1934. Competing factions wage a cold war in the streets and marketplaces, vying for dominance of Mexico City. When a series of murders threatens to turn the cold war hot, only Helen Young, drawn to Mexico to complete her late husband’s archaeological work, can put the pieces together and avert disaster…

The pyramids were so worn and vine covered, it looked as if the Earth was trying to swallow them up.

            “Amazing, isn’t it?” Hayden asked, clearly pleased by Helen’s display of awe. She nodded in agreement. “The road that connects the pyramids is the Avenue of the Dead.”

            “Avenue of the Dead? That’s rather morbid sounding.”

            “The Aztecs, who originally discovered Teotihuacán, believed the small buildings along the Avenue were tombs, and so named it such,” He removed his hat and wiped his brow with his forearm. “It was the main street in Teotihuacán, which was home to up to two hundred thousand people at its height of power.”

            “What happened to all of the people?”

            “Nobody is entirely sure. Maybe an invasion, maybe the poor rose up and threw off the bonds of oppression. Making blood sacrifices usually doesn’t make you very popular with your neighbors. Try it, I’m sure you’ll have complaints,” a wry smile passed across his face for a moment. She was surprised, she was beginning to think he was completely devoid of a sense of humor, an emotional reptile. “Every historian has a theory of their own; anybody who claims history is set in stone is trying to sell you a bag of goods. The one thing we know for sure is that the pyramids and the Citadel have fire damage to them.”

            As they descended the hill, he continued to point out landmarks, and describe the step-like, or Talud-Tablero, style of the surrounding structures. The Avenue of the Dead stuck most in her mind. In its currently deserted state it was easy for her to imagine the spirits of the departed wandering up and down the avenue and commune with the living who drifted into their ranks. Maybe for one more moment, she could feel Harold’s presence. As they approached the long, broad thoroughfare, it seemed to grow longer and broader, a kind of runway to another world. Without thinking, she hesitated at the edge. It took a few steps for Hayden to notice she was no longer by his side, he also had not noticed she had ceased to listen to his overly detailed history as she grew more trepidatious. 

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