When Mac and Danny got back to the lab, it was chaos. There were reporters out in front of the precinct. Mac frowned as he saw the mob. He drove into the parking garage. Danny could see that Mac was angry. "How do you suppose they found out about anything?" Danny asked.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Mac replied. He got out of the Avalanche and slammed the door.

Danny followed Mac to the elevator and they went up to the lab. Jo was still directing the moving of the treasure when they walked in. She was documenting every piece and Ivan Denisov was there as well. "What is going on here?" Mac demanded.

Jo looked at him. "We're getting this stuff into the vault," she said.

"That's not what I mean. What are all those reporters doing outside?"

"I don't know. I didn't tell anyone anything." Jo looked at Denisov. "Did you tell someone about this treasure?"

"How could I keep it from being known?" Denisov asked. "There were too many people who knew it was in the museum. That was why I was so nervous!"

Mac frowned and went to his office. He was disgusted with the whole situation and he had no clues as to who murdered Manicotti either. He sat at his desk and looked through the file and studied over all the evidence. Then he saw someone come from the elevator. Mac tried not to roll his eyes as he saw Chief Burns come from the elevator. He was a tall man and had blondish brown hair, blue eyes and was not much like Chief Sinclair had been, although he was politically minded part of the time.

Burns came to the office and walked in. "Detective Taylor," he said.

"Chief Burns," Mac replied. "What brings you up here?"

Burns scoffed at that. "I'm sure you know what brings me here."

"Maybe you should enlighten me." Mac never liked to go into a conversation without really knowing what it was about.

"Well, one thing is all those reporters outside who seem to think we have billions of dollars in treasure in our vault."

Mac frowned. "We 'do' have billions of dollars of treasure in our vault," he said.

"I know that, you know that, the lab people know that, but they're not supposed to know that."

"I know that."

"Don't play with me, Taylor."

"If you think I had anything to do with them finding out, you're wrong. Come on, you know that something like that is not going to remain a secret. This is something big and Manicotti had treasures in there that were supposed to be lost hundreds of years ago."

"What about this museum curator?"

Mac almost snickered at that. "That guy is so nervous, he would never spill all that to anyone," he said. "He's on pins and needles thinking that someone is going to murder him or kidnap him to get it."

"You have to admit it is a big attention getter," Burns said. "Do you have any clues in the murders?"

"We have some suspects. I have to go and visit another. We have two rich suspects…one is very calm, and the other is very defensive, but then again, he is a defense lawyer. One would have to expect him to be 'defensive'. Then we have John Gordon whom I have not visited yet. They all wanted that treasure."

"So, what do you think?"

Mac shook his head. "I don't know what I think," he said. "They are all rich enough to have hired someone to try and get it for them, but I have to wonder if they would be so messy with their choice of murderers."

"So, you have to try and find out who was hired to try and get the treasures."

"Whoever it was tried to beat the information out of the butler and maid, and they obviously knew nothing about it. Their prints were nowhere in the hidden passageway or the treasure trove."

"And they were killed before Manicotti. It's strange to me that the killer would not have contacted Manicotti."

Mac thought on that a moment. "I'm thinking that someone had lured him to the restaurant with something from that treasure and they got it," he said. "I believe they killed him to get whatever he had there, and they may have thought that was all he had. It makes me think that whoever was hired to get the treasure isn't a rich person. This person saw what he had and thought that was the biggest treasure they had ever seen."

"Someone must be really angry."

Mac leaned back in his chair. "Well, we had one angry suspect," he said. "He had wanted that egg that Waddle bought at the auction, or at least that's what Waddle said. You never know what all their conversation may have included."

"You think they may have conspired together to get that treasure?"

"Anything's possible, but if one of them got it, they could have already moved it out of the country or it is well-concealed, but you would also have to think that whoever has it would want to see it once in a while. People who love stuff like that like to look at it."

"What do you intend to do? It's going to be hard to get a warrant to search Waddle's place or Watts' place."

"We have to find the person they hired to steal the treasure. It would have been impossible to find unusual fingerprints in the restaurant because there are so many people going in and out of there, and there were none in the kitchen except the chef and his workers."

"You have a case that could go on for years."

Mac nodded. "And our suspects know it." He looked at the file. "I have to go and visit John Gordon tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. It's late. I need some sleep, and we have a situation here."

"Get this situation under control, Taylor," Burns said. "We don't want anything happening in this lab."

Mac watched as Burns left. He would protect this lab but he wanted to find out who killed Manicotti and his workers. He got up and walked down to the vault where Jo and Lindsay were still working on getting the treasure into its place. "We're almost done," Jo said.

"I hope so," Mac replied.

Jo looked at him, noticing his irritability. "What's going on?" she asked.

"All this stuff is causing trouble. There are a bunch of reporters out there wanting to get a story and they're letting this whole city know about this stuff. How did they get all this information?!"

"Mac, with something like this, it's bound to get out."

Mac was not satisfied with that answer. "If I catch anyone in this lab selling information about this treasure to get money, they are going to be hunting a job!" he declared.

"No one here is going to do something like that," Jo said.

"Don't be too sure of that! Just getting a picture of it could bring thousands!" Mac glared around him at everyone who was in earshot. "You all had better understand that if it happens, I will find out who did it and you won't be working here!" Mac's glare fell on Jo and then he went to the elevator. He was disgusted with the whole situation. He was tired and he was going home to get some sleep.

Jo looked at Lindsay. "He's just upset," she said.

"I guess he's under a lot of pressure to find whoever did all this," Lindsay replied. "This is a big situation and then there's the question of where the treasure goes once all this is over."

Jo looked into the vault. "So much money," she said. "What would you do if you had money like this?"

"I don't know. I have never thought of having anything like this."

Mac went down to the parking garage and walked over to the Avalanche. He was glad he would not have to go through those reporters to get out of here. He was tired of this situation. He wondered who would know who was hired to lean on Manicotti. Whoever it was had leaned a little too hard. He knew there were plenty of people in this city who would kill for enough money…but whoever this was had not been a professional because a professional would have gotten the treasure before they killed all the people who knew where it was.

Mac stopped as he got to the street. He knew someone who might know who he was looking for. He went home and changed into jeans and a t-shirt and then headed out to see if he was right about his assumptions. He went down to the Green Tree Bar. He had not been there in a long time, but he had found some important clues there before. There was always someone around who knew someone who knew something and they were willing to help the cops because sometimes they needed help.

Mac arrived at the bar and sat there a moment. He was not on duty now so he left his badge in the Avalanche. He walked to the door of the bar and waited a moment before he went in. He hoped he did not meet up with any characters that hated cops. Everyone always seemed to know that he was a cop whether he had his badge or not. He went on into the bar which was dark like most other bars he went into. He walked over to the bar and leaned on it as he looked around at the people in the bar.

The bar tender saw Mac at the bar and knew who he was. He finished filling the order he was doing and then walked down to Mac. "Mac Taylor, what brings you in here?" he asked.

"Scotty," Mac said. "Aren't you going to take my order?"

"Oh, okay. So, what'll you have?" Scotty asked loudly so everyone would think he was filling an order.

"Give me a lime ade."

Scotty shook his head and went to the fountain. "I thought you were going to order something real," he said.

"Looks real to me," Mac replied.

Scotty brought the drink over and gave it to Mac. "So, what else are you here about?" he asked. "All those jewels you've got stored in your vault?"

Mac frowned and stared at him a moment. "How do you know about that?"

"Are you kidding? That is the big topic on the news tonight. It's all over the city."

"So much for keeping it secret."

"Did you think you could?"

"Well, I was trying."

Scotty leaned on the bar. "So what are you wanting to know?" he asked.

"I would like to know if you know who was hired to try and get those jewels," Mac said.

Scotty rubbed his blond hair back and looked at Mac. "Good luck with that."

"Come on, you always know everything. You must have heard something."

"I've heard a lot of gossip but I don't know which is true."

"Just tell me what you think is true."

"I hear that they hired some amateurs to get them back because they knew they would have to pay a professional dearly to do a job like that for them," Scotty said. "Only, these amateurs have never seen a treasure like the one they were after, and when they saw the pieces that he brought, they got carried away and killed him for the ones he had."

Mac scowled at that. "How do you know this?" he asked. He had to admit that it was what he had suspected.

"What are you doing in here asking me questions if you didn't think I knew anything?"

"Come on, Scotty, where did you get that information?"

Scotty looked down at the bar and then looked at Mac. "I don't know the guy, okay?" he said. "He was in here blabbing off his mouth that he had gotten his hands on some treasure that was worth millions of dollars. One specific thing he mentioned was an egg. He said it was some fancy egg that was embossed in gold and had jewels encrusted on it. When I heard about Manicotti's death, I remembered that."

"Did he mention anything else?" Mac asked.

"No. He was just talking about those eggs."

"Can you describe the guy? Did you hear a name? Was he meeting anyone here?"

"He went back there in the game room. I don't know who he met back there or who he talked to."

"Any description?"

"He had black hair, a thin mustache, brown eyes. He was young and eager. They hired him because he worked cheap, I'm telling you."

"And he knew he could make more money than he had ever seen," Mac said thoughtfully. "You had never seen him before?"

"A lot of people come in here, but yeah, I think he had been here before but I don't talk to everyone who comes in. Sometimes it's crowded and I have others here working the bar, waiting tables."

"Thanks, Scotty."

Mac walked away from the bar and took his limeade with him. He went into the game room to see if anyone back there knew anything. He would have to be more careful with them because they would not want to be a stool pigeon. He sipped his limeade as he walked into the room where the pool tables were and other things. It had been a long time since he played pool so he walked over to the tables where there was already a game going on. He would have to be careful how he started that conversation or they would get suspicious.

Mac set his drink down on the counter beside the pool tables and picked up a pool cue. He stood and watched the game. "You up for a game?" one of the men asked.

"Sure," Mac answered. "You playing for stakes?"

"Nah, just playing for fun."

Mac nodded as he watched the opponent make his move. "So, you guys heard about that big treasure trove the cops found?" he asked.

"Yeah, man," the other guy said. "They say it's worth billions!"

"Yeah, that's what I heard. I wonder where he got all that."

"I've heard that the guy was a treasure hunter and he found all that stuff fair and square."

"I heard those paintings were stolen."

"But he even had the Faberge eggs, and I heard he was murdered over them."

"Yeah," the other guy said. "There was some guy in here not long ago bragging about getting hold of two of those. He was bragging about getting it for some rich guy."

"How did he get it?" Mac asked. "From what I hear, that guy didn't want to sell that stuff."

"This guy talked like he stole it, and then when I heard that chef was murdered, I figured that guy must have done it."

"He been in here again?"

"Not since then. I didn't know the guy."

Mac thought he was getting nowhere with this but he was going to hang around a while. Maybe the guy would come in again. "He must have had some help with something like that," he remarked.

"Yeah, he said something about a couple of buddies helping him," the guy who was shooting said. "He must be crazy to be bragging about something like that."

"Probably got a little drunk and it loosened his tongue."

The guy who was waiting for his next shot looked at Mac. "Are you a cop or something?" he asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Mac asked, remembering what Danny had said about people who ask a question to answer a question.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm just trying to make conversation."

"I've never seen you in here before."

"I've been in here several times, but I usually just have a drink. I decided to play a little pool this time."

"My name is Wes. What's yours?"

"Mac."

"Mac, huh? Isn't that the name of that detective who is investigating those murders and that treasure?"

Mac frowned. "Okay, I am Detective Mac Taylor, but I'm still here to play a little pool. Is it so bad to play pool with a cop or to share information?"

Wes stared at him a moment. "I guess not," he said. "I didn't know that guy who was in here. All I know is that he was bragging. You think he killed all those people?"

"Probably," Mac said. "But I don't think he did it alone if he did."

"And who do you think hired him?"

"Can't say. It's an on-going investigation."

"And you have all those jewels in that vault?"

"I guess that's news."

Wes shook his head. "Hey, since you're a cop, I want to have a little stake in our game," he said. "You must have money."

Mac scowled at that with an amused look. "I guess I have a little," he said.

"How about ten bucks?"

Mac shook his head. "Sure, why not?"

Mac could not believe he was hanging around here. He would see if his suspect came in though. He hoped if he hung around long enough, the guy would show up. However, these guys said they had not seen the man since the night he came in bragging.

As Mac and Wes began their game, Mac had not noticed anyone else come in. He tried to concentrate on the game but he was more interested in anyone who came into that bar. He took another sip of his limeade which was quite sour, but he liked it that way.

By the time the game was over, the bar was quite crowded but Mac had not seen the guy he was looking for and neither had Wes. Mac shook his hand. "It was a good game," he said as he handed Wes ten dollars.

Wes smiled. "Hey, I have something to brag about," he said. "I whipped the head of the New York crime lab."

"Don't brag too much. I wouldn't want it to get all over the city."

Mac went back into the other area of the bar and took his glass with him. He got another limeade and went to a table in the corner. He yawned as he sat down to watch people come and go. He thought he would rather be at home sleeping but he wanted to find that guy if he could.

Mac sat and drank limeade until he felt like he would float away and had to go to the bathroom. Just as he was heading for the bathroom, he saw a guy come in who fit the description the others had given him. He had to go to the bathroom, however. He could not chase anyone with a full bladder. He went into the bathroom and took care of that and then went back to the bar. Scotty came over to him. "That guy you were looking for came in," he said. "I thought you saw him."

"I did," Mac replied. "Nature was yelling at me. Where is he?"

"He's in the back."

"Give me…" Mac shivered at the thought of another drink. "Never mind." He walked away from the bar and headed toward the game room again. He saw the guy over at the pool tables.

Mac walked over to the pool tables but before he got there, the guy noticed him and frowned. He started moving away from the table and Mac saw that he was going toward the exit. He went after him and as he got out the door, the guy clobbered him in the back. Mac hit the ground but rolled back up to his feet just as the guy was coming at him with a knife.

Mac grabbed the hand holding the knife and jerked the guy around twisting his arm and made him drop the knife. However, the man had some fighting skills. He stomped Mac's foot with his boot heel and then elbowed him in the face. Mac hit the ground again but came up slower this time and the man had the knife again. "You better give this up," Mac growled. He was angry now. "You know I'm a cop."

"What are you after me for?" the man asked.

"You murdered three people trying to get that treasure. You're an amateur! Anyone could see it!"

That seemed to make the man angry and he came at Mac with the knife again. Mac grabbed his hand but he did not realize that two others were coming up behind him until it was too late. They grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall. He struggled but he could not get away from them. One of them twisted his arm around behind him until it was impossible for him to move. Mac glared at the man he had followed from the bar as he walked over in front of him.

"You better turn me loose!" Mac yelled.

"You think I'm an amateur?" the man asked.

Mac swallowed hard as he stared at the knife in the man's hand which had a five inch blade. He glared at the man. "You won't get away with this!" he said.

"I think I will!"

Suddenly, the man shoved the knife into Mac's left side up to the hilt. Mac was shocked as he twisted the knife and then jerked it out. He did not know if he cried out with pain or not, but the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground staring at the pavement and seeing three men running away. "You shouldn't have stabbed him, man!" one of them said. "He's a cop!"

"Shut up!" the other yelled. "Would you rather go to prison?"

"It's better than death row!"

Mac closed his eyes as he felt the pain in his side and felt his blood running out. He knew he had to get some help or he would die right there. He could see his blood running out onto the pavement when he looked down. It was agony when he moved to try and get up. He moaned and forced himself to get up. He almost fell but he could see the door that led back into the bar. He was dizzy and felt like everything was moving around him. He held his side to try and keep some of his blood from running out. He reached the door and grabbed the knob. His hand was slippery with blood but he managed to turn the knob anyway and got through the doorway.

As Mac got into the doorway, Scotty was coming that way to check on him. "Help me," Mac said and collapsed.