left any surprises we haven’t found,” I said. “I’d hate to start
dredging and then find the bottom falling out of the ship. How’s the
engine, Geordie?” He grimaced. “Nothing wrong there. But we had to
pull everything down to make sure.” That’s the hellish thing about
sabotage.
Not being sure.” When we assembled in the hotel lounge that evening
Campbell asked me about the next move. “How do we go about it?
“I’m working on the assumption that there may be something between
Falcon and Minerva. That’s a distance of three hundred miles. We go
to Falcon and take a bottom sample every ten miles on a direct course
to Minerva.
If we don’t find anything, then we sample on parallel courses east and
west.” “So our first step is to find Falcon Island.” I became
thoughtful, shook my head and presently said, “No, I’ve changed my
mind. I think we’ll start at Minerva – do it the other way around.”
They were interested. “Why would you do that why w should it
matter?”Campbell asked.
“Mark was an oceanographer and he was presumably working on the same
lines as we are volcanic theories much like the ones I’ve postulated.
If the high-cobalt nodules are anywhere near Falcon, why should he
mention Minerva at all? I think the nodules are quite a distance from
Falcon, quite close to Minerva perhaps. And when Mark indicated them
in his diary he thought of the source – which is Falcon – and the
vicinity, Minerva.” “That sounds logical,” said Campbell.
“But it might mean that the nodules aren’t placed on a direct course
between Falcon and Minerva. Hell, they could be on the other side of
those reefs.” “Or scattered all the way along,” suggested Clare.
Which was also feasible.
I said, “This is what we do. We leave here and sail due west until we
hit the track between Falcon and Minerva. We turn towards Minerva and
take samples every ten miles. If we don’t find anything then, we come
back to Falcon and on a d parallel course, sampling all the way, go
round Falcon an move back again further out. How’s that?” We talked
it over for a while and then went in for dinner. I was glad we were
going to sea again; every time we put into port something seemed to go
wrong, whether it was arson, wrongful arrest, sabotage or just plain
bad news.
During the meal Clare nudged me and murmured. “Look over there.”
MEMENEEL I looked around but couldn’t see anything out of order.
“What’s the matter?” She said quietly, “The waiters have just put two
tables together over there, and laid them for dinner. There are places
for eight.” I took another look and she was right. “Ramirez!” I
exclaimed and she nodded. “Could well be.” e glanced towards the
doorway, but saw nobody there.
W “Don’t tell Pop,” she whispered to me. “He’ll get mad if he
seesRamirez.ldon’twantustohaveascene- wantustoget him away quietly.”
“You’d better get him up to bed then – if you can. Geordie and I will
check out now and go back to Esmerelda to push things on – we’ll try
-and leave early tomorrow morning. You be there.” “I can manage
it,”she said.
They didn’t come into the dining room while we were there, and Clare
and Paula got the old man upstairs without him being aware that he was
being moved like a chess piece – they seemed to be good at it, and I
was hopeful that they’d handle him as well the next day. As soon as
they’d gone I said to Geordie, “We think Ramirez has arrived. We’d
better pack up here.” “How do you know?” “Clare’s been Sherlocking,
and I think she’s right.” I indicated the waiting table.
We went straight to the desk and settled up, taking advantage of an
empty foyer, and then went up to our room to pack our gear. I took one
of the two .38 revolvers which Campbell had entrusted to me and tossed
it to Geordie. “The boss says this is for you. Can you use it?” He
held it in his hand.” Just let me get Kane Or Hadley at the other end
of it and I’ll show you. Got any ammo?, We split the ammunition,
loaded the guns and went downstairs with our duffle bags. I was
conscious of the weight of the gun in my jacket pocket and felt a bit
ridiculous, as though I were impersonating a fifth-rate movie
gangster.
But there was nothing funny about it really – I might have to use that
gun.
Halfway down the winding stairs I checked and put out my hand to stop
Geordie. The foyer seemed full of people and I heard a drift of
conversation. It was in Spanish.
We waited until the crowd had moved into the dining room, led by a
tall, thin, hawklike man who must have been Ramirez. He tallied with
Campbell’s description, though I couldn’t see the scar, and I felt a
wave of angry nausea in in Y throat at the sight of him. When the
foyer was empty we carried on.
We found Ian on the deck of Esmerel-la. Geordie asked abruptly, “Any
new ships come in during the last hour or so?” “Aye” said Ian.”That
one.”He pointed across the water and I saw the dark loom of a boat
anchored a little way out. It was difficult to tell her size, but from
her riding light I judged her to be about the same size as Esmerelda,
maybe a bit bigger but not much.
t “That is Suarez-Navarro,” said Geordie and Ian stared a him aghast.
“I want the crew rousted out. I want a watch – two men on each side
and a look-out up the foremast. And I don’t want any extra lights – I
don’t want to show that anything out of the ordinary is happening.
I want her ready to be moved at a moment’s notice. How many are on
board?” “Most of the lads, and I can round up the others easily
enough.”
“Do that, right away.”
“Aye aye, sir,” said Ian smartly and went below at a dead run.
Geordie looked across at her. “I wonder if Hadley’s over there or
Kane?” he said softly.
I said, “They weren’t in Ramirez’s party in the hotel.
Perhaps they’re too scared to come ashore – there must be warrants out
for them in every port in the Pacific by now. On the other hand,
there’s no reason for them to be on board her at all. Hadley’s still
got the Pearl, remember, and we’ve got no proof that they came here, or
joined up with Ramirez after leaving Papeete.” “?” rue,”said Geordie
glumly.
“I’ve got things to do in the lab,” I said. “I have to make ready for
sea. I’ll see you later.” I had been working for an hour when Geordie
and Ian came in to see me. “We’ve got an idea,” Geordie said.
They both looked alive with something that I felt could be called
mischief.
What is it? “The boys think that Kane and Hadley may be across there,
on Ramirez’s ship. They want to go and get them.” “Christ, they can’t
do that!” “Why not?” “You know damn well they’re most unlikely to be
there.
“This is just. an excuse for any nonsense they’re cooking up.”
“But suppose they are? It would solve a hell of a lot of problems. We
hand them over to the police and that scuppers Ramirez. He’ll be too
busy explaining why he’s harbouring a couple of wanted murderers to be
able to follow us.” I thought about it and shook my head. “No, it’s
too risky, too damn close to piracy. Campbell wouldn’t like it at
all.”
“Look,” said Geordie, ‘the boys are all steamed up. They A didn’t like
your stories, they didn’t like what those two did on Tanakabu, and they
sure as hell didn’t like the week’s work they’ve had to put in here
because of Kane. They’re tired of being pushed around some of them
were shot at in Tanakabu lagoon and they didn’t like that either. I
don’t know if I can stop them.” I looked at the glint in Geordie’s
eye.
“I don’t suppose you’ve tried too hard, have you, Geordie?” He
bristled.
“Why the hell should I? I’ve got scores to settle with Hadley too,
remember. He gave me a pistol whipping, don’t forget that. And it’s
my ship that Kane’s been sabotaging, not Campbell’s!” “Suppose they
aren’t there after all?” “We’ll be bound to learn something to our
advantage.” I noticed he was now including himself in the venture and
had given up any pretence of being against it.
Ian said, “Ach, Mike, it’s all laid on. It’ll be as easy as lifting a
trout from the stream when the keeper’s having a dram in the pub.”
“Oh, it’s all laid on, is it? Would you mind telling me what the pair