Wayne watched his telephone, willing it to ring with a report from Strom. It had been several days with nothing to let him know what the hell was happening. He buzzed his secretary and asked for some iced tea then switched to his private line and called Susan.

"Wayne? Is everything all right?"

"Just wondered if there had been any calls to the home for me."

"Nothing here. Who are you expecting?"

"My- our people in the Philippines." He knew she'd catch his slip and would probably file it away for future consideration. Life with Susan was becoming a tiresome series of domineering displays, demonstrating her invented authority.

"Should we be acting on this?"

"Not much we can do. It's likely just local circumstances. I'm sure I'll hear shortly." He used the personal pronoun intentionally and sensed the desired response.

"Don't be late getting back; we have that cocktail party at the Winston's."

"What's that in aid of? I'm not keen on mingling with a bunch of—"

"These people are important to me, Wayne. Just don't be late." The line went dead, and he resisted hurling the phone against the wall. The secretary entered with his tea and paused at the thunderous look on his face.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"Nothing to do with you, Marsha." He hung up and accepted the cup of tea.

"Can I do anything else, sir?"

Jenner let his eyes linger on her trim waist for a second and blinking, shook his head and smiled thanks. He watched her leave and felt the worm of lust linger at the edge of his mind. The tea was perfect, eliciting a sigh as he turned to the panoramic view from his corner office. Susan needed a lesson. Strom had better call soon.

><><><><

Bishop Gravestone gazed at the large map of the world on his office wall and pondered his absolutely asinine choice of Victor Crocadero for such a delicate mission. Of all the people he could have hired, he allowed himself to be talked into a second chance by the world's most inept bumbler. He should have known better the minute he learned that Gretta Lawrence was in the picture. The woman was a witch. She never seemed to fail regardless of the odds. His mind fled back over the years and his dealings with her uncle before he contracted his death in the Mexican jungle. He wasn't sure if she ever knew but regardless, she had made his business life miserable ever since.

He tossed back the rest of his scotch and set the glass on the windowsill. Outside, huge dark clouds bumped together over the city threatening the arrival of a heavy rain. The subtle, hidden lights automatically came on in the office and Bishop's face grew stern as he returned to his desk. He sat and stared at his hands for a few minutes and then spun the cards in his Rolodex. A long time had passed since he needed to look up a number for service to his private pursuits. He came across the name, DeGeer and tore the card from the file; it was one he would not need any more. His fingers slowed as they passed through the cards, stopping at the one he wanted, reading and making a face.

Joshua Danzig had come to his attention a number of years ago when he first took up treasure hunting. He had never used him personally, but his reputation at the time had impressed enough to retain a small biography and contact numbers for the man. Now he wondered if this might not be overkill, considering the fact that there might not be a large reward in the end. If stupid Vincent did find the right place and there was something, it didn't necessarily follow that it would be enough to warrant a Joshua Danzig. He let the card slip by and kept looking.

When the phone rang he was stunned to hear Gretta Lawrence on the other end of the line.

><><><><

Vincent almost cried when he spotted the tiny opening in the ground among the bushes and broken branches. He fell to the ground, oblivious of any danger, and pressed his face to the opening.

"This is it! It has to be!"

Gretta ordered him aside and told Arny to watch them carefully. She shucked her pack and took out her flashlight, shining it down the hole.

"See anything?"

"Dirt and water. That rain didn't help any. I'll have to dig away the entrance; these bushes have grown over it." She fetched a rope from her pack and a shovel and after a few minutes of grunting labour, she anchored the rope to a nearby tree and dropped the rest down the hole.

"Okay? Watch them, Arny." She cautioned, then began lowering herself through the opening.

"Be careful," he warned.

"You just watch them, I'll be right back." She dropped out of sight, and the next several minutes seemed like a lifetime for Arny. The men all stared at him with hatred, and he kept glancing at the opening, wishing Gretta to appear. When she finally did, hauling herself up and rolling over onto the ground, mud-caked and wet, she was smiling hugely.

"Get a load of this, Vincent." She held up a coin that glittered even in the dull light of the forest. "Pay dirt!" She stood and walked over to Arny, handing him the coin and taking back her gun.

"Is this real gold?"

"It ain't a chocolate wrapper, lover. There's a large crate down there with more of these, plus a lot of small artefacts and jewellery. It's all amazingly well preserved, hardly any grime, or water damage to the crate either. That hole is actually very dry once you get past the opening." She leaned close and whispered in his ear. "There's a long tunnel running off of the main space; I bet it leads to more of the same."

"What do we do now? What about these guys?"

She pointed at Vincent. "Call Gravestone."

"Aw jeez, no..."

"Call him, Vincent."

He reluctantly took out his phone and punched in some numbers, then Gretta took it from him and listened to it ring.

"Bishop? Gretta Lawrence." There was no sound and she permitted herself a small smile. "I know you're there, Bishop; this is a private number you gave to Vincent."

"Miss Lawrence." The voice was barely controlled and angry.

"I'm calling to let you know that Vincent came through with flying colours."

Bishop hesitated, processing the statement. "He what?"

"He found part of Yamashita's Gold. I'm holding a coin in my hand as we speak."

"You're holding it?"

"Oh yeah, uh- I forgot to mention that Vincent is kind of my prisoner at the moment." Bishop's hand grew white on the receiver and his face grew hot. "Don't be too hard on him; he was already in some trouble with a group from Wayne Jenner's camp."

"Jenner! What happened to them?"

"Well... what's left of them, actually just one, is also my prisoner." She began to shake with suppressed laughter as Bishop's strangled voice came down the line swearing and vowing a personal apocalypse on each and every one of them.

"Bishop? I'm going to put Vincent on."

Vincent's hand flew up in protest and he backed away, shaking his head, desperation etched into every pore of his face. Gretta raised her gun and he nearly cried, taking the phone and holding it to his ear.

"Sir?" They couldn't hear the words, but his face turned chalky and his lips trembled. When the sound stopped, he lowered the phone and closed it slowly, shoving it back in his pocket.

"Guess that wasn't about a bonus, eh, Vince?"

He considered her before offering his smug message. "Bishop told me to tell you one name. Danzig."

Gretta lost her smile and licked her upper lip. "Joshua Danzig?"

"That's what he said." His face formed a small semblance of pleasure.

"Who's Danzig?" Arny asked.

"Someone we really don't want to meet." She ordered the others to get to their feet and move next to Vincent.

"What are you going to do?" His flash of pleasure turned to fear.

"I'm going to make another call." She walked away from the group and took out her phone.

"Cheesy, don't ask any question, just listen. I need an extraction immediately. I'm at the coordinates I'll text you. About half a mile west is an open plateau; a chopper can set down there. There will be five passengers total. This is critical, Cheesy. Gravestone has activated Joshua Danzig. Oh, and by the way. We found the gold, and there's a lot of it."

"Can we get it out?"

"Eventually, but not on this trip. We need to leave here pronto. I'll fix things so nobody else can get to it meanwhile. We'll have to excavate when we come back but right now there's no other way. You'll just have to trust me on this. I'm sending the location now."

"I've put you on priority alert. Our people will be there as quickly as possible."

"We're waiting." She clicked off and returned to the group. Arny was warned off any questions with a flash of her eyes. He complied. This was Gretta in focused, serious mode... not a good sign.

"Your boss has put a new spin on things, Vince. We have to reconsider our options. Joshua Danzig is a robot; nothing stops him when he gets a scent of his prey. I hope for your sake Bishop didn't give him your name."

Vince groaned and turned away, throwing up into the bushes.

"What's his problem now, another pussy fit?" Strom sneered.

"You obviously don't know Danzig." Gretta said. "Well there's no time for a lesson right now. Arny, take them out to the plateau and don't let your attention stray, okay? Watch for a helicopter."

"What are you going to do?"

"Bury Yamashita's Gold... again."