I heard the priest Acosta scream then—a wordless howl of rage and agony. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw him stagger forward into the ring of crates, a cool, boxlike object clasped in his arms. I recognized it as the organ-transfer case. He must have found it after I left it on the floor of the teocalli . He reached into it and pulled out the severed head of the captain of the team that had won the ollamaliztli finals. Then he dropped the head into the hole at the center of the itzompan .