Fifteen years later
"I'm here off the coast of Panama, where we just recovered what we believe to be the coffin of legendary explorer Sir Francis Drake, who was buried at sea over 400 years ago. Are you sure you wanna be defiling those remains like that," asked the young blond woman named Maura Isles, lowering her camera.
Jane Rizzoli, standing soaking wet in a wetsuit on a boat in front of a very old stone coffin and about to open it with a crowbar, looked at the young journalist almost amused. "You make it sound so dirty. Besides, I thought you didn't believe me."
Maura, who was also wearing a wetsuit, shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked skeptically at the brunette. "Well, I did do my research. And apparently, Francis Drake didn't have any children."
Jane grunted in amusement and stepped closer to the other woman. "Well, history can be wrong, you know," she replied, then pried the coffin open with the crowbar without further warning, grinning with satisfaction. "For example ... you can't defile an empty coffin."
Maura stepped next to Jane in amazement and looked into the empty coffin. "What the hell?" she breathed.
"You devil," Jane laughed and took something from the coffin.
Maura raised the camera again. "What is it? Come on, hold it up. "
" No, no, no ... no way," Jane said energetically, pushing the camera out of her face, furrowing her brows. "The deal was for a coffin, that's it."
Maura frowned deeply, looking at the other woman almost challengingly. "Wait a minute, if my show hadn't founded this expedition, you wouldn't have -"
Jane took advantage of being taller than the blonde and looked at her almost arrogantly from above. "Hey, hey ... You got your story, lady."
Maura didn't back down, especially not after this wanna-be treasure hunter called her lady. "Look, Ms. Rizzoli, you signed a contract. I have a right to see every single thing that -
Jane now seemed highly alarmed, looking past Maura out to the open sea when she noticed something in the distance. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Could you hold that thought," she asked, walking past Maura to the wheelhouse and picking up the radio. "Korsak? Uh, we got some trouble. Hurry it up."
The journalist followed her to the wheelhouse and tried to make out the thing that had put Jane on alert. "Okay, okay ... what's going on?"
Jane turned to the woman and smiled briefly with a furrowed brow. "Uh ... pirates."
" Pirates?"
Jane tried to start the boat's engine and made a face when it went on strike, then tried again. "Yeah, the modern kind. They don't take prisoners."
Maura tried to understand what was actually going on. "Wait. What are you talking about? Uh, sh- shouldn't we call the authorities or something?"
The brunette laughed briefly, then walked over to an ocean-going supply crate. "Yeah, that'd be a great idea, but we don't exactly have a permit to be here."
"What?" asked Maura in a high-pitched voice and with wide eyes.
Jane opened the crate and examined the contents closely. "Yeah, so unless you wanna end up in a Panamanian jail, we should probably handle this ourselves."
Maura could now see that several boats were rapidly approaching them and her heart started hammering wildly in her chest. " Wh-what's worse?"
Jane had to smile a little and furrowed her brows. "You obviously haven't been in a Panamanian jail," she replied, handing a gun to the journalist. "Do you know how to use one of these?"
Maura examined the deadly object in her hand and swallowed hard. "Uh, yeah, it's like a camera ... You point and shoot, right?"
Jane looked at her for a long moment, bringing weapons was a necessary evil for her, a reassurance to fight back if a situation like this came into effect. "Good girl."
"How the hell'd they find us out here," asked Maura, standing close almost as Jane went back to the radio to contact her friend again.
"Ah, these guys have been tailing me for weeks. Thought I lost 'em," Jane replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"What did you do to piss them off?"
"Uh, it's kind of a long story. Korsak, do you read me?"
The first bullet whizzed past the wheelhouse and Maura ducked just as the other woman inevitably did. "These guys don't like you much, do they?"
Jane smashed a side window and fired back, but in a way that made the shots much more warning. "Less talking, more shooting," she replied, grabbing the radio again. "Hurry up, Korsak."
Maura inevitably raised her head and went wide-eyed. "Oh my God, Jane ... That one's got some kind of rocket launcher!"
A rocket whizzed just past the boat and Jane's eyes got big as saucers, too. "Whoa. Okay, that's not good."
Suddenly a floatplane flew close above the water surface and gave the two women a little time and distance to the attackers.
Jane straightened up a bit as the attackers' concentration turned to the floatplane and the pirates got in each other's way. "Whooo! All right, Korsak," she cheered into the radio.
" Oh, I don't think I'm getting my security deposit back," Maura growled as she surveyed the strafed boat she was on.
Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "Cavalry's here!"
"Thank God," Maura took a deep breath and ducked her head as smoke suddenly rose from the engine room. "Oh!"
Jane stopped abruptly and swallowed hard. "Ah, damnit! The whole ship's gonna blow up! We gotta jump!"
"Yeah," Maura replied, following the brunette as she then stopped abruptly and turned on her heels. "Oh, wait!"
Jane was already standing at the railing, more than ready to leave the burning boat. "What are you doing," she asked in a shrill voice.
Maura grabbed her camera, which was by the supply box, then ran to the railing. "Okay ... Okay ... Come on!"
"Go!"
"All right -"
The floatplane had landed in the water a little ways from the burning boat and the side hatch opened. "I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?"
Jane swam up to the plane and held onto the metal ladder that had been lowered down the side by her old friend Vince Korsak. "I had everything under control until they blew up the boat," she replied, reaching out to Maura to pull her close. "You all right?"
Maura held onto the ladder and smiled a little. "Nothing that years of therapy won't fix."
Jane grinned wryly before chuckling.
"Well, if it isn't the beautiful and talented Maura Isles," Korsak said as he helped the blonde onto the plane. "
"Flattery will get you screen time."
"Yeah, I'm more the behind-the-scenes kind of guy. Vince Korsak."
Jane held out her hand for him to help her out the water, too, and rolled her eyes as he expertly ignored the gesture. "Oh, for God's sake -" she growled, climbing into the floatplane and closing the hatch annoyed. " What do you say we get out of here before we attract any more attention?"
Korsak started the plane and looked at his friend as she sat down in the copilot's seat. "Well?"
Jane looked at him with a grin and lifted a plastic waterproof bag containing an old book. " A little present from Sir Frances."
"So you found the coffin," Korsak stated, raising his eyebrows. "Wait a minute ... Is this what I think it is?"
"Drake's lost diary. He faked his death, just like I said, Korsak. He must have been onto something big."
"Yeah, well, let's keep that between us," Korsak replied, nodding over his shoulder into the belly of the plane the journalist was in.
Maura stuck her head into the cockpit and smiled broadly. "I think I've earned a look at that diary when we land."
Korsak groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes while Jane smiled almost apologetically and lifted her shoulders.
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Jane, wearing a black T-shirt and earth brown khaki pants, stood on another boat that had been rented from Korsak and examined Drake's book and several maps that lay on a table in front of them. "So look, when Drake sailed into the Pacific, he took the Spanish fleet completely by surprise. He captured their ships, he took all their maps, their letters, their journals, and he recorded everything in this diary."
Korsak nodded slowly. "Uh-huh, so this -"
"But when he got back to England, Queen Elizabeth confiscated all of his charts and logbooks, including this one, and then swore his entire crew to silence."
"Yeah, so this -"
Jane frowned deeply and pointed at the scuffed wooden table. "You see, Drake discovered something on that voyage, Korsak, something so secret, and so valuable, they couldn't risk it getting out."
"All right, Jane ... just pretend for a minute that I don't really care about any of that stuff, and cut to the chase, would you," he interrupted her train of thought a little too loudly.
She looked at him, puzzled at first, then smiled. "A man only interested in the climax. You must be a real hit with the ladies."
Korsak grinned broadly. " Never had any complaints."
She smiled briefly and pointed to the papers. " Okay then, I'll jump to the good part, just for you."
Korsak looked at the page from the journal and looked at his protégé almost in disbelief as he understood what Jane was getting at. "El goddamn Dorado."
Jane nodded slowly and took a loud, deep breath. "He was onto something big, all right."
Korsak scratched his chin slowly, trying not to appear too excited. "Does it say anything else?"
Jane grinned mischievously. "Oh, so now you're interested, huh?"
"Yeah."
Jane crossed her arms and sighed loudly. "Unfortunately, no, the last page was torn out." She looked at him urgently. "I'm telling you, Vince ... This is it, this is finally it."
"Yeah," he replied slowly, looking at the jetty where Maura was on a phone call. "Only, we got one little problem."
Maura ran her hand through her hair and looked at the two of them. "Yes, that's what I said, it blew up. It sank. No, that's why we have insurance, right. Oh." She paused and smiled as the person on the other end of the line informed her that insurance didn't work like that. "Oh, no the camera ... The camera is fine, don't worry about the camera. No, still as good as new."
Jane shook her head and looked at the old man for a long time. "Korsak, the girl can hold her own. You should have seen her."
"Fine," Korsak grumbled slowly and skeptically. "You go out there and tell her, 'We just found the lost City of Gold.' Maybe her producer can get it on air tonight."
"Oh, come on -" sighed Jane, annoyed.
Korsak looked at her urgently. "Jane, do you trust me?"
"More or less," she replied slowly with an approach of a smile.
"Good, 'cause we're gonna have every two-bit scumbag in the world racing us to this treasure unless we cut her loose right now."
Jane snorted loudly and lowered her brows. "You're a real gentleman, Vince."
"I know. It stinks," he replied, frowning. "She'll get over it."
Maura paced up and down the dock, dropping her left hand to her side. "No, I don't ... I don't care if we're over budget. I mean ... Do you realize this could be like ... the biggest story of the year?" She paused as Jane and Korsak waved at her and waved back. "Hi -" She turned serious again. "No, I don't trust them, okay? That's why we need to move fast. So just get me the camera crew, and I promise you that -" She ran to the end of the dock as the boat took off without warning and without her. "Son of a bitch. HEY! Should have seen that one coming."
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Korsak followed Jane through Peru's jungle, panting loudly. "Hold on. Hold on, kid. I'm not as young as I used to be."
Jane looked over her shoulder and smiled broadly. " You weren't too old for that little barmaid in Lima, were you?"
Korsak stopped, scooped through, and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "Ha, well, that was different. Although I must admit, equally as strenuous."
Jane grunted and climbed over a fallen tree. "Hang in there, old-timer. We're just about there."
Korsak continued to follow her through the nearly impassable thicket, saying, "You know, this reminds me ... I ever tell you about the time I pawned a phony 16th-century santo off on Pablo Escobar? Ah, a risky move, but by the time he figured it our I was -" He paused and frowned deeply. "Jane, are you even listening to me?"
Jane hacked her way through the jungle with a machete. "Hanging on every word."
He rolled his eyes. "Ah, why wasting my breath. You really think that Francis Drake came all the way up here, huh? We're an awful long way from England." He nearly bumped into her when she stopped abruptly in a clearing. "Well?"
Jane stood in the clearing, looking around almost perplexed before looking at the GPS unit in her hand. "I don't get it. According to this, we're right on top of the mark."
Korsak stood right next to the young woman and held out his hand. "Maybe you're not reading that thing right. Let me see it."
Jane automatically pulled the GPS away and furrowed her brows. "No, this is the place."
"There's nothing here, Jane. Another goddamn dead end," he replied, almost frustrated.
" Easy, Korsak," she replied, and he took a big gulp of water from his canteen. "Just relax. Let's take a look around."
"Oh, man. This is like trying to find a bride in a brothel."
Jane took a sip of water from her water bottle herself before making her way further into the jungle, slowly wondering to herself if they were on the right track when, without warning, they came upon another clearing with tall pillars sticking out of the ground.
"Well, now this is more like it," Korsak laughed behind her, "What do you think this is. Incan?"
Jane examined the pillars closely and shook her head slowly, sweat trickling into her eyes, but she didn't much care. "Nah, it's older than that. Like two thousand years older."
The old man patted her sweaty back. "Good work, kid."
Jane nodded slowly and walked toward a pair of columns adorned with hanging plants. She frowned as she suddenly stood on a flight of stone steps leading down. She handed Korsak the machete before glancing behind the vines. She looked at Korsak with a grin. "Uh, think we're gonna need flashing lights for this one," she said as she helped the man climb the slightly easier obstacle. Her breath caught as the two suddenly found themselves standing in some sort of temple. She let the beam of her flashlight reach the ceiling. "Whoa!"
Korsak was less enthralled by the dilapidated surroundings and made a face. "What a warm and homey place, huh?"
"Not quite what you were expecting, huh?" replied Jane with a grin.
Korsak couldn't really share her enthusiasm. "Yeah. Where's all the damn gold?"
Jane walked over to a wall and picked up an old metal helmet. "Ah, that place was picked clean centuries ago."
"No-good limey pirate."
Jane looked closely at the metal helmet and drew her eyebrows together. "No, it wasn't Drake," she replied, tossing him the helmet. "Check this out. Looks like the Spanish got here before we did."
"Agh," he growled, tossing the helmet aside.
"What the hell, Korsak," she said, startled, and straightened up.
"Jane, I'm not looking for a lousy piece of tin! I'm up to my eyeballs in debt! I was really counting on that one."
"Too many big bar taps in Lima, I guess?"
Korsak snorted and looked around the hall. "That, and well, just a few bad deals."
Jane looked at him long and hard, almost concerned. "Yeah, well, I always told you to stay away from the bad guys ... and the bad girls."
Korsak laughed briefly. "Yeah? Look who's talking."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Korsak took a step toward the young woman. "That reporter. I saw the way you were eyeing here."
Jane grunted and turned away from her old friend. "Maura? Please. I snuffed any chance with her the second we ditched her on that dock."
" All's fair in love and war, kid," he replied, knowing he'd hit the mark and his eyes hadn't deceived him.
She took a deep breath and pretended to keep looking around. She hated that Korsak had seen through her so easily. "Hmm. And what if you can't tell the difference?"
"Then, my friend, you are in big trouble," he said, then decided to drop the subject. "Those Spaniards sure left a lot of shit behind." He faltered, startled, as they suddenly stood before a seemingly endless hole in the ground. "Careful, Jane, that's quite a drop."
Jane picked up a rock and dropped it into the opening, counting the seconds before she heard the dull thud. An old but time-tested procedure. "You're not kidding." She looked around and pointed to a door finely carved out of the stone, locked but with a rotary lever on it. "Maybe we can get through there." She walked to the mechanism and turned it, laughing as the door lifted a little.
Korsak quickly went to her. "Here, let me do that. I'll hold it open. You ready?"
Jane took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. "
Korsak operated the crank and Jane slipped under the stone door. "See if you can jam it from the other side. Hurry up, Jane."
Jane could hear the man struggling to counterbalance the door and looked around the room with her heart beating wildly. Her eyes fell on a cargo cart that seemed to still be in remarkably good condition despite all this time and braced herself against it with all her weight, pushing it laboriously under the door. "All right, let go. This oughta hold it. Hurry, Korsak." She grabbed the man by the arm as the cargo cart creaked dangerously and pulled him into the room before the cart collapsed under the weight.
He lay next to her and started laughing. "That was a little too close! Let's hope this place has a back door, huh?"
Jane grinned broadly and looked up over her head, sat up, and then was on her feet again when she saw a large object in the room. "You know, this looks familiar," she said, and Korsak sat up. She examined the object and turned her gaze to Korsak with a frown. "Yeah, here it is. Looks like this thing is some kind of lamp or brazier. See if you can light it."
Korsak heaved himself to his feet with a groan, walking over to the young woman while lighting his windproof lighter and lifting it into a contraption that still smelled of oil to the day. "So after all your bitching about the cigar, now it comes in handy, huh?" he said as surprisingly the room was bathed in light.
Jane smiled wryly. "Nice."
Korsak took a long look around and frowned deeply as he again saw a deep hole in front of them and apparently there was no further way. "Beautiful. Now what? Uh, Jane. I mighta been able to do that thirty years ago." He looked at her briefly, then drew his eyebrows together as he watched the young woman assess the adversity and come to a conclusion. "Aw, don't tell me you're gonna swim in that."
Jane gave him a long look and raised her shoulders. "I've been in worse."
Korsak rolled his eyes as he realized he wasn't going to change her decision. "You sure. You don't know how deep the water is."
Jane looked at him for a long moment before stepping to the edge of the water hole. "Do you have a better idea?" she asked before placing her hands crossed on her shoulders, taking a deep breath, and then and expertly jumping into the black hole with her legs outstretched. "Here goes nothing, whooohooohaaa!"
Korsak hesitated for a moment before following suit with his protégé, counting the seconds before he felt the painful impact on the water before being pulled to the surface by a strong hand. "God, I hate you."
"No, you don't," Jane replied with a chuckle as she swam to an underwater staircase, followed by her old friend.
Korsak heaved himself onto the stairs and rolled onto his back, no matter what it looked like. Then he looked up and chuckled. "Now, it looks like we're getting somewhere."
Jane realized what the man was talking about, since they were in another hall, and shook the water off her arms. "After that, we better be." She looked around the room, wishing her clothes and shoes weren't full of water and other things she didn't want to think about at that moment.
Korsak, however, quickly patted himself down. "Oh, man."
"The temple must have been built around this -"
"Around what?"
Jane surveyed the scratch marks in the stone floor and the pedestal from which something had, to all appearances, been broken. " A statue -" She could see the remnants of gold in the wall and ran her fingers over it. "A gold statue."
Korsak recognized the same and looked at the inscription on the wall. " A huge gold statue! And look, here ... these people, they're worshipping the damn thing. At least I think they're people."
Jane stared ahead, her gaze unfocused before looking at the inscriptions. "Of course. 'El Dorado,' 'The Golden Man!' Korsak, it wasn't a city of gold, it was this. It was a golden idol."
Korsak laughed up and looked at the high cave ceiling. "Man, can you imagine what that thing would be worth now?"
Even though Korsak's tone made Jane sit up and take notice, she decided to ignore the warning voice in the back of her head and surveyed the tracks on the floor, which were already close to being overlooked. "Look over here, tracks. I bet the Spanish dragged it out on cut logs. Huh ... We're four hundred years late for this party."
"So the trail's cold?"
"Yeah, it looks that way."
"Son of a bitch!" cursed Korsak through clenched teeth.
Jane gave him a long look and furrowed her brows. "Unless -"
"Unless what?"
Jane pointed to the tracks. "We follow the tracks." They were following the tracks now, and all at once, they dropped their shoulders. "Huh. They stop here."
"Yeah, it looks like the back wall of the temple was blown out." Korsak seemed more and more distressed.
Jane looked around searchingly and frowned deeply as she peered into the deep jungle. "Yeah. The Spaniards must have made themselves a shortcut to get the treasure out."
"Swell, now what?"
Jane opened her mouth to ask her foster father what his problem was when she suddenly pricked up her ears. "Wait, Korsak, do you hear that?" she asked, following the sound of a waterfall, then stopping abruptly. "Now there's something you don't see every day."
"My God," the older man breathed loudly as he came to stand next to Jane and could hardly believe his eyes.
„Whoa."