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Crouched, I crossed the dock to the sentinel position that the guard had just vacated Through a gap in the railing, I had trouble seeing Jackie on the unlighted slip below, but after a way that led up to the low afterdeck of the tug

He joined the other ether they attended to so a kitten to Beelzebub or whatever deeply evil men did to ensure a safe sea journey

Unlike the boat slip to which it led, the gangas lighted, but it offered the only sensible approach to the berth below The noise I would er of the slip would bring everyone aboard the tug to the open decks to discover if the fabled Harry Liht be as bulletproof as he was psychic

Both s in their ti the pistol fro I descended the gangway boldly, hoping that even if soe deck and saw ure in theacross the bay, the foghorn sounded like the plaintive call of a prehistoric behe out in loneliness

I reached the botto an alarway The afterdeck had such a low profile that I could see the twoat the small crane

Their backs were still turned to way The first had been a permanent feature of the dock, and therefore solid; but this much shorter ramp was detachable and collapsible and, it see without drawing attention

Jackie and his friend were no h the fog with such intensity that, if they turned, they would be able to see h to know that I wasn’t one of them

The quickest route off this deck was up a set of six open stairs to the foredeck, iher deck encircled a portholed structure containing spaces that an experienced seaman would be able to identify but that were, to me, as mysterious as any female wrestler’s boudoir--and just as scary

Instinct told me that I would be less likely to encounter people if I went below decks The bulkhead that separated the afterdeck from the forward structures featured a door that o

I had to walk across half the width of the afterdeck, behind the two laboring en backwash, but I reached the door, opened it, and stepped through without being shot in the back

Beyond lay a landing at the top of an enclosed companionway I descended the circular stairs to a narro-ceilinged passageith cabin doors on both sides and another door at the farther end, which ell aft of the bow

Understandably, youWhat is this bozo’s plan?

As usual, I had no plan After the fact, it ht sometimes appear to a celestial observer--if one happened to be tuned in to Channel Odd--that I had perfor well-rehearsed tactics executed to an operations schedule ti, heart innear a state of collapse

Over the years, I have found that my seat-of-the-pants approach works well Except when it doesn’t

By doing, I learn what to do By going, I learn where to go One day, by dying, I’ll learn how to die, and leave the world and hope to land in light

Pistol ready, I went forward along the passageway, ignoring doors to the left and the right, behind which er, neither of which I wanted All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although in this world of six billion souls, all acting with free will and too many with audacity, surprises are inevitable, too few of them the kind thatopen the door at the end of the corridor, which bucked one of es, I was pleased that I did not at once receive a bullet in the face I stepped across the raised threshold into the engine rooance of cool machinery and a maze of pipes crowded this cosaw fitted to perfection in the stingy space, a testah maintenance standards resulted in a room that was cleaner than many kitchens, with fresh paint everywhere and not a spot of rust to be seen

Evidently, not everyone in the harbor department was distracted by plots to destroy civilization

Once in the coh I seeboat, not a battleship or even a destroyer, so the engine rooh Scottish-A a jokey but dedicated teaames and harirls back ho, boilers overheating, pipe joints bursting from too much pressure, and a host of other crises Nobody needed to be stationed in this coo about its ith efficiency, which is one reason why Hollywood never boat

Because the lights had been on when I opened the door, however, I had to assume that someone had recently been here and intended to return

As I was about to retreat and search for another hiding place, I heard a crew the coh the equiphtly fitted, the layout allowed for repair I snaked quickly through the service aisles, toward the point farthest from the entrance Unfortunately, the farthest point was not far enough topumps and pipes, I had no view of the door, but I heard it open and close

So but standing over there The engines were not even idling yet, and the quiet in the co around

As I had ad from amnesia and unable to reination, which now kicked into overdrive I envisioned the newco to pull the release pin on a canister of poisonous chemicals, to kill me as if I were a cockroach

Before I could elaborate this siain, and I heard someone say, What the hell happened to you?

The reply caard Rolf: I fell down

Fell dohat?

Some stairs, Rolf said

Stairs? How otta hurt

Utgard closed the door behind hiot to cut some throats

THIRTY-FOUR

ON THE FARTHER SIDE OF THE ENGINE ROOM, which was nearer than I would have liked, Utgard Rolf said, Listen, Joey, once we have the packages aboard, on’t return to the harbor

What? Why not?

There’s a guy, he’s onto the operation

What guy? Joey asked

A government sonofabitch

Oh, onna find hiood as dead

With sharp anxiety, Joey said, He’s here in Magic Beach?

What do you think, I fell down souy was the stairs?

Don’t worry about it

How big is the guy, he could do this to you?

He looks worse than I do

I resisted the urge to stand up and disprove that boast

If we don’t go back to the harbor, Joey wondered, where we gonna go?

You know the abandoned boatyard south of Rooster Point?

That’ll work, Joey said

Daht it will The facilities there, the privacy, it’ll be an easier off-load than we’d have in the harbor

The trucks know the new

I see what’s comin’, Joey said