He set a large magnified viewing lens with an interior light over a tiny section of the satellite photo mosaic. Then he stood back.
Pitt was the first to look. 'I can make out two, no, three vessels.'
'We have identified all three.'
Rojas turned and nodded to Captain Flores, who began to read aloud from a sheet of paper, struggling with his English as if reciting in front of a class. 'The largest ship is a Chilean ore carrier, the Cabo Gallegos, bound from Punta Arenas to Dakar with a load of coal.'
'The northbound vessel, just coming into view on the bottom edge of the image?' asked Pitt.
'Yes,' Flores agreed. 'That is the Cabo Gallegos. The one opposite on the top is southbound. She's of Mexican registry. A container ship, the General Bravo, carrying supplies and oil-drilling equipment to San Pablo.'
'Where's San Pablo?' asked Giordino.
'A small port city on the tip of Argentina,' replied Rojas. 'There was an oil strike there last year.'
'The vessel between them and closer toward shore is the Lady Flamborough. ' Flores spoke the cruise liner's name as if he were giving a eulogy.
Rojas's aide appeared with the bottle of brandy and five glasses. The Colonel raised his and said, 'Saludos.'
'Salute,' the Americans acknowledged.
Pitt took a large sip that he swore later incinerated his tonsils and resumed his study of the tiny dot for several seconds before giving up the viewing glass to Gunn. 'I can't make out her heading.'
'After sneaking out of Punta del Este she sailed due east without a course change.'
'You've been in contact with the other ships?'
Flores nodded. 'Neither one reported seeing her.'
'What time did the satellite pass over?'
'The exact time was 03: 10 hours.'
'The imagery was infrared.'
'Yes .
'The guy who thought of using the Landsat ought to get a medal,' said Giordino as he took his Turn at the viewer.
'A promotion is already in channels,' Rojas said, smiling.
Pitt looked at the Colonel. 'What time did your aerial reconnaissance get off the ground?'
'Our aircraft began searching at first light. By noon we had received and analyzed the Landsat imagery. We then could calculate the speed and course of the Lady Flamborough and direct our ships and planes to an interception point.'
'But they found an empty sea.'
'Quite right.'
'No wreckage?'
Captain Flores spoke up. 'Our patrol boats did run on several pieces of debris.'
'Was it identified?'
'Some was pulled on board and examined but quickly discarded. It appeared to have come from a cargo ship rather than a luxury cruise liner.'
'What sort of debris?'
Flores checked through a briefcase and removed a thin file. 'I have a short inventory received from the Captain of the search vessel. He lists one worn overstaffed chair; two faded life-jackets, at least fifteen years old, with operation instructions stenciled in almost illegible Spanish; several unmarked wooden crates; a bunk mattress; food containers; three newspapers, one from Veracmz, Mexico, the other two from Recife, Brazil '
'Dates?' Pitt interrupted.
Flores looked questioningly at Pitt for a moment and then he averted his gaze. 'The Captain did not give them.'
'An oversight that will be corrected,' said Rojas sternly, immediately picking up on Pitts thoughts.
'If it isn't already too late,' Flores came back uneasily. 'You must admit, Colonel, the debris appears to be trash, not ship's wreckage.'
'Could you plot the coordinates of the ships as they're shown on the satellite photo?' asked Pitt.
Hores nodded and began plotting the positions on to a nautical chart.
'Another brandy, gentlemen?' Rojas offered.
'It's quite vibrant,' said Gunn, holding out his glass to the lieutenant. 'I detect a very slight coffee flavor.'
Rojas smiled. 'I can see you're a connoisseur, Mr. Gunn. Quite right.
My uncle distills it on his coffee plantation.'
'Too sweet,' said Giordino. 'Reminds me of licorice .
'It also contains anisette.' Rojas turned to Pitt. 'And you Mr. Pitt.
How do you taste it?'
