The Vulcan Disaster

Mr. Archer—

I will need a complete chart for the twenty-seventh; location, the border between Israel and Syria. Please have it ready for my inspection by to-morrow afternoon.

In the meantime, may I expect you at dinner in my cabin at seven tonight? On second thought, I won’t take no for an answer. My servant will call at your door at a quarter to. Black tie. Welcome aboard—

A.

“Well,” I said. And then I thought about that a moment Israel and Syria. Four days from now. How could I get through to Sonia as quickly as possible?

And Alexandra Komarova? I hadn’t even met her yet. I’d seen her coming and going, always at a distance. The one peep I’d had at what the help tended to call the “Forbidden City” — the great saloon of the ship and the posh suites that radiated out from it, aft — had given me a clear picture of the incredible wealth of Alexandra’s surroundings; the saloon was a regular museum of weaponry and the armorer’s craft, and the fittings were all antique brass and fruitwood paneling. Now I’d be getting a close look at her own digs. And how close a look to the old man’s? I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t seen him at all so far, and I wasn’t sure which cabin was his, but I intended to case the area tonight if any opportunity presented itself at all.

I folded the note and stuck it in a pocket. Then I headed below to my own cabin to dress. That imperious summons of hers didn’t leave me much time.

I was just putting the knot in my tie — I still tie my own; pre-knotted ties always look so sleazy — when there was a rap on my door. Small. Quiet. Timid.

“Yes?” I said.

The knock came again I opened the cabin door — elegant cherry paneling, I noticed — and Sonia, in a messy painter’s smock, slipped inside without a word.　

“Nick,” she said with a harried-looking smile. “I’ve been wanting to fall into your arms for days, and the first time I find you alone, you’re dressing for dinner and I’m wearing this.”

I tipped her chin up and kissed her delicately, keeping my splendor clear of all that fresh oil paint. “Just the person I wanted to see. I think I’ve got a lead, for Leon. A big one.” I pulled out the note and showed it to her. She looked — and gasped audibly, one hand to her mouth.

“My God,” she said in a small voice, looking at the wall, eyes out of focus. “Four days? That’s not much time.”

“That’s what I figured. That means the arms delivery has been made, I think. And it probably means...”

“It means somebody’s going to make some very quick use of them, blitzkrieg style. And the last-minute plans... I’ll bet they’re going to be discussed ashore tomorrow night. But... but Nick. That means...”

“That Alexandra’s part of whatever it is? Maybe. It’s her party. Her idea to go ashore. And in the course of a big village whingding, it’d be easy for her to get together with her friends, and...”

“Nick. I don’t know what to think. Alexandra? She’s a bitch, all right. But this...”

“I haven’t met her yet. What’s she like? Has she changed? I mean, since you saw her last?”

“Yes, but...”

“How?”

“She’s... she’s the same as she always was. Only more controlled. It’s as if she’d found some sort of purpose in life. It’s... but Nick. That would mean...”

“Komaroff’s ill, you know.”

“Oh? I hadn’t heard.”

“Michel let on today that we’re under sail, cumbersome as that is, because of Komaroff’s stomach. He can’t stand the hum of the diesels underfoot.”

“Then maybe he has her doing some of his dirty work. Yes, that would fit. I had been wondering, you know. There I was a rumor that filtered down — from the other side of the salt, as one says — that she had taken a new lover. It was during the last cruise. And... but no, this makes more sense. Of course; he has never trusted anyone else to do the work for him, and if he is deathly ill...”

“Sonia,” I said. “I think tomorrow night’s the big night. The more I think of it...”

“The big night? For them?”

“No, for us. Tomorrow night the party will give you a chance to slip ashore and make some sort of contact with Leon — with the organization.”

“Me? What about you?”

“I’m going to case the Forbidden City tonight. And tomorrow, when the party’s going on...”

“Nick.” She grabbed my arm in her strong little hand. “Yes. I saw the duty roster today. There will only be a skeleton crew aboard her. Almost all the crew has been given shore leave. Yes, yes...”

“Right. And even if it blows my cover, it may not matter much longer. With the big push set for four days from now...”