"You're the one who didn't show up back there in Istanbul."
"True. Which is why I'm glad I have the chance to apologize and see if can make it up to you over cocktails."
She raised an eyebrow. "Apologize for standing me up or for stealing Captain Kemal?"
Kaela was no pushover for the Austin charm offensive. This was going to be more complicated than he thought.
"Okay. Let's deal with this in tiny steps. First, I apologize for missing the dinner date. I was unexpectedly tied up and couldn't make it. As for Captain Kemal, you'll have to admit you made a mistake by not holding him with some sort of retainer while you went off to Paris."
"Please spare me the lecture. I never thought you would steal him after you warned me to stay away from this place because it was too dangerous and an infringement of Russian territory."
"You'll have to admit I was right about the danger," he said, glancing at the wreckage of the helicopter.
Kaela took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I'll grant you the obvious. But I'll bet nobody gave you or your NUMA friend an invitation to drop by for tea."
"That's correct, but it doesn't make it right."
"You sound like my mother," she said with mock disgust. "Your apology for missing dinner is accepted. Luckily, my producers bankrolled enough money to lease a helicopter, so I wouldn't have hired Captain Kemal anyhow. You still owe me, though."
Austin noticed the twinkle in the amber eyes and realized she had been setting him up, using his guilt as leverage.
"You're playing me like a fish, aren't you?"
Kaela threw her head back and laughed. "I'm certainly trying to. You deserve to be jerked around after trying to put me off with that phony shark smile and the 'small world' routine. Real smooth character! Next thing you'd be asking me what my astrological sign was. Well, it's Capricorn, in case you're interested."
"I didn't mean to make it sound like a singles bar. My sign is Pisces, by the way."
"Pisces? That's fitting for a NUMA guy." She put her notebook aside. "I'd advise you to stay out of singles bars. With that corny line, you'd go home alone every night."
Austin decided he really liked this woman. She was tough and feminine at the same time, had a sharp sense of humor and plenty of intelligence. And the qualities he admired were gift wrapped in a lovely package.
"Okay, now that I've snapped up the hook, I'll let you reel me in. But only to a point! What does your devious little soul want from me?"
"The truth, for starters. Why are you here, for instance? And who are the tough guys in the black suits? And why are the people around here so damned unfriendly?"
"Is this for a story?"
"Maybe. But I want to know mostly because I want to know. Curiosity is the best tool of a good reporter."
Austin was no fan of mendacity, but he didn't want to involve Kaela and her gang in something that could bite them. They had been lucky twice so far. Their third encounter with the bad guys could be a strikeout.
"You're not the only one who's curious. After my first run-in with those guys on horses, I wanted to know more. I also felt I had to do something for Kemal's cousin Mehmet."
"Is there a submarine base here?"
"Yes. Quite extensive, as a matter of fact."
"I knew it. I want to get inside."
"Okay by me, but you may have problems with that gentleman over there." Ivan was making his way across the field from the woods, where he had been inspecting his men's work.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Ivan. He's the boss man."
"Military?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Kaela grabbed her notebook and sprang to her feet. "I think I will." She strode toward the Russian and intercepted him. Austin watched with interest as she used her body language to send a tantalizing message. She was wading in with a full feminine court press, standing first on one leg, then the other, hip out, touching Ivan lightly on the chest, flashing him her incredible smile.
Ivan stood there with his arms crossed like a granite statue, resisting the full assault. When she was done, he spoke a few words. Kaela's shoulders suddenly squared, she leaned forward and stuck her jaw into his face, then she wheeled and strode purposefully back to Austin.
"What a stubborn little man," she fumed. "He said that the sub base is the property of the Russian government and is off-limits to the public. He suggests that I make arrangements with you to leave here as quickly as possible or suffer the consequences." She grinned. "Well, we can still run the story. I've got film."
She marched over to the helicopter wreckage with a determined step and talked with Lombardo and Dundee, who had been poking around in the wreckage. Their conversation was animated, and grew more so when he showed her the jumble of metal and plastic that was what was left of the video camera. Kaela slowly walked back to Austin.
"It looks as if we'll have to bum a ride with you," she said, without enthusiasm.
Austin saw Joe Zavala making his way toward them from the direction of the beach, where he'd been checking visually and on the radio to see if the NR-1 crew had made it to the fishing boat. He excused himself and took Zavala aside.
Zavala said, “They all made it to Kemal's boat."
"Good news, but we've got a problem. Kaela and her guys need a ride, and I don't want them anywhere near the NR-1 crew."
Zavala cast an admiring glance toward the TV reporter. 'Then you'll be happy to know the Argo was keeping an eye on us and monitoring radio transmissions. I just talked to Captain Atwood. They've sent a boat in to transfer the navy to the survey ship. Kemal's boat is free and clear."
Austin let out a nasty chuckle. "Would you send a message to the Argo and ask them to pick us up, too? Then call Captain Kemal, tell him that we will be transferring to the Argo and ask if he wouldn't mind taking on a few passengers in our place."
"Aye, aye, sir," Zavala said with a snappy salute.
While Joe was calling the fishing boat, Austin went over.to tell Kaela and her friends that first-class transportation had been arranged.
-18- THE TRIP FROM Novorossiyskto Istanbul was an aviation nightmare. Unspecified mechanical problems delayed the flight on the ground. The Trouts sat in the hot and crowded cabin for an hour before being switched to another plane. The passengers who sampled the mystery meat served for the in-flight meal paid a price for their daring when the plane encountered turbulence. Adding to everyone's misery, only one toilet was operable.
Paul and Gamay thought their suffering had ended after the white-knuckle flight, but the taxi driver who picked them up at the airport drove as if he had a death wish. When Paul asked him to slow down, he punched the gas pedal.
"I think something got lost in the translation," Gamay said over the squeal of tires.
"Must be my New England accent," Paul said.
"Don't worry about it," Gamay said, with a determined set to her jaw. "After what we've been through on this trip, nothing, not even death, will stand between me and a hot shower, a Bombay Sapphire gin martini and a long nap."
The cab narrowly missed the doorman, who stepped back like a matador playing a bull, and screeched to a jarring stop in front of the Marmara Istanbul Hotel on Taksim Square. They exited the cab as if they were in a twin ejection seat, paid off the smiling cabby and made their way across the spacious lobby to the check-in desk.
The desk clerk was a dapper man whose slicked-down hair and razor-trimmed mustache made him resemble Hercule Poirot. He saw the Trouts approach and flashed a high-wattage smile. "Welcome back, Drs. Trout. I hope you had a pleasant journey exploring Ephesus." When they'd left the hotel for Novorossiysk, the Trouts had announced with great fanfare that they were going to visit the ancient ruins on the coast of Asia Minor.
"Thank you, yes, the Temple of Artemis was fascinating," Gamay gushed with the proper amount of awe. The clerk smiled and handed Paul an envelope along with the room key. "This message came for you earlier today."
Paul opened the envelope, unfolded the paper inside and handed it to Gamay. She read the single sentence neatly printed on hotel stationary: "Call me soonest. A."
A telephone number followed the brief message.
"Duty calls,” Paul said.
Gamay rolled her eyes. "Sometimes duty calls at the worst damn time!" She snatched the key from his hand and headed for the elevator.
Back in their room, Paul suggested that Gamay take the first shower while he called Austin. She snapped up the offer without hesitation and left a trail of clothes leading to the bathroom. Concluding that a palliative was in order, Paul called room service and asked to have a shaker of extra-dry martinis sent up. The tray arrived about the same time the shower stopped running. Paul poured a glass and knocked on the bathroom door. It opened in a cloud of steam, and a hand reached out for the martini. He poured himself a drink, propping his long legs up on a footstool, took a grateful sip and pronounced the cocktail tolerable for Istanbul. Fortified for the task ahead, he dialed the number on Austin's note.
"We're back in Istanbul," Trout said, when Kurt's voice came on the line. "Got your note."
"Good. How was your trip?"
"lnformative and full of surprises." Trout gave Austin a summary.
"From your description of Razov's yacht, it sounds like a FastShip. Probably powered by gas turbines that can kick it up to speeds twice that of comparable boats. Smart. Razov can move his center of operations anywhere on the globe within days. I'm glad no one was hurt, but it's too bad about the professor's cottage. As soon as we hang up, I'll start the ball rolling on an official NUMA invitation to Orlov and his son."
"They'll be thrilled. How did your excursion go?"
"Like you and Gamay, we got a warm reception, but I wouldn't advise it for a Cook's Tour. I'll fill you in when we meet."
"Can't wait to hear the details."
"You'll get your chance sooner than you think. I'm on the Argo, and I could use the immediate services of a deep-ocean geologist and a marine biologist who will work cheap."
"Unfortunately, I know where you can find a couple of poor wastrels who fit that description exactly."
"I knew I could count on you. I've made arrangements for transportation. How soon will you be ready to travel?"
"We arrived at the hotel a few minutes ago, so we won't even have to pack." Paul glanced at the bathroom door and smiled. Gamay was singing an off-key version of "Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair." "Do we have time to finish our martinis?"
"Oh hell, Paul, have two. You'll be sharing space with a VIP from the States. You've got a couple of hours before he flies in."
"Wonderful! We get to ride with a six-chinned Senator Claghorn with a comb-over."
Austin chuckled. "Incredible, Paul. You must be psychic. How'd you know it was the good senator?"
"Lucky guess. I'll break the news to Gamay. We'll see you tonight."
Paul jotted down the travel time and place. As he hung up, Gamay came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her slim body, another turban-style on her head and a half-empty martini glass in her hand. The shower and drink had mellowed her mood. When he told her they would have to hit the road again, Gamay even greeted the news with a smile, saying that she missed Kurt and Joe.
Paul took his turn in the shower, and Gamay sent down to room service for lamb shish kebab and pilaf. The food arrived as they were starting on their second martini. After dinner, they changed their clothes, and with full stomachs, clean bodies and refreshed spirits, they took another cab to the airport. The cab driver had no kamikaze yearnings and except for the usual heavy traffic, the trip was uneventful.
As Austin instructed, they asked to be dropped off away from the main airport terminal at a section used by small private airlines. They made their way to a hangar whose floodlights gleamed off the turquoise paint of a midsized helicopter. The letters NUMA were painted in black on the side. The rotor turned slowly as the engines warmed up. The pilot stood on the tarmac talking to someone. Even though the man's back was turned, the Trouts immediately recognized the narrow shoulders and hips and thinning hair of NUMA's deputy director. Rudi Gunn turned, greeted them with a wide grin and jerked his thumb toward the open door of the aircraft.
"Need a lift?"
Gamay turned to Paul. "So this is the six-chinned senator with the major comb-over that you were telling me about?"
Trout did a classic double-take. "For God's sakes, Rudi, why didn't you tell us you were the bigwig VIP?"
"Didn't want to spoil your fun. Admiral Sandecker thought I should be in the neighborhood in case the situation got complicated. I've been in Athens representing NUMA at a conference on nautical archaeology. It was only a short hop here via executive jet. The helicopter flew in from a project in the eastern Aegean. Sandecker figured it was time for me to jump in with both feet after Kurt called him with news of the 'package' he had to deliver."