“Nervous?”
“A little.” She nodded, already feeling embarrassed at interrupting what he was doing.
“They do. But that’s really precautionary. The reactor has extensive shielding. Not one American submariner has been treated for excessive radiation in four years. If we were aboard a Russian sub, I’d be worrying too. Their sailors don’t do so well.”
That should have made her feel better. But the panic sensation wasn’t going away. She stared at the screens he’d been taking notes on for the past few minutes. She realized he was making some kind of diagram, and using code words. He also seemed to be marking the location of men on the boat, or at least those he could see as he switched between the views.
The same two armed men were still searching the engine room. They’d moved to the starboard side of the middle-level deck. And the petty officer before the consoles hadn’t moved. She guessed they were stuck here for awhile.
“How old is the reactor unit on Hartford?” Amy whispered.
He looked at her over his shoulder. His hand reached for hers, gently squeezing. “You really are nervous, aren’t you?”
She shrugged, feeling her face going warm in embarrassment. His hand was warm, strong. Hers was sweating, and her fingers felt like ice cubes. He didn’t recoil in disgust.
He looked at the screen first. No one seemed to be going too far. He turned back to her. “The entire reactor unit was replaced as part of the general refit four months ago.”
That sounded like good news, and she thought it should have made her feel better. But her nerves hadn’t stopped eating away at the lining of her stomach.
“I know you’re not a nuclear physicist, but this is how the radioactivity works. The longer a fuel rod is in a reactor, the more radioactive it becomes.”
“So when a submarine reactor is close to being replaced, it’s extremely radioactive,” she said.
“That’s right.”
“But in the case of Hartford, since the reactor is new, we’re relatively safe. Right?”
“Theoretically.” A half smile broke across his lips. “I can’t really explain that soft glow around you, though.”
“That’s not very funny.” Amy shook her head and withdrew her hand. There was something enormously charming about him when he smiled. “What else is there that I need to learn about the nuclear reactor?”
“I think I’ve already said too much. Some of what I told you is highly classified.”
“Well, I won’t tell anyone.”
“That’s what all the spies say.”
She glowered at him. “You can shoot me if I try to sell it to our enemies.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to.”
She looked at the screen. One of the armed men was looking right at the camera. “You probably won’t have to.”
McCann glanced at the monitor and his face was grim when he looked back at her.
“Have faith,” he told her. “You’ll see your family again.”
Amy nodded, wanting to believe it. The faces of Kaitlyn and Zack passed across her mind’s eye. She tried not to think of them now, fearing she’d become weepy.
“Hopefully, we both will,” she whispered back.
There was a long pause.
“Married?” he asked.
The question was unexpected and made a blush creep into her cheeks.
“I’m divorced.”
“I’m sorry.”
The way he mumbled the words made her think he really wasn’t. She decided to let him in on all of it, all the info that generally started men running in the other direction. “I have twins. A boy and a girl. They live with me in Stonington.”
“How old are they?”
“Seven.”
“What’re their names?”
She was somewhat disarmed by his interest. “Zack and Kaitlyn.”
“Second graders?”
She nodded.
“That’s so cool. I’ll bet they’re great kids.”
Amy nodded again, feeling that tightening in her chest again.
“Do they look anything like you?”
“Kaitlyn does,” she managed to get out. She planted her elbows on her knees, leaning forward, wiping at a nonexistent spot on the toe of her borrowed sneaker. A teardrop fell on her wrist.
He reached down and wiped the tear off.
She sat back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Sorry. I have to get myself back together again.”
“Are either of them as smart as their mother?” he asked gently.
“Don’t start with any compliments,” Amy said, letting herself smile. “I’ll really be a mess.”
“It slipped out. It won’t happen again.”
Chapter 27
Commander Dunn and one of the aides had headed down to the labs to look at the image enhancements from the shipyard security camera. Seth had again been sent next door to keep track of developments. Everyone else working for them in the room had been assigned to find what they could, including the whereabouts of everyone that Bruce had included on his list.
Sarah used this opportunity to call Key West. No one was home at the McCanns’. She hadn’t given up, though, and was able to find what hospital Mina McCann had been transferred to. But everything after that had been inconclusive. Harry wasn’t talking to anyone while Mina was undergoing a battery of tests. No one knew anything yet. Her rank and government connections had at least been enough to get the news that Mina was now conscious.
This entire situation was so unfair to the McCanns. Sarah had first met Darius’s parents when she was in college. Over the years, she’d spend many days at their house. She’d eaten many meals at their table. She’d been treated just like a member of the family, even though there’d never been a serious commitment between her and Darius.
Harry and Mina were simply just about the nicest people she’d ever met in her life. She’d taken shelter more times at their home than she had at her own parents’ house.
Sarah wondered if Darius’s brothers and sister were on their way to Florida. She didn’t imagine they could be, with all the airlines grounded and the East Coast highways being the mess that they were.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on the work before her, but she forced herself to look at the list. She read over the names of the eleven people that they knew were on Hartford.
She’d checked off Darius and Amy Russell. Dunn had included Paul Cavallaro on his list, so their people were already doing some research on him. Lee Brody, the petty officer second class in charge of sonar, was the next name on her list, and he was turning out to be a real puzzle.
The young man had his own page on Sarah’s legal pad. She had organized the different kinds of information she’d collected on him into two separate columns. It was very peculiar. The man’s personal and professional lives were one massive contradiction.
“I think it’s the way you like it. A touch of milk and half a teaspoon of sugar.”
A cup of coffee slid in front of her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Bruce Dunn. They’d known each other less than four hours, and he knew how she liked her coffee.
“Thanks.” Her gaze moved to the cinnamon donut in his hand.
“I know all about the love-hate relationship women have with donuts and pastries. So would I dare to get something for a woman?” he asked, looking into space philosophically.
“The answer is yes,” he said, answering his own question. He put down the small tray he was carrying next to her. On it was a pastry bag that he promptly offered her.
Sarah opened the bag and peeked inside. “An apple turnover?” She looked at him, puzzled. “Good guess.”