You hire as well as?ell, don’t you?” “Of course.” Bradley tfirned to Sollazo. “Just tell me what you need.” “Two of everything,” Sollazo iold him. “Masks, diving suits, one medium, one large, and with hoods, gloves, fins, weight belts with twelve pounds in each, regulators, buoyancy control devices, and four air tanks. Oh, and a couple of Orca diving computers.” He’ turned to Barry. “They tell you how deep you are, how long you’ve got, when you should come up.” “Great,” Bradley said. “I tell you what, Jack, I’ll open the freight door and you bring your station wagon in and We’ll load up right here.” He bustledoff, calling an assistant to help him, and Barry left Sollazo there and went and got the station Wagon.
HE STOOD WATCHING AS SOLLAZO CARF. FULLY checked each item. “You take a lot of care,” he said.
Sollazo shrugged. “I always take care even though I’ve done two hundred and fifteen dives. You wouldn’t believe the number of people killed scuba diving each year and usually because of stupidity.” He smiled. “You see, Mr. Barry, we shouldn’t be down there in the first place.” Bradley and his man finished stowing the gear and he said, “Pnything else?” “Underwater lights,” Sollazo said.
“No problems. I’ve got the very thing.” He went to a stack,-took down two c.ar, dboard boxes, and brought them over. “Halogenlamps like the Royal Navy use. Long-life batteries and a charger included.” He put them in the station wagon and stood, hands on hips, frowning. “Something missing.” And then he smiled. “I know,” He darted away and came back with two divers’ knives in sheaths with leg straps. “Now I think that is it,” he said.
Barry said, “Just one thing. Ther used to be an item called a Master Navigator.” “Still is,” Bradley said. “Just been updated.” It was So!lazo who said, “Could we see one?” “Of course.” Bradley darted off again and was
z45 back in a few moments, a black box in his hand. He opened it and took Out the Navigato.r. “There you go.” Sollazo examined it, the rows of buttons and the read-out Panel. He glanced at Barry inquiringly and the Irishman said, “What happens if I insert the bear’ ings for, let’s say; a wreck at sea?” “Well what happens is a triumph of modern technology,” Bradley said. “There’s an instruction book here and it’s very simple.” “No need,” Sollazo told him. I’ll give you the figures, you feed them in, and we’ll watch.” He took out his diary and dictated the position of the,Irish Rose to Bradley, who punched it in. The figures appeared on the read-out panel. “Check that they’re correct,” Bradley said.
Sollazo did so. “Perfect.” “Good.” Bradley pressed a blue button. “Now it’s on hold. You activate it by pressing the red button.
You get a slow and monotonous pinging. When you reach the actual position, the pinging becomes frantic.
You stop it by pressing the blue button again.” “And ‘that we’ll definitely have,” Barry. said.
“Send me a bill at Abbey Road, Tony, and you’ll get my check.” “Ah, sure, pay me when you return the gear, Jack.” Bradley stood to one side as they drove away and waved. “GOOD,” SOLLAZO SAID. “THE ONE THING YOU haven’t mentioned so far is a boat.”
“It’s being taken care of. I mentioned Drumdonald and Scotstown as being in the general area of the Down coast where Ryan, his niece, and Sean Dillon landed. Scotstown is a smal! fishing village. There’s a pub there called the Loyalist. It’s not what it seems.
Kevin Stringer, the landlord, is one of our Own. It was to there that Dillon went for sanctuary after landing from the Irish Rose. Anyway, I’ve spoken to Kevin and he’s found us something he thinks could be suitable. I think you and I should drive up there tomorrow. We can take all the equipment with us. If the boat is okay, Kevin can stow the equipment on board and we’ll come back. I’ll take some Semtex and pencit timers, by the way, in case we have to
blast our way into the boat.”
“And then?”
“Return the following day, all of us, Ryan and the