back in ninety-one,' Yaeger lectured matter-of-factly. 'The beach strand was more broken and the bay was deeper and more sheltered. '
'How did you arrive at this exact spot?' asked Pitt.
'In describing the bay, Rufinus mentioned a great sea of dwarflike pines where fresh water seeped from the sand with the jab of a stick. New Jersey has a forest of dwarf pines that fits the description. It's called the Pine Barrens, and it spreads across the southern center of the state bordering on the coast to the east. The water level is just under the surface. During spring runoff or after heavy rains you can literally poke a hole in the sandy soil and strike water.'
'Looks promising,' said Pitt. 'But didn't Rufinus also say they added ballast stone?'
'I admit that had me baffled. So I put in a call to a geologist at the Army Corps of Engineers. He came up with a stone quarry that pinpointed almost the exact site where I believe the Serapis's crew landed.'
'Nice job,' said Pitt gratefully. 'You've put the show on the right track.'
'Where do we go from here?' asked Lily.
'I'll continue working south,' answered Yaeger. 'At the same time I'll have my people compute an approximate trace of Venator's course west from Spain. With hindsight, it seems obvious the islands that made up the fleet's first landfall after leaving the Mediterranean were the West Indies. By continuing the Serapis's path from New Jersey and projecting Venator's track to the Americas, we should arrive at an approximate intersect within five hundred miles of a liver that fits the bill.'
Lily looked skeptical. 'I fail to see how you expect to trace Venator's track when he censored all accounts of heading, currents, winds and distances.'
'No great flash,' Yaeger replied dryly. 'I'll lift the log data from the voyages of Columbus to the New World,'taking his computed course and adjusting it for differences in hull design and water friction, rigging, and sail area between his ships and the Byzantine fleet a thousand years earlier.'
'You make it sound simple.'
'Believe me, it's not. We may be homing in on the target, but it's going to take another solid four days of study to get us there.'
The weariness and long hours of tedious study seemed forgotten. Yaeger's reddened eyes blazed with determination. Lily appeared to be galvanized with excess energy. They were poised for the starter's gun.
'Do it,' said Pitt. 'Find the Library.'
Pitt thought Sandecker sent for him for a status report on the search, but the instant he saw the somber expression on the Admiral's face, he knew there was a problem. What really bothered Pitt was the soft look in the Admiral's eyes; they were usually as hard as flint.
Then when Sandecker came over and took him by the arm and led him to a couch and sat down alongside, Pitt knew there was a problem.
'I've just received some disturbing news from the White House,'
Sandecker began. 'The cruise ship that was hosting Presidents De L4orenzo and Hasan at the economic summit in Uruguay is suspected of being hijacked.'
'I'm sorry to hear it,' said Pitt, 'but how does that affect NUMA?'
'Hala Kamil was on board.'
'Damn!'
'And so was the Senator.'
'My father?' Pitt muttered in surprise. 'I talked to him by phone the night before last. How did he come to be in Uruguay?'
'He was on a mission for the President.'
Pitt stood up, paced back and forth and then sat down again. 'What's the situation?'
Chve Cuss 'er
'The Lady Flamborough-the name of the British cruise liner-disappeared from the port of Punta del Este last night.'
'Where is the ship now?'
'An extensive air search has yet to Turn up a trace of her. The general consensus of the officials on the scene is that the Lady Flamborough lies at the bottom of the sea.'
'Without absolute proof, I can't accept that.'
'I'm with you.'
'Weather conditions?'
'I gather from the report the area was fair with calm seas.'
'Ships vanish in storms,' said Pitt. 'Seldom in calm seas.'
Sandecker made an empty gesture with his hands. 'Until more details come in we can only speculate.'
Pitt could not believe his father was dead. What he heard was too inconclusive. 'What is the White House doing about it?'
'The President's hands are tied.'
'That's ridiculous,' Pitt said sharply. 'He could order all naval units in the area to assist in the search.'
'That's the catch,' said Sandecker. 'Except for an occasional training exercise, none of which is occurring now, there are no United States naval units on station in the South Atlantic. '
Pitt stood again and stared out the window at the lights of Washington.
