Zhu Kwan laid aside the drawing. “Please put him on.”
“Hello, Zhu Kwan, are you there?” came the jovial voice of Perlmutter.
“St. Julien. What an unexpected surprise. I am honored to hear from my old friend and colleague.”
“You'll be more than honored when you hear what I have to tell you.”
The Chinese historian was bewildered. “I am always happy to hear of your archival discoveries.”
“Tell me, Zhu Kwan, are you still interested in finding a ship called the Princess Dou Wan?”
Zhu Kwan sucked in his breath, a fear rising inside him. “You are also searching for her?”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Perlmutter said carelessly. “I have no interest in the ship whatsoever. But while researching another lost ship, a missing Great Lakes car ferry, I ran across a document by a ship's engineer, since deceased, that told of a harrowing experience while he served on board the Princess Dou Wan.”
“You found a survivor?” asked Zhu Kwan, unable to believe his luck.
“His name is lan Gallagher. His friends called him 'Hong Kong.' He was the chief engineer on the Princess when she went down.”
“Yes, yes, I have a file on him.”
“Gallagher was the only survivor. He never went back to China for obvious reasons and dropped out of sight in the United States.”
“The Princess,” gasped Zhu Kwan, unable to contain his growing expectation. “Did Gallagher give an approximate position off Chile where the ship sank?”
“Brace yourself, my Oriental friend,” said Perlmutter. “The Princess Dou Wan did not go to the bottom of the South Pacific.”
“But her final distress call?” muttered a confused Zhu Kwan.
“She lies under Lake Michigan in North America.”
“Impossible!” Zhu Kwan gasped.
“Believe me, it's true. The distress signal was a fake. The captain and crew, under the direction of a General Kung Hui, altered the name to that of her sister ship, the Princess Yung Tai. Then they sailed through the Panama Canal up the East Coast of the United States and down the St. Lawrence River into the Great Lakes. She was overtaken by a horrendous storm and went down two hundred miles north of Chicago, her ultimate destination.”
“This is incredible. Are you sure of your facts?”
“I'll fax you Gallagher's report of the voyage and sinking.”
A sick feeling began to spread in the pit of Zhu Kwan's stomach. “Did Gallagher make mention of the ship's cargo?”
“He made only one reference,” replied Perlmutter. “Gallagher said that General Hui told him the numerous wooden cases and crates loaded on board in Shanghai were filled with personal furnishings and clothes of high-ranking Nationalist Chinese officials and military leaders who were fleeing mainland China ahead of the Communists.”
A wave of great relief settled over Zhu Kwan. The secret appeared safe. “Then it seems the rumors of a great treasure are not true. There was no cargo of great value on board the Princess Dou Wan.”
“Perhaps some jewelry, but certainly nothing that would excite a professional salvage hunter. The only artifacts that will ever be retrieved will probably surface in the hands of local sport divers.”
“Have you given out this information to anyone besides me?” asked Zhu Kwan warily.
“Not a soul,” Perlmutter answered. “You're the only one I know who had any interest in the wreck.”
“I would be grateful to you, St. Julien, if you did not reveal your discovery. At least not for the next few months.”
“From this moment on, I promise not to disclose a word.”
“Also, as a personal favor—”
“You have but to name it.”
“Please do not fax Gallagher's report. I think it would be better if you sent it by private courier. I will, of course, take care of any expense.”
“Whatever you wish,” said Perlmutter agreeably. “I'll hire the services of a courier the minute I lay down the phone.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Zhu Kwan said sincerely. “You have done me a great service. Though the Princess Dou Wan is of no great historical or economic value, it has been a mosquito in my ear for many years.”
“Believe me, I've been there. Some lost shipwrecks, no matter how insignificant, captivate and consume a researcher's imagination. They're never forgotten until answers behind their disappearance are finally found.”
“Thank you, St. Julien, thank you.”
“My best wishes to you, Zhu Kwan. Good-bye.”
The Chinese historian could not believe his luck. What had seemed an impossible enigma only minutes ago had suddenly been solved and dropped in his lap. Though exhilarated, he decided to put off informing Qin Shang until the courier arrived with lan Gallagher's narrative of the final moments of the Princess Dou Wan and he had an hour or two to study it.
Qin Shang would be highly pleased to learn that the fabulous art treasure stolen from the country had been lying safe and preserved in the fresh water of a lake all these years and was now within reach. Zhu Kwan fervently hoped that he would live long enough to see the artifacts on display in a national gallery and museum.
“You do nice work, St. Julien,” said Sandecker as Perlmutter put down the phone. “You missed your calling as a used-car salesman.”
“Or a politician running for election,” Giordino muttered.
“I feel like a low-down skunk, misleading that nice old man,” said Perlmutter. He paused and looked around Sandeck-er's office at the four NUMA men seated around him. “Zhu Kwan and I go back many years. We've always had the highest respect for each other. I hated lying to him.”
“Fair is fair,” said Pitt. “He conned you, too. All this time he's claimed his only interest in the Princess Dou Wan was strictly academic. He knows damned well the ship sank with a fantastic fortune in art on board. A fax line can be eavesdropped on. Why else would he insist you send Gallagher's story by courier? You can bet he's itching to give the news to j Qin Shang.” j
Perlmutter shook his head. “Zhu Kwan is a hard-nosed scholar. He won't make any announcement to his boss until he's analyzed the document.” He looked into the other faces one by one. “Out of curiosity, who did write the report I'm sending him?”
Rudi Gunn raised his hand almost sheepishly. “I volunteered for the chore. And a rather good job, if I may say so. Naturally, I took writer's liberty with the text. A footnote makes mention of lan Gallagher's death from a heart attack in nineteen ninety-two. So he and Katie's tracks are covered.”
Sandecker looked at his special projects director. “Will we have enough time to properly bring up the art treasures before Qin Shang's salvage ship arrives?”
Pitt shrugged. “Not if the Ocean Retriever is the only ship working the wreck.”
“Not to worry,” said Gunn. “We've already chartered two more salvage vessels. One is from a private company in Montreal and the other is on loan from the U.S. Navy.”
“Speed is essential,” said Sandecker. “I want the treasure raised before word leaks out. I want no interference from any quarter, including our own government.”
“And when the salvage work is completed?” inquired Perlmutter.
“Then the artifacts will be quickly turned over to facilities equipped to preserve them from damage after so many years of immersion. At that time we'll announce the discovery and stand back while the bureaucrats from Washington and Beijing fight over it.”
“And Qin Shang?” Perlmutter probed deeper. “What happens when he shows up on site with his own salvage ship?”
Pitt grinned deviously. “We'll give him a reception fitting for a man of his sterling qualities.”
THE OCEAN RETRIEVER, WITH PITT, GIORDINO, GUNN AND Julia on board, was the first to arrive and position herself over the wreck of the Princess Dou Wan. The Canadian salvage ship from Deep Abyss Systems Limited out of Montreal, Hudson Bay, arrived only four hours later. She was an older vessel converted from a powerful oceangoing salvage and tugboat. Aided by clear weather and smooth water, the salvage of the art treasures commenced immediately.