“I want a full report on Cy and Jay.” Salvatore’s voice was ice.
“Of course.” As always, Kennedy was unflappable. “They acquired Fawcett’s copy of The Lost World, but there was nothing in it, except for an inscription from the author to Fawcett. I’m having it checked for invisible ink, and the inscription reviewed for any irregularities that might suggest a code of some sort, but nothing so far. They almost got themselves into trouble with the authorities, but we got them out of England, and they’re now following up on a possible lead.” He glanced at Salvatore’s face and didn’t wait for a follow-up question. “I’ve sent them to South Georgia Island to check out Shackletons’ burial site. Cy thinks there might be a connection there.”
Salvatore grunted a subdued, mirthless laugh. “Good. That will get them out of the way for a while, at least. So, you are telling me that England was a complete failure?”
“Perhaps not.” Kennedy grinned and opened his briefcase.
Tam kept the surprise from her face. What had Kennedy found that he had kept so well hidden?
“Dane Maddock was reading this book.” Kennedy made a funny face as he said Maddock’s name. He placed an aged volume on the table. “It makes reference to a voyage on which Fawcett embarked prior to planning his final expedition. The ship he was traveling on sank and Fawcett lost something important. We don’t know what it was, but it’s not inconceivable that it’s connected to our situation. I think we should find the site of this sunken ship and see what, if anything, is there.”
Sal looked at Tam. “What do you think?”
“It’s thin,” she said, “but it’s a possibility, which is all we have right now. I haven’t yet read the passage, since Kennedy has kept this to himself.” She paused, hoping Kennedy was at least squirming on the inside, since he never showed anything on the surface. “I don’t, however, see any harm in following up on it. We have the resources to get the help we need.” She thought for a moment. “If Kennedy isn’t mistaken, which is possible, since his information comes from Cy, Dane Maddock will probably be coming for whatever is inside this wreck. Do we want to go for it ourselves, or simply wait for him to get it, and take it away from him?”
“I don’t like waiting around for anything,” Salvatore said. “Kennedy, I want you moving on this immediately. We have to assume that we’re in a race with Maddock; a race you will win, or we shall have a conversation.” He dismissed Kennedy with a flick of his finger.
Kennedy rose, nodded to Sal, and spared a steely glance at Tam before striding out, his phone already to his ear. He would not soon forget that Tam had questioned him in front of Sal. That did not matter now. The two of them would have it out one day, and he had no idea what he was up against. Some people resented being underestimated, but Tam found it a useful tool in her arsenal.
“I’m going to roll the dice here,” Sal said, his eyes boring into hers. “We need to go after Thornton, and quick. Assemble a team and be ready to move on my command. You have your choice of the agents. If Kennedy finds something, that is well and good. If not, use what information we have about Thornton and about Fawcett, and begin the search. We can’t put this off any longer.”
“Sir, are you saying…” She didn’t dare let herself believe it could be true.
“I’m putting you in charge. You might not have Kennedy’s experience, but you’re a hell of a lot smarter than him, and you haven’t screwed up… yet. Choose your agents, outfit your team, get down to Brazil, and await my instructions.”
Heart pounding, and dizzy with triumph, Tam stood and gravely nodded her head. “I won’t let you down, Salvatore.”
He rose to his full height, and looked down at her with a ghost of a smile on his lips. “I know you won’t, figlia mia.”
Chapter 13
Sea Foam sliced through the gently rolling sea, its rising and falling barely noticeable. Dane sat on the bed in his below-deck cabin, scrolling through the latest report from his hacker friend, Jimmy Letson.
“The guy who attacked me works for a company named ScanoGen. Sound familiar?”
Kaylin shook her head. “No, why should it?”
“Because, according to Jimmy, they made a substantial transfer into Thomas’s bank account a few months before he left on his expedition.”
Kaylin’s entire posture changed. She sat ramrod-straight in her chair, her lips pursed. “He never said anything to me. Not about ScanoGen, and certainly not about any money.” Her shoulders sagged. “Of course, all of this came as a surprise. It’s hurtful to know that he had a whole part of his life that he wouldn’t let me into.” She suddenly looked right at Dane, and then something passed across her face, and she turned away.
When the two of them had been a couple, she had accused him of locking her out of various parts of his life — mostly memories of his time in the service, and of his deceased wife. That was probably what was on her mind now, but he was not about to go there with her. Not now, at least.
“I’m sure he had his reasons.” He tried to make his voice soothing, but his throat was dry, and his words lacked conviction. Trying to make an ex-girlfriend feel better about her current boyfriend was not his thing. The sadness in her eyes, however, convinced him to try again. “Look, he obviously knew these were dangerous people, and he wouldn’t have wanted you mixed up with them.”
“Well, I am mixed up in it, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, I think I noticed. I’m in the middle of it, too.” He held up a hand, forestalling her retort. “The guy tried to keep you safe. That’s what guys do for the women they care about. He probably figured he could do for ScanoGen whatever it was they wanted done without involving you, and then the two of you could enjoy the money he made off the venture.”
“He just… the lying…” She stood and began pacing the room, which only required a few steps, but she moved to-and-fro, fists clenched, until he couldn’t look at her without feeling dizzy.
“If you’re that upset with him, we can call this thing off if you like. You can lie low with us until ScanoGen gets off your case, and then you can go back to your life.”
Kaylin froze. Slowly, she turned to face him. The anger on her face melted, replaced by an amused smile.
“Right, Maddock. You’ve waded knee-deep into a mystery, and you’d just turn back and walk right out again without seeing it through to the end?”
He had to laugh. “Fine, you know me too well. Now shut up and let’s finish going over this.”
The ice broken, she plopped down beside him on the bed and leaned against him. The closeness should have been uncomfortable, but its familiarity was welcome and natural.
“ScanoGen is a bioengineering firm. Most of their money comes from military applications. That’s not a big surprise, considering the Amazon is believed to hold countless species of plant life that could have properties previously unknown. People have searched the rainforests for everything from recreational drugs to a cure for cancer.” For a moment, he was sadly reminded of their mutual friend, Franklin Meriwether, who had joined them on one of their adventures. Another place to which he didn’t want to let his thoughts drift.
Kaylin seemed to know what was on his mind, and she slid her arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “So Thomas found something, or believed he would find something, that ScanoGen wanted. It’s the whole Fawcett connection that doesn’t make sense to me. In all the research we’ve done, there hasn’t been any mention of Fawcett going after some super plant, or whatever it is they want.”