Page 71 of Clive Cussler The Iron Storm
“I’m the master of theAlice N., but we’re on a charter now, so I go where my client says.”
“Is he around?”
“Yup.”
Grimm set aside the net and tools and got to his feet. He ambled across the stern to the boat’s cabin. He opened the door and called out a man’s name in a muffled voice. Grimm was back at his task by the time a second man emerged from inside the fishing vessel. He appeared to be about a decade older than Bell and wore blue denim jeans and a corduroy shirt. He had a well-worn cowboy hat perched on his head. He wasn’t particularly tall, but he had a lean strength about him. His eyebrows were full and his face long with a strong jaw.
“Good morning,” Bell said. “Sorry to bother you. My name is Isaac Bell. I’m a detective with the Van Dorn Agency and have been recently marooned here thanks to a German battleship.”
The stranger looked impressed. “You were on that destroyer?”
“In a manner of speaking, I’m the reason she came out here, Mr….”
“Oh, sorry.” He crossed the deck and stretched his hand up so Bell could shake it from where he stood on the quay. “Zane Grey.”
Such was his nature that very little surprised Isaac Bell, but meeting the famous author on a speck of land in the middle of the Atlanticwasn’t something he’d ever expected. “Riders of the Purple Sage,” he blurted. “I don’t read much fiction myself, but my wife absolutely loved that book. She’s a movie director and she’s often mentioned adapting it for film. I’m pretty sure she read the sequel, too.”
“The Rainbow Trail,” Grey said as if he were a father naming one of his children.
“I don’t picture you out at sea, Mr. Grey. On a horseback in some desert canyon, yes, but not way out here.”
“Please call me Zane. My passion, above baseball or writing, is fishing. I fish wherever and whenever I can. Grimm’s taking me out for bluefin tuna this time, and in these waters lurk some real monsters. Five hundred pounds and up. Do you fish?”
“As a kid. I grew up in Boston, so we were always around water, but I have to admit it was never my thing.”
“I imagine as a Van Dorn you get all the excitement you need.” Grey stepped back and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Come aboard. I have coffee on. And I was about to rustle up some lunch if you don’t mind fried tuna steak sandwiches.”
“Thanks. I can always use more coffee and I’m absolutely starving.”
The lounge of theAlice N.was worn but tidy, with a small functional galley and a hallway leading forward to where Bell could see doors for four tiny cabins. He accepted a mug of black coffee from a battered percolator on the stove.
Grey got busy making lunch for them. “I assume you’re here for a reason.”
“I am,” Bell told him. “I need to get to New York as fast as possible. I am convinced that the men who stole that battleship are planning on bombarding the city. I’ve already learned this morning thatthey arrived here two days ago, that many of them spoke German, and people saw a few wearing German naval uniforms. They want to make us think it’s a German attack and force the United States to declare war on the Central Powers.”
Grey looked skeptical. “Sounds a bit far-fetched.”
“I would agree with you if they hadn’t already tried to get the Dutch into the war by planting false evidence that a German invasion of the Netherlands was imminent. I have firsthand knowledge of this because myself and a British pilot were the ones ferrying the fake invasion plans. Sowing discord is their stock-in-trade.”
“Who are they?”
“Their leader is a man named Karl Rath. A real nasty piece of work who would make a great villain for one of your books. He kills people as easily as you and I would swat a mosquito. Rath and his men, they’re anarchists. They want to see the world destroy itself, eliminating all structures of governance in the process. They then expect to rise to power in the ashes that remain. Roping us into the war means more chaos, more destruction spreading farther and wider. They want to make this a true world war.
“Now, you must be aware that the transatlantic cables to the Azores were damaged in a storm. Had they not, I could get warning to our government and relax here for a few days. My only option is to chase after them and you’re my best shot.”
“Not so sure about that. TheAlice N.is a fine vessel and all, but you won’t see her in next year’s America’s Cup.”
“Here’s the thing, the battleship is severely underpowered. She’s slow. It’s why the Germans opted to sell her prior to the war. She can’t keep up with the rest of their fleet. She has a maximum speed of fifteen knots, but far less than that if they need to conserve fuel,which they no doubt have to do. Maybe this boat can’t catch and pass her, but we can keep pace and arrive in New York not long after.”
Grey handed Bell a plate with his food. His face was unreadable. They ate a couple of bites of their tuna sandwiches in silence.
“You’re not pulling my leg.” It was a statement more than a question.
Bell said, “You have to head back to the States eventually, right? All I’m asking is you cut short your trip. When we reach the city I will hand you a check so you can charter this boat all summer long if you’d like.”
The two men stared at each other, one confident in what he knew and deduced and the other asking himself if his instincts were right. The author finally put his food down and said “Okay” to himself. He was at the door in seconds.
“Grimm, when’s Caleb due back?”
