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As the two ships slowly made their way toward Norfolk, a turquoise-colored utility helicopter with the letters NUMA visible on the fuselage appeared in the western sky It hovered over the Benja down on the deck Four people scra medical supplies and equipment
Crewmen directed the medical team to the ship's sick bay None of the injuries sustained when the ship nearly went vertical in the whirlpool were life-threatening The captain had requested the team to help the ship's paramedic, who had been overwhelmed with the sheer volume of bruises and concussions
The helicopter was refueled, and two creho had suffered broken arms were loaded aboard Austin thanked the captain for his hospitality Then he, along with the Trouts, Zavala and Professor Adler, climbed into the helicopter Minutes later, they were airborne
The helicopter touched down at National Airport less than two hours later The injured were unloaded into waiting aeton house, taking Adler with theuest, and Zavala drove Austin to his house on the Potoinia, less than a ley They all agreed to ht's rest
Austin lived in a converted Victorian boathouse overlooking the river He had acquired the turreted building when he worked for the CIA The mansard-roofed structure was part of an old estate, and the previous owners had let it run down It had become a waterfront condoutted and redid the interior and restored the exterior to its for quarters housed his racing scull and small, outboard hydroplane
He dropped his bag in the hall and walked into a spacious living room His house was an eclectic combination of the old and the new The authentic, dark wooden, colonial furniture contrasted with the ashed walls hung with conteinals and painterly pri bookcases held the leather-bound sea adventures of Conrad and Melville and the orn volureat philosophers he liked to study Glass cases displayed so pistols he collected His extensive collection of ressive jazz, y and drive, and his talent for improvisation
He checked his phone forthat couldn't wait He flicked the stereo on, and Oscar Peterson's frenetic piano fingering filled the room He poured a drink for hilass door and went out onto the deck with the ice tinkling pleasantly in his glass He listened to the soft, rippling sounds, and breathed into his lungs the misty, flower-scented river air that was so different from the briny scent of the ocean where he spentdays
After a few minutes, he went back into the house, pulled a book on ancient Greek philosophers froory of the Cave" In Plato's parable, prisoners chained in a cave can see only the shadows cast by puppets on the wall and can hear the puppeteersbehind their backs On that slim evidence, the prisoners must decide what is shadow and what is reality Sie events of the last few days, trying to i back to the one thing he could grasp The mysterious ship
He went over to a rolltop desk and powered up his laptop co the Web site information froiant wave area The ie archives to the date of the Southern Belle's sinking The two giant waves that had startled Adler were clearly displayed on the date the ship had disappeared The ship itself was shown as a sone the next
He zooreater area of ocean and saw so he hadn't noticed before Four ships were clustered around the area of the sinking There was one at each point of the coe for a moment, then backed up a few days The ships were not there He ju There were only three ships When he went to a day after the Belle went down, no blips were visible
He was like one of Plato's prisoners in the cave, trying to separate reality froe they didn't He could call out for help He picked up the thick NUMA directory next to the phone, scanned the listings and punched in a number on the phone A man answered
"Hello, Alan This is Kurt Austin I just got in from a cruise Hope I didn't wake you"
"Not at all, Kurt Nice to hear from you What can I do for you?"
"Can you ht? It's quite important"
"Of course" There was a pause "You knohat I do?"