Belfast Blitz by Jim Case

Author:Jim Case [CASE, JIM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780446566261
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2009-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWELVE

The British Naval “utility” boat, code-named Sea Dog for the mission, was a forty-foot smaller version of the patrol boat. It obviously was not one of the British ships in the first line of defense. The British sailors were sharp and concerned. They hadn’t been in much action in the Ireland affair over the past twenty years, and Cody had a feeling they were a little jealous of the Royal Marines on board who had seen action.

Cody watched over the bow as the little craft surged through the choppy North Channel between the Irish Sea and the open harshness of the Atlantic Ocean. They were out of sight of land. The curvature of the earth makes it hard to spot low-lying landmasses much farther than seven miles from the deck of a small boat.

The black waters billowed and foamed as the little craft cut along after her big sister. There was no radio contact, so those on the SeaDog did not know if the big Russian freighter had been spotted yet or not. It was a hunting party, a game of cat and mouse.

Surely the Russian vessel’s instruments would show when it came under radar contact. Would they veer off and not make the meet? Hard to tell what the Russians would do. Cody had not had any close-up experience with them— he didn’t want to. If he could speak Russian, that would make a difference. He had no foreign language skills, and mat had always angered him a little. Everyone should be able to speak at least three or four languages.

Ahead, a blinking light caught Cody’s attention. He had forgotten any Navy semaphore he might have learned, but knew there was a message. He moved back to the little bridge and went up the steps.

One of the Royal Marines waved a piece of paper at him.

“Looks like the PB just made contact with the Russians. Now we throttle back and tail the big guy until he decides what to do.”

“Thanks,” Cody said, and reversed his direction. His three men slouched in the small cabin. “Contact,” Cody said. “Now we wait and see what happens.”

Rufe belched. “Hell, I know what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna be seasick. Never fails.”

“Toss your cookies over the side, not on me,” Hawkeye barked.

“Seasick?” Caine snorted. “Damn, I haven’t been seasick since I was about four. I thought almost everyone grew out of that.”

“Not me,” Rufe growled. He jumped up and ran up the three steps to the deck and headed for the rail ten feet away.

“The Russkies going to try the transfer even though they know we’re out here?” Hawkeye asked.

“Hell, yes, they’ll try,” Caine blustered. “Those IRA fanatics would give their left nuts to get a supply of rocket-propelled grenades, the good ones. The Russkies make good ones. Fucking-A right they’ll try.”

“They have to,” Cody agreed. “They want the fire-power and the two-hundred-yard distance an RPG can put between the man and his target.”

“Somebody has been doing some up-close work,” Caine blurted. “That big man in the IRA gets snuffed, and then that Protestant.

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