“I’ve always been here, bro,” Blake said, hugging Matt. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find him.”
Matt broke the embrace and walked down the steps of the deck to the field in the back. Blake followed. “First, we need to confirm who the voice on the tape is. That will give us some leverage against both Ballantine and the contact. For the time being, we need to assume that all three — Lantini, wherever he is, Rampert, and Hellerman — are all bad guys. Assume the worst.”
“I agree.”
“Okay, then we need to find the contact, once we confirm his identity, and use the tape to get Zachary back. I’ve already planted that seed with Rampert.”
“The tape for Zachary? I like it. Okay, let me head back down to Virginia Beach. I’ve got a couple of rat-holes I want to check. I’ll get back with you tomorrow. My sense is that we don’t have much time.”
“That’s right. And Blake, there’s something much larger hanging in the balance here. I can feel it.”
“Well, if you can feel it, then it’s happening. I know that much, dude.”
They walked around the front of the house, where Matt noticed Blake’s new Honda Super Hawk. “Sweet.”
“You can touch her, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to wait for you to take her for a spin. I’ve got a mission.” Blake grabbed his helmet and said, “I’ll call you tonight. In the meantime, be careful about your bed partners.”
“No problem.”
Blake revved the engine, pulled down his face shield, kicked the bike into gear… then stopped. The engine sputtered. Lifting his face shield, he said, “Almost forgot. The dudes at the Pilots Quarters said, ‘hello.’”
“Burns and that crowd?”
“Yeah, he and Austin.”
“Burns getting any yet?”
“No, but Austin’s got hooker problems from Baltimore,” Blake said.
“That crew’s always got something going on.”
“You’re telling me,” Blake said, laughing. “Get this, Austin was out fishing for cobia last night — caught a killer about thirty pounds — said he saw a plane with bat wings land on a merchant ship…”
“He smoking weed or what?”
“No, he gets kicked around being a legacy there and all — what?” He stopped in mid motion of popping his visor back down when he saw Matt’s eyes widen.
“Wait a second,” Matt shouted, holding up his hands. “Wait just a second. What did that plane look like again?”
Blake took off his helmet. “He said it was small.”
“Were the wings below or above the fuselage?”
“Above. Why?”
“Bat shaped, like a stealth plane?”
“He didn’t mention stealth, but he did say bat wings.”
“What was the name of the ship? Country of origin?”
“Chinese I think.”
“That could be Ballantine’s Sherpa.”
“Wait a second, Matt—”
“That bastard landed on a Chinese merchant ship? Are you kidding me? China is involved in this thing?”
“No way. Could have just been an executive getting there from the shore.”
“No, it was Ballantine,” Matt said. “I saw him fly away from Lake Moncrief.”
The two friends stared at each other for a moment.
“And if Ballantine’s there, Zachary is there,” Matt continued.
“Sounds like we need to contact some authorities,” Blake said.
“No. Trust no one, remember?”
“Right.”
“No. Ballantine wants me,” Matt said. “This is personal. I’m not letting Zachary down again.”
“I hear you, bro, but you never let Zachary down to begin with. If you want to do this, then count me in. I’m sure we can develop a plan in the next few hours. Why don’t you follow me to the beach?”
“I like it. We’ll take your boat out tonight, scope it out, and come up with a plan. You go ahead, and I’ll meet you at your house.”
“You bringing this Peyton O’Hara?”
“She’s been with me from the start,” Matt said.
“Could be part of the issue, but your call.”
“Sure you can’t remember the name of the ship?”
“The ‘One Hung Low,’” Blake laughed.
“I’m serious, Blake.”
“I know,” he said, shifting his helmet in his hands. He looked at Matt with a shrug. “Fong How, something like that.”
Matt paused, remembering the Japanese ship Shimpu: Divine Wind. And he knew what Fong Hou meant as well. He nodded, recalling what the insect scientist had told him.
“What?”
“Queen Bee. Fong hou means ‘queen bee’ in Mandarin,” Matt said.
“If that’s right—” Blake started.
“It’s right, and making more sense by the minute. Listen, I’m going to tighten up some things here, get some supplies, and then meet you at your house this afternoon.”
With that, Blake slipped his helmet back over his head and popped down his visor. The Super Hawk’s engine roared to life and sped along the gravel.
Matt watched him turn to the south and disappear. He walked to the back of the house again and came up the deck steps, crossed the deck, and stepped into the den. He stopped, cocked his head, and stepped back outside, looking directly above him.
The curtains from his open bedroom window were swaying with the breeze.
CHAPTER 44
“How did you do it?” Ballantine asked Admiral Chi Chen.
They were sitting in the captain’s quarters of the Fong Hou as it moored in the deep water of Chesapeake Bay. Chen was dressed in a white uniform with an unbuttoned coat. He held a glass of sake, a Japanese rice wine that he had come to enjoy.
English was the only common language between the two men.
“Do what?” Chen asked, looking out the large circular porthole.
“Turn this thing into an aircraft carrier.”
“Would you like drink first?” Chen asked.
“No, I want to get acquainted with the ship,” Ballantine said. He really did want a drink to dull some of the pain. He had slept most of the day after the precarious landing in the darkness and awakened a few hours ago, stiff and unable to move his left arm. He had downed another Percocet and was still waiting impatiently for it to bestow its numbing effects.
“Very well, follow me,” Chen said, standing.
They walked out of the small cabin and down a narrow set of stairs. Ballantine had not spent any time on a ship and was surprised at how little room there actually was to maneuver. It was single file everywhere he went. They continued down a circular staircase and then popped out onto a deck that overlooked the shipping containers.
As they walked, Chen turned to look at Ballantine. “Your injuries, serious?”
“No. I’ll be okay.”
“You’re brave warrior, Ballantine. I am happy to be allied with you,” Chen said.
“And I with you,” Ballantine responded.
“And your friend in brig, what is his purpose?”
“He is simply a means to an end.”
They reached the railing of the deck that overlooked the entire ship. Ballantine could see containers stacked nearly seventy feet into the air, almost eye-level with the bridge.
“Fong Hou built to exceed size of largest merchant ship in world, Sovereign Maersk. Danish ship,” Chen said. “This ship three hundred eighty meters long and fifty meters wide,” he said, pointing in both directions across the ship’s bow.
The superstructure of the ship was positioned all the way at the aft end, and they looked out over 300 meters of ship to their front.
“Three hundred thirty meters only one thousand feet of runway. No problem for Sherpa, but Predator require two thousand feet for takeoff. So we make like aircraft carrier, with catapult.”