The Spear of Atlantis (Wilde/Chase 14)

by Andy McDermott

  The other woman kept her finger on the trigger for several seconds, the man convulsing before abruptly falling still.

  ‘O-kaaaay,’ the redhead said, hesitantly stepping over the fallen guard. ‘I’d hate to see what you do to someone who leaves a bad tip at the end of the cruise.’

  ‘I don’t like this job anyway.’ Ana dropped the weapon and peered cautiously through the exit. ‘Okay, it’s clear. Let’s go.’

  7

  Nina followed the Brazilian out of the brig. ‘Where are we going? The marina?’

  ‘No, they’re using it to help bring people back aboard,’ Ana replied. ‘It will be too busy. We can take one of the crew boats from the lifeboat deck.’

  ‘You said they’re lifting the lifeboats back up. Don’t you think they might notice?’

  ‘I’m a member of the crew – we are all trained to help during an evacuation. Nobody will think I should not be there. By the time anyone realises what we are doing, it will be too late to stop us.’ They ascended a steep flight of metal stairs. ‘When we get to the boat, you climb straight in. I’ll start the crane to lower it, then jump in too. If anything goes wrong, there is an emergency release that will drop the boat into the water.’

  ‘Isn’t the lifeboat deck about five storeys up?’

  ‘Yes. So hopefully nothing will go wrong!’ They ascended another leg of the stairs. Nina tensed at the sight of a couple of crewmen, but Ana’s uniform reassured them that both women were authorised to be there. ‘Okay, one more floor, then—’

  A harsh, shrilling alarm sounded. ‘That so does not sound good,’ Nina said.

  ‘The security alert,’ Ana replied, frowning. ‘The guard must have woken up. Quick, quick!’ They clattered upwards. Behind them, a crewman’s walkie-talkie squawked, Snowcock’s voice crackling from it. ‘Shit! They know you’ve escaped.’

  ‘Oh, great! How much further?’

  ‘This way.’ The Brazilian increased her pace, leading Nina into one of the public areas. A long passage ran the ship’s length, clusters of people entering it from side hallways: passengers reboarding the liner from the lifeboats. ‘Down here.’

  Ana headed to an exterior door. An empty davit was visible through the glass. They emerged on the lifeboat deck, a chill wind hitting Nina. ‘Where’s the boat?’ she asked, seeing that they were roughly halfway along the Atlantia’s length. The lifeboats already recovered were mostly towards the bow, though one was being raised further aft. Below, more of the orange craft bobbed in the water.

  ‘There.’ Ana pointed. Almost hidden amongst the cranes a hundred feet away was a smaller davit, this one bearing a rigid inflatable boat. It was unattended. ‘Come on!’

  They ran along the deck. Nina looked back, but there were no signs of pursuit – yet.

  Ana reached the boat. ‘Okay, I have to bring it out over the water,’ she told Nina, going to a control panel. ‘Get in as soon as you can.’ She started the crane.

  Nina ducked under the boat to wait at the deck’s edge as it was swung outwards. The sea roiled vertiginously below, the lifeboats rendered toy-like by distance. She checked the deck again. More crew were emerging towards the bow, but they all seemed involved in the recovery effort, not looking for her.

  ‘Get in!’ Ana called.

  Nina vaulted into the descending RIB. It rocked under her weight. She steadied herself and clambered to the front seat. The vessel’s outboard motor was steered by a wheel; checking the dashboard, she saw the release handle her rescuer had mentioned beside a starter button. ‘Are you coming?’ she asked as the boat drew level with the deck.

  ‘I have to start the winch.’ Ana operated more controls. An electric whine, and the RIB lurched as the cables suspending it wound out from their reels. ‘Okay, I’m—’

  Both women turned at a shout. Agreste was running along the deck towards them. The Frenchman’s arm whipped up—

  Fear hit Nina as she saw his gun. ‘Ana! Jump!’

  Too late.

  Agreste fired. Ana fell against the controls and slumped to the floor, a spot of red on the chest of her white uniform jacket.

  ‘No!’ Nina cried. She looked back at Agreste. He lowered his gun, then marched along the deck towards the descending RIB’s davit.

  Sounds of alarm came as passengers reacted to the gunshot. Agreste maintained his pace, moving closer to the railing to keep sight of Nina as she was carried downwards, already clearing the deck below.

  He reached the davit, staring down at her, then pulled back. The RIB continued its descent. Another deck passed—

  The boat jerked to a stop, pitching Nina into the inflatable’s footwell. Then it started to rise again as the winch reversed, hauling her relentlessly back towards the Frenchman.

  He leaned out again, gun raised—

  Nina pulled the cable release.

  Both metal lines sprang free – and the boat plunged towards the sea. She screamed—

  Her cry was abruptly cut off as the RIB hit the water. Spray rained over her. She sat upright, gasping, then looked up.

  Agreste was still visible above. He targeted her again. Nina dived at the dashboard and pushed the starter button. The engine roared. She jammed the throttle to full power, and the boat’s nose pitched upwards as it surged away. Another gunshot came from above, making her duck instinctively, but she wasn’t hit. She straightened out, raising her head—

  A lifeboat filled her view.

  She spun the wheel, the RIB sweeping past the other boat with barely a foot to spare. It rocked as her wake hit it, passengers crying out in alarm.

  More evacuation craft were dotted before her like orange icebergs, other boats that had come to assist mingling amongst them. One was a Spanish coastguard vessel. Nina hauled at the wheel to angle away from it as she swerved through the flotilla. Being arrested by the Spanish authorities was a better prospect than being gunned down by Agreste, but far preferable to either was not being caught at all.

  Distant lights sparkled on the mainland. The nearest port was Tarifa, but the coastguard had almost certainly come from there, and she imagined they had other vessels available. Tarifa was the closest point in mainland Europe to Africa, and faced a constant stream of migrants crossing the strait, often risking their lives to do so and requiring rescue. She cleared the field of bobbing boats and aimed the RIB at a stretch of coastline west of the port. Intermittent lights told her she wouldn’t be stranded in the middle of nowhere by making landfall there, but at the same time it appeared isolated enough that the police wouldn’t arrest her the moment she stepped ashore.

  She glanced back at the Atlantia. The liner was receding, the people on the lifeboat deck already reduced to mere dots against its enormity—

  Eddie! She had to tell him what had happened while she was still in cellular range. Holding the wheel with one hand, she fumbled in the bag for her phone.

  In his cabin, Eddie had called Oswald Seretse, a senior United Nations official whose responsibilities included oversight of the IHA. By the Yorkshireman’s reckoning, Seretse owed him multiple favours for all the times he and Nina had prevented disaster, not least saving the lives of everyone at the UN itself.

  The Gambian diplomat, however, while sympathetic, made it clear that any help he could provide would be limited. ‘Unfortunately, Eddie,’ he explained, ‘the crimes of which Nina is accused did indeed occur on a Dhajani-flagged vessel. Now, while it could certainly be argued that any ship passing through the Strait of Gibraltar is actually within the twelve-mile territorial limit of either Spain or Morocco, in practice the right of free transit passage could equally be argued to apply under Part III of the UN Convention on—’

  ‘I don’t care about the legalese, Ozzy,’ Eddie snapped. ‘I just need to know if there’s anything you can do.’

  ‘I’m afraid that is likely to be in the hands of the lawyers. But I will of course do everything I can.’

  ‘That’d be great. If we—’ He broke off as his phone vibrated. ‘H
old on, got another call coming in . . . It’s Nina!’ he exclaimed, checking the screen. ‘I’ve got to take it, I’ll call you back.’

  He hurriedly accepted the new call. ‘It’s me, love. Are you okay?’ There was a lot of background noise, as if an engine was running – and hadn’t she left her phone in the cabin? ‘Where are you?’

  ‘I’m on a boat!’ she replied.

  ‘You’re what? Why are you—’

  ‘I don’t have time to explain. That French guy, Agreste, killed Ana! She let me out of the cell because I was going to be railroaded by the Dhajanis, but he caught up and shot her! He took a shot at me too, but I’m okay.’

  ‘Ana’s dead? Jesus! And why are they trying to frame you?’

  ‘I don’t know. But Agreste told me they weren’t going to let me off at Gibraltar – they want to take me back to Dhajan to put me on trial. I’m the only suspect they’ve got, so they’ve already decided I’m guilty.’

  Her voice began to distort as she moved away from the liner. ‘So what are you doing now?’ Eddie quickly asked.

  ‘I’m going to Spain, to Seville. This is all about the Atlantean spearheads, somehow – whoever took the marker from the ship will need the other one to find out where they are. I’ve got to make sure the bad guys don’t get their hands on it.’

  ‘So just tell the museum or whoever to stick it in a safe! Nina, if you go on the run, it’ll make you look more guilty. I should bloody know, I once had to do it myself.’

  ‘And you cleared your name by doing it. Which is what I’ve got—’ Her words broke up into an unintelligible electronic stammer, then a series of rapid bleeps told Eddie that he had lost the connection.

  The adjoining cabin’s connecting door opened, Olivia peering through. ‘What’s happened? We could hear you next door – you sounded quite agitated.’

  ‘That’s putting it mildly.’ Eddie opened the balcony door in the hope of spotting Nina, but it was now too dark to pick out much other than the flashing lights of the lifeboats. ‘Nina’s just broken out of jail, and now she’s heading for Spain in a boat she nicked!’ He chose not to mention Ana’s death, seeing that Macy had just joined her great-grandmother.

  ‘Is Mom all right?’ Macy asked.

  ‘She’s fine,’ Eddie assured her. ‘But I need to have words with the Emir.’

  ‘Not in your usual threatening way, I hope,’ said Olivia. When he didn’t immediately reply, she added: ‘I mean it! We don’t need you ending up in a cell as well.’

  The Yorkshireman headed for the door. ‘Depends if he’s willing to listen. Look after Macy – I’ll be right back.’

  He made his way to the bridge, on the assumption that the Emir would be there as he waited for more news about the situation. The hallways were now packed with passengers returning to their cabins. It took him several minutes to squeeze through the crowds to the Deck 16 landing.

  The bridge door was closed. He considered knocking, but before he could try, a young officer hurried to the entrance, waving his ID card at the reader before rushing inside. ‘Gift horses,’ Eddie muttered, darting in after him.

  The bridge was considerably busier than before, the air a cacophony as officers communicated with crew members all over the ship via walkie-talkie. They were too occupied to notice the intruder, but Eddie was sure he would not stay invisible for long. He spotted the Emir and Alula with a couple of their entourage, engaged in deep discussion with Captain Snowcock.

  And Agreste. Eddie felt a surge of anger at the sight of the Frenchman, but restrained himself from striding over and punching his lights out. Instead, he unobtrusively made his way towards the group.

  Their conversation gradually became audible. ‘. . . ensure hotels are arranged for everyone – and transport to Spain too,’ Fadil was saying. ‘I do not imagine Gibraltar will have several thousand rooms free at short notice. Also give a full refund to every passenger. And arrange complimentary first-class flights to wherever they wish to travel – by Dhajan Airways if possible, but using the most expedient airline if not.’

  Alula was equally unhappy, but for different reasons. ‘That will cost millions of dollars, tens of millions!’

  ‘This is the maiden voyage of our country’s first cruise liner,’ the Emir countered. ‘And it is a public relations disaster! If we are to avoid becoming an international joke, and to be sure our second cruise liner does not leave port empty next week after every passenger cancels their booking, we must do whatever is necessary to protect our reputation. Money is easily recovered; goodwill is not.’ He looked back at his aide. ‘First class. See to it. And,’ he added to Snowcock, ‘we must get the Atlantia back home as quickly as possible. I do not want to delay the repairs.’

  ‘It’ll take eight days to reach Dhajan, maybe even nine,’ the captain noted. ‘But if you overrode the speed limiter, we could do it in seven.’

  ‘I will do that. If you—’

  ‘Hey!’ an officer shouted. ‘You! You’re not supposed to be on the bridge!’

  Everyone turned to see Eddie in front of the dead video wall. ‘Ay up,’ he said with a disarming grin. ‘Just thought I’d drop by.’

  ‘Get him out of here!’ Snowcock snapped. Several men bustled towards the intruder.

  ‘No, wait,’ said the Emir. They stopped. ‘I would like some answers from Mr Chase.’

  ‘That’s funny,’ Eddie replied, ‘’cause I’d like some answers from you. And him an’ all,’ he went on, jabbing a finger at Agreste. ‘This twat tried to kill my wife – and he did kill Ana Rijo!’

  The Frenchman gave him a look of haughty affront. ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’

  ‘No? They were getting into a boat, and you shot Ana! Then you took another—’

  Alula interrupted him. ‘How did you know your wife stole a boat?’

  ‘She just rang me and told me,’ Eddie replied.

  ‘And where is she now?’

  He answered with a protective lie. ‘Halfway to Morocco. I mean, if you’re being shipped off to a kangaroo court and get the chance to escape, you’d be daft not to disappear, wouldn’t you?’

  Alula scowled. ‘Your wife has been charged with espionage, piracy and several other crimes – and a Red Notice has been issued for her arrest by Interpol on behalf of the Dhajani government. She will not get far, and when she is caught, she will be brought to Dhajan for trial.’

  ‘And you’ve already got the guilty verdict sorted, right?’ Eddie said with rising anger, stabbing his finger at Agreste again. ‘What about a murder charge for him? Or does he already have a royal “get out of jail free” card?’

  ‘He does not,’ said the Emir. ‘I do not know what lies you have heard about our country, Mr Chase, but I can assure you our trials are fair. Dr Wilde will be judged on the evidence. As for your accusations: where is your evidence? Where is Ana’s body?’

  ‘Probably chucked over the side with weights tied to her feet!’ Eddie held up his wristband. ‘Easy way to check if she’s still here – I’ll just call her. Let’s see if she turns up.’

  ‘Do not waste our time,’ snarled Alula. ‘Your wife has escaped, and you may have helped her. I should have you arrested for conspiracy!’

  ‘Conspiracy, my arse!’ he shouted back. ‘Nina’s been set up, and you’ve fallen right for it!’

  ‘That is enough!’ barked the Emir. ‘Both of you, be silent.’ Before the seething Yorkshireman could speak again, he continued: ‘Mr Chase, I do not believe you were directly involved in the robbery. It has been confirmed that you were in the swimming pool with your daughter. But your wife did let the thieves into the exhibition hall using my personal code. She is the prime suspect in the crime – and now she has escaped from lawful custody, assaulted a crewman and stolen a boat. These are not the actions of an innocent woman.’

  ‘They are if she thinks she’s going to be blamed for something she didn’t do,’ said Eddie.

  ‘That does not alter the fact that she is now a
fugitive. And,’ Fadil went on pointedly, ‘if you were to aid her in any way, you would be committing a crime under Dhajani law. So, I shall ask you: where is she?’

  The Englishman gave an exaggerated shrug. ‘I don’t know. Hopefully a long way from here.’

  ‘He is deliberately obstructing us,’ said Alula, scowling. ‘Captain, I want him arrest—’

  The Emir cut her off. ‘No, no. He is just angry.’ He looked Eddie in the eye. ‘I would strongly suggest, Mr Chase, that you return to your cabin and calm yourself. And if your wife should call you again . . . you must inform us at once. Do you understand?’

  Eddie’s gaze was no less level. ‘I’ll do the right thing,’ he said coldly. ‘It’s what I always do.’

  ‘Good. Then if someone would escort our guest back to his suite?’

  The crewmen surrounded him. With a last glare at the Dhajani royals, Eddie left the bridge.

  8

  Nina clung to the wheel as the boat was lashed by breaking waves. She was almost at the shore, but the rough water made the end of her voyage as scary as the start.

  The craft rode over a retreating wave, pitching her against the wheel, then its keel thumped against the beach. She gunned the throttle. The RIB slewed around and slithered to a stop.

  She knew it would not remain still for long. She grabbed the bag and jumped off the bow. Another wave sluiced past as she landed, the froth reaching her calves. She splashed onwards to dry sand. The boat was already being dragged back out to sea.

  She surveyed her windswept surroundings. No flashing lights of approaching police cars, so that was a good start. Tarifa’s lights were visible on a headland about three miles away. Turning, she saw the Atlantia, the brightly lit liner still standing out clearly even at a distance. It had come about, ready to head back into the Mediterranean. Completing her sweep, she spotted a hotel nestled amongst trees a few hundred yards to the west.

  A hotel meant tourists – and where there were tourists, there was usually cellular service. She took out her phone and was relieved to find she had a signal. She looked towards the Atlantia as she called Eddie.