He hovered beside the wreckage of th stern of the Irish Rose hanging on to a rail, and Sollazo drifted down to join im. He poised there, then swam toward the truck. Dillon went after him.
Sollazo hung on the edge of the. door and peered inside. He turned once toglance-at Dillon, his face clear, then turned to the dark interior again. Dillon came up behind him, pulled’the diver’s knife from Sollazo’s leg sheath, reached overand sliced open his air hose.
Bubbles spiraled at once, Sollazo swung round, eyes staring. His hands went to his throat and he started to rise. Dillon grabbed for an ankle and pulled him down. The kicking stopped surprisingly quickly, and finally, he hung there, arms outstretched. Dillon pulled off the mask and Sollazo stared right through him straight to eternity. The Irishman took him by the hand and started up. z96 IT WAS KATHLEEN RYAN WHO SAW SOLLAZO’S body first as he surfaced to starboard. “Would you look at that,” she said.
Hannah joined her at the rail. “Oh, my God.” Barry and Mori hurried over. The Sicilian, without hesitation, pulled off his jacket and shoes, jumped over the rail, and swam to Sollazo. He got an arm around him, paused, and turned and looked up.
“He’s dead.”
DILLON HAD RELEASED THE BODY AT TEN FEET and swam under the rail to the port side. He surfaced, unfastened his inflatable and tank and let them go, pulled off his mask and fins and peered cautiously on deck. Barry, Kathleen, and Hannah were at the rail and he could hear Mori calling. “Throw me a line.” Dillon hauled himself over the rail and slipped down the companionway to the saloon. He got the Emergency Flares cupboard open, found e Walther, and went back up.
Barry was standing at one side of Hannah and Kathleen engaged in unfastening a lifebelt. As he threw it over, Dillon said, “Easy does it, Jack.” He stood in the entrance to the companionway, a supremely menacing figure in the black diving suit, the Walther in his right hand.
“Get over here, Hannah.” She did so. Barry still leaned over the rail, glancing back over his shoulder. “Still the eighth wonder of the world, aren’t you, Scan?” “Don’t do it, Jack,” Dillon said gently.
But Barry did, half turning, Browning in hand, and Dillon shot him twice in the heart. Barry was hurled against the rail, the Browning skidding across the deck, and he toppled over into the sea.
Dillon ran to the rail, Walther extended. Mori stared up at him, an arm around Sollazo, and Dillon took deliberate aim and shot him between the eyes.
There was silence, only seagulls calling, whirling above them in the mist. Dillon sat down against the rail.
“Jesus, but I could do with a cigarette.”
Hannah went down on one knee beside him. “Are you all right, Sean?”
Kathleen Ryan said, her voice strangely dead, “Martin, push th Walther over this way.”
Dillon had put it on the deck beside him. He looked up and Hannah turned and there she was, Barry’s Browning in one hand. The look on her face was that of the truly mad.
“Not there, Martin, not there in the. first place. The cunning old bastard, my uncle. Only t61d me the other day, but clever, you must agree. It’s there wting for me and I’ll fly in out of the sea to get it. Soon now, Martin, soon.”
“I know, Kate, I know.”
“Wouldn’t hurt you, Martin, my lovely Martin, so down you go, the both of you.”
“I think we’d better,” Hannah murmured.
“Anything you say, Kate.” Dillon smiled,, stood up, and kicked the Walther across.
Hannah went down the companionway and Dillon followed. “Close the door,” Kathleen called.
He did as he was told, was aware of her footsteps on the companionway, the key turning in the door. It was only two or three minutes later that they heard the outboard motor start up. “WHAT DO W-E DO?” HANNAH ASKED.
“Simple,” Dillon told her, “now that she’s gone.
These things have a forward deck hatch, always do.
I’ll be back in a minute.”
He went out into the galley and saw the hatch at