do with the mess, he placed it precariously atop a teetering stack of other papers on his desk. 'Wonderful to see you again, Kurt,' he said with his big-toothed grin. 'I'm so glad you were able to make it to our beautiful city.'
'It's always a pleasure to visit Copenhagen. Unfortunately, my flight back to the States leaves tomorrow, so I only have one night here.'
'Better than nothing at all,' Jorgensen said, settling into the cramped area behind his desk. 'Tell me, did you ever hear anything further from that lovely woman, the attorney who was having cof- fee with you in Torshavn?'
'Therri Weld? As a matter of fact, I'm having dinner with her tonight.'
'Lucky man! I'm sure she'll be a more enjoyable companion than
I was,' Jorgensen said with a chuckle. 'Well, did you enjoy Skaal- shavn?'
Enjoy isn't the word for it. Skaalshavn is a surprising place.
Thanks for letting me use your cottage and your boat.' 'My pleasure. It's incredible country, isn't it?' Austin nodded. 'Speaking of Skaalshavn, I was wondering how your lab tests turned out.'
The professor rummaged through the Mt. Everest of papers on his desk. Miraculously, he found the file he was looking for. He took his glasses off and replaced them. 'I don't know if you're acquainted with my main areas of expertise. I specialize in the effects ofhypoxia. I study how oxygen deficiency and temperature change affect fish populations. I don't claim to be an expert in every area, so I've run my findings by various colleagues in bacterial viruses. We have tested dozens of water samples and fish taken at various locations near the
Oceanus operation for signs of anomalies. We wondered if there was a parasite. Nothing.'
'What about your original theory that there might be trace chem- icals in the water?'
'No, to the contrary. The Oceanus people weren't exaggerating when they bragged their filtration system was state-of-the-art. The water is absolutely pure. The other fish farms I tested produced waste from feed and so on. In short, I found nothing that would affect the Skaalshavn stocks.'
'Which begs the question, what is decimating the fish popula- tion?'
Jorgensen pushed his glasses up on his forehead. 'There could be other reasons we haven't touched. Predators, habitat degradation, a disruption of the food supply.'
'Have you ruled out a link to the fish farm completely?'
'No, I haven't, which is why I'm returning to Skaalshavn to make more tests.'
'That might be a problem,' Austin said in an understatement. He proceeded to give the professor a condensed version of his ex- ploration of the fish farm, his narrow escape and rescue. 'I'll be glad to pay you for the loss of the boat,' he added.
'The boat is the least of my concerns. You could have been filled' Jorgensen was flabbergasted. 'I ran into patrol boats when I was making my tests. They looked intimidating, but they never attacked or threatened me.'
'Maybe they didn't like my face. I fnow I didn't like theirs.' 'You may have noticed I am not exactly a movie star,' the profes- sor said. 'No one tried to kill me.'
'It's possible that they knew your tests would come up negative.
In that case, there was no reason to scare you off. Did you discuss your work with Gunnar?'
'Yes, he was always there when I returned from my field tests and seemed very interested in what I was doing.' A light dawned in the professor's eyes. 'I see! You think he was an informant for Oceanus?'
'I don't know for certain, but I was told that he worked for
Oceanus during the construction of the fish farm. It's certainly pos- sible that he continued to be employed by the company after the plant was built.'
Jorgensen frowned. 'Have you mentioned this episode to the police?'
'Not just yet. Technically speaking, I was trespassing on private property.'
'But you don't try to /fill somebody simply for being nosy!' 'That does seem like an overreaction. However, I can't see the Faroe police department pushing the matter. Oceanus would deny that our little dust-off ever took place. The way they reacted to a lit- tle harmless snooping tells me they must have something to hide. I'd like to poke around quietly, and the police would simply stir things up.'
'As you wish. I know little about intrigue. My realm is science.' His brow wrinkled in thought. 'That creature in the tank that scared the devil out of you. You don't think it was a shark?'
'All I know is that it was big and hungry and as pale as a ghost.' 'A ghost fish. Interesting. I'll have to think about it. In the mean- time, I'll prepare for my return trip to the Faroes.'
'Are you sure you want to go? It might be dangerous after my en- counter.
'This time, I'm going in a research vessel. Besides safety in num- bers, it will provide access to a full range of research gear. I'd love to bring along an archaeologist to research those caves.'
'Not a great idea, Professor, but there's someone in town who might be helpful in that area. Her father visited the caves, and she told me how to gain entry. Her name is Pia.'
'The minister's widow?'
'Yes, you've met her? She's quite a woman.'
'I'll say,' Jorgensen said, before catching himself. The blush stain- ing his cheeks told the whole story. 'We've met a few times around the village. She's impossible to avoid. Can you change your plans and return to Skaalshavn with me?'
Austin shook his head. 'Thanks for the offer. But I've got to get back to my duties at NUMA. I'm leaving Joe to wrap up the tests on the Sea Lamprey. Please keep me apprised of your findings.'
'I will, of course.' Jorgensen cradled his chin in his hand, and a faraway look came to his eyes.
'My scientific training abhors the whole idea of portents. I am trained to draw no conclusion unless I have the facts to back it up. There's something terribly wrong here, Kurt. I can feel it in my bones. Something unholy'
'If it's any consolation, I've had the same feeling. It goes beyond a bunch of guys running around with guns.' He leaned forward with a level gaze in his blue-green eyes. 'I'd like you to promise me some- thing when you go back to Skaalshavn.'
'Of course, my boy. Anything you say.'
'Take care, Professor,' Austin said, in a firm manner that left no room for misunderstanding. 'Tsike great care.'
17
THE SENSE OF foreboding continued to haunt Austin even after he stepped outside Jorgensen's office building into the bright Danish sunlight. Several times during the cab ride back to the hotel, he found himself glancing through the rear window. He gave up finally and sat back to enjoy the ride. If danger were stalk- ing him, he would never see it with all the traffic.
Austin stopped at the clothing store to pick up his purchases. He carried the neatly tied boxes to his room and called Therri. It was 5:30. 'I have a room one floor below yours. I think I can hear you singing in joyful anticipation of our dinner.'
'Then you must have also heard me dancing as well.' 'It's amazing how my charm affects women,' Austin said. 'I'll meet you in the lobby. We could make believe that we're old lovers encountering each other by chance.'
'You're a surprising romantic, Mr. Austin.'
'I've been called worse things. You'll know me by the red carna- tion in my lapel.'
When the elevator doors opened, Therri stepped out as if she were on stage and immediately caught the attention of every male in the vicinity, including Austin. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she glided across the lobby. Therri's chestnut hair tumbled down to the thin straps other white ankle-length lace dress that clung to her slim waist and thighs.
Her warm smile showed that Therri approved other date as well. She surveyed the European-styled single- breasted jacket of dove gray whose slightly pinched waist emphasized Austin's shoulders like a military uniform. The blue shirt and white silk tie set off his deep tan, coral-colored eyes and pale hair. Pinned to his lapel was a red carna- tion.
