Deep Fathom (38 page)

Jack's eyes had grown wide by now.

“From there, we just hightailed it here to Pohnpei. Of course, we had to run silent. No communication of any sort or we'd blow the ruse.”

“But…but…” Jack felt his old anger returning, fueling his strength. He pushed off his oxygen mask and glowered at the two of them. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

Charlie looked innocently at him. “So what are you saying…you'd rather we all blew up?”

Jack stared at Charlie's hurt expression, then burst out laughing. He held his sides against the pain. “Of course not.” He glanced up at them; his eyes began to tear up. “You have no idea what it means to see you all here….”

Lisa reached over and gave him a quick hug. “Just rest. You've had a rough day.”

Jack suddenly remembered. “But what about Spangler? And the others?”

Charlie looked to Lisa, then back at Jack. “Spangler's long gone. But I've been in contact with Professor Nakano. She was hoping you knew what had happened to Dr. Grace. They've been unable to find her.”

Jack felt a sick lump in his gut. “What does she mean? I left Karen with her.”

Charlie shook her head. “The police are still questioning
Professor Nakano on one of their boats. She asked if she could join us here. I said it would be okay.”

Jack nodded, but his mind spun.
Where was Karen? What had happened?

Running footsteps sounded in the hall. Robert burst into the room and eyed the others. “Thank God you're awake, Jack.”

“What is it?”

“A radio call.” He was out of breath. “From David Spangler. He wants to speak to you.”

Jack swung his legs off the bed, moving Elvis aside. He motioned Lisa to the IV. “Unhook me.”

Lisa paused.

“Do it. I'm fine now. I've survived worse.”

Lisa peeled back the surgical tape and slid out the catheter, covering the site with a small Band-Aid. She glanced at Charlie with concern.

Jack stood, wobbling on his feet. Charlie reached out to steady him, but Jack waved him away. “C'mon. Let's see what this bastard wants now.”

As a group, they climbed up to the pilothouse. Jack grabbed the mike to the VHF radio. “Kirkland here.”

Spangler's voice crackled from the radio. “Jack, glad to hear you're up and about. Rumor is you got pretty shook up.”

“And fuck you, too. What do you want?”

“It seems you have something I want, and I have something you want.”

“What are you talking about?”

A new voice came on the line. “Jack?”

He clutched the phone tighter. “Karen! Are you okay?”

Spangler answered. “She's enjoying our company. Now let's talk business. I have no need for this woman. All I want is that bit of crystal.”

Jack switched off the transmitter and looked at Lisa. “My pack?”

“It's down in your cabin.”

Jack returned to the radio. “What are you proposing?”

“An even exchange. The crystal for the woman. Then we all part friends and forget this ever happened.”

Right, Jack thought. He trusted David about as far as he could throw him. But he had little choice. “When?”

“Just so no one tries to pull any stunts, let's say dawn tomorrow. At sea. In the light of day.”

“Fine, but I pick the location.” A tentative plan began to gel.

“Agreed…but if I see a single police vehicle, the woman gets cut up into bite-sized pieces and fed to the sharks.”

“Understood. Then we'll meet at dawn off the eastern coast of Nahkapw Island.” Jack spelled the name out. “Do you know where that is?”

“I can find it. I'll see you there.” The radio went dead.

Jack rehooked the mike.

“You know it's a trap,” Charlie said.

Jack slumped into the pilot's seat. “Oh, yeah, no doubt about it.”

Half an hour before sunrise, Jack swam through dark water. He checked the glowing dial on his dive watch. So far he was on schedule. He had left the stern deck of the
Deep Fathom
ten minutes ago. Outfitted in a Body Glove neoprene wet suit, fins, tanks, and buoyancy compensator, he had long ago worked out of his aches and pains. He swam steadily, kicking his fins slowly but deeply, sweeping rapidly along the seabed. He swerved cleanly around another stone column that loomed out of the darkness. Equipped with Robert's night-dive gear—a small ultraviolet flashlight strapped to each wrist and a night vision mask—he had no difficulty seeing.

He glanced at his compass, maintaining his pace toward where Spangler's police cutter floated. An hour before dawn, both men's ships had arrived on the eastern coast of Nahkapw Island. Each party maintained a cautious half nautical mile between them, awaiting dawn.

But Jack was already in the water before his ship had
even come to a stop. His plan required speed, stealth, and the cover of predawn. Earlier he had been faxed the layout of the Pohnpeian police cutter and the code to the cipher lock of this particular ship's brig. If Karen was held anywhere, it was there. Or so he hoped.

Another stone column appeared, then another. Jack slowed. Ahead, walls and crumbled buildings appeared, all thickly coated with coral and waving fronds of kelp. Jack lifted his wrist lights. More structures and facades stretched into the distance.

Here was the sunken stone village of Kahnihnw Namkhet.

Karen had described the place yesterday on the way to Nan Madol. It was the reason he had chosen this spot. The police cutters were outfitted with sonar, and Jack needed as much cover as possible to swim up on Spangler's ship undetected.

He dove along the bottom, sticking close to the columns, walls, and buildings. He wanted to cast as little sonar signature as possible. As he approached within an eighth of a mile of his target, he began winding in a circuitous path, attempting to keep stone walls between him and the ship.

Overhead, he saw the cutter's searchlights basking over the waters. Through his night vision mask, the place was lit up like a Christmas tree.

He continued even more cautiously, pausing and waiting in alcoves and behind piles of tumbled stone.

Finally, he found himself directly under the keel of the ship. It floated thirty-five feet above. He checked his watch. He was now a few minutes behind schedule. The sun would soon be up.

Emptying his buoyancy compensator, Jack settled to the sea bottom, forty feet under the cutter's keel. He hid in the shadow of a thick-walled fortification. Wriggling, he wormed out of his tanks, kicked off his fins, and dropped his weights. He kept a bite on the air regulator as he did, taking a few good breaths for the swim up. Bent over, he unstrapped the second, smaller reserve tank from his hip. The
thermos-size pony tank was for Karen. He placed it beside his own gear. All was in order.

Straightening, he patted his belt and double-checked that the two waterproof plastic bags were still in place. Satisfied, he switched off his UV lights. Darkness closed around him.

Ready, Jack spit out the regulator and shot toward the surface, kicking to aim for the stern. As he raced upward, he slowly exhaled, compensating for the change in pressure. He was rising too fast for safety, but could not risk being exposed for too long.

Within a few seconds his palm touched the smooth underside of the hull. He worked toward the rear, careful of the idling prop. In the shadow of the stern, he surfaced and pushed back his mask. He had painted his face and hands with engine grease to limit any reflection.

He spotted one of Spangler's men leaning on the rail. A cigarette hung from his lips. Jack listened. He heard no others, but couldn't take any chances. Sliding to the starboard side, he pulled out a mirror attached to a telescoping pole from his belt and extended it toward the rail. In the mirror's reflection, he surveyed the stern deck. There was only the single guard. Good, he thought. With the cutter's bow pointing toward the
Fathom
, they had posted little security at the rear. He twisted the pole, searched the ship's forward section and spotted movement. Two men. Maybe more.

Jack quickly lowered and secured the mirror, then sidled back to the stern ladder. He tested it with a hand. The safety ladder was permanent, secured with bolts, so it shouldn't rattle.

From his belt, he removed one of the clear plastic bags. His hand settled around the grip of the pistol inside. Raising it above the water, he poked his finger through the thin plastic to rest a finger on the trigger. The safety was already off. He waited for an opportunity.

As he did, his eyes flicked to his watch. The eastern horizon was already beginning to glow with the approach of dawn.
C'mon, damn you…

Overhead, the guard flicked his cigarette into the sea. The
glowing butt arced over Jack's head and hit the water with a sizzle. Yawning, the guard turned and leaned his back against the rail. Fishing in a pocket, the man pulled out a pack of Winstons. He tapped it, trying to free one of the cigarettes.

One-handed, Jack pulled himself up on the ladder, planted his feet—then pointed his gun and fired. He covered the dull sound of the pistol's silencer with an inconspicuous cough. Gore splattered the white deck. Jack reached out and grabbed the man's body as it fell. Using the man's dead weight for leverage, he clambered over the rail, then lowered the limp body to the deck.

In a crouch, he ran to the cutter's external reserve fuel tank, freed the second plastic bag and pressed a red button. Swallowing hard, he checked his watch, then tucked the package beside the steel barrel.

He twisted around and darted to the door leading to the lower deck stairs. Gun pointed forward, he peeked around the open door. No one was there. Swinging it wide, he raced down the dimly lit stairs to the lower deck. At the end of the passageway lay a stainless steel door with a single tiny window.

Jack entered the passage cautiously. Crates and rolls of tarpaulin were stored in the lower passage, creating potential hiding places. He continued carefully, gun pointed ahead of him, searching corners and blind spots. No one was about. Reaching the far door, he glanced through the tiny window and bit back a sigh of relief. Karen was tied to the thin bed inside.

Jack quickly tapped in the code to the electronic cipher lock and heard the telltale click of the lock releasing. He grabbed the door and yanked it open. Taking no chances, he rolled into the room, ready for an ambush. He spun, weapon ready. No guards.

Karen struggled in her bonds, eyes wide with surprise. “Jack!” As he stepped toward her, Jack realized that it was not surprise in her voice—but fear.

He heard a rustling behind him, from the doorway, and turned around. In the hall, David stood with a gun pointing
at his chest. The crumpled tarpaulin he'd been hiding under was now a cape about his shoulders.

“Drop your weapon, Kirkland.”

Jack hesitated, then lowered his weapon and placed it on the floor.

David shrugged off the tarpaulin. “Kick your gun here.”

Hands raised, scowling, Jack did as he'd been ordered.

“You are so predictable, Jack. Always the hero.” David moved into the room. “With the right bait, I knew I could lure you here. But I must say you haven't lost your training. You got past my own men without alerting any of them.” He lifted the pistol. “Luckily, I trust no one but myself.”

“You never were a team player, Spangler. That's why I was promoted over you.” As his opponent's face reddened with anger, Jack spoke more slowly. “That's what's really got a corn cob up your ass about me, isn't it? It's not your sister. It's not Jennifer's death. You couldn't stand a commoner like me beating a purebred Aryan stud like yourself, could you?”

David took an angry step toward him, leveling the gun at his head. “Don't ever speak Jennifer's name again.”

Jack risked a glance at his watch.
Fifteen seconds
. He had to keep David angry and close. “Quit the act, Spangler. Your sister and I had long talks about you. I know about you and your father.”

Sputtering, David pointed the gun. His face was almost purple. “What did she tell you…whatever it was, it was all lies. He never touched me.”

Jack crinkled his brow. Long ago, Jennifer had mentioned that David had been physically abused by his father. But had it gone further? Jack lowered his voice conspiratorially. “That's not the way I heard it.”

David stepped nearer. “Shut the fuck up!”

Five seconds…

Jack braced his legs. His hands formed fists.

Spittle flew from David's lips in rage. “He never touched me!”

One…

Jack swung a fist as the explosion roared through the
ship. The deck bucked underfoot. His fist glanced off David's jaw, knocking him aside.

The pistol went off, a wild shot. The bullet dug into the wall behind Jack. He spun and kicked the gun from David's hand. It went flying across the floor.

David lunged. Jack instinctively dodged to the side, and as he swung back around realized the mistake. His reflexes had betrayed him. David might have been an asshole, but he was a keen killer. He landed near Jack's discarded pistol, which had been his intent, and David rolled toward the weapon.

Karen yelled from the bed, “Run, Jack!”

He froze. “He'll kill you—”

“No! His superiors want me alive! Go!”

Jack paused. David reached to the gun.

“Run!” Karen screamed.

Swearing, Jack darted through the door, slamming it behind him. Ahead, smoke filled the hall. Flames danced at the top of the stairs. Jack tore into a neighboring cabin. The bomb, primed with a small bit of C-4 from David's own bomb, had been meant as a distraction so he and Karen could escape.

Jack crossed the cabin and tugged down the folded emergency ladder. Cinching down his diving mask, he mounted the ladder and twisted the release to the aft deck's hatch.

An alarm sounded.

Flinging back the small door, he dove out. He rolled across the deck and to his feet. Men were running with buckets and hoses. One stopped and blocked his escape, mouth open in surprise.

As the man dropped his bucket and reached to a holstered pistol, Jack ran at him, elbowing him across his Adam's apple. The guard fell back, gagging. His way clear, Jack dove over the starboard rail.

Holding his mask, he struck the water, then kicked and dug his way toward the bottom. He flipped on his ultraviolet wrist lights just as bullets began to ping and zing through the water around him. He ignored the threat and searched for where he'd stored his equipment.

He quickly found it. Hidden in the shadow of the crumbling wall, Jack took a quick drag from the pony tank's regulator, then tossed it aside. Karen would not be needing it. He looked up.

The cutter remained topside, but it wouldn't be there for long. The exploding fuel tank was the signal for Charlie to call in the police. The original plan was for he and Karen to hide down here until the police chased them off.

As he fit his feet into his fins, Jack spotted movement from the corner of his eye. He twisted around, glancing up.

Small metallic objects, no bigger than soda cans, were sinking into the water around him. A dozen, maybe more. As he watched, one of them struck a tall column fifteen yards away. The explosion threw Jack to the sand, slamming the air from his lungs. His ears flared with pain. Bits of rock pelted him. Blind for a moment, he rolled across the sea floor.

As his vision snapped back, he spotted a dozen other charges falling around him. Another trap. He had less than five seconds until the area was blown to fragments.

Grabbing his buoyancy vest and attached air tank, he twisted the vest around and jammed his arms in the wrong way. The tank, instead of on his back, lay upside down on his chest. Swinging with his hips, he jammed the tank against a nearby stone wall and the valve snapped off. Compressed oxygen exploded out.

The tank, now a rocket, jetted away.

Hugging the tank tight to his chest, Jack rode it away from the cascade of depth charges. Fighting for control, his back slammed into the side of one of the submerged ruins. A rib snapped with a jolt of fire. He bit his lips against the pain and twisted his arms more snugly in the tangled buoyancy vest. Using his fins and legs, he roughly guided his trajectory through the maze of columns and walls, shooting like a pinball through an underwater arcade game.

As he rode, the explosions blasted behind him. He felt each charge as if kicked by a mule. A large chunk of basalt flew past him and bounced across the sand.

In seconds Jack's flight slowed as the air evacuated from the tank. He swam and kicked to put additional distance between
him and the depth charges. Finally, he could not ignore the fire in his lungs. He dumped the expired tank and pushed for the surface.

The upper waters were no longer midnight blue, but a deep aqua. The sun was rising.

He paddled toward the weak light and sucked air as his head broke the surface. His broken rib complained with each breath, but the relief of fresh air overwhelmed the ache. He swung around.

The morning was misty, heavy with the promise of rain. Seventy yards away, the seas still roiled around the police cutter. It looked as if the ship floated on a boiling pan of water. As he watched, one last explosion blew to the surface, casting a geyser of water high into the air.

In the distance, the multiple sirens of police vessels whined. Closer, the diesel motor of Spangler's cutter began to roar. Its bow end surged up as the ship took flight. Wakes churned and the boat swept away.

Jack watched, helpless, hurt. As he tread in place, a sense of defeat washed over him.

He had survived, but he'd lost Karen. And no matter what she argued, her life was on a short fuse. Once her usefulness ended, she would be eliminated.