42,000 parts per million. Lazarus recited the figures pedantically. The
American and Nigerian crudes will be blended with the El Barras crudes
during the revolutionary cracking process. It is projected that the
yield of low-carbon volatiles will be increased from 40% % by this
process, making it five to eight times more to 85 profitable, and
extending the life of the world's known resenies of crude petroleum by
between ten and fifteen years. As he listened, Nicholas had a vivid
mental image of the stylus in Samantha's laboratory recording the death
throes of a cadmium-poisoned clam, Lazarus was talking on
dispassionately. During the cracking process, the cadmium sulphide will
be reduced to its pure metallic, non-toxic form, and will be a valuable
by-product, reducing the costs of refining. Nicholas shook his head in
disbelief, and he spoke aloud.
Duncan is going to do it. Across two oceans a million tons at a time,
in that vulnerable jerry-built monster of his, Duncan is going to do
what no other ship-owner has ever dared to do - he's going to carry the
cad-rich crudes of El Barras! From the balcony windows of his suite in
the Ritz, Nicholas could look out across the Place Vendome at the column
in the centre of the square with its spiral has-relief made from the
Russian and Austrian guns and commemorating the little Corsicans feats
of arms against those two nations. While he studied the column and
waited for his connection, he did a quick calculation and realized that
it would be three o'clock in the morning on the eastern seaboard of
North America. At least he would find her at home.
Then he smiled to himself. If she wasn't at home, he'd want to know the
reason why.
The telephone rang and he picked it up without turning away from the
window.
There was a confused mumbling and Nicholas asked, Who is this? 'It's Sam
Silver - what's the time? Who is it? Good God/ it's three o'clock.
What do you want?
Tell that other guy to put his pants on and go home.
Nicholas! There was a joyous squeal, followed immediately by a crash
and clatter that made Nicholas wince and lift the receiver well away
from his ear.
Oh damn it to hell, I've knocked the table over. Nicholas, are you
there? Speak to me, for God's sake! I love you. Say that again,
please. Where are you?
Paris. I love you. Oh/her tone drooped miserably. You sound so close.
I thought -'Then she rallied gamely. I love you too - how's himself? On
the dole. j Who is she? Welfare He Dole is unemployment insurance - w
sought the American equivalent. I mean he is temporarily unemployed.
Great. Keep him that way. Did I tell you I love you, I forget? Wake
up. Shake yourself. I've got something to tell you. I'm awake - well,
almost anyway. Samantha, what would happen if somebody dumped a million
tons Of 40,000 parts concentration of cadmium sulphide in an emulsion of
aromatic Arabian crude into the Gulf Stream, say thirty nautical miles
off Key West? That's a freaky question, Nicholas. For three in the
morning, that's a bomber. What would happen? he insisted.
