“Well, that’s wrong,” Penn said passionately. “We’re no safer than we were three hours ago. That submarine is still sitting in the Sound, and he can’t know that it won’t be blown to pieces at any moment, poisoning the most densely populated area in the country with radiation that will render this area uninhabitable for the next ten thousand years. He doesn’t have a clue what’s become of the people responsible for that hijacking. This job isn’t even half done.”
“Why don’t you go to that press conference at six and tell the reporters what you just said?” McCarthy persisted.
Penn shrugged and sat on the bench next to Owen. “I can’t. I hate backseat drivers. That’s never been my style.”
“I can’t fucking believe it,” McCarthy cursed. “You’re getting cold feet. You’re turning your back on everything you’ve done so far.”
“It’s not that,” Penn said, planting his elbows on his knees, looking down at the grass growing between blocks of stone.
“Then what is it?”
There were plenty of reasons, but the most important one was the young man sitting in the wheelchair next to him. John looked up, shaking his head, unable to respond.
Owen’s hand reached for his father’s. John took it and looked over at his son.
“You owe it to people, Dad,” Owen said in his slow, labored way. “Hawkins is an asshole. We need you to tell truth. Go out… tell them. Please, Dad. Do it for me. For Mom. For all of us.”
Chapter 54
Under orders from Naval Intelligence, the survivors were not to be taken to any military hospital or installation. Instead, one floor of a wing of Yale-New Haven Hospital was evacuated of patients and made ready to accept the injured.
Following the rescue on USS Hartford, Amy Russell and Lee Brody were immediately flown to Yale-New Haven, but McCann had stayed with Captain Whiting and the two of them had boarded one of the support crafts that arrived to aid in the operation.
Whiting was supervising the preliminary efforts to secure what was left of the submarine. Several hours later, and after four navy tugs from Groton were successfully harnessed to the submarine, McCann had begun to feel comfortable enough in the knowledge that his ship would be saved. Only then was Whiting able to force him to follow the others to Yale-New Haven and have his shoulder tended to.
All three were at the hospital when Bruce Dunn and Sarah Connelly arrived from Washington. After asking Sarah to talk to Amy Russell, Dunn went in to see McCann.
The submarine commander was undergoing a number of tests on his shoulder. As soon as the wound was bandaged and he’d been moved into a private room, McCann had promptly kicked the doctors and nurses out so he could talk to the investigator.
If there was the slightest doubt left in Bruce Dunn’s mind about Commander McCann’s direct or indirect involvement with the hijacking, the information that he was hearing completely erased it.
McCann was precise in giving Dunn every detail of what happened, from the moment he’d been phoned in the middle of the night to go in for his X.O., to the moment the hijacker’s bomb had exploded.
He recited specifics about which of his crew members he’d seen directly involved, assisting the hijackers, and told Bruce about the others that he’d found dead or injured like Brody.
“The rescue team has recovered some of the bodies. They’re working hard to ID everyone,” Bruce told him.
“With the exception of Brody, who’s here at the hospital, and Juan Rivera, who I shot while he was loading weapons in the torpedo room, everyone else on my crew was killed by the hijackers before they escaped. Amy overheard one of them making a reference to ‘cleaning out’.”
“Do you have any idea why they would do that, considering these same people had joined their ranks and were cooperating?”
“Fear of recognition,” McCann said. “One of the first things the person running the show did was disable the cameras in the control room that fed the MFD video displays. He knew he could be recognized. At the end, he had to make sure there were no witnesses.”
Bruce studied McCann for a minute. The commander had refused to stay in bed, where the nurses had left him. He’d also had changed out of the hospital gown and into the borrowed uniform they’d given him on USS Pittsburgh.
“Is there a possibility that he thinks you or Ms. Russell or Petty Officer Brody might have seen him, or any of those who got away?”
“Definitely.” McCann said. “I assume that’s why you’ve brought us here, isn’t it? You’re trying to lay a trap for them.”
“No,” Bruce said, surprised at the response. There wasn’t a hint of anger in the commander’s tone. In fact, he looked like he was hoping to get another whack at these guys. “We won’t endanger your lives, not after what you’ve been through. We brought you here for your own protection.”
“Who knows about it?”
“Only a handful of people. Admiral Meisner created a very restricted list.”
McCann sat down in the faux-leather chair across from him. “What does your press release say about what’s going on?”
“Only that the rescue operation is still under way, and it’s too early to tell if there are any survivors.”
Bruce watched McCann stare into space. He figured he was thinking of his family’s reaction to this news. No one had mentioned a word to McCann about his mother’s stroke yet. Actually, Bruce had been the only one in a position to say something, but he’d decided it might be better for Sarah to tell him. She’d spoken to them last.
One thing that had fascinated Bruce was McCann’s complete lack of response to hearing Sarah Connelly was part of the investigating team. With the exception of a nod of recognition, he’d said nothing more about her. He didn’t ask to see her, and he hadn’t requested to have her debrief him.
Bruce didn’t know if this was a hopeful sign that everything was finished between McCann and Sarah or not.
“Identifying some of the other bodies on board might give you more clues,” McCann finally said, turning his attention back on Dunn.
“That’s what we’re hoping.”
McCann got up from the chair and poured himself a cup of water, downing it in one gulp. “How has the public been taking the situation?”
“This morning, there was mass hysteria to get out of New York City. Actually, it was fairly chaotic everywhere else along the coast. After President Hawkins’s speech this afternoon about Hartford being disabled, there was more chaos as everyone tried to get back home. But it isn’t over.”
“The hijackers are still free,” McCann said.
Bruce nodded. “Those were the exact words Senator Penn used at his press conference a couple of hours ago. He reminded everyone that the country isn’t safe until the perpetrators are all found.”
“That should have caused some backtracking in the White House.”
“I’m sure, though I haven’t heard anything. I would guess that since Penn’s speech, the President has even the Boy Scouts out searching for the DSRV.”
McCann looked up at the clock on the wall. “That won’t do anyone any good. Those sons of bitches are already out of the water.”
Chapter 55
A grove of pines hid the farmhouse from neighboring properties. They couldn’t have chosen a more ideal location for a transfer point, Mako thought. At this time of year, none of the nearby cottages were occupied. This deserted farm, with its flat acreage and close proximity to the Interstate, was currently locked up in a drawn-out court battle.