Dead Aim

by Iris Johansen

  “I'm not leaving you.”

  “You'll go.” He smiled. “Because if you don't, I'll tell Nancy Shepard that I'll kick off the drive. I'll travel to every large city in the Northeast. I'll speak at convention centers and whistle stops. I'll shake hands and go to—”

  “No!”

  “Make your choice. You or me.”

  “You're safe here.”

  “Nowhere is perfectly safe, Chelsea.”

  “Okay, I know that. Why do you think I didn't argue when you sent the children away? But you're much safer here. Keller can control the security as long as you don't leave your ordinary stamping grounds.”

  “You or me.”

  “Damn you.” She drew a long shaky breath. “Me.”

  “You'll do a wonderful job, my love.”

  “Yes, I will.” Her voice was uneven. “And don't you dare let them kill you and make you a martyr while I'm gone. You know I look ghastly in black.”

  12

  The huge net was stretched from shore to shore across the entire opening of the inlet and four feet above the surface of the water.

  “So what do we do now?” Alex murmured. “Cut the net?”

  Morgan shook his head. “We wait.” He cut the motor of the speedboat. “You called and left a message we were coming. It's her move.”

  “We may be out here awhile.” Her gaze fastened on the small stone-and-wood house hugging the shore. Christ, this was a beautiful place. Jewel-blue water, green mountains, and tropical breezes swaying the trees. It was like something from a travel brochure. “I don't see any sign of stirring. Maybe we should try shouting or making— There's someone.”

  A woman had appeared from around the back of the house and was heading for the pier. Or Alex guessed she was a woman. She wore khaki shorts and a T-shirt, and her feet were bare. She was small and delicately built, with the shining fair hair usually seen in small children. But there was nothing fragile or childlike about the way she jumped into the motorboat at the pier and took off. She breathed competence, forcefulness, and vitality as she gunned the boat toward them.

  She stopped fifteen yards on the other side of the net and studied them.

  She was stunning, Alex realized, and no child. She was probably in her mid-twenties. Huge dark eyes and features that combined delicacy and boldness to form an extraordinary face. The boldness was definitely on the ascent in the cool glance she was giving Alex. “Alex Graham?”

  Alex nodded.

  “You don't look like the picture they have of you on CNN.”

  “God, I hope not. You're Melis Nemid?”

  The woman nodded.

  “Then how do you know what I look like on CNN? I thought you told me you never watched the news.”

  “I don't. But I had to make sure you were who you said you were.”

  “Are you satisfied?”

  “That you're Alex Graham and that you're up to your ass in trouble? Yes.” Her gaze narrowed on Morgan. “But you may be in bad company.”

  Alex shook her head. “I'd be in a hell of a lot more trouble if he hadn't been around. You can trust him.”

  “Ah, trust at last,” Morgan murmured.

  “I don't trust either of you.” Melis Nemid was silent a moment and then shrugged. “But I don't have much choice.” She started the boat and came slowly toward the net, skimming beside it until she reached a spot a few yards from where Alex and Morgan waited. She bent over the side of the boat, and a moment later a ten-foot-wide section of wire net fell to the surface. “Start your motor and then cut it when you reach the net and coast over,” she called.

  Morgan obeyed, and the moment they were on the other side of the net Melis Nemid rehooked it and drew the rope that lifted it to its former height. Then she was turning the boat and speeding back toward the shore.

  “I guess that means we follow?” Morgan started the motor. “Must be. What a warm welcome. You'd think we'd come without an invitation.”

  Melis Nemid had already tied up her boat and was striding toward the house when Alex and Morgan reached the pier. She glanced over her shoulder. “Come on. I can't be all day. I have things to do.”

  “Sorry.” Morgan helped Alex out of the boat. “We won't be hurt if you start without us.”

  She stared coldly at them. “This isn't funny. None of it.”

  “We know that better than you.” Alex stared her in the eye. “And we're not going to be put off or intimidated by rudeness or bad temper. We came for a reason, and you want to supply us with that information or you wouldn't have let us come. Now, can we get on with it, Ms. Nemid?”

  She blinked, and then a slight smile touched her lips. “Maybe I do trust you . . . a little. At least you don't bullshit. Call me Melis.” She turned and threw open the front door. “Come in and have an iced tea.”

  “We'd rather have conversation,” Morgan said as they followed her into the house. “And Philip Lontana.”

  “Then you'll be disappointed. I never told you he was here.” She went toward the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “So take the iced tea. It's a long, hot trip back to Tobago.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said. She wasn't about to turn down any peace offering, no matter how small. “If he's not here, where is he?”

  “Somewhere in the Azores, I think.” She poured the tea and set the glasses down on the bar in front of Morgan and Alex. “Or maybe the Canary Islands. At any rate, you can't get in touch with him. Forget it.”

  “We can't forget it,” Morgan said. “He may know something we need to know.”

  “You can't see him,” she repeated. “You talk to me. I told him to get lost and stay lost. Phil doesn't usually pay a lot of attention to me, but he will this time. He got scared at Fairfax.”

  “Why?”

  “Why do you think? He was in over his head. He thought he was going to save the world, and he found out that he'd been lied to. It's a wonder he got out alive. Phil's always been transparent as glass.”

  “He found out about Arapahoe Junction?”

  “No.” Her tone was sharp. “Neither of us knew that the thermal-sonic apparatus had even been used there. Not until you left the message on the phone. Phil only came to suspect his device might be developed for weaponry instead of geothermal energy.”

  “The scientists said there were seismograph readings that indicated an earthquake at Arapahoe Dam. Could those have been caused by Lontana's apparatus?”

  She nodded. “Theoretically.” She shook her head. “No, that's a word Phil uses when he doesn't want to face the truth. Hell, yes, it could have caused an earthquake. One that would be severe enough to impact the dam. I can't tell you how many times Phil told me how careful he had to be about developing probe techniques that would strike a balance.”

  “Evidently he wasn't that careful at Fairfax.”

  “For a long time he was so absorbed in the research that he didn't pay much attention to what was going on around him. After working there for a while, he gradually began to distrust Betworth and Powers and the other people who were in and out of the facility. So one night about three months ago he took his notes, destroyed the prototypes he'd developed at Fairfax, and took off.”

  “I'm surprised they let him.”

  “He was smarter than they thought. Phil's a little eccentric, and that fools a lot of people. They considered him the typical absentminded professor. Brilliant, but no common sense. In a way they were right. Phil's always lost in his own world.”

  “But I'd bet you aren't. Why didn't you stop him from going to Betworth?”

  “It's his life. I don't interfere with—” She shrugged. “He didn't tell me. He knew I wouldn't approve, so he took off without saying anything. It wasn't that unusual. Phil was always going off on exploration trips without me. Then he'd show up excited or depressed and stay with me until the next time, the next adventure. I didn't even know where he was until he called me and told me he'd meet me in Nassau and to ready the Last Home.”

  “The
n why are you here?”

  “I didn't leave him in the lurch,” she said defensively. “I'd never do that to Phil. I got him on the ship and out of port, but I had sickness here. I had to come home.”

  “We need to see him.”

  “No, he's out of it. I told him to stay away until I let him know it was safe. He can remain out to sea for years if he has to.” Her lips tightened. “And he may have to do that. Thanks to those bastards. If they don't kill him, they'll frame him, won't they?”

  “Probably,” Morgan said. “But I'd bet on the former.”

  She shook her head. “I won't let that happen. Why do you think you're here? I can't trust the government. Betworth has too much influence. I can't really trust you either, but you're in hot water and you're going to be moving fast and trying your best to take Betworth down. Right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I won't let you near Phil, but you can have me. I had Phil tell me everything that happened at Fairfax in case something happened to him. What do you need to know?”

  “What are Z-2 and Z-3?”

  She stared at him blankly.

  “Okay, let's try another tack. While the experiments were going on, did they concentrate on any particular vent areas?”

  “The Rocky Mountains. The coal-mining country in West Virginia. The offshore hydro vents near Baltimore.”

  “Offshore?”

  She nodded. “Those really interested Phil. He's always more intrigued by anything underwater.”

  “The Rocky Mountains,” Alex repeated. “Arapahoe Junction . . .”

  “He didn't know that,” Melis said quickly. “I tell you, it was just scientific experimentation as far as he was concerned. He wouldn't hurt—”

  “Okay. Okay.” Morgan held up his hand to stop her. “Where are these coal mines in West Virginia?”

  “He didn't know. Somewhere south, he thought. They were having him work very hard on the mathematical equations for that area.” Her lips twisted. “Phil thought it was wonderful that they'd concentrated on such a poor region for geothermal benefits.”

  “Yeah, Betworth is all heart. What about the Baltimore hydro vents?”

  Melis shook her head. “They abandoned them halfway through the initial survey.”

  “Why? Not practical?”

  “Phil thought it the most promising of the three. But Betworth said that it wouldn't work. That it wouldn't bring the effect he wanted. He told Powers that they'd have to contact a man named Morales. They needed more bang for the buck.”

  “And that meant?”

  “Phil had no idea. But by that time he was getting pretty pissed off at the entire operation. Not enough to abandon his work, but he just gave up arguing and concentrated on West Virginia.”

  “And they called in Morales?”

  She nodded. “Phil saw him a couple times at the plant before he was introduced to him. He said he didn't look or talk much like a scientist, but it wasn't his business. He didn't have to work with him. Morales was glued to Powers and Betworth most of the time.”

  “Morales was there often?”

  “Yes, but he came and went. He must have been sort of a visiting consultant.”

  “You might call him that,” Morgan murmured.

  “Anyway, he was evidently put in charge of the Baltimore operation. Phil didn't like it. It didn't make any sense to him. He didn't want anyone else to handle his apparatus, and Betworth seemed to be handing his pet project over to Morales.”

  “So he cut out?”

  “Not then. He was still too intrigued, and evidently Betworth lost faith in Morales, because a few months later he stopped coming around the plant.”

  “And that made Lontana number one again.”

  “You've got to understand. It wasn't just professional jealousy. He was getting uneasy. There was more talk about volcano and earthquake effects than tapping reserves for thermal power. Phil has a big ego, but he felt deeply about this project. He didn't want it compromised.” She looked down into her glass. “But it was compromised. Jesus, was it compromised.”

  “How did they manage to sabotage Arapahoe Junction without him?”

  “I don't know. He said he took all but one prototype with him, and that one was in Washington with Betworth. But he didn't think it would be of any use without the mathematical calculations that he'd refused to turn over to the team.”

  “They evidently tried it on Arapahoe anyway,” Morgan said. “Powers said it went wrong. That they'd lost Lontana and it had gone wrong.”

  “What went wrong?” Alex asked. “They destroyed the dam and Arapahoe Junction.”

  Melis shook her head. “How could you expect Phil to know that? He didn't have any knowledge of how those bastards were going to use the sonic apparatus.”

  “And he never heard of Z-2 or Z-3?”

  “No.”

  “No references to places or dates?”

  Melis frowned. “No places other than what I've already told you. But Phil said they kept pushing him to move faster. Betworth had a target date by which they had to have a successful launch to present to Congress.”

  “What date?”

  “November twelfth.”

  And it was November 8 today, Alex realized. The knowledge sent a ripple of tension through her.

  “D-Day?” Morgan asked speculatively.

  “But they lost Lontana,” Alex said. “That might have changed everything.”

  “Or it might not.” He turned back to Melis. “I need to know more about why Morales was at Fairfax. Did Lontana say anything more about him?”

  “Just that he didn't like him. But then, Phil's very competitive. He wouldn't have liked anyone who took over one of his projects.” Her forehead creased in thought. “He said he overheard a lot of talk about a suitcase.”

  “Could it have been a briefcase?” Alex asked. “Morgan said Morales was carrying a briefcase the night he saw him.”

  Melis glanced at Morgan. “You saw Morales? You met him?”

  “No, it was a very short encounter. But Alex is right, he was carrying a briefcase, not a suitcase.”

  “It could have been a briefcase, I suppose. Phil's not always precise, except in his work.” Melis shrugged. “I'll ask him next time I talk to him.” She checked her watch. “Is that all? It's time I gave Susie her medicine.”

  “Unless you can think of anything else.”

  She shook her head.

  “Or will let us talk to Lontana.”

  “I told you, no one talks to Phil.”

  Alex smiled. “You're being very protective.”

  “Someone has to take care of him. He's a good man. It's not his fault he wants to believe everyone is as good as he is.”

  “That sounds familiar,” Morgan said. “I believe I know someone else who's similarly inclined.”

  Melis looked at Alex. “You? Then I feel sorry for you. You get hurt a lot less if you don't let yourself trust people.”

  “I'm sure you don't suffer from that affliction to any great degree,” Morgan said. “May we leave now? I watched you, and I think I can lower the net.”

  “If you don't hook it in the correct order, you'll get a hell of an electric shock. I'll come with you and let you out.” She opened the refrigerator and took out a wrapped parcel. “As soon as I tend to Susie.” She crossed the room, opened the sliding glass doors, and went out onto the lanai. “Five minutes.”

  “I believe we'll tag along,” Morgan said. “Not that we don't trust you. I just believe your philosophy is absolutely sound.”

  “Come along. I don't care.” She moved across the lanai and around the corner.

  They followed, to find her sitting on the edge of the lanai, which was built out over the sea. Her bare feet were hanging in the water and she was unwrapping the parcel she'd taken out of the refrigerator. “Be quiet. She's not usually skittish, but she's been ill.” She raised her voice. “Susie.”

  Nothing.

  “Susie. Stop being a baby. It's
wrapped in fish.”

  A high-pitched squeak and a gray head suddenly emerged five feet from where Melis sat.

  “Not you, Pete. You chowhound. Go get Susie.”

  “Galen mentioned that you work with dolphins,” Alex said.

  “I don't work, I slave,” Melis said. “And the ungrateful creatures won't even come when I call them. Susie!”

  Two white snouts appeared not two feet from where she was sitting. “It's about time.” She took one of the pieces of fish and threw it to the smaller dolphin. The mammal caught it and gulped it down. “That's a good girl.” She tossed the other piece to the other dolphin. “Thanks, Pete.”

  The two dolphins swam closer, rubbing affectionately against her bare legs in the water, softly squeaking.

  She stroked the female's head. “I love you too,” she whispered. “But you've got to take the medicine, baby. No more hiding, okay?”

  The dolphin squeaked, nodding, and then disappeared beneath the water.

  Melis sighed. “Yeah, sure. Keep an eye on her, Pete.”

  The other dolphin glided away after the female.

  Melis stared after them, her expression soft, almost radiant. Her demeanor was completely different from the guarded, tough exterior she'd shown Alex and Morgan.

  “What's wrong with Susie?” Alex asked.

  “A digestive-tract parasite. Nothing that can't be fixed.” Melis stood up. “If I can get her to take her medicine. She doesn't like the taste. I've disguised it half a dozen ways, but half the time she won't come when I call her.”

  “Then what do you do?”

  “Get on my scuba gear and go after her.” She moved past them into the house. “As soon as I contact Phil, I'll call you and let you know if there's anything else he remembers.” She glanced back over her shoulder and said fiercely, “I helped you. Now you go work your buns off and make sure he's safe.”

  “If you'd been concerned only for Lontana, you'd never have called me back,” Alex said. “I believe you realize there are a few other people concerned in this. It's a big world, Melis.”

  “Not my world.” She jumped into her motorboat. “My world is here.” She started the engine. “I'll go ahead and lower the net.”

  “Are you totally alone on the island?” Morgan asked. “It's risky. I'm surprised Betworth hasn't sent someone here.”