Ghost Writer(60)

“Are you all right, Madame Kirby?” Gravell asked, using the serving of the soup as cover to his inquiry.

“I'll let you know later.”

He nodded and responded to a comment made by Commander Harvey. From then on, outwardly, he only paid polite attention to me. Under the table, his knee was pressed lightly against mine.

“It's good to have you back,” Captain Campbell said, pulling my attention away from its wanderings.

“Thank you, Captain.”

“I've missed our chats. I imagine you have been quite busy.”

“Yes. I'm hoping you'll let me interview you again. A lot has happened since I last got you on record. It would be nice to interview Commander Harvey too.”

“What do you think, Belinda? Will you consent to be interviewed by Ms. Kirby for the documentary?”

Harvey turned her attention away from Gravell and flashed me a smile.

“Sounds like fun. Where would you like to conduct the interview? How about the bridge? We could start with a tour. It might be nice for you to see something other than sick bay, the captain’s office, and here.”

“Can I video tape the interview?”

“The interview, yes, but the tour only as directed.”

“The camera crew left, but I think I can set up a video recorder.”

“I can be your cameraman,” Gravell offered. “I’ll also know what parts of the tour can be recorded.”

This would be convenient, as he was likely to want to be there anyway. Seeing an opportunity, I turned to Tinsdale and gave him a speculative stare until I knew I had his attention. It didn't take long.

“How about you, Captain Tinsdale? Will you relax your policy to be interviewed? I'd hate you to be the only captain left out.”

The smile he returned said volumes. It was appreciative of my use of tactics and warned me not to push the issue and it also managed to seem amused in a patronizing way.

“We can't have that, can we, Mrs. Kirby.”

I was ready to tie him down to a time and a place when the food arrived.

Between the salad and the entrée, I asked Captain Campbell about Dora and Reuben.

“As a matter of fact, Ms. Kirby, Dr. Leland and Mr. Dawes are en route. They should be here well before the station is ready to be boarded. Now that the émil Gagnan has officially been given permission to recover Arctic Station Alpha, I imagine Captain Franchot is poised to start work at first light.”

“I might eat breakfast first.”

“However, the station is still the property of the US Navy,” said Redding.

Franchot rocked his hand.

“Sort of. Salvage rules don't generally apply to military vessels, but the protocols governing military vessels only apply in international waters.”

I suspect there might have been some argument about this if naval tradition allowed the discussion of politics during dinner. I had wondered why Captain Campbell always had these meetings over a meal. Now I knew. I bet he kept them formal so that no one forgot those traditions.

While I ruminated, Captain Tinsdale asked Franchot how long it would take to raise the station.

“We're not going to raise the station. We've determined that it is more stable submerged. Instead, we'll patch the hull and pump her out. How much time that will take will depend on how much flooding occurred after Jen was rescued. Normally, this would only be a minor inconvenience. We have a diving bell that we could use to take the researchers down to the station.”

He turned to me, the landlubber. “It's a bit like a submersible elevator.”

“I read about those. They're used in submarine rescues, right?”

“Amongst other things. Unfortunately, we can't use it here.”

“Why not?”

“The simple answer is that I'm not convinced that it's safe. After some discussion, we've decided that the most prudent thing to do is to enter via the breach in engineering and set up an internal airlock.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “That means that most of the researchers will only have remote access to the station. There are only three trained divers on the team.”

“Mike, Tim and?”

“Mrs. Mary Lou Naire,” said Mercuros.

That figured. Mike probably trained her.

“And Madame Kirby,” said Gravell.

I tried not to look surprised.

Franchot narrowed his eyes and gave me a questioning look.

“I didn't know you were certified, Jen.”

“Well.”

The gentle pressure of Gravell’s knee against mine increased slightly. I decided to say nothing and gave Franchot a noncommittal shrug.

Captain Campbell raised his hand.

“Let’s table this discussion until after dinner. I can smell the roast lamb and I, for one, prefer my dinner hot.”



Two hours later, I felt like a prisoner at a parole hearing. Still in the wardroom, I was on one side of the table with Captains Campbell and Franchot, and Commanders Harvey and Mercuros on the other. I didn’t have Gravell to back me up. He hadn't been invited to the party. Even Minton had left.

“I've snorkelled,” I said. An admittedly lame answer to Captain Campbell's opening question regarding my diving skills.

“Did you tell Chief Gravell you could scuba dive?”