Exclusive Scene From Greater Treasures

As some of you who follow me know, Greater Treasures came to me while watching The Maltese Falcon.  Naturally, I had to change a few things, one of which was the falcon itself.  After all, if someone offered Vern a cure for Grace in exchange for a bird statue, he'd probably fly to his lair in Faerie and dig one out of his treasure pile. So I replaced it with the Lance of Longinus, which is the spear used by the Roman centurion to pierce Christ's side.  That, of course, changed things.

Here is the scene when they unwrap the bird in the movie:

Here's my take:

Then, she turned to me, her eyes pleading and innocent. "Please, Vern, please. We are certain it's the real one; even more, those from whom we were stealing it know it's the real one. They're the real enemy here. And he's in their employ!" She pointed theatrically in Ramada's direction, but he only chuckled. "After what you told me, I know we have to spirit it away. I wish I had an antidote, I really do. But isn't it more important that we get the Lance away from here? I've been watching the news. I know there's a big Fourth Reich cell here. They're behind all that, too, don't you see? Help us, Vern. Help us get the Lance. We'll escape to Faerie, have it destroyed…”

Her solilo-plea was interrupted by a knock on the door. The courier, right on time. I took the package between my teeth so no one would be tempted to wrest it from me.

"Pay the nice man, Eva," I instructed through my mouthful.

Despite her feigned tension, she managed to "Tuh!" but Ramada, chuckling all the while, paid the delivery fee and tip.

They gathered around the table as I ripped apart the packaging. They began ooh-ing and aw-ing at once.

"It's amazing!" Ramada murmured.

"It's beautiful!" Eva breathed.

“It’s ours,” Weylin hissed.

"It's fake." I chanted.

They turned to me in surprise. I rolled my eyes. "You can't fool this nose. The blood staining the shaft? Not more than five hundred years old. The shaft itself is aster plantanoides. They didn't have Olmsted Norway Maples in the Roman Empire. You're looking at a bona fide copy—no power potential whatsoever."

Eva gave a small gasp. Weylin opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out.

Ramada sighed deep within his throat. "A shame, a shame. Nonetheless, my employer is more interested in the historical content. As I am the one most likely to obtain an antidote, may I assume the prize goes to me?"

"No!" the other two shouted in desperate unison.

On cue, sirens began to wail outside.

"Actually, I think the police will have to decide that..." I said as uniformed officers burst into my lair, guns drawn.

Vern does not get off as easy as Spade does, however.  Want to know more?  Get Greater Treasures on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/greatertreasureskindle