璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将-第110部分

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Kelly　maneuvered　clear　for　a　moment；　observing　the　other　‘captain；‘　a　term　his　mind　applied　ironically。　He　couldn‘t　read　charts。　He　didn‘t　know　the　proper　way　of　attracting　another　boat‘s　attention。　He　didn‘t　even　know　how　to　call　the　Coast　Guard。　All　he‘d　managed　to　do　was　buy　a　Hatteras　yacht；　and　while　that　spoke　well　of　his　judgment；　Kelly　figured　it　had　more　likely　e　from　a　smart　salesman。　But　then　the　man　surprised　Kelly。　He　handled　his　lines　with　skill　and　waved　Springer　in。
Kelly　maneuvered　his　stem　in　close；　then　went　aft　to　his　well　deck　to　take　the　towing　line；　which　he　secured　to　the　big　cleat　on　the　transom。　Pam　was　up　and　watching　now。　Kelly　hustled　back　to　the　fly　bridge　and　coaxed　his　throttle　a　crack。
‘Get　on　your　radio；‘　he　told　the　Hatteras　owner。　‘Leave　your　rudder　amidships　till　I　tell　you　different。　Okay？‘
‘Got　it。‘
‘Hope　so；‘　Kelly　whispered　to　himself；　pushing　the　throttle　levers　until　the　towing　line　came　taut。
‘What　happened　to　him？‘　Pam　asked。
‘People　forget　there‘s　a　bottom　under　this　water。　You　hit　it　hard　enough　and　you　break　things。‘　He　paused。　‘You　might　want　to　put　some　more　clothes　on。‘
Pam　giggled　and　went　below。　Kelly　increased　speed　carefully　to　about　four　knots　before　starting　the　turn　south。　He‘d　done　this　all　before；　and　grumbled　that　if　he　did　it　one　more　time　he‘d　have　special　stationery　printed　up　for　the　bills。
Kelly　brought　Springer　alongside　very　slowly；　mindful　of　the　boat　he　was　towing。　He　scurried　off　the　bridge　to　drop　his　fenders；　then　jumped　ashore　to　tie　off　a　pair　of　spring　lines　before　heading　towards　the　Hatteras。　The　owner　already　had　his　mooring　lines　set　up；　and　tossed　them　to　Kelly　on　the　quay　while　he　set　his　fenders。　Hauling　the　boat　in　a　few　feet　was　a　good　chance　to　show　his　muscles　to　Pam。　It　only　took　five　minutes　to　get　her　snugged　in；　after　which　Kelly　did　the　same　with　Springer。
‘This　is　yours？‘
‘Sure　enough；‘　Kelly　replied。　‘Wele　to　my　sandbar。‘
‘Sam　Rosen；‘　the　man　said；　holding　his　hand　out。　He‘d　pulled　a　shirt　on；　and　while　he　had　a　strong　grip；　Kelly　noted　that　his　hands　were　so　soft　as　to　be　dainty。
‘John　Kelly。‘
‘My　wife；　Sarah。‘
Kelly　laughed。　‘You　must　be　the　navigator。‘
Sarah　was　short；　overweight；　and　her　brown　eyes　wavered　between　amusement　and　embarrassment。　‘Somebody　needs　to　thank　you　for　your　help；‘　she　observed　in　a　New　York　accent。
‘A　law　of　the　sea；　ma‘am。　What　went　wrong？‘
‘The　chart　shows　six　feet　where　we　struck。　This　boat　only　takes　four！　And　low　tide　was　five　hours　ago！‘　the　lady　snapped。　She　wasn‘t　angry　at　Kelly；　but　he　was　the　closest　target；　and　her　husband　had　already　heard　what　she　thought。
‘Sandbar；　it‘s　been　building　there　from　the　storms　we　had　last　winter；　but　my　charts　show　less　than　that。　Besides；　it‘s　a　soft　bottom。‘
Pam　came　up　just　then；　wearing　clothing　that　was　nearly　respectable；　and　Kelly　realized　he　didn‘t　know　her　last　name。
‘Hi；　I‘m　Pam。‘
‘Y‘all　want　to　freshen　up？　We　have　all　day　to　look　at　the　problem。‘　There　was　general　agreement　on　that　point；　and　Kelly　led　them　off　to　his　home。
‘What　the　hell　is　that？‘　Sam　Rosen　asked。　‘That‘　was　one　of　the　bunkers　that　had　been　built　in　1943；　two　thousand　square　feet；　with　a　roof　fully　three　feet　thick。　The　entire　structure　was　reinforced　concrete　and　was　almost　as　sturdy　as　it　looked。　A　second；　smaller　bunker　lay　beside　it。
‘This　place　used　to　belong　to　the　Navy；‘　Kelly　explained；　‘but　I　lease　it　now。‘
‘Nice　dock　they　built　for　you；‘　Rosen　noted。
‘Not　bad　at　all；‘　Kelly　agreed。　‘Mind　if　I　ask　what　you　do？‘
‘Surgeon；‘　Rosen　replied。
‘Oh；　yeah？‘　That　explained　the　hands。
‘Professor　of　surgery；‘　Sarah　corrected。　‘But　he　can‘t　drive　a　boat　worth　a　damn！‘
‘The　goddamned　charts　were　off！‘　the　professor　grumbled　as　Kelly　led　them　inside。　‘Didn‘t　you　hear？‘
‘People；　that‘s　history　now；　and　lunch　and　a　beer　will　allow　us　to　consider　it　in　fort。‘　Kelly　surprised　himself　with　his　words。　Just　then　his　ears　caught　a　sharp　crack　ing　across　the　water　from　somewhere　to　the　south。　It　was　funny　how　sound　carried　across　the　water。
"；What　was　that？‘　Sam　Rosen　had　sharp　ears；　too。
‘Probably　some　kid　taking　a　muskrat　with　his　。22；‘　Kelly　judged。　‘It‘s　a　pretty　quiet　neighborhood；　except　for　that。　In　the　fall　it　can　get　a　little　noisy　around　dawn　…　ducks　and　geese。‘
‘I　can　see　the　blinds。　You　hunt？‘
‘Not　anymore；‘　Kelly　replied。
Rosen　looked　at　him　with　understanding；　and　Kelly　decided　to　reevaluate　him　for　a　second　time。
‘How　long？‘
‘Long　enough。　How‘d　you　know？‘
‘Right　after　I　finished　residency；　I　made　it　to　Iwo　and　Okinawa。　Hospital　ship。‘
‘Hmm；　kamikaze　time？‘
Rosen　nodded。　‘Yeah；　lots　of　fun。　What　were　you　on？‘
‘Usually　my　belly；‘　Kelly　answered　with　a　grin。
‘UDT？　You　look　like　a　frogman；‘　Rosen　said。　‘I　had　to　fix　a　few　of　those。‘
‘Pretty　much　the　same　thing；　but　dumber。‘　Kelly　dialed　the　bination　lock　and　pulled　the　heavy　steel　door　open。
The　inside　of　the　bunker　surprised　the　visitors。　When　Kelly　had　taken　possession　of　the　place；　it　had　been　divided　into　three　large；　bare　rooms　by　stout　concrete　walls；　but　now　it　looked　almost　like　a　house；　with　painted　drywall　and　rugs。　Even　the　ceiling　was　covered。　The　narrow　viewslits　were　the　only　reminder　of　what　it　had　once　been。　The　furniture　and　rugs　showed　the　influence　of　Patricia；　but　the　current　state　of　semiarray　was　evidence　that　only　a　man　lived　here　now。　Everything　was　neatly　arranged；　but　not　as　a　woman　would　do　things。　The　Rosens　also　noted　that　it　was　the　man　of　the　house　who　led　them　to　the　‘galley‘　and　got　things　out　of　the　old…fashioned　refrigerator　box　while　Pam　wandered　around　a　little　wide…eyed。
‘Nice　and　cool；‘　Sarah　observed。　‘Damp　in　the　winter；　I　bet。‘　…
‘Not　as　bad　as　you　think。‘　Kelly　pointed　to　the　radiators　around　the　perimeter　of　the　room。　‘Steam　heat。　This　place　was　built　to　government　specifications。　Everything　works　and　everything　cost　too　much。‘
‘How　do　you　get　a　place　like　this？‘　Sam　asked。
‘A　friend　helped　me　get　the　lease。　Surplus　government　property。‘
‘He　must　be　some　friend；‘　Sarah　said；　admiring　the　built…in　refrigerator。
‘Yes；　he　is。‘
Vice　Admiral　Winslow　Holland　Maxwell；　USN；　had　his　office　on　the　E…Ring　of　the　Pentagon。　It　was　an　outside　office；　allowing　him　a　fine　view　of　Washington　…　and　the　demonstrators；　he　noted　angrily　to　himself。　Baby　Killers！　one　placard　read。　There　was　even　a　North　Vietnamese　flag。　The　chanting；　this　Saturday　morning；　was　distorted　by　the　thick　window　glass。　He　could　hear　the　cadence　but　not　the　words；　and　the　former　fighter　pilot　couldn‘t　decide　which　was　more　enraging。
‘That　isn‘t　good　for　you；　Dutch。‘
‘Don‘t　I　know　it！‘　Maxwell　grumbled。
‘The　freedom　to　do　that　is　one　of　the　things　we　defend；‘　Rear　Admiral　Casimir　Podulski　pointed　out；　not　quite　making　that　leap　of　faith　despite　his　words。　It　was　just　a　little　too　much。　His　son　had　died　over　Haiphong　in　an　A…4　strike…fighter。　The　event　had　made　the　papers　because　of　the　young　aviator‘s　parentage；　and　fully　eleven　anonymous　telephone　calls　had　e　in　the　following　week；　some　just　laughing；　some　asking　his　tormented　wife　where　the　blotter　was　supposed　to　be　shipped。　‘All　those　nice；　peaceful；　sensitive　young　people。‘
‘So　why　are　you　in　such　a　great　mood；　Cas？‘
‘This　one　goes　in　the　wall　safe；　Dutch。‘　Podulski　handed　over　a　heavy　folder。　Its　edges　were　bordered　in　red…and…white　striped　tape；　and　it　bore　the　coded　designator　BOXWOOD　GREEN。
‘They‘re　going　to　let　us　play　with　it？‘　That　was　a　surprise。
‘It　took　me　till　oh…three…thirty；　but　yes。　Just　a　few　of　us；　though。　We　have　authorization　for　a　plete　feasibility　study。‘　Admiral　Podulski　settled　into　a　deep　leather　chair　and　lit　up　a　cigarette。　His　face　was　thinner　since　the　death　of　his　son；　but　the　crystal…blue　eyes　burned　as　bright　as　ever。
‘They‘re　going　to　let　us　go　ahead　and　do　the　planning？‘　Maxwell　and　Podulski　had　worked　towards　that　end　for　several　months；　never　in　any　real　expectation　that　they‘d　be　allowed　to　pursue　it。
‘Who‘d　ever　suspect　us？‘　the　Polish…born　Admiral　asked　with　an　ironic　look。　‘They　want　us　to　keep　it　off　the　books。‘
‘Jim　Greer；　too？‘　Dutch　asked。
‘Best　intel　guy　I　know；　unless　you‘re　hiding　one　somewhere。‘
‘Не　just　started　at　CIA；　I　heard　last　week；‘　Maxwell　warned。
‘Good。　We　need　a　good　spy；　and　his　suit‘s　still　blue；　last　time　I　checked。‘
‘We‘re　going　to　make　enemies　doing　this；　lots　of　‘em。‘
Podulski　gestured　at　the　window　and　the　noise。　He　hadn‘t　changed　all　that　much　since　1944　and　USS　Essex。　‘With　all　those　a　hundred　feet　away　from　us；　what‘ll　a　few　more　matter？‘
‘How　long　have　you　had　the　boat？‘　Kelly　asked　about　halfway　through　his　second　beer。　Lunch　was　rudimentary；　cold　cuts　and　bread　supplemented　by　bottled　beer。
‘We　bought　it　last　October；　but　we‘ve　only　been　running　it　two　months；‘　the　doctor　admitted。　‘But　I　took　the　Power　Squadron　courses；　finished　top　in　my　class。‘　He　was　the　sort　who　finished　number　one　in　nearly　everything；　Kelly　figured。
‘You‘re　a　pretty　good　line…handler；‘　he　observed；　mainly　to　make　the　man　feel　better。
‘Surgeons　are　pretty　good　with　knots；　too。‘
‘You　a　doc；　to