The Spear of Atlantis (Wilde/Chase 14)

by Andy McDermott

  ‘Nina, where are you?’ he asked urgently on answering. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine, just a bit wet,’ she replied. ‘I’m on a beach in Spain.’

  ‘I wouldn’t hang around. They’ve put a Red Notice on you. The cops’ll have your picture – if they see you, they’ll arrest you.’

  She hurriedly started inland. ‘As if I didn’t have enough to worry about! Somebody’s gone to a lot of trouble to make me the patsy. I think they’re scared I might stop them.’

  ‘Stop them doing what?’

  ‘Finding the spearheads.’

  ‘You weren’t even sure if they were real,’ he objected.

  ‘Somebody obviously is. And they’re sure enough of it to kill Ana to prevent me from interfering. Do you know if they arrested Agreste?’

  ‘Not only did they not arrest him, the Emir and his people don’t even believe Ana’s dead. Or maybe they know she is, but they’re part of it.’

  She reached the top of the beach. ‘You think the Dhajanis are behind this?’

  ‘Maybe. Or Lobato – he seemed a bit too keen to find out about the spearheads, didn’t he?’

  ‘The thought had occurred. But I don’t know for sure. The main thing now is making sure whoever it is doesn’t find the spearheads. If they are what I think, they’re much too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands. And the best way to stop that happening is to make sure they can’t get hold of the second marker, the one in Seville. The one they stole is useless without it.’

  ‘But why do you have to go there in person? Just ring ’em up.’

  ‘There won’t be anyone at the museum at this time of night, and I don’t have anybody’s personal phone numbers. Besides, if I’m on the international most-wanted list, the last thing I need on me is a literal tracking device! I’ll have to get rid of my phone.’

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Eddie said in disbelief.

  ‘I know – this is a new phone!’

  ‘That’s not what I meant. The cops won’t know where you are, but I won’t either. And you might need me. You will need me.’

  ‘Macy needs you more,’ she told him firmly. ‘Is she there?’

  ‘Yeah. But it might not be a good idea telling her you’re doing a Lord Lucan. She’s upset enough already.’

  ‘I’ll assume he’s the British equivalent of D. B. Cooper. But I have to talk to her, Eddie. I don’t know when I might get another chance.’

  ‘Okay, okay,’ he said with reluctance. ‘Macy! It’s your mum!’

  Nina heard her daughter snatch the phone from him. ‘Mommy! Are you okay?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she replied. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m okay. Where are you? Daddy said you weren’t on the boat any more. Are you still in trouble?’

  ‘The Emir thinks I did something bad. That’s why I had to get off the ship – they wouldn’t let me go.’

  ‘Does that mean you’re a fugitive?’

  Nina laughed; Macy’s precociousness manifested at the most unexpected times. ‘It means I’m going to prove I didn’t do anything wrong,’ she assured her. ‘Then I’ll come back to you and Daddy. Okay?’

  ‘When?’

  ‘As soon as I can.’ She emerged from trees to find herself on open ground near a road. Some distance away, a car was speeding towards her. It wasn’t the police, but they had probably been warned about her by now, and if they spotted the drifting boat, they would quickly find where she had come ashore.

  And the cops were not the only people after her. ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘I love you very, very much – and I will see you again soon. I promise.’

  ‘I love you too, Mommy,’ said Macy, struggling to hold back tears.

  Nina felt much the same way herself. ‘Can you put your dad back on, please?’

  Eddie reclaimed the phone. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing – beyond, y’know, the obvious. Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll find a way to call you from Seville.’

  ‘Nina, there’s got to be another way. I already talked to Seretse, and there are other people I can try who could help us to fix this. Maybe Alderley—’

  ‘There isn’t time, Eddie,’ she insisted. ‘You said it yourself: the longer I wait, the closer the cops will get – and I doubt Agreste’s sitting around eating croissants either. He killed Ana, so he’ll want me dead too to cover it up.’

  ‘I should’ve decked that arsehole on the bridge,’ he growled.

  ‘And then you’d be in a cell yourself – which is the last thing Macy needs. I’ve got to go,’ she repeated. ‘Tell her I love her – and I love you. I love you so much.’

  ‘Nina! You—’

  ‘Bye, Eddie.’

  It took all of her willpower to disconnect. ‘And this was a really good phone,’ she muttered, trying to distract herself from far greater emotions.

  She powered it down, then reluctantly tossed it away before tearing off her wristband – it was unlikely it could track her outside the ship, but she didn’t want to take the risk – and turning towards the lights of Tarifa. As she set off, she could feel the cold on her bare arms and legs, and the squelching of her wet shoes. ‘Viva frickin’ España,’ she sighed.

  Eddie returned to his cabin’s balcony, glaring towards the Moroccan coastline as he made another phone call. This was to someone as connected in the world of global diplomacy as Seretse – though in a very different sphere.

  ‘How is it,’ said Peter Alderley, the head of the British intelligence agency MI6, ‘that whenever our paths cross, it’s because you or Nina have caused another international incident?’

  While Eddie and Alderley were hardly friends – the first time they met, when the Yorkshireman was in the SAS and the intelligence officer a field agent, the former had ended up punching the latter so hard that the bump of his resulting broken nose was still visible even now – they had over the years developed a grudging mutual respect. However, tonight Eddie had no time for their usual sarcastic banter. ‘Neither of us caused it, but Nina’s been framed for it,’ he said impatiently. ‘And now she’s on the run in Spain, with whoever set her up wanting her dead. So I need to know if you or MI6 can do anything to help her.’

  ‘I’m afraid that isn’t really the Secret Intelligence Service’s bailiwick. Nina’s an American citizen, not British.’

  ‘You wouldn’t just be helping her,’ Eddie snapped. ‘You’d be helping me. Remember, the guy who helped stop Britain being taken over in a coup? Who got you your bloody job?’

  Alderley made a noise of grim amusement. ‘I wondered how long it would be before that came up.’

  ‘I’m not joking, Alderley. Nina’s in trouble, and I’m stuck on this bloody boat. So I’ve been seeing if anyone can put diplomatic pressure on Dhajan, but I thought you might be able to do something a bit more direct.’

  ‘I should probably be flattered you think I have so much reach, but the sad truth is that I don’t have field officers with time on their hands crawling all over southern Spain. This isn’t The Assassination Run.’

  ‘For fuck’s sake!’ Eddie banged a fist on the balcony railing in frustration. ‘So you won’t do anything?’

  ‘I don’t know what I can do! I like Nina, and I want to help, but I really can’t think how.’

  ‘Then think harder. She’s going to the archaeology museum in Seville – if you get someone to watch it, you could—’

  A noise caught his attention. With the balcony extending beyond the ship’s flank, he was able to see its source: the lifeboat deck. A boat was being swung out on its davit – not one of the lifeboats, but a much smaller RIB. He stopped speaking as he realised who was standing beside the crane.

  Agreste. The Frenchman was talking to someone obscured by the moving davit.

  ‘Chase?’ Alderley’s voice. ‘You still there?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m here,’ Eddie said distractedly. ‘I’ve just seen the arsehole who set Nina up. Name’s Agreste, he’s French – supposed to be i
n charge of security, but he killed the woman who was helping her.’

  ‘Agreste? I’ll see if we have anything on him. Do you know his first name?’

  ‘No, we didn’t exactly exchange business cards.’ He kept watching as the boat was carried clear of the deck, ready to be boarded.

  But it wasn’t Agreste who climbed into the waiting craft. Eddie felt a shock of recognition when he saw the Frenchman’s companion.

  It was Ana Rijo.

  ‘Jesus!’ he gasped. ‘She’s not dead!’

  ‘Who?’ asked Alderley.

  ‘The woman Nina said got shot. She’s still alive!’ As he watched, Ana turned back to Agreste and shook his hand. ‘She’s bloody working with Agreste!’

  Agreste returned to the control panel. ‘I’ll call you back,’ Eddie said, rushing into the cabin. ‘If you can help Nina—’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Alderley assured him.

  Eddie rang off. ‘What’s happened?’ Olivia asked as he hurried past.

  ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Stay here,’ he added as Macy stood. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

  He ran from the cabin to the nearest flight of stairs. If he reached the lifeboat deck before Ana and Agreste departed, he could force them to give him some answers.

  But he was too late. Agreste was gone, the empty davit reeling in its cables. He ran to the railing and looked down. A wake led his gaze out across the dark water to where the RIB was powering into the distance, Ana alone at its wheel.

  ‘Shit!’ he shouted helplessly after it, before retrieving his phone. If Nina still had hers, he could warn her she had been set up.

  But the call went straight to voicemail. Her phone was probably in the sea or a ditch.

  He glared after the boat. It was heading for Tangier—

  Wait – he had friends in Morocco. Not in government, but in some ways more useful. He brought up his contacts list and made another call.

  It was quickly answered. ‘Salaam alaikum,’ a man replied, music playing in the background.

  ‘Karim!’ said Eddie. ‘It’s Eddie Chase.’

  Karim Taysir switched from Arabic to English without pause. ‘Eddie!’ he said with great enthusiasm. ‘My friend, how are you? It’s been a long time.’

  ‘I know – and this isn’t a social call. I need your help.’

  The Moroccan’s genial tone became all business. ‘What is wrong?’

  ‘Dunno if you’ve heard, but there’s a cruise ship off the coast, the Atlantia. It’s had some trouble.’

  ‘It has been on the news, yes. They said the lifeboats were launched.’

  ‘They’ve brought ’em back on board,’ Eddie replied, ‘but another boat just left, a RIB, and it’s heading for Tangier. The person in it’s a Brazilian woman calling herself Ana Rijo. I need you to find her. She’s framed my wife for stealing an Atlantean artefact, so I want to talk to her. She’s going to tell me what’s going on.’

  Karim made a small mm-hmm noise. ‘You can be very, very persuasive. As the Algerian discovered.’

  ‘Think you can help?’

  ‘Of course!’ he boomed. ‘This is Tangier, Eddie, it is my city – there is no one I do not know.’

  ‘Thanks, Karim,’ Eddie told him. ‘I’ll call you back soon.’

  He disconnected and stepped back, thinking. If anyone could track Ana down in Tangier, it really would be Karim; he had only been slightly exaggerating when he claimed to know everyone in the city. Eddie himself had a wide network of contacts, but even he had been amazed at how many people on the streets of the Moroccan capital hurried to greet his friend, and while at the port, nothing more than Karim’s wave had seen the Englishman escorted past a lengthy queue at customs, through a restricted area and on to a ferry for Europe with a passport check as fast as a nod.

  But he wasn’t going to leave everything to the Moroccan – he needed to find out more for himself. He re-entered the ship and pushed the button on his wristband.

  It took several minutes, the crew still dealing with the aftermath of the evacuation, but eventually a white-jacketed steward hurried to him. ‘Can I help you, Mr Chase?’

  ‘I hope so,’ he replied, adopting a concerned voice. ‘Our steward, Ana – nobody’s seen her since the alarms went off. We’re worried about her, we think she might be hurt.’

  The young man’s badge gave his name as Jasni; his accent was Malaysian. ‘I haven’t heard anything like that,’ he replied.

  ‘Can you find out? We want to be sure she’s all right.’

  Jasni nodded. ‘If you would wait in your cabin, I will come and tell you.’

  Eddie leaned towards the slighter man, giving him a too-broad smile. ‘I’d really appreciate it if I could come with you while you check . . .’ He was still wearing his suit, his wallet in a pocket; he slipped his hand unsubtly towards its rectangular bulge.

  The steward understood his meaning and smiled back. While the Atlantia was supposedly the world’s most opulent cruise ship, Eddie was sure that the wealth did not trickle down very far. ‘Of course, Mr Chase.’

  Jasni led him down through the decks to a crew-only doorway. He obstructed the touchpad’s camera with his body before using his card to unlock it. ‘Quick, quick,’ he told Eddie, who ducked through behind him.

  He led the Englishman to a small office and went to a computer on the desk. ‘Okay. I will find her bunk.’ He started typing, soon making a quizzical sound.

  ‘What is it?’ Eddie asked.

  ‘We all have to share rooms,’ Jasni replied. ‘But she has a cabin to herself!’ He sounded jealous.

  ‘Where is it?’

  ‘Deck 3, Cabin C43.’

  ‘Can you take me there?’

  The response this time was more reluctant. ‘All the cabins there belong to officers. I could lose my job.’

  ‘Just tell ’em I’m drunk, I got lost, and you’re taking me back to my room.’ He took out his wallet. ‘Two hundred dollars for five minutes’ work. Sound fair?’

  Jasni hesitated, then gave a wide smile. Eddie handed him the money. ‘Mr Chase!’ he exclaimed as he tucked the bills away. ‘You are very, very drunk, you must have taken a wrong turn. Let me help you to your suite.’

  ‘Cheersh,’ the Yorkshireman replied, grinning.

  The steward took him through the Atlantia’s innards to the officers’ quarters. They encountered several members of the ship’s complement en route, but the crewmen saw that Eddie was with one of their fellows and passed without comment. ‘Here,’ the Malaysian finally said. ‘This is her cabin.’

  The nondescript door had a keycard lock. ‘Can you open this?’

  Jasni shook his head. ‘No, I do not have the right key. I am sor—’

  The Englishman kicked it open. The steward yipped. ‘That’s okay,’ Eddie told him, pushing into the cabin. ‘I brought my own.’

  ‘No, no!’ Jasni cried. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Finding out why the steward who framed my wife gets her own private room.’ The cabin contained a small bed, and a large desk. The reason for its size was obvious: it had to accommodate two big monitor screens, a computer and its keyboard, as well as various other pieces of electronic paraphernalia. Both screens were active, one a system display similar to those on the bridge, the other filled with a grid of live images. ‘These are from the security cameras,’ Eddie said. ‘She really was watching us . . .’

  ‘But the CCTV went out during the emergency,’ said Jasni. ‘We had to check all the corridors for lost passengers.’

  ‘She blocked the bridge from seeing them.’ The Englishman peered behind the monitors.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Making sure there isn’t a bomb. Speed 2,’ he added at his companion’s blank look. ‘You know, the film?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Tchah! Nobody appreciates good bad movies any more.’ Satisfied that the computer was not booby-trapped, he put his hand on the mouse. ‘Let’s
see if she’s got anything useful on here. A folder called “My Evil Plan” would be nice . . .’

  Instead, a warning window popped up demanding a password. ‘Arse,’ Eddie muttered.

  ‘Perhaps you should wait until the captain gets here?’ suggested Jasni.

  ‘My wife’s in trouble, I don’t have time. Okay, how about . . . “password”?’

  He typed it in. The window flashed red, then returned to the password request. ‘Bollocks! All right, what about “admin”?’ Again, no luck. ‘Clag nuts! “12345”? I’ve got the same password on my luggage,’ he added, to the steward’s bewilderment. ‘Haven’t seen Spaceballs either?’

  This time, the failed entry produced a different result. Both screens went dark. ‘Buggeration and fuckery!’ Eddie exclaimed. ‘It’s locked me out.’ He considered the situation. ‘Okay, you wait here and guard this lot. I’ll tell the captain what I’ve found.’

  Leaving the worried steward in the cabin, he made his way to the bridge. The door was locked again – and he suspected that after his last intrusion, those inside would be more watchful. He banged hard on the metal barrier. ‘Oi! It’s Eddie Chase, open up!’

  The door opened, a burly officer regarding him coldly. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Get the captain. I found out who sabotaged the ship!’

  The man called across the bridge. Snowcock arrived swiftly. ‘Mr Chase, if you’re wasting my time—’

  ‘Ana Rijo’s not dead,’ Eddie cut in. ‘She just left in a RIB, heading for Morocco. She faked getting shot; she’s working with Agreste. And she’s got a computer in her cabin that’s hacked in to all your CCTV and emergency systems.’

  That caught his attention. ‘What? Ana was a steward – she doesn’t have her own cabin.’

  ‘Think you need to check your records. Deck 3, Cabin C43. She could still see all the camera feeds even if you couldn’t.’

  ‘Get down there and see if he’s telling the truth,’ Snowcock told the other man. ‘If he is, we might be able to get all our systems back online.’

  Eddie decided not to tell him he had locked the system; hopefully somebody on the ship was good enough with computers to break in. ‘The whole thing was done to set Nina up,’ he continued. ‘Ana made it look like she was involved in the robbery, and you all believed it. I need to get the Emir to call off the cops. Is he in there?’