Holland nodded at Roth, then stepped aside.

“On that note,” Roth said, “I want to assure everyone that all the footage shot of Thomas during his episode has been deleted. Probably not my best decision to film that. So, I apologize to anyone I offended.”

Andy and Vern traded a quick glance. Apology not accepted.

“Anyhow,” Roth continued, “that’s not the film we came to shoot. We came to make a documentary about finding the lost city of the Incas. And after today’s discovery, I think it’s quite obvious we’ve done just that.”

There was thunderous applause.

Roth continued, “Now we need to discuss excavation. Holland and I have talked this over, and we feel the cache is in grave danger of being looted, especially the three high-value items we found today. Even though we haven’t seen any evidence of a second expedition team yet, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Not to mention that, according to Thomas, there’s a drug-trafficking operation less than thirty miles from here. They have the planes and the means to clean out every last artifact.

“I think the best decision would be to remove a few of the artifacts to prove what we’ve found, then use those to promote the discovery and help finance a full excavation of the site.”

A full excavation would take months, if not years, and would cost millions of dollars.

“No!” Farah said, standing up. “First, we don’t have an excavation permit. By law, we aren’t allowed to dig anything up. Second and most importantly, there could be royal burials near the pyramid and those need to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. We can’t just go in there and start digging shit up. If anyone so much as digs up a rock from that cache, I will resign from the project.”

“You said that earlier at the site,” Roth said with a laugh. “But I think you’re bluffing.”

Farah stared Roth down.

“I’m not,” she said. “Isn’t that why you brought me on the expedition, to keep you in line with ethical archaeological practices and to do the right thing by science? If not that, why exactly did you bring me here? Was it to fu—”

Roth interrupted. “Does anyone else have an opinion on this matter?”

Farah glanced at Andy, her eyes open wide, silently prodding him.

Andy’s heart pounded.

Say it, he willed himself. Say that Farah is right.

But he couldn’t. Just like Roth and most all the others, Andy wanted to excavate. If for no other reason than to make the documentary that much more interesting.

Farah sighed, then said, “It’s not up to me, or you, or anybody else. It’s up to Alejándro. As head of archaeology for Bolivia, it’s his call.”

“Okay then,” Roth said. “What say you, Mr. Cala?”