“She wasn't able to close us out. She had to let us in. She had to get medicine for her dolphin, so she had to use outside help for that.”
“Because she chose to do it.”
“But if Betworth's guys hadn't been told that Lontana shipped out in the Last Home, she'd probably have had a much more determined crew to deal with. In that case, the choice wouldn't have been hers either. The island concept is nice, but it seldom works. Civilization always interferes, emotion interferes.”
“I'd like to try it sometime.”
He shook his head. “You couldn't stand it. You're too involved with life. Give it a month and you'd be risking your neck on the Gaza Strip or digging through some ruin with Sarah Logan and her dog.”
“But you could. You could stand on the outside and watch the world go by.”
“Sure I could.” He glanced at her and his lips tightened. “We're different, Alex. That's what I've been telling you.”
She quickly looked back at the island to mask the pain that went through her. “It must be a really strange relationship between Melis and Lontana. She seems more the protective parent than he does. He evidently leaves her out here in the middle of nowhere for months on end.”
“I wouldn't worry about her. She's definitely no victim.”
“I didn't say I was worried. I just don't like the idea of anyone being that isolated.” She grimaced. “We didn't find out much, did we? Except about the coal mine. How many coal mines are there in West Virginia?”
“I don't know, but we'd better find out soon,” he said grimly.
She felt the same sense of urgency. They seemed to be taking only the tiniest steps forward, and again she had the panicky feeling that time was running out. “It's like trying to work a picture puzzle with half the pieces missing.”
“But we're gradually finding those pieces. We know Betworth originally hired Lontana because they thought they had a foolproof way of accomplishing their ends without being found out. But evidently there was some reason why they thought the sonic apparatus wouldn't give them the effect they wanted on the last project in Baltimore. So they brought in Morales to handle it and evidently also to give them backup plans in case Lontana's technology didn't work.”
“And after they got what they needed, they called you to get rid of him so he couldn't talk,” Alex said. “And when Lontana took off for the high seas and ruined their nice little scenario, they had to backtrack and rely on Morales's original plans.”
“See, we're making progress.”
“Yeah, some progress. We don't know why, when, or where. As a journalist I was taught those questions were the essentials for any story.”
“Well, we know who. Betworth. The rest will fall into place.”
She hoped it would fall into place in time. “Do you think Lontana is as innocent as she claimed?”
“Maybe. He bailed out before Arapahoe. Did he suspect? It's possible. But Betworth evidently didn't think he'd picked up enough information to be dangerous or he'd never have gotten out of Fairfax alive.” He frowned. “What I'm wondering about is Morales's involvement in this Baltimore project. It's logical that it would be Z-3. But the diagram in Morales's briefcase looked more like a skyscraper than anything to do with a seaport. And Morales dealt in drugs and arms. Betworth wouldn't have trusted him to have anything to do with this thermal-sonic apparatus. He had to have some other job to do in Baltimore.”
“What?”
He shook his head. “I don't know and he can't tell us. But maybe someone else can. Most arms dealers don't work alone. The transactions are too involved and complicated. They have partners or at least contacts.”
“Did Morales?”
“I didn't do an in-depth investigation of him before the hit. It was going to be a simple job. No problems.” He reached for his phone. “I told Galen to run a check on him, but it's time to let him know we might need something in a hurry.” When Galen picked up, Morgan went through everything they'd learned from Melis Nemid. “Finding that coal mine should take top priority. But I don't like that info on Morales. I didn't realize he was that much involved in the project. It could be those diagrams are just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Then I'll see if I can find the rest of the berg.” Galen paused. “We have your transport set out of Tobago, but you don't have to come back here. You could stay out of the country. It would be safer. Or you could leave Alex down there.”
“No way. Alex and I have just been discussing islands and the fact that Alex couldn't live on one and certainly couldn't be one. So I guess I'll go along for the ride.” He hung up and said to Alex, “Though he's right, it would be safer to stay down here in paradise. And much pleasanter than that shack in West Virginia.”