“Okay, whatever you think is best.”
“I got an email from Penny yesterday, but didn’t see that she included you,” Matt said. “It was about the life preserver. It was on the USS Oklahoma City when the ship was decommissioned in 1979. The Coast Guard picked it up and designated it as ‘CG-5’.”
“I got a separate email from her. She wanted to tell me things she didn’t want to tell you, things that happened to her growing up. She said the ship was destroyed as a target in 1999, so the shark may have eaten it twenty years ago. That’s a long time!”
Larry Williams arrived at two thirty, and after the introductions, he, Matt, and Maggie gathered around the kitchen table, while Lisa looked after Danielle and Jenny. They got right down to business.
“My father played football in college, and in the pros for six years,” Larry said. “American football. In college, he was one of the first African-Americans in his sports fraternity, Theta Sigma Omega.
“My dad made a lot of money as a pro, but spent it as soon as he got it. In a game in Seattle, he got a head and neck injury, and that was the end of his career. He never recovered from the injury and died when I was ten. We were broke. My mom had to find a job. My dad had wanted to put money away for us for college, but he never seemed to be able to. If it weren’t for my aunt, neither my sister nor I would have had a chance. She went to nursing school. I was able to get a business degree, and I got a job in the same company as Matt. Our paths crossed many times.
“There are too many kids of pro athletes whose dads or moms have no idea how to manage their money. Then they get injured or aren’t good enough anymore, and they end up broke. The kids really suffer, like I did, and I want to help them. I’d like to be able to find them, see what they’re good at or interested in, and mentor them and maybe help them financially. The goal wouldn’t necessarily be college, but in setting them up to be a success.”
“When I told you I had an idea that might help you,” Matt said, “you may not have known that Maggie and I were on that plane that was shot down last Friday, but God saved us.”
“Yes, I did. I watched the interviews. When I watched you, Maggie, I almost cried because God was so good to you. When you mentioned some land on the phone, were you talking about the island? Tell me all about that, and any other part of the story you want to.”
Matt and Maggie started with them meeting each other on the plane, and finished with the US and UK sharing Emergent, with them as the owners. They were quite detailed about the island. Maggie showed him her samples. She checked on Jenny several times, but Lisa had everything under control.
Matt explained his idea about the island. “It should be quite lucrative to harvest the nodules. The biggest issue I see is getting people, materials, and equipment to and from the island. It would require all kinds of different skills, from building housing to running heavy equipment to agricultural and even tourist activities, and of course the administration of it all.
“Maggie and I would give you access to the whole island. By the time you get there, a good portion may be completely covered by dirt. It may take different equipment to get the nodules out. But even if it doesn’t, it should be many years’ worth of mentoring the youths you are so passionate about.”
“How about the transportation of things?” Larry asked. “It would have to be fairly continuous.”
“The military of both England and the States want to build facilities there, and have an airfield and port. We would get to use them. I checked with the naval officer that we met when we were at the State Department, and he said the ships bringing the military construction materials could bring our things also, as long as they were in conex containers. Look at this legal document our lawyer got from Mr. Clark. They will pay us rent when we collectively agree on how much.”
“This sounds wonderful. I’ve been wanting to put to good use all these business experiences I’ve been blessed with, and it looks like the challenge and opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I know it’s Saturday, but I’ll make some calls, get some quick advice, do some calculations, and finally present it to the boss.”
“Phyllis?”
“Absolutely! She’s my biggest fan. Been so twenty years in September. I’ll get you a tentative yes or no as far as being doable, at least by me, in maybe an hour. Whooee—this will be great! Okay if I use your kitchen table for an office for the next hour?”
While they were waiting for Larry, they joined Lisa in the playroom. They played with the babies and chatted about the island, especially the dirt, until Larry came back and announced that he and Phyllis would give it a go. He would call Matt on Monday or Tuesday to give him a final answer and an estimate on the conexes.
“Great!” Matt said. “I didn’t want to mention this before you decided, but I don’t need any of the profit from the venture. Whatever my share would be, I want to invest it back into your work there.”
“And so do I,” Maggie said.
Larry left after supper, which was delivered by Matt’s favorite pizzeria.
“I called Charles yesterday,” Maggie said when things quieted down. “It was good to hear his voice. He said he watched our interview on Tuesday. He sounded happy. He said he had a surprise when I get back. I wonder if I’m to be an aunt again.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Lisa said. “From what you told me of your mom, she would have told you that already herself.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. It’s really hard for Mum to keep a secret.”
“Maggie, I’d like to meet your mom,” Matt said. “Would Wednesday be too soon?”
135
Classification: SECRET
From:Robert R. McGee
To:VTC Task Force
DTG:10:00 AM 7 July 2019 (07JUL19 1400Z)
Subject:Report of Abandoned Airfield Investigation
1. Background: On 6 July 2019, this office learned of possible MiG storage at various national and international airports no longer in use for aviation purposes, as listed below. Personnel associated with this office visited each site.
2. Airports and status.
a. Zeljava Airbase, Croatia. Search revealed underground tunnels and hangars. Abandoned planes were found, but none were MiG class.
b. Mostar, Bosnia. An abandoned underground military air base is located near the current Mostar Airport. Numerous hangars branch off the main tunnel. Some are open and the rest are closed by steel doors, some of which are locked. Behind one locked door was a MiG-23 which appeared to be Bosnian War vintage. This aircraft was in a poor state of maintenance, with flat tires, missing parts, and animal residue. Most exposed steel parts showed extensive rusting. There was no armament and no engine.
c. Dudhkundi Airfield, Banka Bhur Kunda, West Bengal, India. Main hangar building has one large maintenance bay closed by locked steel bay doors. A MiG-23 is parked behind the doors. Aircraft appears fully operational but unarmed. Aircraft identifying markings have been provided to the Indian Defence Intelligence Agency.
d. Bagdad Intermediate Field, Bagdad, CA. One small hangar at the end of the runway was empty.
e. Hangzhou Jianqio Airport, China. Our contact reports no aircraft of interest. New airport is too close to the old airport to hide activity there.
3. Further actions: N/A.
Classification: SECRET
Classification exempt from Standard Declassification Schedule
136
It was Monday, July 8. Kevin Bhatt had just finished his noonday meal at the house of his old friend, Marcos. It was Marcos whose daughter Kevin had rescued from the snake; it was Marcos who kept him informed about the goings-on in town, especially of the take-over of his business by the police; and it was Marcos who knew how to keep a secret. He had just returned from his daily bike ride through the city.
“My friend, the waterfront has been quiet the last few days. I can’t tell you if anyone is watching, Kevin, but I can tell you the same trash has been in front of your warehouse door si
nce Saturday.”
Kevin knew all about vehicle surveillance; he had watched all of the Godfather movies several times. “How about vehicles?” he asked. “Anything suspicious, parked, or slowly moving?”
“I always go past there too early for much traffic. I didn’t notice anything unusual, my good friend, even when I rode on the back street. The doorman at the hotel across the street might be a clue. He is the same one who has been there for years. If he’s not opening the door, we’d wave or say hello, and I think I’d know if he acted nervous.”
“I need to go there, Marcos. They probably trashed the place and took all my files, but I’m hoping they didn’t find my cash. I hid it pretty well. I’m sure they’re watching my house, so I won’t even think of going there.”
“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.”
Kevin had decided he was probably wrong about Manan Ganguly, and his itch to get on with his life had overcome the excessive caution after his trip back from his plantation. Paranoia, he had concluded. Manan was probably back in Jaipur reporting the hunting trip plans to his father. “Thanks, but I need to get back to India. If there’s a problem with my business, it will die down after a while. There’s not a lot of excitement here about rare wood. If I make money, the city makes money.”
“I’d be pleased if you took my car.”
“No, it’s only an hour from here on foot, and the walk will be good for me. I won’t have that much to carry, but I’ll need a backpack, if you have one.”
“Camila has one. She would love for you to use it.”
Equipped with a backpack and a sun hat, Kevin headed toward the river.
Across the street from the warehouse, several windows were open on the third floor of the hotel. This was not unusual, even for the second week in July, because the hotel was home chiefly to seasonal migrant workers, and rooms needed to be aired out quite often.
Two windows on opposite ends of the hotel, however, were open for a different purpose. At the north end, a man checked every five minutes or so to see if the trash he had put in front of the warehouse door had moved. He knew there was only one door besides the cargo doors on the east side of the warehouse, and they were locked from the inside.
At the south end, Carlos Souza and José Pinta of the Agência Brasileira de Inteligência were on the day shift, watching for any sign of Kevin Bhatt. They had memorized his picture and vital statistics, and were in frequent contact with the ABIN stakeout team watching his residence.
At five minutes before two, Carlos and José received a text from the surveillance group leader that Bhatt’s phone had just been turned on; it was less than one hundred meters from the warehouse location. They donned their service vests and checked their sidearms.
At two o’clock, the watchers in both windows observed the man for whom they were waiting, unlock the warehouse door and step inside.
The man at the north end immediately left his room and went downstairs.
At the south end, Carlos immediately called his superior to report the arrival, and was told to proceed cautiously and arrest the man. Help would be on the way in minutes. Carlos and José went downstairs and across the street. The door to the warehouse was open, so they cautiously entered.
A few minutes earlier, Kevin had let himself in and walked quietly toward his office. Not a sound. Entering, he knelt on the floor and pulled up the edge of the shabby carpet in front of the filing cabinets. Alerted by a footstep behind him, he turned to see Manan Ganguly bearing down on him with a heavy iron bar. He tried to rise, but Manan struck him in the head, and Kevin went down, unconscious.
Carlos and José were walking toward the center of the warehouse, guns drawn, when they heard a crack followed closely by a thud. Then another crack.
“That’s a bone breaking,” José said quietly to Carlos, and they rushed toward the sound. When they got to the office, they saw that a man with a heavy iron bar had laid the unconscious Kevin Bhatt flat on the floor and had broken his lower right leg. He was preparing to break the lower left leg when he heard the two ABIN agents charge into the office, so he took a step forward to crush his skull instead.
“Stop!” Carlos shouted.
Manan lifted the bar and took another step forward at the same time. Carlos and José both fired, hitting him in the right shoulder and lower back. The impact of the bullets pitched Manan headfirst into a filing cabinet.
Kevin Bhatt would be in a coma for three days, in a fog for a week after that, and in jail for the rest of his life.
137
The plane from Chicago landed without incident at Heathrow International Airport at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday the tenth. As they passed through the jet bridge and into the concourse, Matt and Maggie were surprised by a small crowd of their fellow travelers and a BBC camera crew. A man with a microphone and a Britannia Airlines badge raised his hand and everyone cheered and clapped as the cameras started rolling. “Welcome home!” the man said to Maggie as he handed her a dozen red and white roses. “I see your new American friend is with you. Welcome to England!” he said to Matt.
“It’s good to be back.” Maggie was holding Jenny, who was crying from all the excitement. “We had a good flight this time.”
She comforted Jenny and noticed the cameras were still recording. “God was kind to us. I can’t wait to see my family. I’m glad to be alive, and I pray that God would comfort those who lost loved ones. Thank you all.”
They were enjoying the festive atmosphere. As they pushed the stroller along, Matt said, “That must be why the airline crew wanted us to wait, so they could set things up.”
After processing through customs, they collected their luggage and exited the controlled area. As soon as they passed through the doors, they saw a pleasant-looking middle-aged brunette waving. Maggie grabbed her handbag from the stroller. “There’s Mum! Bring Jenny.”
“Wait,” Matt said.
“I remember!” Maggie said, turning toward him, and mouthed the words, “Ask first.”
“Go! I’ll bring Jenny.” He hoped she remembered his other words, reminding her of the old Maggie and what she would try to do when she got home.
After introducing Matt to her mother Charlotte, Maggie couldn’t wait to show off Jenny’s new foot. “See what God did! And there’s more. I’ll wait until we get home. I don’t want to be interrupted every three minutes by the train whistle.”
Maggie and her mum passed Jenny back and forth repeatedly on the hour-long ride to Bristol, chatting non-stop. Matt looked out the window from the seat behind them and gloried in the fields and forests, the towns and rivers, all drenched by the morning sun. His body was telling him it was the middle of the night, but he was enjoying the sights too much to notice. It had been years since he was last in England. He had never been to Bristol.
A taxi brought them from the train station to Maggie’s flat near Ashley Down. Along the way, she pointed out her school, now deserted for the summer. When they reached her flat, they saw their way was blocked by several bouquets of cut flowers, welcome home signs, and two foil balloons placed there by well-wishers. When they got close, they saw the door was covered by sticky notes, mostly begging for a phone call. “You are so loved!” Matt said.
When Maggie opened the door, she was greeted by a strong smell of bleach. She took a step backwards and looked at Matt, who smelled it too. Ask first, ask first, ask first, she kept telling herself. “Wow, Mum! You cleaned my flat while I was gone. Thanks!”
“You’re welcome, but let’s open your windows and let some fresh air in.” Charlotte dashed into the kitchen, the loo, and finally, the bedroom to get the needed ventilation.
“Well played, Maggie!” Matt said.
When Charlotte had heard Matt would be coming, she had borrowed two cots, one for Maggie’s room and the other for the living room. The only other furniture in the living room was a chair, coffee table, and floor lamp. “I never had more than one visitor at a time and we mostly sat in the kit
chen,” Maggie said.
“It’s been a long time since we ate,” she went on. “I need to feed Jenny, and probably change her. Then let’s walk over to Tinto Lounge for an early lunch, and when we come back, Mum, we’ll tell you our story.”
Matt and Charlotte engaged in small talk in the kitchen while Maggie began to nurse Jenny. It was all Charlotte could do not to go right into the living room to watch the new and wonderful sight. Matt finally noticed; he grinned and said, “Go ahead!”
All alone in the kitchen, Matt heard the squeals of delight and the giggling.
“Maggie! Cover yourself up.”
“It’s okay, Mum, Matt’s seen the before and the after. Look at me now! I told you there was more. I wanted you to see how God healed me, too.”
At Tinto Lounge, Matt picked up a tourist map. When he and Maggie were out of earshot of her mother, he said, “Your mom is such a delight. I see you’ve been warm and relaxed with her so far, so tomorrow morning after breakfast, I’m going for a walk. I won’t be back until after four or so. It will be the day with your mom I promised you. You will do wonderfully.”
“Where will you go? What do you know about Bristol?”
He showed her the map. “I’m starting at the aquarium, the Brunel exhibitions, the art museum, then maybe the zoo or the Clifton Bridge. Call if you need more time, and maybe I’ll go find the blue glass factory.”
“That must be an old map. I don’t think the blue glass factory is still open. And, thank you. You’re right, we both need this so desperately. And look both ways before you cross the street. Remember that we don’t drive on the wrong side of the road over here.”
“Maggie, I have two questions about what you’re going to tell your mom.”
“I think I know. The vow and cutting myself, and about me becoming your daughter.”
The Wreck Emerged Page 38
