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“I have two hundred million in the room,” the auctioneer said quietly, “anyone in for two hundred ten?”

The room was as silent as a toray-haired man had vanished

“Two hundred going once,” the auctioneer said “Going twice, fair warning” He paused again “Sold! Two hundredbuy it is”

The room, which had been silent, now rippled with contained applause

Spenser stayed another half hour to arrange the crating and security to the airport, and by five that night he was flying east for delivery For security purposes, Spenser had chartered a plane that could not be traced to the Macau billionaire as his client The company was full service—it would both transport him to Asia as well as facilitate the delivery of the artifact to its new home by armored car He was almost home free

3

SIX days after depositing the Cubans in San Juan, the Oregon had rounded the Cape of Good Hope Inside the control rooh-definition four-by-eight-foot screen There was little to see The sun was dipping in the west, and the Oregon was in an eo ships steali the underwater sensors, Kasian to scan his data banks for a match

“She’s a new one,” Kasim said

Franklin Lincoln, the huge pitch-blackduties in the control rooame of computer solitaire “You need to find a different hobby”

“It passes the time,” Kasim noted

“So does this,” Lincoln said, “and it barely uses any computer power”

A buzzer sounded, then the ship slowed and went dead in the water

From the north, a black aon to check the direction of the wind by the flag on the flagstaff, then gracefully dropped into the water and taxied alongside

“The chairman has arrived,” Kasim noted

ONCE safely aboard the Oregon, Juan Rodriguez Cabrilloinside, he shut the door, tossed the bag containing his gray wig and fake beard on the bed, then kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning his shirt as he made his way to the head