said Irina. “Some of the missionaries were discontented because of his passion for their historic heritage. They accused him of spending more time listening to and writing down pagan tales than preaching the Word of God. The subject of Don Federico’s stay in Ecuador is well covered in his police file. It was used by the police to back their hypothesis about the assault on him. Their conclusion was that thieves attacked him because of the valuable Indian artefacts he possessed.” James was with her in her hotel room. She had arrived from Rome late that afternoon. They had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and then went to her room to discuss their discoveries. During dinner, after having heard his story, Irina had mentioned that she had a big surprise for him. He had asked her if it was bigger than what the contents of Don Federico’s chest had revealed. “The bets could go fifty-fifty. Although I admit that my news sounds more ordinary,” she had responded. “Don Federico had the reputation of a good scholar,”
