Deadly Cargo: BookShots by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson [Patterson, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786531766
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2017-07-12T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

O’NEILL WAS ON the bridge, where status boards and navigation consoles were now flickering back into action. As they did so, various alarms began to sound, long-neglected systems performing automatic status checks and reporting on the problems that had arisen while the power was off, chief amongst which were the bilge flooding alarms.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Starke observed.

O’Neill glanced at her. “Ever known an alarm that did?”

Disabling the loud, urgent alarm tone, O’Neill scanned the unfamiliar controls until he found the enabling switches for the emergency bilge pump, and turned them on. Time would tell whether it was enough to counteract the flooding, but at the very least, it might buy them time until the Munro arrived with more personnel and equipment.

Crossing to the intercom station, he found the button for the engine room and hit it. “Watkins, come in,” he said, and waited for a response.

When one wasn’t forthcoming, he repeated: “Watkins, any engineering personnel, respond.” Still there was nothing, and an attempt to raise him via his walkie-talkie yielded similar results.

“Comms could be on the fritz again,” Starke suggested.

“Maybe,” he agreed, though he was unable to quell the uneasy feeling that had stirred in the pit of his stomach. Hesitating a moment, he nodded as if to himself and turned to his subordinate. “I’m going down there to take a look, find out what’s what. Stay here and keep an eye on things.”

“Be careful, skipper,” the young woman said just as he was leaving.

O’Neill lingered for a moment in the doorway, not sure what to say to her, before heading below, leaving Starke alone on the bridge.

In the Motor Life Boat outside, Wyatt Richards grimaced as the small Coast Guard vessel bumped against the unyielding hull of the Ossora, propelled by another big wave that had come crashing in. He was by now thoroughly sick of enduring these stormy conditions, and eager to cast off.

The MLB was designed to right itself automatically in the event of being capsized, but it was by its nature made of lightweight materials that could endure only so much punishment. If hit hard enough, it would break apart like driftwood against the much larger cargo vessel.

That was not a comforting thought.

Spotting movement above, he glanced up just as a figure swung over the deck railing and descended quickly by a rope harness they’d rigged up. He couldn’t make out much in the spray and darkness, but he did recognize the distinctive Coast Guard wet-weather gear.

Hope surged through him. Perhaps O’Neill had ordered an evacuation. Or maybe he was to head back to base rather than risk the MLB in such dangerous conditions. Either way, it was better than sitting alone on the vessel’s cramped bridge, being thrown around like a toy.

Waiting until the boarding party member had descended to deck level, Richards zipped up his jacket, yanked open the hatch and stepped out to greet them.

“Hey, what’s going on up there?” he asked, having to yell to be heard over the howling wind.

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