Triple (57 page)

TRIPLE

Dickstein grabbed the rating by his pea jacket. "Nathaniel?" he shouted.

"Did she say Nathaniel?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry, if--?'

But Dickstein was heading for the bridge at a run.

7be voice of Nat Dickstein came over the radio: "Who Is calling Copamfli?"

Suddenly Suza was speechless. Hearing his voice, after all she had been

through, made her feel weak and helpleSL

Who is calling Coparefli?-

She found her voice. "Oh, Nat, at last."

"Suza? Is that Suzar

"Yes, yes."

"Whom are you?"

She gathered her thoughts. "I'm with David Rostov on a Russian ship called

the Kar7a. Make a note of this." She gave him the position, course and

speed just as the first officer had told them to her. "Tbat was at four-ten

this morning. Nat, this ship is going to ram yours at six Am!'

"Ram? Why? Oh, I see..."

"Nat, theyll catch me at the radio any minute, what are

we going to do, quickly --- r

"Can you create a diversion of some kind at precisely fivethirty?99

"Diversion?"

"Start a fire, shout !man overboard,' anything to keep them all very busy

for a few minutes."

Well-I'll try----~'

"Do your best. I want them all running around, nobody quite sure what's

going on or what to do-are they all KOB?"

"Yes."

440kay, now--.?$

The door of the radio room opened---Suza ffipped the switch to TRANsmrr and

Dickstein's voice was silenced and David Rostov walked in. He said,

"Where's Aleksandr?"

Suza tried to smile. "He went for coffee. Im minding the shop."

"Me damn fool . His curses switched into Russian as he stormed out.

Suza moved the lever to REcEm.

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Kon pot"

Nat said, "I heard that You'd better make yourself scarce until

five-thirty---~"

"Wait," she shouted. "What are you going to do?"

"Do?" he said. "I'm coming to get you."

"Oh," she said. "Ob, thank you."

"I love YOU."

As she switched off, Morse began to come through on another set. Tyrin

would have heard every word of her conversation, and now he would be trying

to warn Rostov. She had forgotten to tell Nat about Tyrin.

She could try to contact Nat again, but it would be very risky~ and Tyrin

would get his message through to Rostov in the time it took Nat's men to

search the Coparelli, locate Tyrin and destroy his equipment. And when

Tyrin's message got to Rostov, he would know Nat was coming, and he would

be prepared.

She had to block that message.

She also had to get away.

She decided to wreck the radio.

How? All the wiring must be behind the panels. She would have to take a

panel off. She needed a screwdriver. Quickly, quickly before Rostov gives

up looking for Aleksandrl She found Aleksandes tools inacornerand picked

out a small screwdriver. She undid the screws on two, corners of the panel.

Impatient, she pocketed the screwdriver and forced the panel out with her

hands. Inside was a mass of wires like psY6 chedelic spaghetti. She grabbed

a fistful and pulled. Nothing happened: she had pulled too many at once.

She selected one, and tugged: it came out. Furiously she pulled wires until

fifteen or twenty were hanging loose. Still the Morse code chattered. She

poured the remains of the vodka into the innards of the radio. The Morse

stopped, and every light on the panel went out.

There was a thump from inside the cupboard. Aleksandr must be coming round.

Well, they would know everything as soon as they saw the radio now anyway.

She went out, closing the door behind her.

She went down the ladder and out on the deck, trying to figure out where

she could hide and what kind of diversion she could create. No point now in

shouting "man overboard'~--they certainly would not believe her after what

she

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had done to their radio and their radio operator. Ut down the anchor? She

would not know where to begin.

What was Rostov likely to do now? He would look for Aleksandr in the

galley, the mess, and his cabin. Not finding him, he would return to the

radio room, and then would start a shipwide search for her.

He was a methodical man. He would start at the prow and work backward along

the main deck, then send one party to search the upperworks and another to

sweep below, deck by deck, starting at the top and working down.

What was the lowest part of the ship? The engine room. 7bat would have to

be her biding place. She went inside and found her way to a downward

companionway. She had her foot on the top rung of the ladder when she saw

Rostov.

And he saw her.

She had no idea where her next words came from. "Aleksandr's come back to

the radio room, I'll be back in a moment.tv

Rostov nodded grimly, and went off in the direction of the radio room.

She headed straight down through two decks and emerged into the engine

room. The second engineer was on duty at night. He stared at her as she

came in and approached him.

I "Ms is the only warm place on the ship," she said cheer. fully. "Mind if

I keep you company?"

He looked mystified, and said slowly, "I cannot ... speak English.. .

please."

"You don't speak English?"

He shook his head.

"rm cold," she said, and mimed a shiver. She held her hands out toward the

throbbing engine. "Okay?"

He was more than happy to have this beautiful girl for ConaPanY in his

engine room. "Okay," he said, nodding vigorously.

He continued to stare at her, with a pleased look on his face, until it

occurred to him that he should perhaps show some hospitality. He looked

about, then pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered her

one.

I don't usually, but I think I will," she said, and took a cigarette. It

had a small cardboard tube for a filter. The engineer lit it for her. She

looked up at the hatch, half expecting to see Rostov. She looked at her

watch. It could not be

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five-twenty-five alreadyl She had no time to think. Diversion, start a

diversion. Shout '~man overboard," drop the anchor, light a fire-

Light a fire.

With what?

Petrol, there must be petrol, or diesel fuel, or something, right here

in the engine room.

She looked over the engine. Where did the petrol come in? The thing was

a mass of tubes and pipes. Concentrate, concentrate! She wished she had

learned more about the enginC Of -her Car. Were boat engines the same?

No, sometimes they used truck fuel. Which kind was this? It was supposed

to be a fast ship, so perhaps it used petrol, she remembered vaguely that

petrol engines were more expensive to run but faster. If it was a petrol

engine it would be simHar to the engine of her car. Were there cables

leading to spark plugs? She had changed a spark plug once.

She stared. Yes, it was like her car. There were six plugs, with leads

from them to a round cap like a distributor. Somewhere there had to be

a carburetor. The petrol went through the carburetor. It was a small

thing that sometimes got blocked-

The voice-pipe barked in Russian, and the engineer walked toward it to

answer. His back was to Suza.

She had to do it now.

There was something about the size of a coffee tin with a lid held on by

a central nut. It could be the carburetor. She stretched herself across

the engine and tried to undo the nut with her fingers. It would not

budge. A heavy plastic pipe led into it. She grabbed it and tugged. She

could not pull it out She remembered she had put AleksandesscrewMver into

her oilskin pocket. She took it out and jabbed at the pipe with the sharp

end. Ile plastic was thick and tough. She stabbed the screwdriver into

it with all her might. It made a small cut in the surface of the pipe.

She stuck the point of the screwdriver into the cut and -worked it

The engineer reached the voice-pipe and spoke into it in Russian.

Suza felt the screwdriver break through the plastic. She tugged it out.

A spray of clear liquid jetted out of the little hole, and the air was

faled with the unmistakable smell of petrol. She dropped the screwdriver

and ran toward the ladder.

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She heard the engineer answer yes in Russian and nod his head to a

question from the voice-pipe. An order followed. 11e voice was angry. As

she reached the foot of the ladder she looked back. The engineer's

smiling face had been transformed into a mask of malice. She went up the

ladder as he ran across the engine room deck after her.

At the top of the ladder she turned around. She saw a pbol of petrol

spreading over the deck, and the engineer stepping on the bottom rung of

the ladder. In her hand she still held the cigarette he had given her.

She threw it toward the engine, aimmg at the place where the petrot was

squirting out of the pipe.

She did not wait to see it land. She carried on up the ladder. Her head

and shoulders were emerging on to the next deck when there was a loud

whooosh, a bright red light from below, and a wave of scorching heat.

Suza screamed as her trousers caught fire and the skm of her legs burned.

She jumped the last few inches of the ladder and rolled. She beat at her

trousers, then struggled out of her oilskin and managed to wrap it around

her legs. The fire was killed, but the pain got worm

She wanted to collapse. She knew if she lay down she would pass out and

the pain would go, but she had to get away from the fire, and she had to

be somewhere where Nat could find her. She forced herself to stand up.

Her legs felt as if they were still burning. She looked down to see bits

like burned paper falling off, and she wondered if they were bits of

trouser or bits of leg.

She took a step.

She could walk.

She staggered along the gangway. The fire alarm began to sound all over

the ship. She reached the end of the gangway and leaned on the ladder.

Up, she had to go up.

She raised one foot, placed it on the bottom rang, and bo. San the

longest climb of her life.

329

Eighteen

For the second time in twenty-four hours Nat Dickstein was crossing huge

seas in a small boat to board a ship held by the enemy. He was dressed as

before, with life jacket, oilskin, and sea boots; and armed as before with

submachine gun, pistol and grenades; but this time he was alone, and he was

terrified.

There had been an argument aboard the Coparelli about what to do after

Suza's radio message. Her dialogue with Dickstein had been listened to by

the captain, Feinberg, and Ish. They had seen the jubilation in Nat's face,

and they had felt entitled to argue that his judgment was being distorted

by personal involvement.

"It's a trap," argued Feinberg. "They can't catch us, so they want us to

turn and fight."

"I know Rostov," Dickstein said hotly. 'qbis is exactly how his mind works:

he waits for you to make a break, then he pounces. This ramming idea has

his name written an over it.91

Feinberg got angry. 'This isn't a game, Dickstein."

"Listen, Nat," Ish said more reasonably, "let's us Oarry on and be ready to

fight if and when they catch us. What have we got to gain by sending a

boarding party?"

"I'm not suggesting a boarding party. I'm going alone."

"Don't be a damn fool," Ish said. "If you go, so do weyou can't take a ship

alone."

"Look," Dickstein said, trying to pacify them. "If I make it, the Karla

will never catch this ship. If I don't, the rest of you can still fight

when the Karla gets to you. And if the Karla really can't catch you, and

it's a trap, then I'm the only one who falls into it. It's the best way."

"I don't think it's the best way," Feinberg said.

"Nor do I," Ish said.

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