The main camp was fifty feet wide and a hundred feet long. For the most part, the ground was a muddy mess from the rains. Two white tents, the kind you see at a farmer’s market, were nestled together in one corner. In the opposite corner, two enormous tarps were strung from several different trees. It was evident this was command central.

Jonathan Roth and his production assistant were sitting in collapsible nylon chairs in command central, fiddling on a laptop.

Roth glanced up as we approached. “You guys find anything goo—” He leaned forward and squinted. If he were a cartoon, he would have squeegeed both eyes with his fists. “What in the hell?” He pushed himself up from his chair.

“Surprise!” I shouted.

“I’ll say,” he said, walking toward us.

I couldn’t help but notice his facial hair, unlike everyone else’s, was the same length as when I’d seen him a week earlier. Clearly, he’d packed his trimmers.

“We were going to radio ahead,” Holland said with a soft smile. Then, nodding at Sean, who had his camera trained on Roth, he added, “But we thought this might make for better television.”

“No, no, this is much better!” He laughed. “I just— I’m having trouble processing this.”

“To be expected,” Vern said.

“Papagayo!” Roth shouted. “How the hell are you?”

“I’m tired, I’m hungry, my knee hurts like hell, and I could use a stiff drink.”

“Well, I can fix a few of those things.” Roth looked over his shoulder and said, “Libby, get water heating on the stoves. Let’s get these people some food.”

Libby gave a thumbs-up but continued working.

Roth clapped his hands twice and said, “Come on, chop-chop. We have hungry travelers.” He turned back around, his brilliant veneers on full display. “And who else do we have here?”

I introduced my companions. I expected Roth to swoon over the baby sloth, much like Andy had, but he hardly acknowledged her.

“You’re welcome to anything,” Roth said. “Lots of snacks and some killer freeze-dried meals.”

I wasn’t sure whether his hospitality was genuine or if he was playing for the cameras.

Time would tell.

He waved us forward. “Come on, drop those packs. Let’s get you some grub. Beef stew, mac and cheese, chicken tetrazzini—we got it all.”

“The mac and cheese is pretty good,” Andy said.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, “Then I shall have the mac and cheese, my friend.”

≈

Jonathan Roth and I were under one of the white tents. We were seated in chairs across from each other. Sean operated a video camera on a tripod, and Darnell held the boom microphone. The rest of the expedition team was eating in command central.