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tomorrow night.”
    My heart was racing.
    “I’ll know if you’re lying,” he told me, and I had no doubt he was telling the truth.
    “No.”
    He shook his head sadly. “Then I am truly sorry.”
    Remember, I had been crouching in this little doorway because it at least offered a vantage point to keep an eye on all three of these guys. But I had given scant thought to whose doorway it was, so I was unprepared when the door swung open and I fell back into the darkness. The room smelled like death itself, moldy and damp, and part of the floor had rotted out. There was an empty bookcase on the far wall with a lit candle resting on top. Were it not for the candle, I would have bet my life that nobody had been in the room for decades.
    I scrambled for the doorway but the two gypsy thugs blocked it. When I turned around, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. He was stooped over and he came toward me slowly. This might sound strange, but I swear the room got colder. I think I nearly dropped dead with fright.
    I couldn’t see his face until he got very close, until he put his hand on my arm. Then he looked up at me. Michelle, I’m no longer certain about anything in life. I’m not convinced the earth actually does revolve around the sun. Maybe science has it all wrong. But I’ll tell you one thing I know for certain. This guy was dead.
    I jumped back and ran. I think those two gypsy guys weren’t expecting me to move so fast, or maybe they were just so afraid of touching me, but they scrambled out of the way and I ran. I ran down that alley and I kept running until I saw people, lots of people. I took a seat at an outdoor bar and I drank until the first rays of sunlight gave me some hope that the entire earth hadn’t just turned itself into some unanticipated kind of hell.

Hacienda Segovia
Esquina 2 y tope, Segovia, Peru
    Archaeological research facility founded in 1976 adjacent to the Segovia archaeological zone and pyramid complex. Consists of library, lab space, dormitory accommodations for eight, cooking and dining facilities.
    To inquire as to vacancies or research opportunities, please contact the Ministry of Antiquities, Calle Bolivar 9 at Avenida 24, Lima.

June 15, 2011
Segovia, Peru
Leon Samples
    Hey Bruce, I hope this post finds you still amongst the living. Your last missive gave us something of a fright. Clearly you’ve come into contact with some gypsy grifters who are running a scam on you. That being said, I must question your sanity.
    Let me fill you in on what’s going on here. Two days with no electricity has taken its toll. Cold showers are no fun. Our beer is warm, and Cyrus has us on lockdown. He tells us it’s because one of the cane cooperatives has moved another crew into the area, and the workers tend to cause trouble at night. But I’m not buying it.
    I’ve seen a lot of cane crews at work; these guys look hungry and exhausted. I think they’re mostly convicts, because that has to be the worst job in the world - cutting sugarcane from dawn to dusk, eating nothing but rice and beans, all for $50 a month. And sure, maybe they do a little drinking now and again, but I can’t see why we should be cowering behind closed doors.
    If you ask me, this has more to do with the howling ghosts out at the pyramid, or the night zombies outside the gate, but try talking to Cyrus or anyone else about that and they’ll just walk away. So we talk about the project, which seems to be the only neutral topic left.
    Michelle is standing here and she’s anxious to say something. She wants to tell you she loves you or some such thing, but I got here first. I’m smarter and I’m better looking, so she’s going to have to wait. Also, I’m armed. I have two antique guns that came in the mail for me today. I feel safer already.
    Anyway, it’s time to pull it together, Bruce. We’re working our tails off here, and you’re not keeping up your end of the bargain. So let us briefly review the nature of