“I’ll cut right to the chase,” Jewel began as she looked over the woman now sitting in front of her. “There’s an old cache of jewelry my grandmother left behind for me. Unfortunately, she forgot to inform me of its exact whereabouts.” She paused for effect, giving the other woman time to think about what she might say next. “I need you to find it and bring it to me.”
“It looks like you’re paying a lot of money for me to find the thing,” the woman replied, brushing her bleach-blonde hair out of her left eye, “why is it so valuable?”
“The jewelry doesn’t hold much worth. I just wish to teach my daughter a lesson.” That was a lie of course. The jewelry contained gemstones and metals not found in the earth for hundreds of years. Their value was unfathomable, but to be worth anything one had to find the right buyer.
“You’re lying,” the treasure hunter raised an eyebrow, calling Jewel’s bluff. “You don’t think I did a bit of research before taking the job? I know your family name; whatever I find will be more than you’re paying me.”
Jewel frowned. “Yes, well then you also know that I can stop you from leaving with the jewelry, if I must. It’s all worthless without a buyer anyway.” Any sane person would have immediately reconsidered taking the job. Then again, no sane person would become a treasure hunter.
“Pay me the money and give my ten percent of all the profits from the haul.”
“Five,” retorted Jewel, “the jewelry has a lot more value than you think.”
The treasure hunter mulled it over before giving a nod. Jewel turned to her assistant, who furiously began typing up a contract. “So who else is involved in this hunt?”
“I have two of my housekeepers stationed on the island right now. They should be more than competent in whatever tasks you assign them, and are trustworthy to the highest degree.”
“And my competition?”
“Like I said before, my daughter is involved, and I don’t want to see her succeed. She needs to learn a lesson, and I believe this is the best way to teach her.”
“I don’t see how one girl could be a problem.”
“She may also have a tiny helping her, but he is less than a centimeter tall, and she is now less than two meters.”
The treasure hunter looked as if she was about to say something, then decided otherwise. The assistant, meanwhile, had finished typing up the contract and had printed out a copy for the hunter to sign.
“What’s the house look like?” the hunter asked while looking over the contract, “Is there anything I should be on the lookout for?”
“The house has long been assaulted by time and the elements, so vegetation has overgrown most of it. The basement has become a cavern of sorts, but it was built on top of a mine, so techniscally it was always a cave, There are also likely some individuals there who also seek to find the cache, but none of them will have the slightest clue as to where it could be, and all are likely classified as poor or worse. You can do whatever you wish with these individuals; their search is a testament to the worthlessness of their lives. Their’s is a desperate effort to escape the claws of poverty.” Jewel hadn’t noticed she had been looking up in speculation, and returned he gaze to the treasure hunter who was now returning the contract.
“I want a quarter of my payment now,” she demanded, “put that in there.” Jewel nodded and her assistant swiftly amended and reprinted the contract. Taking one final look over the paper, the hunter signed and dated it, returning it to Jewel. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“The boy my daughter is likely travelling with is worthless in all senses of the word.” Jewel stamped her signature onto the contract and returned it to her assistant to make copies. “Make sure my daughter returns safely, but dispose of the boy in the most cruel way possible to both of them.”