he's out of the way, you marry the new Guild boss.' He nodded. 'That's the way to stay anonymous, all right.'
She flushed. 'Okay, so my plan didn't work out exactly as I'd intended. The thing is, after I met Jake and some of the other hunters in the Quarter and heard about the missing men, I had to do something. I couldn't ignore them. I felt like I'd found my calling at last.'
He pushed through a heavy mass of leaves. 'I knew it. A natural-born do-gooder.'
'Hey, I resent that—'
He stopped. 'Hush,' he said quietly.
'Don't you hush me, Fontana.' Then she, too, heard the voices in the distance. 'The gate?'
'Almost there,' he said.
He climbed up onto some exposed tree roots that were as thick as a man's body, pushed aside a monstrous, cup-shaped leaf, and saw the gate. It was wide open, revealing the glowing green quartz catacombs beyond. A large number of people were clustered around the entrance. They didn't look like the usual gaggle of explorers, archaeologists, biologists, and researchers that accompanied routine expeditions.
Most of the entire membership of the Guild appeared to be present in the clearing. The hunters were all dressed in jungle gear. Some milled about, waiting. Others unloaded equipment from two large sleds.
The man in charge turned to one of the hunters.
'Tell those damn reporters to get out of the way, or I'm going to let the next sled run right over them,' Ray said in a voice that was meant to carry across the clearing.
'Yes, sir,' the man replied.
Sierra clambered up onto the low mound of roots and surveyed the scene. 'What's going on?'
'I think we'll be on the front page again tomorrow morning.'
'What in the world?' Understanding lit her eyes. 'They're getting ready to send out a search-and-rescue team. For us?'
'Touching, isn't it?' He jumped down from the roots and reached up to give her a hand. 'Let's go tell them that they really don't need to go to all that trouble.'
He gave Elvis to her, took her hand, and started toward the busy gate. One of the hunters unloading a sled saw them first. A shout went up. Then the reporters and photographers realized what was happening. They poured through the gate in a wave.
'Sierra,' Matt Delaney yelled. 'Are you okay?'
Kay waved madly. 'Don't say a word until we get back to the newsroom,' she shouted. 'This is a
'The hell it is,' a man in a sports coat and a very bad tie surged out of the pack. 'When the Guild boss and his wife go missing, it's everybody's story.'
'That's what you think,' Kay shot back. She seized his coattails as he went past. 'The wife in this case is a
Somehow Kay's oversized tote connected with the other journalist's midsection. He grunted, staggered, and fell back a couple of steps. Kay rushed forward.
'Over here, Sierra,' she yelled. 'It's me, Kay.'
Phil separated himself from the crowd. He bounded over a stack of supplies and equipment, camera aimed. 'Do me a favor, Sierra. Undo another couple of buttons.'
'Look,' Sierra said. Her smile was a little misty. 'Even Mr. Runtley is here. That is so sweet.'
A moment later they were surrounded by the reporters. Leaving Sierra to fend for herself, Fontana pushed through the mob, delivering only a few clipped comments en route. Eventually he fought his way to where Ray stood, lounging against the side of a sled.
Ray folded his arms and grinned. 'Should have known you'd pull off another chapter to add to the Fontana legend. You two okay?'
'We're fine. I'll be right back.'
He walked to where the small army of hunters stood watching him and talking among themselves. They quieted when he approached.
'Thanks for coming out today, gentlemen,' he said, shaking each hand in turn. 'My wife and I appreciate it. Sorry to put you to the trouble.'
The men grinned.
'Fontana's First Rule, sir,' one of them said. 'Never leave a man behind for ghost bait.'
He stood and talked with them for a few minutes, and then he went back to Ray.
'What made you and everyone else think we'd disappeared into the jungle?' he asked.
'Your frequency didn't show up on the locaters. Figured the only other place you could be was in the rain forest.' Ray paused. 'I assume you know about the fire?'
'Yes. Anything left?'
'Not much. But the antiquities in the gallery are fine. Nothing can damage quartz and dreamstone. I've got a few men on guard at the scene to make sure nothing gets stolen until the relics can be recovered. The ashes are still too hot to search. The cops said someone used one hell of an accelerant.'
'How did you know we went underground?'
'The authorities assume they'll be looking for two bodies in the ashes. But I figured that if you'd had any warning at all, you would have used your hole-in-the-wall. I asked for volunteers.' He angled his head toward the group of hunters. 'Every damn Guild man showed up. You're a popular guy. The ones you don't see here are either on assignment and didn't get the word or keeping watch over what's left of the mansion. What the hell happened?'
'Almost got abducted by aliens.' Ray nodded. 'Knew it would be a good story.'
Chapter 28
SIERRA PAUSED IN THE ACT OF POURING COFFEE INTO three mugs. 'There's nothing left at all of your beautiful house? How dreadful.'
They were in her apartment. Fontana and Ray were at the small table, poring over notes and files. Fontana had his phone out, about to make a call.
'The antiquities collection was the only thing that would have been hard to replace,' Fontana said absently. 'It's all fine.' He entered a number into his phone and waited for the other party to answer. 'As for the house, it can be rebuilt.'
'But you can't duplicate that gorgeous old woodwork or those incredible mosaics,' she insisted. 'They were museum quality. Craftsmanship like that just doesn't exist anymore.'
'Maybe not, but fireproof building materials sure do. I intend to use them when I rebuild.'
Ray winked at Sierra. 'Fontana's not what you call the sentimental type.'
Probably because he was so goal-oriented, she thought. The only thing that mattered to Fontana was the future.
He spoke into the phone.
'Davis? Fontana.' There was a short pause. 'You heard about that already?' Fontana shot an unreadable look at Sierra and then got to his feet and walked to the sliding glass doors that opened onto the balcony. 'Sure, I know the jungle is not your ordinary honeymoon venue, but things have gotten a little complicated. That's why I'm calling.'
He talked briefly and then ended the call.
'Oakes finally turned up something interesting on Patterson,' he said.
'About time,' Ray said.
'Who is Davis Oakes?' Sierra asked.
'He's a PI in Cadence,' Fontana explained. 'He went the old-fashioned route and followed the money. He said it took a lot of digging, but it turns out Patterson has set up several accounts at a number of small banks and investment firms scattered throughout the city-states using phony names and IDs.'
