Cooper went over and examined it without touching it. “Poison dart.”
    Tomás nodded warily. “The Kachakas. They use poison darts and blowguns. The poison kills in seconds.”
    Lila noticed the overturned vase and scattered orchids. “I bet these orchids were beautiful before they wilted.”
    Tomás smiled crookedly. “Americans. They would pay lots of money for such flowers in their own country. Here, we see them everywhere.”
    â€œAll the tools are still in place,” Dr. Cooper observed, checking the collection of shovels, picks, brush hooks, and metal detectors near a tree. He found a large wooden chest, eased the lid open, and whistled his amazement at the contents.
    Jay came to look. “What is it?”
    â€œExplosives,” said his father. “That