Monahan was out cold. He pulled him out from under the helm, slipped into the seat, and started the engines.
He had a vague idea of where the other boat was.
“Night Light, Deuce Two. You all right?”
He didn’t answer. Shoved the throttles in.
The boat skittered up the front of a swell, canted over the top of the wave, picked up speed.
Rolled the wheel back to the left, then straightened it.
Wondered if the SeaGhost’s skin had ruptured anywhere.
Hang on Devlin. You and me, we’ll get this son of a bitch.
At forty knots, the fuzzy image appeared on the screen. Two seconds later, he could tell it was the other SeaGhost. She was stern on to him. She was tinted green by the enhancement of the night vision. Two hundred yards.
He retarded the throttles.
Badr must have seen him in his rearview screen. The stealth boat leaped ahead as Badr ran up power.
McCory rammed the throttles forward again. The SeaGhost lurched, slid into a wave, came up on plane. She danced on the wave tops.
McCory pressed the firing stud with his right thumb. With his left thumb, he slowly brought up the arc of the gun.
The thunder of the cannon was deafening within the fiberglass boat. Ahead he saw shells ripping into the sea, creating miniature white fountains, advancing on the other boat, but erratically, due to the rocking of the SeaGhost.
Too short.
Thumb the rocker switch.
Too far to the left.
He brought the wheel slowly right.
Dance.
Dance.
Into the transom. That’s one.
A second shell slammed home.
A brilliant silver-white mushroom.
Chapter 16
On the fifteenth of July, Ricky Daimler took the call on the ship to shore and talked to his dad for a few minutes, then said, “Mac, Dad wants to talk to you.”
McCory went back and took the chair at the desk. He picked up the phone. “Yes, Counselor?”
“It figures that you’d be going off fishing while I’m doing the work.”
“Actual work? You can report progress?”
“Number one. The Navy’s bringing court-martial charges against Commander Roosevelt Rosse. They think they can prove he slipped Devlin’s drawings to Malgard.”
“Good on number one. But do you really think that was your work?”
“My suggestion, buddy. Supported by Norman and Monahan, of course. And by the way, both of them are up for decorations. I think Monahan’s embarrassed by it all. How did you swing him your way?”
“Irish ancestry. Did you have a number two?”
“Number two, the Navy’s bringing fraud and conspiracy charges against Malgard, and I’m pretty certain the D.A. down your way is going to get an indictment against him for attempted murder.”
“Attempted?”
“Against you. Even though Chambers was on Malgard’s payroll at the time of Devlin’s death, they don’t have enough evidence to swing a jury.”
“Shit.”
“We do what we can, Mac. Here’s the best part. I just got back from a meeting with the AMDI board of directors and its five attorneys, four of whom could use a good firing. The company is shy of cash, but they’ll settle by naming Devlin as the designer of the SeaGhost and giving you thirty percent of the company’s shares. That’s enough to get you the presidency.”
“I don’t want to be the president. You be the president.”
“I don’t have an interest.”
“I’ll give you five percent of the shares.”
“My interest is rising.”
“Better, you work it so I get to be chairman, with no real duties, and you get to be vice chairman of the board. We’ll hire a president. And fire the extra lawyers.”
“For five percent?”
“Done.”
“Now,” Daimler said. “About my fee.”
“I sent you a hundred bucks.”
“That’s right. Okay, we’re straight, except for my boat.”
“I’ll give you Starshine. She’s worth a couple hundred thou. You come out ahead.”
“It doesn’t go as fast as my Scarab did.”
“You’re getting older. Slow down.”
“Aw, hell. All right.”
“And there’s only fifty grand owing on it.”
“Jesus!”
“You’re still ahead of the game,” McCory said, and hung up.
In the panel ahead of him, there were a lot of gaping holes where the Navy had retrieved their special radios and black boxes. He would have to rearrange what was left.
In the shipyards at Norfolk, they had also relieved the SeaGhost of its armament and ordnance, though they had left him the radar, sonar, and navigation computer. McCory had already sketched out the changes he would make to the interior.
He spun around in his chair and looked forward. Ricky was at the helm, driving hell-bent for the approximate location of the Bahamas.
Ginger was at the banquette table, leaning against the outer bulkhead, her nice knees pulled up on the bench seat. She was wearing cutoffs and a Miami Dolphins’ T-shirt. When she saw him looking at her, she gave him the finger.
But she smiled, too. She was coming around. He didn’t think her anger at being left behind was heartfelt.
Behind the platinum aura of her hair, the blue sea stretched into infinity, serene.
Wish you could be here, Devlin.
It’s all right, son. It’s all right, now.