Lewis, who liked a good treasure hunt as much as anybody, couldn’t help but do the math: Two tons is 4000 pounds, which would be nearly 60,000 troy ounces, current market price of $1,700 per ounce would make a little over $100 million, just in the gold bars. The coins could be worth even more depending on exactly what they were and where they came from. Lewis noticed that the area around the edge of the journal photocopy looked a little smudged — like maybe part of the list had been altered or maybe this was actually multiple journal pages put together. Lewis shook the numbers and questions from his head and asked Stonewood bluntly, “Was Uncle Pete a liar, or just another drunk?”
Stonewood’s glare made it obvious that he wasn’t accustomed to anything but respect and conformity from his subordinates. He recovered quickly and continued with his monologue. “Last year, some of my people were finally able to acquire Uncle Pete’s journal. Using the few geographical clues from the entry you have before you, my archeological team located a cave entrance concealed beneath the Snake River, less than 100 yards from what is believed to be a 200-year old landslide. Ground-penetrating radar has confirmed a large cave inside the western wall of the canyon at this location.”
Lewis scanned the other faces at the table and noticed their expressions had flipped from skepticism to excitement. Treasure Fever is a powerful beast and it can be hard to perform the proper analytical thinking when faced with the possibilities of striking it rich. Treasure hunting has claimed the lives of many because people became so fixated on the dream, they forgot to pay attention to the details. Few people are immune to Treasure Fever, and Lewis had to fight the urge to blindly press ahead. Not wanting to ruffle any more feathers just yet, he flipped back through the first part of the packet, looking for anything important he may have missed.
The well-tanned brunette seated across from Lewis cleared her throat and then stated bluntly, “I know why I’m here, but I prefer to pick my own team on all expeditions.” Her voice had a harmonious tone that caught Lewis off guard; there was a faint hint of an accent, maybe Jamaican, that he enjoyed.
The subtle snorts from some of the other members indicated that they too were used to being in charge. Lewis was almost never in charge until things started going wrong, so he sat quietly and tried to take it all in.
Stonewood chuckled. “Ms. Gonzalez, as you will see, you were each selected for specific purposes for this rather unique situation. Continuing on to the next part of your information packet, you will find a brief dossier on each of you. Please follow along as I review them and then we’ll get to the specifics of our mission.” This seemed a little like story time in kindergarten, but Lewis played along, reading with Stonewood as he read the short summaries that had been prepared:
Michael Stonewood
As the owner of Stonewood Enterprises, Mr. Stonewood has built a shipping empire worth billions of dollars. His philanthropic activities in recent years have earned him the respect of leaders and dignitaries from around the world. A self-educated man, Mr. Stonewood believes in hard work, persistence and dedication; which he demands from those around him.
Jennifer Gonzalez
Ms. Gonzalez is a renowned expeditionary cave diver who currently operates her own training center in the Bahamas. She is credited with the discovery and exploration of the Vostok Cave, a massive cave network connecting Antarctica’s Lake Vostok with many other of the continent’s frozen lakes. Ms. Gonzalez has led the exploration and mapping of hundreds of other submerged caves throughout the world, and is routinely sought out for her expertise in planning major expeditions. She is also a well-respected instructor, having trained over a thousand new cave divers.
Scott Miller
Dr. Miller is an internationally-respected archeologist from Stanford University. He performed much of the research and translation that led to the unraveling of the famous Money Pit riddle on Oak Island, a treasure mystery that had stumped the world for 200 years. A brilliant theorist and respected linguist, Professor Miller has written dozens of books that have revolutionized anthropological code-breaking.
Pierre Dubois
Mr. Dubois is the most accomplished and well-rounded mountaineer of his generation. He has documented numerous solo first ascents on some of the biggest walls throughout the world. Mr. Dubois also holds summit speed records on the Matterhorn, the Eiger, and Everest; among others. His online videos are legendary, inspiring climbers everywhere.
Samantha Sinclair
Ms. Sinclair is the mastermind behind Canada’s diamond mining efforts below the city streets of Toronto. She started as an explosives expert, working for her father in the northern mines, and after only two years, she was considered by most to be the best in the world. With no formal training, she is now the chief engineer for Maple Mining International and has drilled and detonated shafts on all seven continents as well as at the bottom of the ocean.
Quinn Lewis
Mr. Lewis is an expert problem solver with experience in a variety of fields. Mr. Lewis was the mastermind behind the plan to use the Hubble Telescope to save the International Space Station from its impending collision with the T32-Hull asteroid. He recently made headlines as the leader of the team that rescued a group of Japanese tourists who became stranded when their submersible became entangled in the Titanic. Mr. Lewis’s unique skills have been used by governments and corporations everywhere from the South Pole to the North Pole, and from the bottom of the ocean to outer space.
Stonewood finished reading Lewis’s bio then added, “We will also be joined by two of my employees, Craig and Lou.” He gestured to the two ex-military types seated by his sides.
Miller, who was the older gentleman seated next to Lewis, asked nervously, “Am I supposed to be actually going on this expedition?”
Stonewood nodded. “Yes. Ms. Gonzalez will assist you through the short underwater section of the cave.”
Lewis saw Miller turn even paler than before. “I’m not a field researcher.” He shook his head slowly then added, “And I can barely swim.”
Stonewood smiled. “You’ll do fine, Professor. You’re all welcome to back out if you like but I assure you, this trip will be worth your time. Each of you will find a brief contract at the back of your information packet, which includes the financial terms of our expedition. I’m confident you will find the agreement quite lucrative. Are there any other questions before I outline the specifics?”
Gonzalez spoke up first. “Let me get this straight: We’re going to enter an unmapped cave through an entrance in the bottom of a remote river? With inexperienced people?”
The smile only widened on Stonewood’s face; he was obviously happy to be pushing people around. He looked into the eyes of everyone seated at the table before answering. “Yes, Ms. Gonzalez, we will be entering the cave through the river entrance tomorrow morning.”
There was shock and murmuring around the table. Stonewood raised his hand to silence the protests before they could begin. He continued. “I realize things are moving fast but, as I said before, time is very critical. I’m afraid we are now in a race with another group who has figured out the location of the treasure. If anyone wants to leave, now is the time; however, I should warn you that you will remain my guest until the rest of us return — due to secrecy concerns.”