Jack Canyon and The Curse of The Spider Queen | CHAPTER FOUR

Words: 2030

Jack Canyon burst through the entrance door to Mr. Stone's museum. He made his way toward the back and down a stairwell to an examination lab, where artifacts and mummies were often carbon dated, autopsied, or simply examined. Jack's long time friend, Martin MacNeer, sat at his desk in his office just outside of the examination lab. Jack walked on by and into the lab, making a ruckus as he kicked the door open. That caught Martin's attention.

Martin rose from his lunch which consisted of a sandwich, turkey and mayo on rye bread. There was also a small slice of pickle to the side that was half eaten. He shifted around his deskt and between chairs and file cabinets to get out and into the hall. Through the lab door windows he noticed movement. Without a word he sneaked up to the door and peeked inside. He was slightly relieved it was just Jack, so he moved inside. "Jack, what on earth are you doing down here?"

"Mac," Jack replied as he spun to see the medical-archaeological examiner. "I need your help."

"What is it?" Martin asked as he moved closer to see what Jack had brought him. He spotted the dead woman and immediately backed off. "No. No way, Jack."

"Oh, come on," he begged. "I need to see what killed her."

"I could lose my job over this," Martin stated as he stood firm on his decision.

"Mac," Jack spoke softly. "How many times have I helped you out of tough spots, huh?"

"Don't pull that on me," Martin said sadly. "I'm not supposed to examine human bodies that aren't archaic."

"I need to know why she did, Martin," Jack said wtih a stern tone to his voice. "It's important."

Martin remained silent.

"Didn't I get you this job?" Jack asked. "I don't remember. Refresh my memory. You couldn't get a job because--"

"Okay, I'll do it," Martin said, stopping Jack from saying anything else. He remembered his problem working as a medical examiner. He was hooked on some drugs and lost his job due to that addiction. He was lucky enough to have Jack get him a decent job and get him back on his feet and off drugs. Martin began putting on his gloves. "This could take a while."

"I have time," Jack responded as he pulled Baxter's journal from his back pocket.

Maya and Sophia arrived at the museum moments later, where Sophia's father met them in the main entrance area.

"Sophie," he greeted her. "What brings you here?"

"Jack called me," Sophia replied. "Have you seen him?"

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't," the elderly man spoke. "What happened?"

"He said Clarissa and Marissa were dead," Sophia explained. "And John, too."

"John Baxter?" Robert Stone asked. "Well, I don't know why Jack would have come here."

"I don't know either," Sophia replied to her father.

"The only other person in the building would be Martin," Stone added.

"Martin MacNeer?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, why?"

Sophia looked at Maya and then back to her father. "Jack's down there." She pushed by her dad and made her way toward the stairwell in the back.

"Why?" Stone echoed. He had no choice but to follow his daughter and her friend down to the lab.

Sophia and Maya were the first to arrive in the lab with Martin MacNeer operating on a cadaver. Behind them Mr. Stone appeared. He was in shock.

"Martin," he said in a weak voice. "What on God's green earth are you doing?"

"This is for--" He paused and look around for a moment. "Where's Jack?"

Everyone scanned the room at once, but saw no one else.

"This is for Jack," Martin finished his previous statement. "Her name is--"

"Clarissa," Stone said as he moved closer. "I'm going to find out what's going on. I'm going to find Jack."

"Where is he?" Sophia asked.

"I think I have an idea," Mr. Stone answered as he headed back upstairs.

Sophia moved forward toward Martin. "What killed her?"

***

Jack said in a dusty old office with some papers that hadn't been touched in years. Those pages had a yellow tint to them. The aged look of the office made the place look more like an ancient shrine or sepulchre.

"It's not your fault," a familiar voice rang out.

Jack looked up to see John Baxter. It must've been a part of his imagination, because he knew Baxter was dead. "Sure feels like all of this is."

"Come on, now, Jack," he said moving out of the shadows. "Clare and Mare knew the dangers. In fact, they knew more so than I did. I just would not listen."

"I should have been the one who had taken that job," Jack stated. "I will come find you."

"Jack," Mr. Stone called out forcing Jack to snap out of the daydream. "I knew you would be in Emily's office."

"I can't believe you didn't have it cleaned out," Jack said. "In fact, I can't believe all the people I know or knew worked here at one time or another. John, Clarissa, Marissa, Emily, Sophia."

"It's not your fault, you know?" Stone stated.

"That's what everyone tried to tell me," Jack spoke sadly. "That's what everyone keeps trying to tell me."

"No, Jack," Stone said as he moved closer to the mahogany desk. "John Baxter went down to Peru because I told him to."

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

"You didn't take the job, remember? You had to teach a seminar on archaeology. I might have forced some hands to make this all possible, because John's life long dream was to prove the Spider Queen existed. I wanted him to go achieve this dream, Jack."

"It's that stupid curse," Jack realized. "I mean, curses are just voodoo mumbo jumbo. The only piece of evidence John ever had was the scroll with the curse on it. It was washed up on the shores of Peru. It's been speculated that the Spanish found the Spider Queen, stole her goods, perhaps killed her, and ran off."

"I've read John's book," Stone interrupted. "The curse sank their ships. Half of her treasures are lost at sea. The scroll just washed ashore and was picked up by some Peruvian kids building sandcastles."

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "That's it."

"I know what you're thinking," Stone sighed. "I'll sanction a rescue mission."

Jack looked up at the elderly man for a moment. "Everything in my head says John is dead, but my gut tells me something different."

"Then go," Robert Stone told him. He spotted the open diary. "John's diary?"

"Yeah," Jack said glancing down at it. "I was reading some of it. I think I could find out where he had been and where he is lost."

Stone just nodded at Jack. "I suppose Sophia will tag along?"

Jack stood from the dusty leather chair, grabbed the journal and made his way toward the door. "You know she loves adventure." He walked along with Robert back down to the examination lab.

Sophia and Maya turned as they entered. "Jack, finally," Sophia spoke through the silence. "What's going on?"

Jack showed her the diary, "This." He shook it in the air for a moment. "Did you find out anything, Mac?"

"Yes," Martin answered. "She died of exhaustion, but there's something in her blood that I found odd. It's an unknown pathogen."

Jack simply nodded at the medical examiner.

"The Curse of the Spider Queen," Stone muttered.

Sophia and Maya looked at one another and then back at Jack.

"Get me a ticket to Cusco," Jack announced to Stone. "I'm going to find out what happened to John. Thanks, Martin." He turned and headed out of the lab. He had all the information he needed. Some unknown force had killed her. Was it the Curse of the Spider Queen?

Sophia motioned for Maya to follow her as she turned to follow Jack out. "What's going on?" She asked, stopping Jack halfway down the hall.

"John Baxter was down in the Peruvian jungle," Jack replied. "I don't know what happened, but he was on the trail of locating the Spider Queen. He vanished or died. This journal that Clarissa brought me was John's. It may lead us to him or perhaps show us what happened and lead us to the Spider Queen."

"Jack. . ." Sophia said, but it didn't stop him.

"I have to do this," he continued. "I owe John so much. This is going to be quite an adventure. We start at Machu Picchu and go from there. What do you say?"

Sophia looked at Maya for a moment, only to see the Indian woman shrug. "I guess someone has to keep your sorry ass out of trouble."

Jack smiled at her, "That's more like it." He looked down at the creamy-colored shirt with rusty horizontal and vertical stripes and pants. "Though, I think I should change first."

"Oh, you definitely should," Sophia giggled. "This is so not you."

"I don't know," Maya interrupted. "I kind of like it." She smiled and winked at Jack as she moved on down the hall.

Jack gave a cocky grin before catching Sophia's annoyed look. "I'm on track."

"I hope the train hits you," she said coldly as she moved down the hall behind Maya Rajah.

Oh, come on," he cried out as he pursued her.

***

At Jack's off-campus office and apartment, Jack threw off his shirt and searched his closet for a T-shirt. "Ah, good," he said as he pulled out a dark gray shirt and pulled it over his head. He felt more comfortable as he slowly changed from teacher to archaeologist. He pulled off his pants and began searching his drawers for his Carhartt pants. He smiled as he spotted the ragged and dirt stained Washed Duck Work Dungaree pants. Small pockets on the thighs allowed placement of tools, and there was a loop on once side for a hammer. They were the perfect work pant. Besides, they were the only pants tough enough to withstand the thrashing that Jack's adventures usually contained. These pants that Jack slowly fit into were a rusted brown color with faded places that had been worn slightly. He buttoned the waist and zipped them. He sighed relief and picked up his suitcase, which he tossed onto his bed.

It had been nearly an hour since he left the museum. His mind was racing with so much emotion. He began to think about Emily again, when Sophia arrived.

"Maya's on her way back home," she said as she entered. Then she paused when she noticed Jack's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm fine."

"I know better," Sophia told him. "What's going on?"

Jack ingored her and looked down at his watch. "Your dad was lucky to book us a flight so early. We leave in just under two hours. I better call a cab."

"Jack Canyon!" Sophia said sternly. "What's going on?"

Jack sighed heavily, as if the entire world was on his shoulders. He knew how Atlas felt in Greek mythology. "John Baxter was Emily's father. Remember my first assistant?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Well, I was engaged to her," Jack said as he slammed his packed suitcase shut.

Sophia was stunned as to what she should say. This wasn't the Jack Canyon she knew. "Jack. . ." That was all she could get out. Her usual sarcasm or harmful words or jokes were nowhere to be found. "I didn't know. I never thought you--"

"Could love someone?" Jack asked with watery eyes.

"You just never seemed the type," she answered. "I'm so sorry."

Jack nodded at her. "We were to be married after we retrieved the Mask of Medusa. She died during that little escapade."

"I remember," Sophia said rubbing Jack's back.

"Ever since, it has haunted me," he continued. "I have been afraid to fall for anyone again."

"So, that's why we didn't work so well?" Sophia asked about their personal relationship.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I've always covered up my feelings with flirting and jokes."

"Oh, Jack," she said sadly. She placed her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.