“Probably,” Carol replied. She squeezed Nick’s hand and then retracted her own. “But as a reporter, I find this part of our adventure extremely interesting. You can tell that Lieutenant Ramirez is very nervous. He wouldn’t let Todd even ask us any questions until Commander Winters was contacted. And he has been very concerned about our comfort.”
As if on cue, the front door opened and the three naval officers walked in. Winters was in the lead with the two lieutenants just behind. Nick and Carol and Troy were sitting on gray metal auditorium chairs on the left of a partitioned area that served as a waiting room for the larger offices in the rear of the building. Winters moved into the area and half leaned against the large gray desk opposite them.
“I’m Commander Vernon Winters,” he said, his eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. “As Miss Dawson knows, I’m one of the senior officers on the base here. I am currently in charge of a secret project, code named Broken Arrow.” He smiled. “I’m sure you are wondering why you have been brought to the base.”
Winters reached out with his left arm and Ramirez handed him the infrared blowups that showed the missile in the most detail. He waved the photos at the three detainees. “One of the goals of project Broken Arrow is to find a Navy missile that has been lost somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Lieutenant Todd here believes, based on these photographs, that you know where that missile is. That is why he has acted to bring you here for questioning.” Winters’ voice rose in pitch and he began to wave his arms. “Now I’m certain I don’t need to remind you that state-of-the-art weapons systems are what keep our nation free and secure — ”
“Spare us the patriotic lecture and the histrionics, Commander Winters,” interrupted Carol. “We all know that you are searching for a lost missile and that you think we may have found it. Sorry. We went out looking for it today but were unable to locate it again.” She stood up. “Now you listen to me a minute. Your zealous lieutenant there and his men have broken more laws than I can count. In addition to kidnapping us, they have looted and vandalized my hotel room and Mr. Williams’ apartment. They have also stolen some photographs and valuable equipment.” She fixed Winters with a hard gaze. “You sure as hell better have good reason for dragging us down here or I swear I’ll see to it that all three of you are court martialed.”
Carol glanced at Ramirez. He was squirming. “In the meantime,” she continued, “you can start by giving us an official, written apology, returning all our property, and making adequate payment for all the damages. In addition I want exclusive access to all Broken Arrow files from this moment on. If you don’t agree to all these terms, you might as well prepare right now to read about the Gestapo tactics of the United States Navy in the next edition of the Miami Herald.”
Uh oh, thought Winters. This is not going to be easy. This woman reporter intends to play the bluff and threat game. He pulled out a cigarette while he was thinking. “Would you please not smoke in here?” Carol broke into his train of thought. “We all find it offensive.”
Damn these aggressive nonsmokers. He replaced the Pall Mall in the pack in his pocket. Winters had been thrown off at first by Carol’s rapid attack, but he eventually regained his composure. “Now, Miss Dawson,” the commander began a minute later. He looked away from the trio, in the direction of the front door. “I can understand why you might be upset by what has happened. I will admit that our men may indeed have acted in an unwarranted manner while they were searching your rooms to find evidence. However . . .” Winters stopped in mid-sentence, turned around, and came back toward Nick and Carol and Troy.
“However,” he repeated. “We are talking about treason here.” He waited to let his threat register. “And I don’t need to tell you, Miss Dawson, that treason is serious business. Even more serious than journalism.” He hesitated again for effect and his voice became very stern. “If any of you have knowledge of the whereabouts of this missile and have conveyed that knowledge to a member of any foreign government, especially one viewed as inimical to our national interests, then you have committed treason.”
“What kind of dope have you been smoking, Commander?” Carol replied. “We freely admit that we’ve been looking for your missile. But that doesn’t make us spies. You have no case against us.” She glanced at Nick. He was admiring her performance. “I’m simply a reporter covering a story. This treason business of yours is pure fabricated bullshit.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Lieutenant Todd, unable to restrain himself. “Then where were these pictures taken?” He showed the photo of Troy in full diving regalia in the initial underwater room with the red and blue walls. He then turned and pointed to the backpacks sitting in the opposite corner of the room. “And what were your two friends doing with fifty pounds of gold after their dive tonight?”
“All right, man,” Troy remarked in an exaggerated manner. He took a step toward Lieutenant Todd. “All right. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? We found the missile and sold it to the Russians for fifty pounds of gold.” His eyes widened as he looked at Todd. “And now the missile is onboard a submarine on its way to Moscow or wherever . . . Come on, man, get serious. We’re not that stupid.”
Lieutenant Todd’s temper flared up. “You black bastard — ” he muttered before Commander Winters jumped between them. Winters needed some time to think. Todd’s questions were after all. still unanswered. Even if there were good answers, it was not difficult to understand how someone could have come to the conclusion, based on the photographs, that there might be a conspiracy involved.
In addition, there was the issue of defending the actions of his junior officers and the investigating team. If I let these three go now, thought Winters, then we are essentially admitting that we made an error in the first place . . . Ramirez was gesturing at the commander. He nodded outside with his head. Winters did not understand at first, but Ramirez repeated the motion.
“Excuse us a second,” Winters said. The two officers walked out on the porch above the steps, leaving Todd with Nick and Carol and Troy. “What is it, Lieutenant?” Winters asked
“Commander, sir,” Ramirez answered, “my career is the Navy. If we release these three now, after no formal questioning — ”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Winters interrupted abruptly. “I wish that none of this today had happened. But it did. Now we must finish it up properly and thoroughly or we have no defense for what we did.” He thought for a minute. “How long would it take you to get the video and sound equipment set up for a formal interrogation?”
“About thirty minutes,” Ramirez replied. “Maybe forty-five at the most.”
“Let’s do it. While you’re getting ready, I’ll prepare the list of questions.”
Shit, said Winters to himself as he watched Ramirez walk briskly toward his office on the other side of the base. I am indeed going to be here all night. He thought of his missed chance with Tiffani . I’d better call her and explain while I’m drafting these questions. He felt a sudden burst of anger toward Lieutenant Todd. As for you, he thought, if we come out of this unscathed, I will personally see to it that you are transferred to Lower Slobbovia.
It was after eleven o’clock. Lieutenant Todd stood near the front door. He was holding a billy club in his hand. Once before in the evening, just after Nick and Troy had reached the Pelican Resort parking lot, Todd had used the club on Nick’s back to coerce him into the car. Nick could still feel the welt.
“How long is all this going to take?” Troy asked. He was standing near the desk. “Can’t we go home now and get some sleep and come back on Monday morning . . .”
“You heard what the man said,” Todd replied. He was definitely gloating. “They’ve gone off to prepare for a formal interrogation. You should be using this time to get your story straight.” Todd pounded his palm with the billy club.
Troy turned to his companions. “All right, team,” he said with a wink. “I move we blow this joint. Let’s overpower this geek and blast out of here.”
“Just try it, you shits,” Todd rejoined. He smacked one of the empty folding chairs with his club for emphasis. “I’d like nothing better than to report that you tried to escape.”