"Not an easy job, let me tell you. Bringing all that gold across a river deep below the floor of the desert, and then transporting it up a narrow tunnel to the top of the mountain."
"It goes well?" asked Cortina.
"Too early to throw confetti," replied Zolar. "The hardest part, dragging out Huascar's chain, is under way. Once it reaches the surface--" he paused to read the dial of his watch-- "in about half an hour from now, we will cut it into sections for easier loading and unloading during shipping. After it is safe inside our storage facilities in Morocco, it will be reconnected."
"Why Morocco?" inquired Fernando Matos. "Why not your warehouse in Galveston or your estate in Douglas, Arizona?"
"Protection. This is one collection of artifacts we don't want to risk storing in the United States. We have an arrangement with the military commander in Morocco who protects our shipments. The country also makes a convenient distribution center to ship the artifacts throughout Europe, South America, and the Far East."
"How do you plan to bring out the rest of the antiquities?" asked Campos.
"After they are floated across the underground river on rafts, they will be drawn up the passageway on a train of narrow platforms with ski runners."
"Then the winch I requisitioned has proven useful?"
"A godsend, Colonel," replied Oxley. "By six o'clock this evening your men should be loading the last of the golden artifacts onto the helicopters you so graciously provided.
Cortina held his glass of champagne but didn't taste it. "Is there any way of measuring the weight of the treasure?"
"Professor Henry Moore and his wife have given me an estimate of sixty tons."
"Good God," murmured Colonel Campos, an imposing figure of a man with a great mass of gray hair.
"I had no idea it was so vast."
"Historical records failed to give a full inventory," said Oxley.
"And the value?" asked Corona.
"Our original estimate," Oxley lectured, "was two hundred and fifty million American dollars. But I think it's safe to say it's worth closer to three hundred million."
Oxley's amount was a total fabrication. The market price of the gold alone had risen close to seven hundred million dollars after the Moores' inventory. Incredibly, the added value as antiquities easily pushed the price well over one billion dollars on the underground market.
Zolar faced Corona and Campos, a broad smile on his face. "What this means, gentlemen, is that we can raise the ante considerably for the people of Baja California Norte."
"There will be more than enough for the public works your government administrators have envisioned," added Sarason.
Corona glanced sideways at Campos, and wondered how much the colonel was collecting to look the other way while the Zolars made off with the bulk of the treasure, including the massive golden chain.
And Matos was an enigma. He couldn't figure out how the sniveling government official fit into the scheme of things. "In light of the increased estimated valuation, I believe a bonus should be forthcoming."
An opportunist, Campos instantly picked up on Corona's drift. "Yes, yes, I agree with my good friend Rafael. For me, it was not an easy matter to seal off the border."
It amused Cortina to hear Campos use his Christian name for the first time in the ten years they had occasionally met to discuss mutual police and military business. He knew how much it would irritate Campos if he did the same, so he said, "Roberto is quite right. Local businessmen and politicians are already complaining about the loss of tourist revenue and the halting of commercial traffic. Both of us will have to do some heavy explaining to our superiors."
"Won't they understand when you tell them it was to keep American federal agents from making an unauthorized border crossing to confiscate the treasure?" asked Oxley.
"I assure you the National Affairs Department will cooperate in every way to back your position," said Matos.
"Perhaps." Cortina shrugged. "Who can say for certain whether our government will buy the story or order Colonel Campos and me tried in court for overstepping our authority."
"Your bonus." Zolar put it to Cortina. "What did you have in mind?"
Without batting an eye, Cortina replied, "An additional ten million dollars in cash."
Campos was visibly stunned for an instant, but he jumped right in beside Corona. "Police Comandante Cortina speaks for both of us. Considering our risk and the added value of the treasure, ten million cash above our original agreement is not too much to ask."
Sarason entered into the negotiations. "You realize, of course, that the estimated value is nowhere near the price that we will eventually receive. Comandante Cortina knows that stolen jewels are rarely fenced for more than twenty percent of their true worth