with the weighted end going into a pocket on the opposite side. It was not often he wore the suit, but this was a very special day.
Specter had been apprehended by Federal marshals when his pilot made the mistake of landing in San Juan, Puerto 'Rico, for fuel during a flight to Montreal. He was served with a subpoena to appear and testify before a congressional committee that was investigating his shady mining operations within United States territory. The marshals took him into custody and transported him to Washington so there was no way he could flee to another country Because his attempted operation to freeze North America and Europe took place outside the nation's jurisdiction in a foreign country, he was exempt from Federal prosecution. If anything, the committee had its hands tied. There was little hope of a legal victory. The most they could accomplish was to expose Specter's dealings and hamstring any of his future operations inside the United States.
Epona, however, had escaped the net and her whereabouts were totally unknown. She was another matter the committee planned to question Specter about.
Pitt made one last check in an antique upright mirror that had come from the first-class stateroom of an old steamship. His only departure from the rest of the Washington herd was a gray-and-white paisley tie. His thick black curly hair was neatly brushed and his green eyes were clear with their usual twinkle, despite the lack of sleep from an all-night tryst with Loren. He walked over to his desk and picked up the knife he'd taken from Epona on Branwyn Island. The hilt was encrusted with rubies and emeralds, the blade was thin and sharpened on both sides. He slipped it into the inside breast pocket of his coat.
He stepped down his ornate iron circular staircase to the floor filled with old land and air vehicles. A NUMA Navigator SUV stood in front of the main door. It was a big car to drive the busy streets of the capital, but he found it responsive and enjoyed the comfortable ride. The NUMA name and color also provided him with a government vehicle that provided parking places not available for personal cars.
He drove over the bridge into the core of the city and parked in a government-only parking area two blocks from the Capitol Building. Once he climbed the great staircase and entered under the dome, he followed Loren's instructions to the meeting room where the investigation was being held. Not wishing to pass through the doors open to journalists and the public, he walked through the corridors until he came to a Capitol security guard who stood beside the door reserved for the House of Representatives' committee, their aides and lawyers.
Pitt gave the guard a slip of paper and asked him to give it to Congresswoman Loren Smith.
'I'm not supposed to do that,' protested the guard in a gray uniform.
'It's extremely urgent,' said Pitt in an authoritative voice. 'I have a pivotal piece of evidence for her and the committee.'
Pitt displayed his NUMA credentials to show the guard he was not someone who had walked in off the street. The guard compared the photo on the ID with his face, nodded, took the note and stepped into the committee room.
Ten minutes later, when there was a break in the questioning, Loren came through the door. 'What's this all about?' she asked, her perfectly shaped brows raised.
'I have to get in the room.'
She looked at him, confused. 'You could have come through the public doors.'
'I have an item which will expose Specter for what he is.'
'Give it to me, and I'll present it to the committee.'
He shook his head. 'No can do. I have to present it myself.'
'I can't let you do that,' she countered. 'You're not on the list of witnesses.'
'Make an exception,' he persisted. 'Ask the chairman.'
She stared into the eyes she knew so well, looking for something but not finding it. 'Dirk, I simply can't do that. You've got to tell me what it is you're doing.'
The guard was standing nearby, listening to the conversation. The door, normally locked, was standing slightly ajar. Pitt took Loren by the shoulders, turned her around in one swift motion and pushed her into the guard. Before they could stop him, he was through the door and walking rapidly along the aisle between the seated representatives and their aides. No one made any attempt to protest or restrain him from coming down the short stairway to the witness and audience floor. He stopped in front of the table where Specter was seated, surrounded by his high-priced attorneys.
Congressman Christopher Dunn of Montana pounded his gavel and called out, 'You, sir, are interrupting a very important investigation. I must ask you to leave immediately or I will have the guards escort you out.'
'If you will indulge me, Congressman, I will set your investigation onto an entirely different track.'
Dunn motioned toward the guard who had chased Pitt into the room. 'Remove him!'
Pitt pulled the knife from under this coat and extended it out toward the guard, who stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, the guard began to reach for his gun, but hesitated when Pitt moved the knife within an inch of his chest.
'Indulge me,' he repeated. 'Believe me, Congressman, it will be well worth your time to hear me out.'
'Who are you, sir?' Dunn demanded.
'My name is Dirk Pitt. I am the son of Senator George Pitt.'
Dunn mulled that over for a moment, then nodded at the guard. 'Hold on. I want to hear what Mr. Pitt has to say.' Then he looked at Pitt. 'Drop that knife. Then I'll give you exactly one minute to state your case. You'd better make it good or you'll be behind bars within the next hour.'
'You'd arrest the son of an esteemed senator?' asked Pitt facetiously.
'He's a Republican,' said Dunn with a crafty grin. 'I'm a Democrat.'
'Thank you, Congressman.' Pitt laid the ornate knife on the table and moved until he was standing opposite Specter, who sat in silent calm, dressed in his white suit with his customary scarf draped around his lower face beneath dark sunglasses. 'Will you please stand up, Mr. Specter?'
One of Specter's attorneys leaned over and spoke into the table's microphone. 'I must protest most vigorously, Congressman Dunn, against this man who has no business in this room. Mr. Specter is under no legal obligation to acknowledge him.'
'Is Specter afraid?' said Pitt tauntingly. 'Is he frightened? Is he a coward?' Pitt paused and stared at Specter provokingly.
Specter took the bait. He was too arrogant to ignore Pitt's insults. He put his hand on his attorney's arm to restrain him and slowly heaved his huge bulk up from his chair, until he stood, face unseen, the consummate riddle in an enigma.
Pitt smiled and gave a slight bow, as if in relaxed satisfaction.
Suddenly, before anybody realized what he was doing, he snatched up the knife and slashed the blade across Specter's stomach, slicing through the white suit up to the hilt.
Shouts from the men and screams from the women erupted and reverberated throughout the room. The security guard lunged toward Pitt, who stood ready and stepped aside, tripping the guard and sending him spilling onto the floor. Then he plunged the knife blade into the table in front of Specter and stood back, his expression one of extreme gratification.
Loren, who had leaped to her feet, shouting at Pitt, abruptly went silent. She was one of the first to see that Specter was not bleeding.
Blood and intestines should have flooded onto the surface of the table, but the white suit was unstained with crimson. Soon the hundred or more people who had come to their feet in shock began to notice the same phenomenon.
His face pale, Congressman Dunn stared down at Specter, pounding his gavel like a madman. 'What is going on here?' he shouted.
No one interfered as Pitt stepped around the table, pulled off Specter's sunglasses and casually flipped them onto the floor. Then he reached up and pulled off Specter's hat and scarf and threw them on the table.
Everyone in the room gasped at seeing a great mass of red hair fall down around Specter's shoulders.
Pitt approached Congressman Dunn. 'Sir, permit me to introduce Ms. Epona Eliade, also known as Specter, the founder of the Odyssey empire.'
'Is this true?' said a confused Dunn, coming to his feet. 'Is this woman really Specter and not a disguised double?'
'She is the genuine article,' Pitt assured him. Then he turned to Epona. 'Strange as it sounds, I've missed
