Tom looked up from the laptop.
“He’s not a very nice man.”
“The question is? What is he doing here in Tunisia on board a research vessel?”
“There’s something else,” Dennis added, “The man in the white suit.”
They all looked at him.
“There’s something familiar about him.”
“You’ve met him before?” Natalie asked.
“No I don’t think so. I just feel that I know him.”
Hutchinson stood up to his full height.
“I think Captain Ali that it’s time we alerted the Tunisian navy of our unfriendly visitor.”
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
The divers entered the water in pairs as usual. Peter Dennis’ ribs were still too sore following the punch he’d received. A doctor in Gabes had yesterday diagnosed the possibility that his ribs were probably cracked, possibly broken. He had wanted to send Dennis to a hospital in Tunis for x-rays but Dennis had refused due to the lack of time the team could afford. He had been prescribed with strong painkillers and had been told to stay out of the water until at least the bruising had gone. Dennis was furious. He knew it would be at least a week. This morning he had tried to convince them that he was fit enough and after an argument with Natalie Hutchinson had invited him to suit up.
On his own.
Without help.
Dennis had put on a show of bravado, for their benefit mainly, but as he’d swung the oxygen tank over his shoulder to put it onto his back the pain from his ribs had made him gasp and he’d dropped it.
“You’re not fit enough,” Natalie had said.
“No I just didn’t have the right grip that’s all.”
“Nice try,” Natalie said.
Finally Hutchinson had ruled against the journalist and a dejected Peter Dennis watched once again as the diving team disappeared beneath the waves. Natalie pairing with one of the ship’s crew.
The dive was for a little known wreck. The ‘Volante’ had it marked on the chart only as a question mark. At one hundred and seventy feet the divers found the seabed. At first the team found it dark but after a while their eyes became adjusted. The water at this depth appeared deep blue. Starfish crawled along the sea floor. Apart from them it appeared to be devoid of life.
Above on the ship Peter Dennis, Jim Hutchinson and the Captain watched the monitors. The one they were most interested in showed an ordnance survey style mapping of the seabed. At the edge of the screen the lines ran out.
“That is deep ocean, just there,” Ali said, “Now, the wreck the divers are going to be working on is sitting, sort of perched on a rocky outcrop. Little is known about it. It hangs over very deep water.”
“How deep?” Hutchinson and Dennis asked at the same time.
“It is believed to be over six hundred feet. No one has ever bothered to investigate it because it is considered to not be of interest or importance. The Tunisian navy and of course merchant shipping are aware of its position so they avoid it but apart from them I don’t know that its ever been touched, certainly not by treasure seekers.”
“Can you bring up any more information on any of the monitors?”
“Information?”
“Can you improve any of the images? Get us closer.”
“I’ll try, Ali said.
He began clicking with a mouse and typed some key words in on a keyboard. It brought the graph up larger on the screen. Hutchinson leaned in closer.
“The distortion you can see is the shipwreck itself.”
He could see the outlines of what appeared to be a sunken ship. It looked to be big.
“This has to be it,” he said to the screen.
Dennis typed ’Tangipito’ into the laptop and brought up the one known image of the freighter on a search engine. He moved the laptop next to the monitor. They all studied the contours. There were similarities.
“You know,” Hutchinson said, “Some years ago Turkish fighter jets flew over mount Ararat and photographed what appeared to be a massive boat like shape on the mountain’s slopes.”
Ali nodded.
“They now think that is the resting place of Noah’s ark from the bible.”
Dennis looked at them both.
“Now that would make a story.”
Hutchinson was about to tell them to stick to the matter iin hand when the radio crackled and a female voice cut in.
“Jim I think we’ve found something.”
Hutchinson picked up the headset and spoke into the microphone.
“Hutchinson here. What have you found Natalie?”
“At first guess George thinks it’s a freighter.”
The excitement on the ’Volante’ bridge quickened.
“Are you able to read a name?”
“No there’s too much gunk and stuff covering it but George thinks it looks a lot like your photograph. He’s giving me the thumbs up down here big time.”
Hutchinson felt himself breaking out into a sweat. He loosened his tie and undid the top button on his shirt.
“Can you use your head cams?”
“It’s very murky Jim. I’ll put mine on now. Don’t think you’re going to get much. It’s on now.”
Hutchinson nudged Ali to search for the images.
“We’ve got something,” Hutchinson said, “It’s not very clear down there. Is that George next to you now?”
“Yes.”
“And where is the subject?”
Natalie turned her head towards the shipwreck. They could barely make out the hull.
“It’s not very clear.”
“Hang on a second.”
Natalie reached up a gloved hand and wiped the camera lens.
“Is that any clearer?”
“A little. Nat can you and your team make your way to the stern.”
“Will do Jim.”
Dennis looked up at Hutchinson.
“Will that take them a minute or two?”
“Probably.”
“I’ll take this advantage of a toilet break.”
Hutchinson nodded without taking his eyes off the computer images.
Dennis rinsed his hands under the hot tap and dried them on a towel. He left the toilet just as one of the crew was just passing with a tray of cups, coffee steaming pleasantly. Dennis side stepped to move out of the way but the crew member insisted the guest go first. Dennis was about to when something caught his eye. He moved to the railings at the ship’s side. The coffee left a brief aroma as it disappeared around the corner.
The ‘Wavecrest’ had just left the harbour and was moving slowly towards them. Dennis watched it for a minute or so as it got slowly bigger on the horizon. Finally Dennis turned away and walked to the bottom of the stairs that led to the bridge. He stopped as the unmistakeable sound of a helicopter came across to him. He put his hand above his eyes to block out the sun but he couldn’t see it near the approaching ship. Then he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw it against the horizon. It was travelling at a right angle from the ‘Wavecrest’. Then it turned quickly and was heading for the ‘Volante’. Dennis raced for the bridge and burst through the door.
“We’ve got visitors,” he said rushing back outside. Ali and Jim right behind.
The Lynx was moving low across the water and fast. It rushed by the ‘Volante’ before banking high and to the right. The turbine screamed as it gained height and then it came back past. Dennis could see the bulk of Danilov next to the pilot. He felt the Russian’s eyes boring into him.