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“What were they working on?”

“Just analyzing water teerous I save those jobs for you and Joe”

Kurt couldn’t iht offend someone “And yet you think it was foul play?”

“We don’t knohat it was,” Dirk said firht We can see the life-raft containers fros are burned but otherwise untouched Halverson was a ten-year vet, he was a ht years before that Kier, but they ell trained And none of us can come up with a reason for a widespread fire aboard a sailboat to begin with Even if we could, no one can tell me why three trained sailors would fail to deploy a life raft or get off a distress call under such conditions”

Kurt remained silent He couldn’t think of a reason either, unless they were somehow incapacitated

“The botto,” Dirk said “Perhaps we’ll find theh to know this doesn’t look good”

Kurt understood theand presu both Dirk Pitt and Kurt Austin took personally

“What do you need me to do?”

“A salvage tea set up,” Pitt said “I want you and Joe on-site as soon as possible That means you’re on a plane in four hours”

“Not a proble for them?”

“Search-and-rescue aircraft out of the Maldives, a pair of Navy P-3s and a long-range squadron fro the zone since the boat was spotted Nothing yet”

“So this isn’t a rescue mission”

“I only wish it was,” Pitt said “But unless we get so to receive, your job is to figure out what happened and why”

In the dark bay, unseen by Pitt, Kurt nodded “Understood”

“I’ll let you wake Mr Zavala,” Pitt said “Keep me posted”