Anne excitedly tried to explain Stoneman's presence and other things that had happened since her last report. "If Jack is indeed heading into a trap, shouldn't you at least try meet him at the airport and let him know, dear?"

Embarrased, Anne said "You're right. It's just with all that's happened this week-- well, let's just say you'll get one fine book out of this!"

"Take care."

Anne hung up and explained things to Drea "Well, at least we'll have Jack here with us." the latter said. "We'll need all the help we can get. We'd better swallow a whole lot of pride and ask Lopez and Sullivan for help."

"Would they be of much help?" Anne wondered aloud.

"You said yourself they're no friends of Stoneman's."

"That could mean they work for one of his competitors."

"True, but it could also mean something else."

"Another thing. Stoneman said he was transferring some of treasure to his yacht. I'd like to get aboard and find out."

"Annie, are your crazy? You'll be going right into the lion's den."

"I"ll have to take that chance."

Stoneman was understandably upset when he heard Anne had escaped . He wanted to know what had happened to Dave, but he was nowhere to be found, either. A few quick calls told him most of the treasure was loaded onto his yacht and the job should be finished by afternoon. Another call, this one to Glenda Chafee, revealed that Drea Rodgers and some Mexican girl had been caught snooping around the beach, but later escaped. Thats was all he needed to get as much of the treasure out of Mexico as possible. He could arrange for transferr at seas or in Nassau, so that was no problem.

After he had hung up, he noticed Pilar, whom he wished to speak to anyway. He knew her as Pilar de la Cruz and his contacts had confirmed nobody in the Mexican Federal Police had such a name, but that meant nothing. It could easilly be an alias. Athough he was on better terms with Colombian drug barons than Mexican ones, he dismissed that out of hand. Like Mafiosi, drug lords tended to leave women out of their operations. Damn good waste of assets, to his way of thinking.

"Beunas dias, Pilar." he said. "How would you like to go aboard my boat.?"

Pilar, greatful that he had not tried to trap her by speaking English. "Muchas gracias, Senor Stoneman." she replied "I would be honored"

"Splendid! How soon can you you be packed and ready?"

Drea and Anne had the good fortune to meet Sullivan and Lopez while on their way to lunch. "I want you guys to level with me." Anne said. "Just exactly who or what are you guys?"

Sullivan and Lopez fished out small leather folders and opened them. Inside were U.S. government credentials and indentity cards.

"D.E.A." Anne said softly

"We get the idea who two aren't just a pair of tourists looking for a bargain scuba vacation." Sullivan said

Anne explained everthing to them, leaving out her relationship with Jack. "Mac Clarey." Sullivan said quitely. "I crossed paths with him when I was a rookie. About ten years ago, I believe it was. Bright guy, two big brass ones."

"That's him." Drea said.

"Well, there's something we can work on."

It was decided that Anne get herself aboard Stoneman's yacht, while Drea would meet Jack at the airport. If Anne had not found a way off the yacht by then, Drea and Jack would try to board it under the cover of darkness. "This is risky." Drea said "You sure you want to go it alone?

"We've been over this." Anne said. "Jack needs someboy he'll recognize to meet him at the airport. That leaves you."

"All right. But I'm doing it all under protest!"

That said, the dropped Anne off near the shop. She took a deep breath and discovered to her relief that there was somebody different on duty there today. A young woman, with red hair and in a sleeveless blouse and miniskirt. "You must be Alice, the new girl." The woman said. "Come with me."

She lead Anne into a back storeroom. My backpack must have made her jump to the wrong conclusion, she deduced. "Here's the stuff--auuugh!" Anne had hit the girl mid sentence. The redhead went down and Anne pounced on her. The detective took rope from her pocket and tied the girl's hands "Sorry, Red" Anne said. "It's nothing personal" Anne then cleave gagged her captive with a red bandanna "It goes so well with your hair." she quipped as she secured the knot."

With that done, Anne took another bit of rope and tied it around Red's ankles, with enough slack to tie some under the heels of the girl's shoes. Anne had been subjected to a similar treatment on a previous case and vowed never to wear three inch heels again. Maybe if this worked, she could convince another woman not to wear such ridiculous shoes.

With that done, Anne looked among the shelves. Once she had found an otfit in her size, she stripped down to her Victoria's Cecret panties and donned the halter and shorts. Just to be safe, she took an adjustable ball cap and put it on, her ponytail sticking out of the back. She came back to the front of the shop when a young woman entered. "Hi!" Anne beamed. "You must be Alice, the new girl."

"That's right." the newcomer replied. No wonder Red jumped to the wrong conclusion, Anne thought. Alice was a bit taller than Anne, but had the same color hair, albiet a bit shorter. She wore denim shorts and a print blouse opened to reveal a bikini top. And those stupid three inchers. Stoneman must be nuts about them.

"Come with me." Anne said.

A few minutes later, Anne stood on the beach as an inflatable boat aproached. Its operator, a man with short blond hair cut the engineas the raft came ashore. He gave the mandatory you must be Alice speech, invitd Anne into the Zodiac, and pushed it into the surf before climbing in and shutting off the motor. "Glad to see you have have enough sense to wear Topsiders." he said "Those damn stilletoes can puncture one of these things."

Anne said nothing but wondered how somebody so inteligent and so polite could work for Stoneman. Maybe he didn't know. The trip to Stoneman's yacht was otherwise uneventful. Once there, Anne clambered up the accomodation ladder, where she was given instructions on the basic layout of the vessel. She was a bit nervous. As much as she enjoyed recreational boating, she was well aware of the ease in which one could be cornered on a boat, even one of this size.

Gelnda Chaffe stowed her clothing in the cabin she'd been assigned, then made her way topside. As she did so, she noticed a familiar face. That girl Pilar, in a bikini. She'd seen her at Stonema's place...and at the beach house the day before, with Drea Rodgers. So, she wasn't working for Stoneman after all. Glenda smiled at that. He didn't need to know.

She then made her way to the foredeck, where she spread out her beach towel, took off her wrap, and began to rub sunscreen on herself. After she'd stretched out on the towel she heard Stoneman say "I can get somebody to rub that on your back."

"Just as long as you don't." she shot

"Unfortunately, your two Swedish friends won't be able to do it." They are being tied up and gagged down in the diving well as we speak."

"Aren't you overdoing it?"

"Maybe. But you won't be radioing a ship with friends on it when you find out where the plane is."

"And how do you know that?"

"In about half an hour, a plane carrying Paticia Flynn and more importantly, Jack Mac Clarey will be landing at the Airport. Fifteen minute after that, both will be prisoners on their way here. We'll have the location of the plane and Mac Clarey out my hair for good."

"What about his two assistants? Don't get the idea they're a couple airhead bimboes just because they look goo in bikinis."

"Much as I'd like to have Mac Clarey watch dear, sweet Annie die before he does, I don't care. As long as he's dead."

Drea paced nervously about the airport terminal. Yes Jack's charter flight flight, but as she was not on the list of people who were selected to meet it, she had to wait inside the building. Also, as she couldn't get to a radio to call the plan she had no way to warn him of the impending danger.

While she waited, Drea became aware of two men waiting as well. Were they supposed to trap Jack? The two looked as if they were expecting someone. She saw them nod as they talked among themseleves. They'd recognized her. Thinking quickly, she walked toward them. One of the men reached underneath his lightwieght sports coat for something. Drea didn't bother to find out what it was. She gave him a swift karate kick to the midsection. The other tried to grab her and got flipped to the floor for his efforts. Drea then ran out toward they main terminal.

"What's going on?" Lopez asked

"I think two guys recognized me." Drea said. "C'mon, tony, let's get out of here!"

They made a hasty exit for the parking lot. The two thugs followed for a while, but relized they were being lured away from their main quarry.

"Care for a ride, Jack?" Patricia Flynn

"I'll be more than happy to take you." Valdez said.

"No thank you." Jack said. "I've made my own arrangements." he pointed to a Hummer parked nearby.

Jack climbed into the Hummer "I'm glad you've made it." the driver said. The Network's been looking into this."

The "Network" the driver had nothing to do with television. "Be very careful." Jack warned "They might have heard you.

Anne nearly got lost twide on Stoneman's yacht, even after being shown her cabin and introducted to her bunkmate. During her stint, she came across the diving well and discovered Sylvia and Elsa. She didn't dare let them go, as thier release would surely cause Stoneman to turn the vessel upside down looking for the pair. there was also several large boxes in the diving well. She had no idea what they were for. Still she loosened the ropes on the two captives and promised get them things to eat and drink.

Drea felt guilty about running the way she did. However, Lopez and Sullivan tried to reasure that the possibility existed her actions had lured the two thugs or away. Or that Jack had seen through the trap. Either way, the still needed to get in touch with Anne, so Drea could at least leave him a message.

Patrician Flynn looked up at Ted Stoneman, Glenda Chafee, and Dr. Valdez. She was in a bunk in one of the yacht's cabins. Her wrists and ankles were bound, and a longer bit of ropeconnected the two in a hog tie. A black silk scarf served as a gag. She was angry at the trio looking down on her. Here they had talked about advancing human knowledge when in truth all they were advancing were their own bank accounts.

"Aren't you overdoing things a bit?" Glenda asked.

"Not really." Stoneman replied. "I suspect that somebody may have infiltrated my group. I'm a cautious man. Hell, I don't sleep with anybody I don't trust one hundred percent."

"At least have her so she's a bit more comfortable."

"Suit yourself." Stoneman's cell phone rang. He answered, then clicked it off and cursed mightily at the news. "That Mac Clarey girl! She's somewhere aboard, disguised as one of my crew members!"

Valdez had taken a boat from a dock, so this was the first word Stoneman had of the incident. "That's why she stays gagged." he said. pointing toward Patricia.

"Alice, wake up."

"I'm okay, Crystal." Anne said. Like any ship (it was too big to be called a boat, to Anne's way of thinking) Stoneman's had a watch and Alice/Anne had drawn the midnight to six A.M one. Anne said little as she donned the halter, shorts, and Topsiders. She also took a flashlight from underneath the bunk.

About four hundred yards away, a different vessel was anchored. On board, Drea was slipping into a black waterproofed Spandex body suit that covered her from neck to ankles. She checked the things she needed: a plastic bag with a change of clothes, Kife, swim fins, mask, and a special brething rig that re-used air without the tell-tale noise and bubbles of conventional scuba gear. As she and the two men looked out ward, they noticed a light coming from the yacht. One short, one long, over and over.

"Morse code, most likely." Sullivan said.

"It's Anne." Drea said. "That's an A." she the picked up a flashlight and sent her reply: One long, two short, the letter D.

Lopez placed a small aluminum ladder over the side "Good luck" they said as she climbed down into the water.

"I'd like to stay." Lopez said.

"So would I." Sullivan said. " But we have to make contact with that Mac Clarey guy"

"Where's Jack?" Anne whispered as Drea reached the top of the accomidation ladder.

"I was hoping you could answer that." Drea returned as she changed into the T-shirt and shorts she had brought along. "Where can I stash this stuff?"

"This way." Anne led Drea to a locker "Elsa and Sylvia are being held on board. Insurance so Glenda doesn't double cross Stoneman."

"Where?"

"Follow me."

Unknown to Anne, Stoneman had posted a guard at the door to the diving well. She was surpised to see a woman in front of it. She need only one look at Drea and shouted "Intruders!"

The duo turned and ran. Let's get to the stern, and use that boat to escape." Anne said.

Before they could reach the deck, their way was blocked by two men, with two women who were came out of a nearby cabin. The two detectives were cornered in the narrow passageway, and siezed. A heavy hand was clamped over each one's mouth as they were dragged to the main salon. The had been tied hand and foot when Stoneman came to investigate the commotion. His beamed on seeing the two captives and ordered one of his flunkys to fetch some rope while he went to his cabin.

Stoneman soon returned, carrying two pairs of handcuffs and two ball gags. The flunkey returned with a long piece of rope. "I know just what to do with the two of you." he said, gleefully. Drea and Anne were yanked to their feet and each had a ball gag forced deep into her mouth, then securely strapped in back. Next, stoneman manhandled them so they were back to back. The fact Drea was barefoot nearly negated the inch hieght differential between the two Stoneman then cuffed Drea's right wrist to Anne's left and vice versa. To top it off, the legs were secured together at ankle height and the long peice of roped looped throught their arms and around their waists and chests. "There" Stoneman crowed "Nobody, not even dear old Uncle Jack can save you two now!"

Is Stoneman right? Have our heroines met their end? Find out in the final chapter of "Case of the Mayan Treasure"! Coming soon!