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could see it in his eyes.”
    “Watch out that you’re not the one who becomes enslaved.” Gwen pulled some bread out of the basket on the table.
    “He’s a guy. They’re pretty easy to manage,” Joss said carelessly, giving the busboy such a brilliant smile he accidentally overfilled her glass, slopping water on the tablecloth. “I’m not worried about it.”
    “So you fly to Stockholm together and then what? I mean, you can’t just wander around asking everyone you meet questions.”
    “You said you knew this Silverhielm guy has the stamps.”
    “I said I thought he had the stamps. Not the same thing as knowing.”
    “Well, I hope you’re pretty certain, because I’ve got a plan for getting in good with Silverhielm. It means taking a risk, though.”
    “How do you mean?”
    Joss hesitated. “I need to take the Blue Mauritius.”
    “You’re out of your mind.” Gwen’s reply was immediate. “That stamp is in the bank vault where it belongs, and that is where it’s going to stay.”
    “We’ve got to have it to smoke out Silverhielm,” Joss argued and outlined the plan, leaving out the fact that Bax had had doubts.
    “It’s too risky,” Gwen almost wailed. “Do you know what it would do to the value of that stamp if it got so much as creased? Let alone wet or torn. It wouldn’t even be worth the price of a replica. We can’t take that chance.”
    “We have to,” Joss told her. “It’s the only angle I can think of. Don’t you want the one-penny Mauritius back?” she coaxed.
    Gwen pressed her face into her hands. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this. You swear you’ll be incredibly careful with it?” she demanded, raising her head.
    “I swear.”
    “And you’ll put it in a bank vault over there until you need it?”
    “Don’t worry about it, Gwen.”
    “Oh, like that makes me feel better. You need to take this seriously, Joss.”
    “I do take it seriously. Haven’t I been different since I came back this time? Haven’t I?” she demanded.
    Gwen nodded grudgingly. “You’ve done a good job at the store. Frankly, I expected you to be gone a long time ago.”
    “I’ve changed, Gwen, I really have. Letting Jerry steal the stamps was a screwup by the old me. I need to make it better. Anyway, we’ve got Bax on the case, remember? He knows what he’s doing.”
    “And what is he doing so far to earn his exorbitant fee?”
    Joss shrugged. “He doesn’t go on the clock until we leave, and that’s got to wait for me to get my passport. Right now, he’s looking into Silverhielm’s background. I figure I’ll see what I can find out, too.”
    “How are you going to do that?”
    “Get a briefing from you, for starters. I need everything you know about the stamps Silverhielm has, who he deals with, where he lives, anything. If you’ve got it electronically and can send it to Bax, so much the better.”
    “That’s not going to help you find him, though,” Gwen pointed out.
    “I know.” Joss paused. “I need to go see Stewart.”
    Gwen sat absolutely still for a long moment. “Why do you need to go see Stewart?” she asked finally. “I told you before, he says he doesn’t know anything.”
    “I don’t believe that. Maybe nothing obvious, but I bet he knows some little nugget that will help us.”
    “He’s in Las Vegas. It’ll mean driving or flying.”
    “I know.”
    “It’s not free, Joss,” Gwen said with an edge to her voice.
    “I know. You said we could use your winnings from the poker tournament to pay for Stockholm and Bax. I found a ticket that’s twenty-nine bucks each way. I’ll fly down in the morning and back in the afternoon. You won’t even have to pay for a hotel.”
    Gwen drummed her fingers restlessly on the table. “What makes you think he’ll talk to you?” she demanded. “He’ll barely remember you.”
    “That might make it easier. He’s probably so stir-crazy in the slammer that he’ll see anyone just for something