The Maltese Incident by Russell Moran

Author:Russell Moran [Moran, Russell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999000328
Publisher: Coddington Press
Published: 2018-06-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Good morning, Buster,” Captain Lars said. “Please join me for breakfast.”

“Good morning, Captain. I think the Melody of the Seas is the perfect place to conduct my investigation. The breeze off the ocean opens my mind to clues.”

When I came aboard the Melody, Captain Lars and I realized that we knew one another. Lars was a key witness in a terrorism case I worked on a few years ago. As a CIA agent, I felt uncomfortable as hell with people knowing my identity, but it’s an inevitability we spooks live with.

“I find it interesting that we haven’t seen one of those monster sharks after a full day at sea, captain. A few days ago we’d see one of the bastards every time we looked at the water.”

“We’re still in the Azores, Buster. There’s hope yet. But as you’ve said before, a giant shark doesn’t have anything to do with a ship disappearing.”

“Our friend, Crazy Al from Lisbon, isn’t so sure,” I said. “Where is Al, anyway? It took a lot of persuasion to get him to take this cruise. You’d think he would be up here on deck.”

“Hi guys,” Al Avila said as he walked up to our table. “Sorry I ‘m late for breakfast. She—I mean ‘I’— decided to sleep late.”

“That was one good-looking woman you were dancing with last night,” I said.

“Yes, she certainly knows how to, uh, dance. So, any prehistoric shark sightings to tell me about?”

“Nothing, Al,” I said. “I think this trip may be a waste of time.”

“All you feds can think about is working on a case. Can’t you just relax and enjoy yourself?”

“The day a spook doesn’t chase down leads,” I said, “is the day the spook evaporates. You’re the biggest lead we’ve had so far, Al, somebody who actually saw the Maltese disappear. If we do encounter something, you’ll help us figure it out. Chances are, you’re the only person in the world who witnessed the dark turning to light and heard a ship rumbling.”

I had already told Lars about the Al Avila story.

“Please take a seat,” Captain Lars said. “Buster and I haven’t eaten yet.”

“If my calculations are accurate we should pass near the Maltese position at 9:33 tonight,” Al said. “As I’ve said before, captain, I recommend that you give the position a wide berth. Yes, I took a fix that night, but because I was busy freaking out, I can’t guarantee that it’s accurate. The last thing we want to do is get gobbled up like the Maltese was.”

“Don’t worry, Al,” Captain Lars said. “Although I’m not a superstitious man, I agree that we shouldn’t take any chances.”

“I really don’t expect anything,” Al said. The Maltese Incident will just be one of those unexplained events in life. So, tonight at 9:33 this ship will pass near the last known location of the Maltese. Please don’t make it too near. It gives me the shakes thinking about it. Buster here wants me to join him on the upper deck at that time.

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