NORA STARED AT the two pieces of parchment, now placed together on the desk. “I have a translation of my half,” she said. “Done by Orlando. We have to translate your half.”

“How are we going to do that?” Corrie asked, peering at the parchment. “Not only is it a squiggly mess, but some of the letters are so faded I can’t read them.”

“Back at the Institute, Orlando photographed my section in UV light and then digitally manipulated the photo to increase contrast. Maybe we could do the same. Do you have anything that’s blue and transparent?”

“I have something better: a handheld UV examination light. Standard FBI equipment.” Corrie rummaged around in her office supplies and pulled out a small black penlight.

Nora took it. “You shine it on the parchment and I’ll take a picture with my cell phone.”

Corrie positioned the light and switched it on, illuminating the document. Nora could see that in the eerie purple glow, the script stood out much better. She took a series of photographs with her cell phone and transferred them to Corrie’s iMac. Corrie loaded the photos into an image editor and, selecting the best exposure, started working with it. In a short period of time, by cranking up the contrast and adjusting the brilliance, the script on the screen became clear enough to read.

Corrie peered at it. “It doesn’t even look like letters.”

“Watch and learn.” Nora, suddenly grateful for Orlando’s pedantry, loaded the website of old Castilian scripts and pulled the alphabet chart for Cortesana. “I’ll use this.”

A

uppercase

lowercase

“See? Those are all the variants of A.”

Corrie stared. “Very cool. I had no idea you could find something like this on the web.”

“It’s just going to take a while.”

Nora started to work, taking Corrie’s piece of parchment one letter at a time, looking it up on the chart, and then seeing which modern letter it represented. It was laborious at first, but after ten minutes she started to recognize the letters from memory. An hour later, she had transcribed Corrie’s half of the document. She sat back. “There it is.”

“Can you translate it?”

“You bet.” She took a blank piece of paper and began with the first line, working slowly and sometimes having to check unusual words with Google Translate.

—to Your Majesty from the province of New Spain —ust the various Pueblos rose in revolt and martyred —edge of said revolt, Fray Marcos, Fray

—rescued much of the holy ecclesiastical treasure —ions. We burdened sixty-two mules and horses

—mino Real in the vicinity of Senecú we were

—ward, where we were so pressed that we hid

—peak called El Aguijón del Escorpión in the

—to the mine and made the mark of the cross on

—scorpión we made a second mark of two crosses

—aled the northern entrance to the mine with no mark.

—send you this letter through a messenger and pray that —ure may be rightfully returned to Your Holy Roman —of Your Majesty’s northern possessions.

—kisses your Royal feet and hands,

Nora finished the last sentence and pushed the paper toward Corrie. “Done.”

“And the first half ?”

“Right here.” Nora took out the paper on which Orlando had written his translation of the other half of the document. She put the two translations together on the table with trembling hands, and they both looked down to read the letter in full, in English.

S.C.C. Majestad:

On the 20th of August 1680 I write in haste

to Your Majesty from the province of New Spain

along the Camino Real. On the 10th of Aug

ust the various Pueblos rose in revolt and martyred many of the holy fathers. Having foreknowl

edge of said revolt, Fray Marcos, Fray

Angelico, and Fray Bartolomé and soldiers

rescued much of the holy ecclesiastical treasure of the cathedral, the churches and the miss

ions. We burdened sixty-two mules and horses

with treasure and fled southward. Along the Ca

mino Real in the vicinity of Senecú we were

beset by savage Apachu Indians and forced east

ward, where we were so pressed that we hid

the treasure in the old Reina de Oro mine in the peak called El Aguijón del Escorpión in the

Sierra Oscura. We concealed the south entrance

to the mine and made the mark of the cross on

a stone five paces to the right. At the base of E

scorpión we made a second mark of two crosses

on a large stone directly below. We conce

aled the northern entrance to the mine with no mark.

We are yet pressed by the Apachu and I

send you this letter through a messenger and pray that you receive it, and that the holy treas

ure may be rightfully restored to Your Holy Roman Catholic Majesty upon the recapture

of Your Majesty’s northern possessions.

Humble servant and vassal of Your Majesty, who

kisses your Royal feet and hands,

Fray Bartolomé de Aragon

They read in silence, and the stillness in the room continued as