Inca Gold

    "You're talking a major operation," said Rodgers.

    Pitt held his light on the great coiled chain. "Nobody said it was going to be easy. Besides, bringing out the treasure isn't our problem."

    Sha

    Pitt stared back. "Have you forgotten? We're supposed to stand aside and hand it over to our old pals from the Solpemachaco."

    The repulsive thought had slipped her mind after gazing enthralled at the wealth of golden artifacts. "An outrage," Sha

    "Why don't you lodge a complaint?" said Pitt.

    She glared at him, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

    "Let the competition know how you feel."

    "How?"

    "Leave them a message."

    "You're crazy."

    "That observation has been cropping up quite a bit lately," said Giordino.

    Pitt took the rope slung over Giordino's shoulder and made a loop. Then he twirled the rope like a lariat and threw the loop across the water, smiling triumphantly as it settled over the head of a small golden monkey on a pedestal.

    "Ah, ha!" he uttered proudly. "Will Rogers had nothing on me."

    Pitt's worst fears were confirmed when he hovered the helicopter above the Alhambra. No one stood on the deck to greet the craft and its passengers. The ferry looked deserted. The auto deck was empty, as was the wheelhouse. The boat was not riding at anchor, nor was she drifting. Her hull was resting lightly in the water only two meters above the silt of the shallow bottom. To all appearances, she looked like a ship that had been abandoned by her crew.

    The sea was calm and there was no pitch or roll. Pitt lowered the helicopter onto the wood deck and shut down the engines as soon as the tires touched down. He sat there as the sound of the turbine and rotor blades slowly died into a morbid silence. He waited a full minute but no one appeared. He opened the entry door and dropped to the deck. Then he stood there waiting for something to happen.

    Finally, a man stepped from behind a stairwell and approached, coming to a halt about 5 meters (16 feet) from the chopper. Even without the phony white hair and beard, Pitt easily recognized the man who had impersonated Dr. Steven Miller in Peru. He was smiling as if he'd caught a record fish.

    "A little off your beat, aren't you?" said Pitt, unruffled.

    "You seem to be my never-ending nemesis, Mr. Pitt."

    "A quality that thrills me no end. What name are you going under today?"

    "Not that it's of use to you, but I am Cyrus Samson."

    "I can't say I'm pleased to see you again."

    Sarason moved closer, peering over Pitt's shoulder at the interior of the helicopter. His face lost the gloating smile and twisted into tense concern. "You are alone? Where are the others?"

    "What others?" Pitt asked i

    "Dr. Kelsey, Miles Rodgers, and your friend, Albert Giordino."

    "Since you have the passenger list memorized, you tell me."

    Please, Mr. Pitt, you would do well not to toy with me," Sarason warned him.

    "They were hungry, so I dropped them off at a seafood restaurant in San Felipe."

    "You're lying."

    Pitt didn't take his gaze off Sarason to scan the decks of the ferry. Guns were trained on him. That was a certainty he knew without question. He stood his ground and faced Miller's killer as if he didn't have a care in the world.

    "So sue me," Pitt retorted, and laughed.

    "You're hardly in a position to be contemptuous," Sarason said coldly. "Perhaps you don't realize the seriousness of your situation."

    "I think I do," said Pitt, still smiling. "You want Huascar's treasure, and you'd murder half the good citizens of Mexico to get it."

    "Fortunately, that won't be necessary. I do admit, however, two-thirds of a billion dollars makes an enticing incentive."

    "Aren't you interested in knowing how and why we were conducting our search at the same time as yours?" asked Pitt.

    It was Sarason's turn to laugh. "After a little persuasion, Mr. Gu

    "Not very smart, torturing a United States legislator and the deputy director of a national science agency."

    "But effective, nonetheless."

    "Where are my friends and the ferry's crew?"

    "I wondered when you'd get around to that question."

    "Do you want to work out a deal?" Pitt didn't miss the predator's eyes staring unblinkingly in an attempt to intimidate. He stared back piercingly. "Or do you want to strike up the music and dance?"

    Sarason shook his head. "I see no reason why I should bargain. You have nothing to trade. You're obviously not a man I can trust. And I have all the chips. In short, Mr. Pitt, you have lost the game before you draw your cards."

    "Then you can afford to be a magnanimous wi

    Sarason made a thoughtful shrug, raised his hand, and made a beckoning gesture. "The least I can do before I hang some heavy weights on you and drop you over the side."

    Four burly dark-ski

    Gordo Padilla came first, followed by Jesus, Gato, and the assistant engineer whose name Pitt could not recall ever hearing. The bruises and dried blood on their faces showed that they had been knocked around but were not hurt seriously. Gu

    "Oh, no, Dirk!" she exclaimed. "They've got you too."

    Gu

    Sarason smiled, unfeeling. "I think what Mr. Gu

    Pitt's anger came within a millimeter of driving him to inflict pain on those who had brutalized his friends. He took a deep breath to regain control. He swore under his breath that the man standing in front of him would pay. Not now. But the time would surely come if he didn't try anything foolish.

    He glanced casually toward the nearest railing, gauging its distance and height. Then he turned back to Sarason.

    "I don't like big, tough men who beat up defenseless women," he said conversationally. "And for what purpose? The location of the treasure is no secret to you."