Johan sat down and said a few words of greeting, and then im- mediately switched to business. They spoke briefly about Klaussen's military experience and his knowledge of home construction. “Good,” Johan said. “Tomorrow you are flying to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Is that okay?”

Klaussen had never heard of Port Moresby. But he was a man blessed with a preternatural mix of optimism and self-confidence. Besides, he needed the work, and the abruptness of Johan's offer carried with it a sense of adventure. Why not? he figured. He agreed to go.

That night, while packing, he did what Internet research he could, discovering that Papua New Guinea was among the most dangerous countries in the world. His duties there, Smith had told him, involved shopping for houses with ocean access in the small town of Madang, on the country's northeastern coast. He flew to Port Moresby, caught a smaller plane out to Madang, and found a dodgy hotel within the budget Smith had given him: 80 U.S. dol- lars a day. Then he set off in search of a waterfront house to meet Johan's specifications. “I had to report back to him, tell him the price, show him pictures of the property,” he said. “Give him the local real estate guy's contact details, and then his lawyer took care of the rest. So basically that was it, very easy, very simple, no non- sense job. But because I was in construction he expected me to check everything properly, that the property was in good condi- tion. Which made sense, in a way.”

When Klaussen came back to the Philippines, Johan hired him on a $4,000 monthly salary—enough to afford an upscale lifestyle in Manila. Periodically Smith would call with a job, or Johan him- self would request Klaussen's presence at the Salcedo Park pent- house, and he'd be sent off on a new mission. For the first few months his tasks followed the same blueprint as the trip to Papua New Guinea: Catch a flight, shop for waterfront property, report back, fly home. Klaussen picked out a house on a golf course in Phuket, Thailand. He flew to Vietnam to do the same in Da Nang. Like McConnell, Klaussen quickly realized that Johan was more