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.'
'Package?' Paul said.
'I'll tell you everything I know on the way. Shall we?'
They climbed into the chopper and took their seats in the spacious cabin. The engines revved up, and minutes later the Sikorsky S-76C lifted rapidly into the sky. The sprawling lights of Istanbul straddling the Bosporus on two continents spread below them like a sequined tapestry. Powered by its twin Arriel engines, the helicopter headed north at a cruising speed of one hundred seventy-five miles per hour.
The pilot's voice came over their earphones in a lazy, slightly western Chuck Yeager drawl.
'Hi, folks. My name is Mike. Make yourselves comfortable. Should be plenty of room to stretch. They designed this chopper for oil-rig support, so it's pretty much a flying bus. We can take twelve passengers. You're lucky to be going on this leg. We expect to be pretty crowded on the return trip. There's a thermos of hot coffee up near the bulkhead. Help yourselves. Please let me know if you need anything. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the flight.'
Gunn poured the coffee and passed the steaming cups around. 'Good to see you both. Sorry your sabbaticals were cut short. Officially speaking, you're still on leave, I'm sitting in an auditorium at the Greek National Archaeological Museum, and this meeting is not taking place.'
'What's been going on, Rudi?' Paul said. 'We've only heard bits and pieces.'
'I'm not sure what the total picture looks like, but here's what we do know. Several days ago, Admiral
