CHAPTER FIVEPINE ROOTS BURNED BRIGHTLY in the fireplace, snapping and sizzling as the blaze caught and flamed on the resin. Deep in an easy chair, Greg Manning stretched his long legs out toward the fire and lifted his glass, squinting at the flames through the amber drink.
“There’s something that’s been worrying me a little,” he said. “I hadn’t told you about it because I figured it wasn’t as serious as it looked. Maybe it isn’t, but it looks funny.”
“What’s that?” asked Russ.
“The stock market,” replied Greg. “There’s something devilish funny going on there. I’ve lost about a billion dollars in the last two weeks.”
“A billion dollars?” gasped Russ.
Greg swirled the whiskey in his glass. “Don’t sound so horrified. The loss is all on paper. My stocks have gone down. Most of them cut i
