Into the Black (46 page)

Lyse opened her mouth to defend Kismet, but thought better of it.  The man was giving her an exit.

"A damned expensive joke," muttered the DCI.  "Someone is going to have to pay for this screw-up."

His declaration seemed to signal the end of the meeting.  The section chief shifted in his chair, but did not rise.  "Field Officer Lyon, pending the outcome of an internal investigation into this matter, you are suspended."  Then, as if to soften the blow, he added: "Paid, of course.  Go home, get some rest."

She could barely hear him through the rushing noise in her ears, and it required an effort of will for her not to run from the room.  As she closed the door and crossed the reception area, she had to fight back tears.  Without being consciously aware of her movements, she walked to the elevator and summoned the car.  It was only when a hand slipped into the gap between the closing doors and arresting their movement, that she looked up to acknowledge her surroundings.

The doors slid silently back to reveal the man with the eye patch.  He stepped inside the small enclosure and turned his back so that he was standing beside her, facing the doors.  As they slid into place a second time, he spoke: "I'm sorry I had to do that Lyse."

"Sorry?" she echoed.

"I've followed your career with great interest.  You've exceeded my expectations.  But this latest matter… Perhaps your feelings for him got in the way of the mission.  It's understandable really; after all, that's where all of this began."

"I was telling the truth in there and you know it.  You threw me under the bus."

The man sighed.  "I may have been hasty in debunking the premise upon which your recent efforts were based, so I thought it only fair to give you an opportunity to acquit yourself."

She glanced sidelong at him and noted that he was still staring straight ahead.  Because she was on his left, it was impossible for him to see her at all, but she nevertheless felt his scrutiny.

"It occurred to me," he continued, "that there might be some physical evidence to support Kismet's claims; some sort of object or artifact that would validate his assertion that he had recovered an authentic Bronze Age sailing vessel.  Something he may have kept as a souvenir, perhaps. "

Lyse's heart leaped into her throat. 
He knows
.

It was such a small thing that she had thought nothing of the omission.  And Kismet
had
deserved something for his troubles.  At the time, she hadn't been able to think of a single reason to deny his request—no, his demand—that he be allowed to keep the soggy sheep's hide he claimed to have recovered from the doomed galley.  Yet, to avoid possible recriminations, she had elected not to include any reference to that Fleece in her reports.  Now, she would have to expose Kismet and admit the indiscretion in order to save herself.

Except it wasn't really a big deal.  She didn't owe Kismet that much after all, and since the Company was more concerned about validating the expense of the search effort, she wasn't likely to be in too much hot water for having let Kismet keep his Fleece.  She turned completely to look at the man who still faced straight ahead.

Although the admission was on her lips, something forestalled her.  She pursed her lips and looked away.  "I'm sorry," she began, choosing her words carefully.  "I know that you must be cleared for this since you were in that conference room, but we're not there anymore and to be frank, I have no idea who you really are."

A dry chuckle shook the other man's chest as he at last turned to face her.  "It's no secret, Ms. Lyon.  I'm Rich Houseman.  I work under the President's national security advisor."

Lyse had no reason to doubt his statement and no inclination to ask for credentials, but something about his expression made her instinctively distrustful.  She had an urge to look away from his monocular stare, but sublimated it as best she could.  "Well, Mr. Houseman, let me just say that I remain convinced that Nick Kismet was telling the truth about the existence of the galley—"

You know it too, don't you?

"—and I'm likewise certain that somebody beat us to it.  Maybe it wasn't the Russians, but somebody with a lot of money or a lot of influence, or both, got down there ahead of us and recovered that galley."

"I'm curious in spite of myself, Ms. Lyon.  Who, if not the Russians, do you suppose might have done this?  Who else indeed even knew of its existence?"

"I don't know.  Kind of a scary thought, isn't it?"  She became increasingly convinced that he already knew the answer.  There was only one nation on Earth with the resources to recover a sunken vessel from the extreme depths of the Black Sea; a nation whose leaders had made a study of deception and denial.  She wondered if a similar disaffection with America's clandestine oligarchy had led to Grimes' defection.

"Scary," he echoed.

The elevator car settled to a stop and a chime announced its arrival as the doors slid apart.  Lyse needed no other cue.  She immediately stepped forward, eager to be away, but Houseman was not done.  "Lyse, you haven't answered my question."

She faced him steadily, maintaining eye contact so that he would have no reason to doubt her veracity.  "If Nick did take a souvenir, I didn't see it.  Maybe you should ask him."

There was another chime, and as the doors began sliding shut Lyse saw the man's lips draw back in a feral, wolf-like grin.  His words chilled her more than the bitter winter air outside.

"Oh, I will. When I see Kismet again, be sure that I will."

SEAN ELLIS is the author of several novels. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Policy from Oregon State University. He lives with his wife and two sons in Arizona, where he divides his time between writing, adventure sports, and trying to figure out how to save the world.

You can learn more about Sean by going to his website: www.seanellisthrillers.webs.com.

OTHER SEVEN REALMS NOVELS BY SEAN ELLIS

“
Saving the world has never been this much fun
!” – David Sakmyster, author of THE PHAROS OBJECTIVE.