Gale Force

42

McKenna stared up at the Lion as two Coast Guard ASTs winched something large and black from the listing deck of the freighter to the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter hovering above the wreck.

“What do you make of it, skipper?” Ridley asked beside her.

McKenna frowned. “It doesn’t look good,” she said. “They were supposed to get that sailor off. I hope nobody got hurt.”

Through her binoculars, she studied the helicopter and the cargo on the end of the winch line. The object was long and shapeless, and the ASTs handled it awkwardly. McKenna watched it rise toward the open door of the helicopter, felt a sudden lurch of recognition.

The object was a body bag. Someone onboard the Lion was dead.

IN THE CARGO HOLD, Hiroki Okura gripped the briefcase to his chest and thanked the fates for his incredible luck.

He’d nearly given himself up when the technician had called out from above, thought he’d been spotted, that the game was over. But the technician’s light hadn’t found him; it had swung past, swung deeper into the hold, and Okura listened as the second tech descended to investigate.

“Anything?” the first tech called down. “Thought I saw something that looked human.”

A beat. Then: “Oh, it’s human all right. But I’d say we’re a little late for a rescue.”

For a moment, Okura was confused. Then he understood. Ishimaru. They’ve found Tomio’s body.

In an instant, Okura realized he’d just won the lottery. The Coast Guard would assume Ishimaru was the missing Japanese second officer. The only men who could correct them were already back in Japan.

This was a gift. Divine intervention. This was a fifty-million-dollar stroke of good luck.

Okura had lain in the dark. Listened to the techs discuss how to retrieve the stowaway’s body. Lay still and waited for the men to retreat and leave him alone with the briefcase.