“Uh-oh, it’s the fucking big Indians,” I whispered, to Cyrus before I answered the call.
“Special Agent Monroe, I had you on my list to call today. You’d asked me to let you know if the Pantellis started selling their shares. Well, they sold all of their shares to International Uranium Corp., Jim Lee’s outfit.”
“That’s good news, Trace, and just in the nick of time.”
“How’s that?”
“Both Al and Pino are presumed dead. Their plane went done in the Gulf yesterday, about two hours after they left New Orleans, en route to the Caymans.”
“A bomb?” I asked, glancing over at Cyrus.
“We don’t think so. Pino, who was flying the plane, was in communication with air traffic control. He reported fuel problems and engine failures. His last transmission said they were going down and gave their position. The Coast Guard had a cutter on-site at first light this morning. They found some wreckage but no survivors, and no bodies.”
“Damn, I can’t believe it.”
“Yeah, neither can Mr. Lei Chang. He called us about a missing courier he’d sent to New Orleans to buy the same shares IUC bought.”
I took out my pen and scribbled on a napkin, ‘“Pantellis’ dead–double X,’” and slid it over to Cyrus. He read the note and nodded.
“Looks like Al was playing both ends against the middle,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m shocked,” Agent Monroe said, dryly. “And so is Chang. We think the Pantellis demanded Chang pay them in cash. Then they knocked off his courier and stole the money. All of which is probably now at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, which somehow seems kind of fitting.”
“Well you were right about one thing, Agent Monroe,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“We got the shares out of their hands, in the nick of time.”
“FYI, Trace, we’re going to keep investigating the Pantelli plane crash, and the disappearance of Chang’s courier. But between you and me, I doubt it’ll go anywhere. Good news is two more killers are off the board. Unfortunately, a couple of civilians went down along the way.”
“It’s interesting how things kind of even out in the end, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it is, Trace. I’ll be in touch, if we need anything else from you.”
I put the phone down and looked across the table at Cyrus.
“Did you get the gist of it?”
“Yeah. The Pantellis got just what they deserved, and I think it’s pretty ironic they bought it over the Gulf. What goes around comes around. Hell, I’ll bet old Malcolm’s laughing his ass off.”
“From what Agent Monroe said, I think Al and Pino had a lot of time to think about it while they were on the way down.”
“Seems only fair.”
“Thank God, Jim bought their shares when he did. Otherwise we’d be dealing with the Pantelli heirs. Can you imagine what a feeding frenzy that would have been?”
Cyrus laughed. “Yeah, you can say that again. “So, what’s next? Where do we, you, go from here?”
“We’ll, I’ve decided to join the Pantellis.”
“What?” Cyrus said with a chuckle. “Don’t tell me you’re crossing over to the dark side.”
“No, no. I mean I’ve decided to sell my shares to IUC. I’ve taken Montana Creek Mining about as far as a no-account geologist can.”
“I see. Well, it’s the smart move, Trace. It’s going to take someone like IUC to finance a full-blown mining operation. Hell, you’re like me. You enjoy finding the deposit, doing enough drilling to prove up a discovery, and then move on. The fun’s in the finding, not in the operations. Trust me.”
“I couldn’t agree more. By the way, as I’m soon to be cashed-up, do you have any interest in selling your condo, in George Town?”
Cyrus laughed. “Dominic got to you, eh?”
I nodded. “Uh-huh, I guess she did. So what about the condo?”
“No sale, Trace . . . but I’ll lease it to you for a year. Provided you look at a concession I’ve been eyeballing.”
“I’ll take the lease. What kind of concession?”
“Alluvial diamonds, in West Africa.”
“A ground-floor opportunity, I suppose?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
A big grin spread across Cyrus’s face. “Abso-damned-toutly.”
229
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
CHAPTER 38
Chapter 39
CHAPTER 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 5 4
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Deadly Lode (Trace Brandon Book 1) Page 28