Pitt exhaled a deep breath, removed his shoes and unlimbered in his leather chair. "Admiral, this is Dirk."
"About time," Sandecker grunted. "I could have written my next speech before a congressional budget committee."
"Sorry, sir, I was attending a party."
There was a pause. "A party on a NUMA vessel dedicated to scientific research?
"A farewell get-together for the ladies we rescued from Polar Queen," Pitt explained.
"I'd better not hear of any questionable actions." Sandecker was as open and receptive as the next man, but discussing anything less than scientific procedure on board his fleet of research ships was not his strong point.
Pitt took great joy in needling the admiral. "Do you mean hanky-panky, sir?"
"Call it what you may. Just see that the crew plays it straight. We don't need any exposure in the scandal rags."
"May I ask the nature of this call, Admiral?" Sandecker never used the phone simply to reach out and touch someone.
"I require the services of you and Giordino here in Washington damned quick. How soon can you fly off Ice Hunter for Punta Arenas?"
"We're within the helicopter's range now," said Pitt. "We can lift off within the hour."
"I've arranged for a military jet transport to be waiting for your arrival at the airport."
Sandecker was never one to let the grass grow under his feet, Pitt thought. "Then Al and I will see you sometime tomorrow afternoon."
"We have much to discuss."
"Any new developments?"
"An Indonesian freighter was found off Howland Island with a dead crew."
"Did the bodies show the same symptoms as those on Polar Queen?"
"We'll never know," answered Sandecker. "It blew up and sank while a boarding party was investigating, killing them as well."
"That's a twist."
"And to add to the mystery," Sandecker continued, "a Chinese junk luxury yacht owned and sailed by the movie actor Garret Converse is missing in the same area."
"His legion of fans won't be happy when they learn he died from unknown causes."
"His loss will probably get more coverage from the news media than all the dead on the cruise ship,"
Sandecker acknowledged.
"How has my theory on sound waves played?" Pitt asked.
"Yaeger's working it through his computers as we speak. With luck, he'll have gleaned more data by the time you and Al walk through the door. I have to tell you, he and Rudi Gunn think you may be onto something."
"See you soon, Admiral," Pitt said and hung up. He sat motionless and stared at the phone, hoping to God they were on the right track.
The dishes were cleared and the party in the ship's dining room had become loud with laughter as everyone competed in telling shaggy dog stories. As with Pitt, hardly anyone noticed that Giordino also had departed the festivities. Captain Dempsey entered into the humor of the evening with an old, old joke about a rich farmer who sends his ne'er-do-well son to college and makes him take along the old family dog, Rover. The kid then uses the old mangy dog to con his old man out of spending money by claiming he needs a thousand dollars because his professors claim they can make Rover read, write and talk. By the time he came to the punch line, everybody laughed more from sheer relief it was over than from the humor.
On one wall nearby, a ship's phone rang, and the first officer answered. Without a word, he nodded in Dempsey's direction. The captain caught the gesture, came over and took the call. He listened a moment, hung up the receiver and started for the open passageway leading to the stern deck.
"Are you all joked out?" Van Fleet called after him.
"I have to stand by for the helicopter's departure," he answered.
"What's the mission?"
"No mission. Pitt and Giordino have been ordered back to Washington by the admiral, posthaste.
They're flying off to the mainland to catch a military transport."
Maeve overheard and grabbed Dempsey by the arm. "When are they leaving?"
He was surprised by the sudden strength of her grip. "They should be lifting off about now.
Deirdre came over and stood next to Maeve. "He must not care enough about you to say goodbye."
Maeve felt as if a giant hand had suddenly reached inside her and squeezed her heart. Anguish filled her body. She rushed out the door onto the deck. Pitt had only lifted the helicopter a scant three meters off the pad N hen she came running into view. She could clearly see both men through the helicopter's large windows. Giordino looked down, saw her and waved. Pitt had both hands busy and could only respond with a warm grin and a nod.
He expected to see her smile and wave in return, but her face seemed drawn in fear. She cupped her hands and cried out to him, but the noise of the turbine exhaust and thumping rotor blades drowned out her words. He could only shake his head and shrug in reply.