Part 17 (1/2)
”A white Western woman with brown hair and light eyes. Who else would it be? I knew he was lying. She's the Darkview agent we've heard about.”
”Or an aid worker,” Mungabe said.
”So? We take her first and ask questions after.”
”Did Vanderlock continue with the s.h.i.+pment?”
”Yes. He's probably in Nairobi by now. And there's more. The bombed jet at Hargeisa airport? It was owned by a pharmaceutical company.”
Mungabe resumed his pacing, his mind whirring. ”Who carried it out?”
”The insurgents. I don't know the whole of it, but the rumor is that a European paid them to do it.”
The Vulture, Mungabe thought. The s.h.i.+p's cargo was the real prize, not the worthless cruise liner. Mungabe would take it all. ”Where is the woman?”
”On the old trading boat near the fis.h.i.+ng dock. There are two guards as well.”
”And Ha.s.sim? Is he there?”
”Yes. He's arranged to take Ali's skiff.”
”Stop him. And when you do, kill them both.” Mungabe switched off the phone and smiled.
29.
SUMNER FOUND CAPTAIN WAINWRIGHT ONCE AGAIN ON THE bridge. The s.h.i.+p continued to move, something Sumner considered to be a good sign. Wainwright waved him over to the s.h.i.+p's console.
”We got the radar up long enough to see them moving away. It went down again right after, but they were here.” Wainwright pointed to a green blip that stayed frozen on the radar screen. ”Do you think they're done?” he asked.
”Not at all. I think they're just heading back to get more grenades, crew members, or both. How long to Berbera?”
”Two days at least. More if the engines give out, which is a strong possibility. My real goal is not Berbera, but to go farther out from Somali territorial waters. The distance will give us a little more safety from the pirates and will allow foreign s.h.i.+ps to come to our aid.”
”How long does it usually take for aid to reach a boat under these circ.u.mstances?”
”Eight hours is average.”
Sumner grimaced. ”That's a long time.”
”That's an a.s.sumption. I have no way of guaranteeing even that. And none of it's going to happen if we don't get out of territorial waters. Tell me about the sentry duty.”
Sumner recapped the recent skirmish, leaving out Clutch's craven retreat but giving Marina her due as the one to fire the deciding shot. He also told him about Schullmann's cage idea.
”We've got a bunch of aluminum rods in one of the electrical rooms and steel supports for them. They're railing replacements. Feel free to use them. Steel sheets will be harder to come by. I don't know that we have any. Ask the mechanic if there's anything he can cannibalize for the metal.”
”I also think we should arm the pa.s.sengers,” Sumner said.
”With what? We don't have arms for the crew, much less the pa.s.sengers.”
”The crew should be given knives from the kitchen. The pa.s.sengers-screwdrivers, ice picks, anything they can use to fight as the pirates board.”
Wainwright's face hardened. ”Absolutely not. These guys carry AK-47s, and they won't hesitate to use them if they meet with resistance. Anyone fighting will be mowed down. I'd rather have the pa.s.sengers taken hostage than risk a bloodbath.”
Sumner rubbed a tired hand over his face. ”Listen, I was taken hostage once, and it's not a situation I would wish on my worst enemy. These guys will drag the hostages to a deserted area and leave them in a pit. They'll barely feed them. The ones who don't die from the exertion and stress might die from starvation. It's my advice that the pa.s.sengers be allowed to fight back.”
”I appreciate your view on the subject, but I can't allow the situation to escalate. The moment those pirates climb over the railing is the moment we surrender.”
Sumner could see that the subject was closed. ”I understand. Then we'll just have to do our best to ensure that they don't board. How long can we continue?”
”Twenty minutes.”
Sumner headed down to the mechanical room. Schullmann stood next to an engineer and directed him in broken English. The engineer responded in broken German. They appeared to be progressing despite the language barrier. Schullmann's sleeves were rolled to the elbows. He looked interested, less bored than he had in the casino. Sumner took this as a good sign. He went to the man's side and told him about the railings.
”Is this steel the same as that which forms the s.h.i.+p's railings?” Schullmann asked.
”It is.”
”The steel is soft, so I would not depend on it.”
”I understand. All I really need is to deflect the grenade.”
”It will do that, but not much more.”
Another mechanic stepped up carrying a blowtorch and wearing protective goggles.
”I'll leave you to it,” Sumner said.
He headed to the deck to check on Block, whom he found looking morose.
”What's the matter?” Sumner asked.
”I hate that they're out there. I thought about what you said. They're coming back, that's for d.a.m.n sure. And even if they kill two-thirds of us, they'll still make a ton of money.”
”Don't think about it. Never worry about something that hasn't happened yet.”
Block gave Sumner a speculative look. ”Tell me why you're really on this s.h.i.+p. You ain't no cruise-line employee, that's for sure. And you're a d.a.m.n sight more competent than that loser head of security, Clutch.”
Sumner sat down next to Block and rested his back on the far wall. He gazed into the darkness. ”I'm a security agent and work for the government. I'm supposed to be far from the site of my last location, in order to stop any retaliation.”
Block laughed a hearty laugh. His obvious pleasure at the irony of the situation made Sumner smile.
Block wiped his eyes and pointed a finger at Sumner. ”You gotta be kidding me, right? What are you, some kinda shroud? You bring only bad luck.”