“Kirk” Trotter shouted again from across the room McGarvey did not divert his stare from Ainslie’s bulgin eyes. “We’re not giving this up, John”
“Killing him won’t do any good” a familiar voice said. McGarvey glanced toward the door. Lev Potok and his number two, Abraham Liebowitz, both of them dressed in battle fatigues, stood there. “Who in hell let them in here”
Delugio bellowed. “I did” Trotter said. ““They’re Mossad”
“Kirk, I know where your missile is” Potok said. “Or at least I think I do. We’ve got a chance now to stop him”
“The U-2 flight”
“Yes. I’ve brought the photographs with me. But we need your information to make sure. And it will be dark very soon. We don’t have much time”
McGarvey slowly lowered his weapon, uncocked the hammer, and holstered it. “Stay the hell out of my way, Ainslie” he said. “And put that goddamned gun down, Admiral” Delugio lowered the .45 after a beat.
Ainslie had staggered backward, rubbing at his throat. “Arrest this man!
Now”
“Shut the fuck up” Admiral Delugio snapped. He turned to Potok and Liebowitz. “As you say, gentlemen, we don’t have much time. Let’s see what you’ve got” A space was cleared on the situation table. Potok unsnapped his briefcase and quickly laid out a batch of photographs that the U-2 had taken on her overflight of the coastlines of Syria and Lebanon. McGarvey picked up a magnifying glass and studied the images of a large boat with a white hull. A red cross had been painted on each side of her sleek hull. The foredeck Was littered with crates. In one photograph he could mak out the lettering. Lieutenant Newman had picked up another magnifyin glass and he too studied the photographs. When he looked up he shook his head. “Won’t wash” he said. “Why” Potok asked.
“This is the Motor Vessel Stephos, right” Potok nodded.
“That’s the Red Cross ship out of Athens that your people checked out, wasn’t it” Newman asked Ainslie. At first the man said nothing, but a look from Delugii got him started. “Yes. It’s a legitimate Red Cross vessel”
“Did you have a chance to find out where she was sailing to” Potok asked. o, Ainslie admitted. “She was a legitimate ship, an(there just wasn’t enough time to mess with it” “Besides” McGarvey said, “we discounted her because of the timing. At twenty knots or so she wouldn’t have been able to make it from the Greek coast, where we think the missile was transferred, this far east”
“At twenty knots” Potok said. He turned again to Ainslie “Did your people tell you what kind of a ship this was” Ainslie was confused. “No … just “
“It’s a hydrofoil, Kirk” Potok said. “She is capable of doing fifty knots over reasonably calm seas, which is exactly what we have now”
“We didn’t show that kind of speed”
“No, she probably got the hell out of there in a big hurry to put as many miles between her and the pickup point as possible, and when she was well clear she slowed down to normal speed”
“Christ” McGarvey swore softly. “What we need to know is your best guess for the time of transfer. When was the missile taken off your submarine”
“Sometime between midnight and two in the morning, a,@ best we can figure from the track of the Indianapolis before she was spotted” Delugio said.
Newman snatched up a pair of dividers, and quickly walked them across the chart, starting from a spot between the Greek bays of Messini and Lakonia, where they figured the missile had been offloaded, to the Syrian coast where the Stephos was now heading. He looked up. “Bingo” he said. Again McGarvey studied the photographs. “Still doesn’t nail it down solid”
“Your missile is twenty-one feet long, is that right” Potok asked.
Delugio nodded. “The pile of boxes on the Stephos’s foredeck would just hold it”
“Marked Lebanese Relief organization. Still could be legitimate — “
McGarvey started to Say
“We’ve checked on it, Kirk. ‘[know nothing about it” Potok said.
McGarvey thought about it for a moment. it was just the kind of ploy Kurshin would be using. The man had been called the chameleon. He was always out in the open in plain sight, only you were never quite certain what you were seeing. “How sure are you of this, Lev” McGarvey asked now, just about one hundred percent. The Air Force is standing by. We can make a surgical strike — “
“No” Delugio cut him off. “In the first place, if you hit the missile’s fuel tanks and they blow, you’d be spreading radioactive material into the sea”
“And in the second place” McGarvey picked it up. “Kurshin will be waiting for something like that to happen. He might just decide to blow the missile the moment your jets came over the horizon”
“Killing himself” Potok said. “I don’t think he cares” Potok started to say something, but then he nodded. “We’ve both seen him in action.
You’re right”
“We can have a unit of SEALS there within ninety minutes” the admiral said. McGarvey and Potok were looking into each other’s eyes.
“My people will do it” the Israeli said. “We’ve got the bigger stake “
“Yes” Trotter broke in. “The target is their nuclear research facility at En Gedi. A lot of civilians could be killed” No one else in the room except for Trotter and McGarvey knew the real nature of En Gedi, and Potok glanced at him gratefully.
” Have your SEALS standing by just over the horizon, Admiral” McGarvey said. “This fight belongs to me and Potok”
“No” Delugio said. Potok looked at him. “Either I have your word, Admiral, or my Air Force will make a first strike before you could move.
We can be on top of that ship within eight minutes” Delugio was shaking his head. “This KGB officer of yours is not alone. He’s at least got his crew from the submarine, and most likely a small crew that brought the Stephos out for the pickup”
“Probably not” McGarvey said. “What are you talking about” Delugio demanded. “It’s Kurshin. He has the habit of killing his own people once they have served their purpose”
“Jesus”
“How long will it take you to get us out there, Admiral McGarvey asked.
“I’ll get us there” Potok said. “We have three missile boats shadowing the Stephos. They’re just over the horizon. We’ll fly to Limassol, and from there by chopper out to our boats”
“It’s our missile, god damnit delugio argued. “Neither of you knows anything about it. If it’s armed, will you be able to disarm it”
“He’s right” McGarvey said after a beat. “Me” Lieutenant Newman said.
“That’s why they sent me”
“All right” McGarvey agreed. “And me” Ainslie said, stepping forward.
McGarvey’s eyes narrowed.
I — M@m “My job is naval intelligence, and I did get us this far. Let me do my job “
“What’s the real reason” Ainslie’s lip curled. “I’m an ambitious officer, McGarvey. I want to be there when you find out that you’re wrong. “Can you shoot”
“I’m an expert” McGarvey glanced at Potok, who shrugged. “You’re on” he said. “Just don’t get in my way”
“I’m calling in the SEALS” Delugio said. “They’ll be on standby status”
“But well off, Admiral” McGarvey cautioned. “If that missile explodes, it’s not going to be very healthy around there. What about one of our submarines”
“Twelve hours at least” Delugio said. “Then you’d better wish us luck”
“Are you just about finished” Kurshin asked the two KGB officers in the dimly lit forward machinery space. Rimyans, one of the divers, looked up, his dark eyes piglike in his broad face. “We have the engine room to go. It’ll be another half hour, perhaps longer” The other officer, Viktor Georgevich Budanov, reached up out of the bilge hatch for a screwdriver. He looked at Kurshin. “What’s the matter, Comrade Colonel, are you getting nervous. 9:1
