Abyss

“It would be a good fit,” Estevez said. “Plausible.”

Callahan wanted to ask if this was what the national security adviser had meant by real-world politics, but he thought he knew what the answer would be

“It also helps that she got the Peace Prize,” Caldwell said. “Trivializes her work to some extent. She’s making a noble effort and all that — no pun intended — but her science wasn’t sound enough to get the physics prize.”

Estevez was nodding. “I see your point, and it helps,” he said, and he looked at Callahan. “Don’t be confused by what you think you’re hearing. All of us here have the utmost respect for Dr. Larsen and her project. What we’re actually trying to do is protect her.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t see how unless you’re willing to have the rig accompanied by the Coast Guard or Navy, perhaps have a SEAL team standing by.”

“That’s exactly what we can’t do,” Estevez said. “Let me explain something. We know about Schlagel’s connection with Marinaccio and probably with the bank in Dubai. And do you know how that information came to us?”

“Not from the Bureau,” Callahan said.

“And not from the CIA. It came to me directly from Abdullah al-Naimi, right here in this office in November. And if the name’s not familiar, al-Naimi is the deputy director of the GIP, which is the Saudi’s chief intelligence agency.”

“We’re keeping an eye on Marinaccio and Schlagel,” Bambridge said. “There’s no proof that either of them were connected in any way with Hutchinson Island, or the incident in Oslo, but we think it’s a fair assumption that the bank might have provided some or all of the financing.”

“We’re helping Dr. Larsen by monitoring the probable source of the money that would be used to harm her, while complying with the Saudi’s warning to go easy on alternate energy for now,” Estevez said. “Al-Naimi gave us a quid pro quo.”

Real-world politics, indeed. “You do understand that if this thing goes bad, and McGarvey is in the middle of it, a lot of bodies will probably pile up. Worse than Hutchinson Island.”

“We won’t allow piracy,” Estevez promised. “We’ll get a message to him that if he needs help, we’ll back him up.”

But Callahan wondered if he believed the president’s national security adviser.

FORTY-FOUR

McGarvey went into the office, bringing Admiral French up to speed, including what had happened in Oslo, and his plan for him and Gail to ride the oil platform to Florida with Eve Larsen and her techs. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to have some backup? A Coast Guard escort?”

“I don’t want to scare them off,” McGarvey said.

“You’re expecting an incident?”

“I think it’s possible.”

French just stared at him for a few beats, then shook his head. “It’s why I hired you,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I have to like your methods or even approve of them. When do you leave?”

“A couple of days, I think. Whenever Dr. Larsen has her equipment and people aboard.”

He spent the afternoon working with Gail and Eric in the computer center, connected through several programs with Otto over at the CIA, and all of them were frustrated by the total lack of progress. McGarvey especially so because he’d wanted some lead, even the barest of hints about what might be coming their way, before he flew down to Mississippi and joined Eve and her crew aboard the oil platform.

During a break when he’d stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air, Gail joined him and they sat at one of the picnic benches in the park across the street without saying a word to each other for at least ten minutes. Until Gail broke the silence.

“Do you still want me on the rig with you?” she asked, not looking at him.

He’d felt her tension over the past few days. “Can’t order you to come with me.”

“Not what I asked, Kirk.”

“What then?” he said, refusing to get sucked into the discussion he knew was coming.

“Us.”

He turned to face her. “There is no us,” he said, and he held off her objection. “Not until after we’re finished with the situation and it’s time to get back to our jobs.”

She’d searched his eyes. “I don’t think you’re coming back. You’re not NEST team trainer material.”

“A lot of them need it. Gruen needs it.”

“I can handle that part,” Gail said. “Teach them what I learned from my mistakes. What I’m still learning. From you.”

McGarvey didn’t have the answers she wanted. Maybe having her at the apartment had been a mistake, and thinking about it now he didn’t know why he’d made the decision. Fear for her safety? Loneliness? Maybe more of the latter. But he didn’t want being lonely to drive his decisions. Especially not in the field when his life and the lives of a lot of other people were on the line.

“Yes, I’d like you to come out to the rig with me,” he said. “You’re a good cop, and everyone else aboard will either be scientists and technicians, or InterOil’s delivery crew. I can’t cover everything twenty-four/seven.”

She smiled. “If you knew how much I hated shift work you’d really appreciate my telling you I’ll be happy to help out. When do we leave?”

“I don’t know,” McGarvey said. “I’ll find out in the next day or two. I’m supposed to have dinner with her at some point.”

“Since this concerns me, shouldn’t I tag along?”

And it was exactly what he hoped she wouldn’t say, but knew she would, and why. “There’s no need for you to be jealous,” he said, and she reacted as if she’d been slapped, but before she could say something, he finished the thought. “Nothing is going on between us.”

She looked at him, her eyes squinty whenever she was frustrated. “I’m anything but jealous. And even if there was something between you it’d be none of my business.”

McGarvey shrugged, not wanting to provoke an argument.

“You and I have a working relationship. You’ve already made that very clear and I’m going along with it.”

“On the rig we’re partners not lovers,” McGarvey said, and the instant he did he regretted it, because he saw that Gail had been stung and she was angry. Having her stay with him at the apartment had been a mistake, and making love to her had been an even more colossal error. He hadn’t been thinking straight; he’d been thinking through his loneliness, not considering the kind of hurt she would feel afterwards — like right now — when he had all but told her that there would never be anything between them.

It had been the same last year during her training, when they’d fallen into bed together. Both of them had been lost, hungry, needy. And he’d handled that aftermath just as badly as he was handling the situation now.

But he refused to lower his eyes. “I’m sorry, Gail. That came out badly. What I meant to say is that we have to keep an eye on what we’re doing twenty-four/seven, no distractions. Once we make it to Florida we can decide which way we’re going.”

But she already knew what the outcome would be and it showed on her face, her anger gone, replaced by sadness. “Then I should start packing.”

“I’m going to fly down to take a quick look at the platform first. I want to see if it’s going to be the kind of security nightmare I think it’ll be. In the meantime I want you here to work with Eric and Otto.”

“I need to go down to St. Lucie and pick up some things from my apartment.”

“It could get rough, so pack accordingly.”

She nodded. “What about weapons?”

If there was more to say, and McGarvey suspected there should be, he didn’t know what it was. “I’ll get what we need from the CIA.”