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Austin tapped the screen with his finger "Could be our bad boys"

McGinty's eyes sparkled "When I was growing up in Southie the cops would swing the cruiser through the housing project and you'd see guys running in every direction Cops

always found souilty conscience all you had to do was see that blue bubble atop the cruiser to get your legshere, I'll bet"

"The guilty flee when none pursueth," Austin said The blip passed other craft uess is that those folks fleeth at about fifty knots"

McGinty let out a lohistle "This looks like a big ship to me I don't know of any vessels of size that can move like that"

"I do It's called a Fast Ship It's a new design Company called Thornycroft and Gilesmonohull ater jets that eliminate propeller cavitation Even a Fast Ship container vessel can cruise at fortyfive knots The newer versionsboats around the wreck just before the attack?"

"This is a busy place" McGinty pushed his cap, back on his forehead as if it would help hisDid we actually see this ship? Maybe There was a good-sized craft hunkering abank I was busy with dive operations"

"My guess is that if we could cut through the corporate red tape, we'd find it ned by Halcon Industries"

"Can we get air surveillance?" McGinty asked

"I But what if we do find it? We'd need a warrant to go aboard"

Zavala had been listening silently, his 's been bothering uys knehere ere and ere doing How did they know? We just decided to go after this thing a few days ago We didn't exactly advertise our plans"

Austin and McGinty exchanged glances "This operation involved a lot of people Any one of theh of a hint to let the cat out of the bag" It was an explanation Austin didn't believe himself His attackers were too well prepared

Before long the wind shifted, blowing away the fog, Donatelli bid goodbye to the NUMA men and the Monkfish captain, and he and Antonio set off in the yacht Austin promised to update the Doria survivor on NUMA's every move

The Monkfish plowed through the fog and rounded Cape Cod, and before long they could see the lights of planes taking off and landing at Logan Airport They steamed past the Boston Harbor Islands and tied up at a dock near the aquarium Austin called an excited Dr Orville and asked hie for a truck to pick up the stone Austin and Zavala followed the truck to Harvard and saw it safely under lock and key Orville said he would work through the night to decipher the inscriptions if he had to and invited them to stay Austin declined the invitation He and Zavala were exhausted froht to Washington After a light dinner they had a nightcap of Irish whiskey with McGinty, then crawled into their bunks and fell asleep almost immediately

The tubular green-glassed tower of NUMA headquarters was like the welcoated the unpredictable seas of Washington traffic Austin and Zavala had caught the water shuttle to Logan Airport and were back in Washington by lateslap on the back and the highest of praise Austin, he proclaimed, was a chip off his old man's block