Sophia Varga shut off the lantern and exited the mine, blinking in the bright sunlight. By the prefab hut in the clearing she could see her two companions sorting through the rotting boxes they'd hauled from deep in the mine after disposing of their expedition partners. She crossed the hard ground and set the lantern down beside the man nearest, happy to be away from the grizzly scene she had left behind. She knew her husband was ruthless and brutal but he seemed to go way over the top with these last killings.

"How's it going?"

"This stuff is amazing. I can't believe it's been buried down there for centuries. Look at this!" He held up a necklace of silver and jade, the detail as fine as any produced in the modern world.

"It's gorgeous and worth a fortune." She gave a short laugh and wrapped her arms about his neck. "This is probably enough to do us, why hang around busting our guts?" She planted a long kiss on his neck and stood up, stretching, her eye catching the other man. "What do you say, Jack?"

"I say we split this up now and those that want to go . . . go."

"Don't you?"

"I could force myself to dig up another million or so in treasure before packing it in."

"Anton?"

"I didn't kill six people to go home with a handful of jewels when I could leave with a boatload." He took the necklace and tossed into the pack they had been filling. "As far as splitting it up now, well that would require a vote." He looked from Jack to Sophia, eyebrows cocked.

"You heard my vote." Jack sank back on his seat on the ground and stretched out his legs with a grunt.

"Sophia?"

"I think if we're all traveling together we should keep the treasure together and wait until we can evaluate it sensibly . . . fairly. You said Arno was able to escape the mine and run off. Who knows whether he was able to find help or not. I think we should go."

Anton rose to his full six and one half feet and smiled. "Always the practical Sophia. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close, his mouth seeking her mouth while his hands probed the ample curves of her body. "I guarantee Arno won't have gone far, not to worry."

"Get a room, eh." Jack pushed himself up and dusted his pants. "It'll be dark soon and there's another box under that stone pile at the back wall."

"If you want to work more, be our guest." Anton squeezed Sophia closer, taking liberties with his rough hands. "We'll be in the hut."

Sophia cast a glance at the other man as he set his mouth and bent down for the lantern. "I could help if you want." She offered, pushing away from Anton.

"Oh no! He wants to dig in the mine let him. I've got my own digging in mind." His leer gave him a maniacal appearance and he pulled Sophia toward the hut. "Knock first when you get back." His laugh grated on the still air.

Jack set the lantern on the makeshift ledge and picked up the shovel they used for moving the crumbling stone around the boxes. The light was localized and weak and the lantern flame wavered nervously. They had elected oil lamps over batteries because of the intense humidity and the need to pack spare bulbs but Jack wished he at least brought one for times such as this.

Carefully, he cleared away the dirt and then attacked the stone around the side of the box that was partially exposed. Dust and dirt, as well as the smell of death, floated in the small space and the handkerchief tied over his nose and mouth smelled and tasted musty and he lifted it up to take a swig of water. Another mighty thrust and the stone crumbled away freeing the box and Jack eagerly dragged it away from the wall into the working space. He pried the rotting lid free and grabbed the lantern, holding it up to light the contents.

"Jesus!" His exclamation sounded flat and dull in the small tunnel and he sank back on his haunches, gaping into the box. Heaped in the box was a pile of the most brilliant emeralds he had ever seen. They were rough, uncut and varied in size from peas to golf balls. He lifted a small handful and let them sift back through his fingers. "Jesus . . ."

He took the small sack he'd brought and began filling it with the contents from the box; somehow this little discovery would not become part of the split, he thought as he weighed the sack in his hand and frowned. It was too heavy to just carry under his jacket and too bulky to hide from nosey eyes. Quickly, he set it aside and attacked the wall again, exposing yet another, smaller box. When he dug it out he found it contained more of the type of things they'd already recovered and he hastily dumped the contents into the first box, leaving a few of the emeralds as a token.

The wood from the second box he smashed and ground easily into the rubble then he spread some of the stones around to hide any suspicious marks and made his way up out of the mine.

It was dusk when he emerged and there was no sign of the others. The hut door was shut and a dull, flickering glow emanated from the cracks and spaces in the structure. He quietly crossed to his kit by the campfire and transferred the small sack of emeralds to the bottom of his pack, underneath his spare clothes. Returning to the mine entrance, he retraced his steps back to the hut, calling a warning that he was back.

He set the lantern and the newly recovered box down by the campfire and stood listening to the grunts and moans coming from inside, clenching his jaw until it hurt.

"Jack! What did you find?" Sophia sounded relieved and in a moment the hut door opened and she emerged, pushing her dark hair back with her fingers. Her mouth looked swollen and her clothes appeared hastily donned.

"More of the same," he said shortly. "Still, it is more." He didn't want any suspicions to attach to his mood.

Anton strolled out, shirtless and smirking. "See any more boxes in the wall?"

"There might be a few. The digging is getting tougher; we need room to swing a pick to really make any headway."

"We could blast." Anton came up behind Sophia and slipped his hand beneath her breast.

She moved away and tucked in her shirt. "Blasting would destroy what's down there; that's a stupid idea." Anton glared across the space between them. "I still think we have plenty. Who knows what the authorities might be doing about the- about the others?" She swung her eyes to Jack and tried to convey her vulnerable position.

"Maybe she's right. Maybe we should take what we've got and be satisfied."

"Huh." Anton snorted. "I've been satisfied with what I took." He stared purposefully at Sophia. "But then jewels never grow old . . . do they?"

She lifted her chin and absorbed the barb. "Then I guess it's decided. We can be out of here at first light." The men looked at one another, shrugged and nodded agreement.

********

Gretta knelt down and studied the ground carefully. Animals had certainly not made the marks and nature didn't leave small heel prints as far as she knew; the Italian team must have come this way. She stood and looked up the trail toward the next ridge and then checked her watch. Arny would have a fit if she were much longer, so she marked the trail on her rough map, left another physical mark on a nearby tree and headed back to the others.

"About time, it'll be dark before we get back to the village."

"We can camp out if we have to," she said, arriving from her climb hardly breathing heavily at all.

"Oh great. Love to camp out in the wilds of Peru with the wonderful creatures Sander described."

"How's the leg?" She asked, ignoring Arny's complaints.

"It is much improved, Senorita, thank you." Sander proved his statement by standing and testing it successfully.

She looked at her watch again and pulled a face. "I really don't think you could make it back in time, Lieutenant. It will be dark in about twenty minutes. I think we should consider sleeping out and getting something to eat."

"Aww, Gretta. Jeez, not again, not one of your girl-scout episodes."

"Arny, we have the pop up tents. We have food, including some that can be cooked and enjoyed hot. We have plenty of water and I'll bet the Lieutenant here knows enough about the local flora to suggest something for dessert."

Sander grinned and nodded. "There are many berries and fruits that can be found on the plateau."

"Marvelous." Arny stood and sighed in surrender as Gretta pointed to an area above them at the top of the gorge.

"Good spot right up there. You and I can share one tent and the Lieutenant can have the other."

Arny perked up slightly, remembering how compact the tents were. "Sander, have you done much camping?" He asked as they plodded up the slope.

"As a soldier, Mister Wainright? That is an unusual question to ask."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking." He made a face at Gretta's teasing look.

The tents were erected a decent distance apart, the fire built and burning hungrily and Gretta's recipe was cooking in the hanging pot. Sander loaded his things into one tent and struggled out of his jacket, tossing it inside and sitting by the fire.

"You are very competent, Senorita."

"Thank you, Sander. I'm going to use your name instead of your title, okay? And you can call me Gretta."

He blushed, nodding.

"Hope you like beef stew." She ladled some into a metal bowl and passed it over to him. "Arny's crazy about it." She laughed at the disgusted face her joke produced as she passed another bowl to Arny.

"It's the only thing she can cook, Sander, so you better hope we don't get trapped or lost out here."

"I find it delicious, Senorita."

"Suck."

"Excuse me?"

"That's just a saying, Sander. Don't pay any attention to him. Arny is a steak person back home. Steak. Steak. Steak. Right, Arny?"

"I need the protein just to keep up with her," he chuckled.

Sander chewed a mouthful of stew and swallowed. "You are- you have a- you two are . . . ?"

"Yup." Gretta answered. "We have a place together back in Toronto in Canada. We've been together now for what, Arny, four years?"

"Three but it seems like four."

"He loves me." She kidded, smiling at Sander.

"Will you be continuing your investigation into this uhm, this incident?" Sander asked, changing the subject suddenly.

Gretta slid a glance at Arny and nodded. "I think so. I found prints on the trail that I'm positive belong to the Italian party. We're on the right track."

"Gretta."

"Arny, I promise we will go back to Cerro de Pasco first, check on Cheesy and make a final decision then."

"Deal. Right now I'm for bed." He splashed some water in his empty bowl and wiped it clean with a rag from his pack. "We can put these in the dishwasher in the morning. Night, Sander."

The policeman gave a hesitant wave and glanced at Gretta, mouthing, dishwasher?"

"Just a joke, Sander. He means me. I'll clean up in the morning. We'll just make sure there's nothing around that will attract animals and turn in. Your leg should be up to the trip tomorrow."

They tidied up the site, said goodnight and went to their respective tents.