按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃You were going to tell us why you smuggled a stolen artifact into the United States；〃 said Ragsdale； his face serious。
The admiral casually opened a box of his cigars and offered them。 The agents shook their heads。 He leaned back in his desk chair； lit a cigar； and graciously blew a cloud of blue smoke over his shoulder toward an open window。 Then he told them the story of Drake's quipu； beginning with the war between the Inca princes and ending with Hiram Yaeger's translation of the coiled strands and their knots。
〃But surely； Admiral；〃 questioned Ragsdale； 〃you and NUMA don't intend to get into the treasure hunting business？〃
〃We most certainly do。〃 Sandecker smiled。
〃I wish you'd explain the Ecuadorian protest；〃 said Gaskill。
〃As insurance。 Ecuador is in bitter conflict with an army of peasant rebels in the mountains。 Their government officials were not about to allow us to search for the quipu and then take it to the United States for decoding and preservation for fear their people would think they had sold a priceless national treasure to foreigners。 By claiming we stole it； they're off the hook。 So they agreed to loan the guipu to NUMA for a year。 And when we return it with the proper ceremony； they'll be applauded as national heroes。〃
〃But why NUMA？〃 Ragsdale persisted。 〃Why not the Smithsonian or National Geographic？〃
〃Because we don't have a proprietary interest。 And we're in a better position to keep the search and discovery out of the public eye。〃
〃But you can't legally keep any of it。〃
〃Of course not。 If it's discovered in the Sea of Cortez； where we believe it lies； Mexico will cry ‘finders keepers。' Peru will claim original ownership； and the two countries will have to negotiate； thereby assuring the treasures will eventually be displayed in their national museums。〃
〃And our State Department will get credit for a public relations coup with our good neighbors to the south；〃 added Ragsdale。
〃You said it； sir； not me。〃
〃Why didn't you notify Customs or the FBI about this？〃 inquired Gaskill。
〃I informed the President；〃 Sandecker replied matter…of…factly。 〃If he failed to filter the information from the White House to your agencies； then you'll just have to blame the White House。〃
Ragsdale finished his coffee and set the cup on the tray。 〃You've closed the door on one problem that concerned us all； Admiral。 And believe me when I say we are extremely relieved at not having to put you through the hassle of an investigation。 Unfortunately； or fortunately； depending on your viewpoint； you've opened the door to another dilemma。〃
Gaskill looked at Ragsdale。 〃The coincidence is nothing short of astonishing。〃
〃Coincidence？〃 Sandecker asked curiously。
〃That after almost five hundred years； two vital clues to the mystery of Huascar's treasure surfaced from two different sources within five days of each other。〃
Sandecker shrugged。 〃I'm afraid I don't follow you。〃
In turn； Gaskill filled the admiral in on the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo。 He finished by giving a brief summary of the case against Zolar International。
〃Are you telling me that another party is searching for Huascar's treasure at this very minute？〃 Sandecker asked incredulously。
Ragsdale nodded。 〃An international syndicate that deals in art theft； antiquity smuggling； and art forgery with annual profits running into untold millions of untaxed dollars。〃
〃I had no idea。〃
〃Regrettably； our government and news media have not seen the benefit in educating the general public on a criminal activity that is second only to the drug trade。〃
〃In one robbery alone；〃 explained Gaskill； 〃the dollar estimate of the masterpieces stolen from the Gardner Museum in Boston in April 1990 came to two hundred million。〃
〃When you throw in the bined theft； smuggling； and forgery operations taking place in nearly every country of the world；〃 Ragsdale continued； 〃you can understand why we're looking at a billion…dollar industry。〃
〃The list of art and antiquities stolen over the past hundred years would equal the number of names in the New York phone book；〃 Gaskill emphasized。
〃Who buys such a staggering amount of illegal goods？〃 asked Sandecker。
〃The demand far exceeds the supply；〃 answered Gaskill。 〃Wealthy collectors are indirectly responsible for looting because they create a strong market demand。 They stand in line to purchase historically significant hot goods from underground dealers。 The list of clients reads like a celebrity register。 Heads of state； high…level government officials； motion picture personalities； top business leaders； and even curators of major museums who look the other way while negotiating for black market goods to enhance their collections。 If they have a buck； they'll buy it。〃
〃Drug dealers also buy untold amounts of illegal art and antiquities as a fast and easy way of laundering money while building an investment。〃
〃I can see why unrecorded artifacts are lost in the shuffle；〃 said Sandecker。 〃But surely famous art paintings and sculptures turn up and are recovered。〃
Ragsdale shook his head。 〃Sometimes we get lucky； and a tip leads us to stolen property。 Occasionally honest art dealers or museum curators will call us when they recognize pieces the thieves are trying to sell。 All too often missing art remains lost from lack of leads。〃
〃A tremendous number of antiquities obtained by grave robbers are sold before archaeologists have a chance to study them；〃 Gaskill said。 〃For example； during the desert war against Iraq in the early nineties； thousands of artifacts； including untranslated clay tablets； jewelry； textiles； glass； pottery； gold and silver coins； and cylinder seals； were plundered from both Kuwaiti and Iraqi museums by anti…Hussein opposition forces and Shiite and Kurdish rebels。 Much of it had already passed through dealers and auction houses before any of the pieces could be catalogued as missing or stolen。〃
〃Hardly seems possible that a collector would pay big money for art he knows damn well belongs to someone else；〃 said Sandecker。 〃He certainly can't put it on display without risking exposure or arrest。 What does he do with it？〃
〃Call it a psychological warp；〃 replied Ragsdale。 〃Gaskill and I can recite any number of cases involving collectors who stash their illegal acquisitions in a secret vault where they sit and view it once a day； or maybe once every ten years。 Never mind that none of it is on public display。 They get their high by possessing something no one else can own。〃
Gaskill nodded in agreement。 〃Collector addiction can make people carry out macabre schemes。 It's bad enough to desecrate and despoil Indian graves by digging up and selling skulls and mummified bodies of women and children； but certain collectors of American Civil War memorabilia have gone so far as to dig up graves in national cemeteries just to retrieve Union and Confederate belt buckles。〃
〃A sad mentary on avarice；〃 mused Sandecker。
〃The stories of grave plundering for artifacts are endless；〃 said Ragsdale。 〃Bones of the dead from every culture； beginning with the Neanderthal； are smashed and scattered。 The sanctity of the dead means little if there is a profit to be made。〃
〃Because of the many collectors' insatiable lust for antiquities；〃 said Gaskill； 〃they're prime candidates for rip…offs。 Their seemingly inexhaustible demand creates a lucrative trade in forgeries。〃
Ragsdale nodded。 〃Without proper archaeological study； copied artifacts can pass undetected。 Many of the collections in respected museums display forged antiquities and no one realizes。 Every curator or collector is unwilling to believe he has been screwed by a forger； and few scholars have the guts to state that the pieces they are examining are suspect。〃
〃Famous art is not exempt；〃 Gaskill further explained。 〃Agent Ragsdale and I have both seen cases where an outstanding masterpiece was stolen； copied by experts； and the forgery returned through channels for the finder's fee and insurance。 The gallery and its curator happily hang the fake； never realizing they've been had。〃
〃How are the stolen objects distributed and sold？〃 queried Sandecker。
〃Tomb looters and art thieves sell through an underground network of crooked dealers who put up the money and supervise the sales from a distance； acting through agents without revealing their identity。〃
〃Can't they be traced through the network？〃
Gaskill shook his head。 〃Because the suppliers and their distributors also operate behind closed doors under a heavy veil of secrecy； it is next to impossible for us to penetrate any particular branch of the network with any prospect of following a trail to the top dealers。〃
Ragsdale took over。 〃It's not like tracing a drug user to his street…corner dealer； and then to his suppliers； and then up the ladder to the drug lords； who are mostly uneducated； seldom go to extremes to hide their identities； and are often drug users themselves。 Instead； we find ourselves matching wits with men who are well educated and highly connected in the top levels of business and government。 They're shrewd； and they're cunning。 E