We were. It wasn't long before we heard the wash of breakers. We were well to the south of the jetty, of course, so I followed the coastline by the sound of the breakers to port-and after what seemed an endless row came at last to the landing-place.
Jutta and I hadn't exchanged one word, all the times I s till couldn't be close to her with that torch business eating me -in spite of her parting words. The torch itself lay next to the bomb, on the bottom-boards; we both shunned it as though it were a black mamba.
I led the way to the bunkhouse and, after I'd changed, joined her at the fire for food and coffee.
She started the ball rolling. In a neutral voice, she said, 'I' ve never seen anything so lovely as that sea, Struan.'
– '
I expected-any moment-to be shot at.'
Her eyes seemed to find lots of places to look at in the fire. They never met mine.
I said, 'I had a bummer of a trip.. I described what I had found in the shack; on the deck; the sadistic scene in the mess; my incredible let-off. 'Search me why he didn't make a killing. I'd written myself off as a goner.'
'What did he say?' Her voice was strained and apprehensive. '
Nothing. I saw nothing either. He had the cap pulled right down over his face.'
'Thank God for him l'
Her relief still didn't bridge the gap between us.
'Why that gun-toting bruiser didn't turn me in I'll never know.'
'I sat waiting in the fog for a hundred years.'
She was giving-me all the openings but I couldn't take them.
'Don't start throwing your hat in the air yet,' I replied brusquely. 'I can't imagine he'll go on keeping his mouth shut about me.'
'He may have to, to save his own skin.'
We might have been light years away, judging by the lack of warmth between us.
'Anyway, I'm going to beat him to the chequered flag lomorrow,' I said. 'I think I know now what Sang A is up to: 146
C H A P T E R E L E V E N
What we saw spread oul round Sang A next day underscored my discoveries of the previous night. The salvage part, at least.
It was a six-pointed pattern of cables and chains stretching out about half a mile to the main points of the compass with the black ship in the centre. It resembled a gigantic spoked wheel on the sea's surface-with Sang A as its hub. Half-a-dozen moorings had been made ready, and numbered buoys were in position-a typical preliminary salvage lay-out. It had all been done some time before the fog lifted. The Sang A crowd had certainly sweated out their hangovers. Echoes of the previous night hung a little drearily on the morning air between Jutta and me. I'd tried to fling away the thought of her possible duplicity, but the nagging suspicion of the torch affair still stuck.
She stared at Sang A- and across the channel to where the City of Baroda lay. I couldn't fathom the expression in her eyes.
She said, 'My search is snowballing into something far beyond what it originally was. I'm scared for the future.'
I replied-to reassure her -not to convince myself, 'There are too many ghosts around. Those salvage preparations are a complete give-away. The frigate will be along any time now and that will be that.'
She didn't answer. The sunlit anchorage seemed so peaceful; even the day was unnatural in its continued calm. It was hard to credit the other side of the Sang A coin. Why go then? Why not wait?'
I might have found a reply of sorts, before last night. Now I shrugged.
'I'm going aboard Sang A. Stay if you wish.'
'Never.'
We left it at that.
I rowed us out in the dinghy to Sang A. Her boats were fussing about. Some of the crew stood at the rails watching us approach, their dull, sullen fares so similar that I couldn't pick out individuals. If I hadn't seen them going to town the night before I couldn't have credited what a bunch of rowdies they could be.
We made fast. Emmermann and Kenryo were on the catwalk awaiting us. Even less than before did I like the look of Sang A's number one hatchet man. The whites of his eyes weren't white, but murky yellow.
I've been expecting you all morning, Captain Weddell.'
Emmermann smiled sarcastically. 'It would be unlike a gogetting headman to stand aside from this.' He indicated the preparations.
'That's what I've come about.'
`Salvage is no doubt within the province of island headmen also?'
`Don't beat about the bush, Emmermann. You know damn well you can't undertake salvage operations here.' '
So… now?'
Kenryo regarded me with his glum face and dirty eyes. I wanted to give a medal to the guy who'd smashed his nose. Now that I was near him I smelt the acrid odour of stale sweat and burned-out drugs. I wondered how good he'd be for a fight, without a drag.
But Emmermann wasn't out for trouble.
`Please to, come to the chart-room. J would like you to examine our legal papers.'
'They don't need vetting,' rasped Kenryo.
Emmermann aJmost apologized for him. 'Our informationwas that we would find a more… ah, accommodating headman on Possession.'
I directed my reply to Kenryo. 'There was. He's gone. He granduated to mainlining. They usually start soft.'
Kenryo's yellow skin had a sort of dull-oily gloss on it-and he didn't have jaundice. He spat over the side,
`So.. a' persisted Emmermann.
`Dope, booze-that's Possession?
He smiled indulgently at Jutta. 'I have some of the latter inside. We will use it for less serious purposes than the incumbents of Possession? In the chart-room he produced a bottle of schnapps and three glasses. Kenryo wasn't included. Maybe he didn't want to overburden himself with vices.
'Gesundheit!' . I raised my glass to Emmermann, wondering where all this sp urious bonhomie was leading to.
Emmermann kept it up. 'Documents! You shall see We have plenty.'
'Be specific,' I replied. 'Tell me what you're after. I know most of the wrecks around here -Maridahl, Nautilus, Lovely Amanda, Black Prince-and Auckland on the other side. None of them's worth a packet of matches.'
'All oldies, as the jargon has it.' But Emmermann's next words snapped Jutta out of her aloof and detached mood. '
No, Captain Weddell, we're searching for a submarine that aas lost here during the war. The U-160.'
Emmermann missed her reaction because he'd risen to open a wall safe. But Kenryo didn't. His eyes narrowed as hers came alight and bright colour rushed into her cheeks. He must have used a good brand of dope-to be so alert the ' morning after'!
Emmermann thumped down a wad of documents in front of me. If they were calculated to impress, they did. Parchment: stamped, watermarked, letterheaded, scripted, with red seals and ribbon. A couple of the documents were in Oriental writing which I imagined to be Korean. It looked good and convincing… I couldn't read a word.
'Right,' I said. 'You've done your homework. But as far as I'm concerned this is so much bumff. These are Sperrgebiet territorial waters. You can't operate here without authority. I can't find that authority among these-'. I indicated the pile of documents.
He pointed to a particularly impressive-looking one which sported a coat-of-arms and drop-lettered Gothic capitals. am authorized by the German Ministry of Marine to salvage any metals, machinery, fitments and tools from U-160 in consideration of the sum..