Jack Mac Clarey checked his watch. His client should be coming very very soon. Just shy of his forty-second birthday, he was still fit and healthy, with some noticeable gray hairs and the glasses he had taken to wearing in the last few couple years the signs of aging.

Bored with waiting, he came into the outer office and asked "Cindy, is my watch fast or is our client being fashionably late?"

Cindy Lee, who would never be confused for a relative of Spike or Robert, was Jack's secretary. She checked her watch and said "Mine's perfect. 9:02"

"Never mind, I think this might be it." He said as a figure stopped outside the frosted glass door with the words "Mac Clarey and Associates, Private Investigations." painted on it. The door opened and a dark haired woman of about average height came in. She wore a skirt suit and carried a brief case. He judged her to be in her mid forties. "Mister Mac Clarey?" She asked "I am Doctor Patricia Flynn, an archeologist."

"And you have a case you would like investigated." He concluded "Would follow me into the conference room, please."

Jack led her into the room. He believed it to have a more relaxed atmosphere than his office Off to one side was a desk with a computer terminal and a speaker phone. In the center of the room was a coffee table with an easy chair at either end and a sofa on each side. To young women a blonde and a brunette, were stood up. "These are my two associates, Andrea Rodgers," he indicated the blonde "and Anne Thorne."

Andrea -Drea to all who knew her- at the age of twenty-four and five ten in height was the daughter of movie producer. At the onset of her junior year of college, she had been kidnapped and once released, discovered her abductors had only wanted to see what they could get away with. That experience, combined with some other campus mysteries convinced her to become a P.I. instead of a lawyer.

Anne, two years younger and an inch shorter seemed in some ways to be the more mature of the pair. Anne's father had been killed in a car wreck when Anne was eleven and her mother was murdered two years later.

However, Anne's mother had made a wise choice for Anne's legal guardian: her younger brother, Jack Mac Clarey. Jack and his then new wife Sharon gave her wise guidance, and since her adoption by her uncle, Anne had never doubted she would work with him as an investigator.

Jack sat in the chair closest to the door. Anne and Drea returned to the couch to Jack's right, while Doctor Flynn and Cindy took the one to his left. "Now" Jack said "Could you tell us about your case?"

"Certainly." the archeologist said. "Recently, a previously unknown Mayan settlement was discovered and a large number of artifacts were found, mainly artwork and pottery, but some jewels were found. I was part of an archeological team hired to work the site by the National Museum in Mexico City. They were to have the first choice, while the remainder was to divided among whatever museums showed interest."

"Sounds reasonable." Drea observed.

"Yes, but unfortunately such a find stirred up some less savory parties as well. Pre-Colombian antiquities attract a huge price. not just here in the States and in Mexico, but overseas as well."

"And you thought such a find would be a tempting target for thieves." Anne commented.

"Exactly." Doctor Flynn said. "We brought the first batch to a tourist island off the Yucatan, then tried to fly them to Mexico City from there. Unfortunately, two engines on the plane we hired conked out shortly after take off and it had to ditch at sea."

"But would the artwork and pottery have survived the crash?" Drea asked. "And would salt water harm them"

"Yes and what about the flight plan?" Anne asked. "Anybody could get ahold of that."

"All fragile objects were packed and insulated in the normal matter, at the artifacts as well as the crates they were in were shrink wrapped." Dr. Flynn stated. "As for the flight plan we filed a fake one, calling for a direct route to Mexico City, when the real one called for the plane to take a roundabout route. As you might expect, what happened did not endear us to the Mexican authorities. They've suspended the dig and barred the flight crew from landing in Mexico."

"So you need us to find the plane, eh?" Jack said.

"Yes and to restore the reputation of my colleagues and me. I understand you specialize in underwater cases."

"Not really, but all three of us are scuba qualified. I would like to see the genuine flight plan."

"Of course."

The archeologist then opened up her brief case and pulled out the flight plan, plus a description of then plane and inventory of the plane's cargo. She handed them to Jack, who then set them down in front of Drea and Anne. "Will all three of you be going?" Dr. Flynn asked.

"I think two should be enough." Jack said. "Besides, there might be a connection on this end that bears looking into. I think two young ladies on a scuba vacation would be an excellent cover. Providing, of course, you agree."

Dr. Flynn pondered briefly "All right. You have a deal."

"Cindy could you--" Jack began.

"Check out the airline schedules?" she finished."No prob."

She went to the computer terminal. While she did so, Dr. Flynn wrote out a check, then handed it Jack. "Retainer." she explained. "Half now, the rest on completion of the case."

"Agreed." Jack said

"I want to know what happens." the archeologist said as she left.

"How are the flight schedules?" he asked Cindy.

"Most are going through Mexico City. Wait. Here's a direct flight leaving LAX at 11:30."

"That gives us about two hours." Drea observed

"A Four hour flight at best, and you're picking up two time zones." Jack said." But we've made plans for such an eventuality. I call ahead while you two get your stuff. Once Cindy makes reservations, I can call you a Drea's cell phone. You know what to do?"

"Keep a careful eye on the expense account." Drea said.

"Keep you posted." Anne added

"And?" Jack prompted.

The girls sighed, then chorused: "If we have any trouble, don't hesitate to call you."

"Good. Now go out and be careful out there." He was looking directly at Anne when he said that.

That's really sweet of you, Uncle Jack." She said. "But you worry too much."

Jack set his hands on Anne's shoulders and said "You're not just a niece, Anne. You're more like a daughter to me." It was the first time he'd ever said that to her.

"Don't worry Jack, I'll take good care of her." Drea said.

"Anne's right." Cindy said after the two had left. "You do worry too much."

"With good reason." Jack said "She's a lot like me."

Anne still lived with Jack, Sharon, and their seven year old son Mike. Sharon, a five-eight ash blonde had grown up as a Navy brat and was adept at packing. Her marriage to jack had served only to allow her to pack both quickly and efficiently. As a result, she was just bringing Anne's diving gear up from the basement when the two detectives arrived.

"Is everything packed and ready, Sharon?" Anne asked.

Sharon had never tried to be a "mother" to Anne, but more like a friend or confidant. As a result, Anne only used "Aunt" when Mike was around. Besides, to Anne's way of thinking, nobody who was thirty-eight and still looked great in a bikini should be called "Aunt".

"Everything you'd really need." Sharon said as she helped pack the luggage into Drea's car "I kind of envy you two. I want a complete account of everything when you get back. I might even be able to make a book out of it." Sharon was a somewhat successful author. Not at the best seller level, but with a small but loyal audience. "And your passport, of course. I'm surprised Jack sent you two without going along himself."

"It's an easy case." Anne said. "but her does worry too much."

"Of course he does. So do I. But we're both very proud of you, too. Good luck."

They then proceeded to Drea's place. Her decision to become a P.I> had alienated her form her father, a classic Hollywood limousine liberal who wanted her to become a lawyer. Fortunately for Drea, her father's second marriage had failed at about the same time, and she had a relationship with her stepmother similar to that of Anne and Sharon. Thus, the two shared a condo and a maid. Jack had called in advance and with more time to pack, all of Drea's luggage and gear was ready and they soon had it packed and were on their way to the airport.

They arrived at the airport with forty minutes to spare. Drea called Jack on the cell phone and found they had reservations made for them. "Gotta love the Internet." Drea said as she clicked off.

Just then, a woman approached them. She was tall, nearly six feet, and had light brown hair done up in a bun. She wore dark framed glasses, colorful silk scarf around her neck, a lightweight long sleeved blouse, ankle length skirt, and flat soled shoes."

"Hi Doctor Chafee!" Anne said.

"Hello Anne. You too, Drea." Dr. Glenda Chafee said. Dr. Chafee was a professor of American Literature at Anne and Drea's college. They had only had one or two classes with her, but the professors' refusal to expose her legs -the rumor was they had been scarred in some accident- made her a campus celebrity.

"I thought you were supposed to be on sabbatical." Anne said

"Just taking some time off. I missed you at graduation, but I've heard you've joined the family business."

Anne decided it was safe to tell the professor she had, and talk about that case.

"Sounds exciting." Glenda said. "Well. I hope you two enjoy your little adventure."

The flight was uneventful and as Jack had predicted, it took over four hours, landing just before Six p.m. local time. They quickly cleared customs and checked in at their quarters, where they changed for dinner and a night of fun before going to work on their case the next day.

Anne changed into a cocktail dress -a sleeveless, backless sequined blue number with a short skirt- and inch and a half heels, the highest she'd go without duress. Drea chose a gold colored dress with sleeves and long skirt, albeit one slit from ankle to hip, and her own inch and a halves. After dinner, the made their way to the ballroom. As they were pondering the bar or the dance floor, Anne spotted a woman hurrying across the room. "You want a drink?" Drea asked.

"That woman looks familiar." Anne remarked "You go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

The woman was on the opposite side of the room and there were many people between her and Anne. She spotted Anne and made her way to a corridor. Anne dodged a few other patrons and tried to catch up to the woman. She hastened down the corridor, oblivious to a man who started to follow her. The woman Anne was perusing was tall, with light brown hair down almost to mid-back. Anne was almost at arms length when she began to ask "Excuse me but I believe I augh---" She was hit from behind and everything went dark.

Anne came to, but it was still dark. Her first instinct was to rub that bump she felt on the back of head, but her wrists were lashed tightly behind her back. An attempt to talk her way through it led to the discovery of the gag. She also felt her ankles were bound and the faint aroma of cleaning fluids told her she was in some kind of janitor's storeroom.

This is a helluva way to start an investigation, she thought as she drew back her knees to kick the door.