picking up the statue in a private office, and all because of her.
Ravi, on the other hand, was equally riveted by the New York Times, which led its front page with the headline:
IT'S OFFICIAL — THE U.S.A. TAKES OVER THE PANAMA CANAL
Bloodless Coup as Panamanian President
Signs 1,000-Year Treaty
What followed was an almost-unheard-of interview with the President's National Security Adviser, Admiral Arnold Morgan, who declared in the third paragraph:
'The International Seaway of the Panama Canal was built and financed by the United States almost 100 years ago or the peaceful use of all the world's shipping. Between them, two Democratic Presidents, Carter and Clinton, managed not only to give it away to Panama, but ended up placing it under the control of Red China.'
'So now we had the great pathway between the seas in the hands of a backward Third World Republic and a private corporation based on the mainland of a totalitarian Communist State, who between them would find it impossible to build even a decent airliner, never mind service and maintain one of the great engineering marvels of the modern world.'
'A couple of weeks ago we saw the disastrous consequences of allowing such people to take on a responsibility that was plainly too big for them. The giant high lock gates on Gatun Lake gave way after years of improper servicing and' maintenance. As we all know, the tidal wave that then swept down the outward locks on the Atlantic side completely destroyed the structure and indeed drained Gatun Lake.'
'The United States regarded this as a criminal act of negligence, and considered it incumbent upon ourselves to step forward to rebuild it in the interests of the International Community. No one else could rebuild it. But we were not about to rebuild someone else's canal.'
'We thus sent in a military force of 10,000 United States Marines on a peaceful mission, to advise the Chinese personnel that they must now vacate the entire Panama Canal Zone upon which they enjoyed the benefits of an illegal lease, and proved themselves inadequate custodians.'
'Marine General Mo Sherman advised the Panamanian President of our views, and he agreed the Chinese must leave his country forthwith. The President understood our very real concern and thanked the United States for its generous offer to rebuild and run the Canal.'
'I am delighted to announce the Chinese have now evacuated the area, and that the United States is once more in sole control of the entire Canal Zone, including the dockyards situated on both the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the waterway. In addition, we have reoccupied the old American Navy base at Rodman, and the railroad on the east bank, from the City of Colon all the way to the old Fort Grant causeway outside Balboa on the Pacific.'
'Work will begin rebuilding the high lock gates in one month. We expect to complete the construction by the middle of 2009. The United States has offered a royalty contract to the Panamanian Government, payable from the tolls, after the cost of rebuilding has been recouped, probably coming into effect in the year 2013.
'The Panamanians have indicated their intentions to accept those terms. And, mindful of the unstable nature of the country, the United States has agreed to keep a small peacekeeping Marine Garrison in Panama 'for the foreseeable future.''
According to the Times, there were U.S. Army gunships seen circling the Presidential Palace last week, and a total news blackout was imposed throughout Panama City. The Times reporter, trying to operate from twenty miles away, claimed information has been extremely sketchy.'
From the White House, Admiral Morgan would only say, 'I have no knowledge of any aggressive acts by the U.S. military in the Republic of Panama.'
General Rashood smiled. 'No, Admiral. I suppose not. You unprincipled, vicious bastard.'
Lt. Comdr. Jimmy Ramshawe sat before the Big Man while he read the latest CIA report of the highly classified U.S. investigation into the ruined Barracuda 945, eventually located in the Gatun Lake, half sunk, its intakes choked with mud, its active days over. Soon the mud would suck it down completely, without trace.
The CIA report ran to forty-six pages, and the main good news was that the Panamanians had willingly led the Americans by helicopter to carry out their investigations on the shores of Pelican Island. The reason for the delay was the water was now too shallow for a boat and too much like quicksand for a vehicle. The rain forest offered no clearing for a helicopter and they just had to wait for the mud to firm up.
When it did, the Americans swarmed all over the submarine for a week, finding practically nothing in the now silent hulk. No papers, no documents, no fingerprints, no clothing. There were six missiles left, Ravi and Shakira having fired eighteen of the twenty-four RADUGAs, and the boat contained no other weapons. Arnold guessed they had jettisoned everything out in the Pacific long before they entered the Canal.
What, of course, they did find was the body of Joe Morris of Wilmington, Delaware, with his two companions, Skip and Ronnie, lying underwater near the base of the periscope, passports and documents still readable, the only papers left in the ship.
The report of their deaths was concise. Skip and Ronnie had half their heads blown away with bursts from a Russian-built AK-47 automatic. Joe Morris had died in a most unusual way, the skull bone between his eyes, an inch and a half above the bridge of his nose, had been smashed with a plainly round object. The central bone of his nose had been driven with incredible force into his brain.
Lieutenant Commander Ramshawe had highlighted that with a fluorescent green marker pen. And that was where Arnold Morgan stopped.
'Christ,' he breathed. 'It was him, eh, Jimmy? Our old buddy Major Ray Kerman, expert in unarmed combat.'
'Yes, sir. Yes, it was. One SAS NCO, one British Member of Parliament, one unknown American visitor. All killed identically — unmistakable professionalism. Special Forces.'
'And we don't know where the hell he is.'
'No, sir. And we've been using that exact phrase for a damned long time… We don't know where he is.'
'I tell you what, though,' growled Arnold. 'We sure as hell know where he's been.'
