Yamamoto felt his jaw go slack. He recognized the woman who greeted Marion Morgan as the mistress of a treacherous French Navy captain who would sell his own mother for a peek at the plans of a hydraulic gyro engine. He felt a strong urge to remove his boater and scratch his head. Was it coincidence that Marion Morgan knew Dominique Duvall? Or was the beautiful American spying for the perfidious French?
Before he could ponder further, he had to doff his boater to a beautiful lady dressed head to toe in black.
May I offer my condolences? he asked Dorothy Langner, whom he had met at the unveiling of the bronze tablet at the Washington Navy Yard shortly before he murdered her father.
A MASTER CARPENTER in blue-striped overalls served as Isaac Bell's guide when he made his final inspection under the hull. They walked its length twice, up one side and down the other.
The last of the wooden shores bracing the ship had been removed, as had the poppets-the long timbers holding her bow and her stern. Where there had been a dense forest of lumber was a clear view alongside the cradle from front to back. All that remained leaning against the ship were temporary tumbler shores-heavy timbers designed to fall away as she began to slide down the flat rails, which were thickly greased with yellow tallow.
Nearly every keel block supporting the vessel had been removed. The final blocks were assembled from four triangles bolted into single wooden cubes. Carpenters disassembled them by unscrewing the bolts that held them together. As the triangles fell apart, the battleship settled harder on the cradle. Swiftly, they unbolted the bilge blocks, the last holding her, and now Michigan's full weight came on the cradle with an audible sighing of minutely shifting plates and rivets.
All that's holding her now are the triggers, the carpenter told Bell. Yank them, and off she goes.
Do you see anything amiss? the detective asked.
The carpenter stuck his thumbs in his overalls and peered around with a sharp eye. Foremen were herding workmen off the ways and out of the shed. With the hammering of the wedges finally stopped it was eerily quiet. Bell heard the tugs hooting signals on the river and the murmur of the expectant throng above him on the platform.
Everything looks right as rain, Mr. Bell.
Are you sure?
All they've got to do now is bust that bottle.
Who is that man with the wedge ram? Bell pointed at a man who abruptly appeared carrying a long pole over his shoulder.
That is a mighty brave fellow getting paid extra to poke the trigger if it jams.
Do you know him?
Bill Strong. My wife's brother's nephew by marriage.
A steam whistle blew a long, sonorous blast. We ought to get out of here, Mr. Bell. There'll be tons of junk falling off her when she moves. If it happens to brain us, folks will say she's an unlucky ship-launched in blood.'
They retreated toward the stairs that led up to the platform. As they parted at the juncture where the carpenter would join his mates on the riverbank and Bell would continue up to the christening, the tall detective took one last look at the ways, the cradle, and the dull red hull. At the bottom of the ways, where the rails dipped into the water, massive iron chains were heaped in horseshoe loops. Attached to the ship by drag cables, the chains would help slow her as she slid into the water.
What is that man doing with the wheelbarrow?
Bringing more tallow to grease the ways.
Do you know him?
Can't say that I do. But here comes one of your men checking him now.
Bell watched the Van Dorn intercept him. The man with the wheelbarrow showed the bright red pass required to work under the ship. Just as the detective stepped aside, motioning for the man to continue, someone whistled, and the detective ran in that direction. The man lifted the handles of his barrow and wheeled it toward the rails.
A regular patriot, said the carpenter.
What do you mean?
Wearing that red, white, and blue bow tie. A regular Uncle Sam, he is. See you later, Mr. Bell. Stop by the workmen's tent. I'll buy you a beer. He hurried off, chuckling, I'm thinking of getting me one of those bow ties for Independence Day. The waiters was wearing them at the boss's tent.
Bell lingered, studying the man pushing the wheelbarrow toward the back of the ship. A tall man, thin, pale, hair hidden under his cap. He was the only man on the ways except for Bill Strong, who crouched with his ram hundreds of feet away at the bow. Coincidence that he wore a waiter's bow tie? Did he get past the gates pretending to be a waiter until the ways were cleared and it was time to make his move unhindered? His pass had convinced the detective, though. Even at this distance Bell had seen it was the proper color.
He began hastily shoveling globs of tallow out of the barrow onto the flat rail. So hastily, Bell noticed, that it looked more like he was emptying the barrow rather than spreading the grease.
Isaac Bell plunged down the stairs. He ran the length of the ship at a dead run, drawing his Browning.
Elevate! he shouted. Hands in the air.
The man whirled around. His eyes were big. He looked frightened. Drop the shovel. Put your hands in the air.
What is wrong? I showed my red pass. His accent was German.
Drop the shovel!
He was gripping it so tightly that tendons stood like ropes on the backs of his hands.
A hoarse cheer erupted overhead. The German looked up. The ship was trembling. Suddenly it moved. Bell looked up, too, sensing a rush from above. In the corner of his eye
