Carrera stared back appraisingly. “That’s it? You must have said something to make him suspicious.”
Professor shook his head. “I don’t think so. He had me convinced it was just a mechanical failure.”
“Maybe he thought you would keep looking. Ask the wrong person the right question and blow the whole thing wide open.” She blinked. “You weren’t part of the original search, then? What made you decide to look into it?”
“We got some intel indicating that your plane’s disappearance might have been aimed at a specific passenger. It was shaky, but I had to follow up on it.”
Carrera was incredulous. “You’re saying someone took my aircraft and everyone on it, just to get one guy? Who?”
“A Brit named Parrott. Ian Parrott.”
“Name doesn’t ring any bells. He’s not part of the group here. What’s so special about him?”
“He’s the publisher for a guy named Gerald Roche.” Carrera’s blank look indicated that she had not heard of him either. “Honestly, I can’t say for certain that Parrott is the reason for all this, but the coincidences are piling up.” Professor paused a beat. “Your turn. What happened up there? And who’s behind it?”
“I don’t know. We were flying, no problems, and then Seth put a needle in my neck.”
“Seth? That would be Seth Norris, the pilot?”
“The captain,” she corrected. “Only…”
Professor waited several seconds for her to elaborate, and when she did not, he prompted. “Only what?”
“Well, it’s going to sound crazy but… He was different.”
“Like he was being coerced?”
“No, not at all. He was cool as ice. But he just didn’t seem like the Seth Norris I know.”
Professor turned this revelation over in his head but could not immediately see how it fit with everything else. “What happened then?”
“Woke up right here. Been here ever since.”
“No one told you why?”
“No one told us anything. Haven’t seen the buggers. One guy talks to us on the public address. We call him ‘Boss.’ Don’t recognize the voice, but he doesn’t sound Korean if you know what I mean.”
“Talks to you? What does he say?”
“Mostly just reminds us not to make trouble. This morning he told us all to go inside and stay put. That’s what happens when they bring in a food delivery, but we weren’t due. When I came out, I saw you.”
Professor mulled this over as well. “Is there a perimeter? A fence or wall around this place?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t gone looking. That would be the kind of trouble Boss told us not to make.” She squinted at him. “I hope you’re not thinking about making any trouble.”
“I’m not going to sit here and do nothing.”
“The safety of the people here is my responsibility. I won’t let you put them in danger.”
“They’re already in danger. They aren’t holding you as hostages. The world thinks you’re all dead, and they’re obviously content to leave it that way. If the North Koreans or some other government is behind this, then they’re damn sure not going to want anyone outside to know.”
Carrera’s nostrils flared angrily. “You’ll get us all killed.”
“I don’t think so. They want something from you all. That’s the only reason you’re still alive, but as soon as they get it, they won’t have any further use for you. Ergo, we need to make our move sooner rather than later.”
“Make our move? And go where? We can’t escape from North Korea.”
“Actually, we can. I’ve done it before.”
“You?” Carrera gaped at him. “You’re serious, aren’t you? What, you James Bond or something?”
“Something.” He turned for the door.
“Hey.” She grabbed his arm. “I’m serious. Why should I believe that you can do this? Who are you?”
Professor pursed his lips. Like most former operators, he did not like to parade his military service in front of others, but it wasn’t like he was trying to pick Carrera up at a bar. “I was in the SEALs,” he said. “US Naval Special Warfare Group. That’s really all I can tell you.”
“Let me guess,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “If you told me anything more, you’d have to kill me.”
“No,” he answered with a chuckle. “But it’s need to know, and all you need to know is that I can get us out.”
“You were really in the SEALs?”
He raised three fingers. “Scouts honor.”
Carrera pursed her lips. “There’s forty-seven of us. I don’t care how Rambo you are, there’s no way we’ll all make it out. But you might be able to make it out on your own. Let the world know we’re here. It’s the best chance any of us have.”
As reluctant as he was to accept half-measures, he could not argue with her logic. Even with his knowledge of escape and evasion tactics, the odds of such a large group successfully running the gauntlet of North Korean security forces were slim to none. If he escaped on his own, there was a very good chance that his mysterious captors would punish those he left behind, but what he had told Carrera was the absolute truth. They were all living on borrowed time.
“I won’t be able to do anything until nightfall. Let’s take a look around. You can give me the nickel tour.”
Her expression remained apprehensive but she nodded and gestured to the door. Even before he was outside, Professor started running through possible escape scenarios, compiling checklists of items he would need to acquire, like water, food, weapons, and things he would need to watch for like hostile observation posts, surveillance cameras, minefields, and most importantly, places where he might be able to take refuge. He took note of the layout of the camp, the spacing of the cabins and the distance to the tree line. The location of the sun….
He stopped abruptly and stared at the sky in disbelief. “Damn it,” he muttered.
“What’s the matter?” Carrera asked.
Her voice snapped him back to the moment. He raised his wrist in an almost reflexive action to check the time, though he already knew that he would find only bare skin where his Omega Seamaster chronograph ought to have been. “They took my watch.”
Carrera shrugged. “Mine, too.”
“What time is it?”
“I’m not really even sure what time zone we’re in, but my best guess is a little after noon.”
“Guess I’ll have to make do,” he said with a rueful smile. “I really liked that watch.”
His dismay was sincere but it had nothing to do with his missing timepiece. He was mad at himself, and not just for almost letting his poker face to slip. He was mad because he had made a rookie mistake by trusting someone he didn’t know.
He surreptitiously glanced up at the sky again, confirming what he already knew. It was indeed midday, but from the angle of the shadows and the subtle change in their position, he was able to orient himself, and while it would have taken him at least half an hour of careful observation to make a precise determination, it was patently obvious that the sun was in the northern sky. The location of the secret prison camp was more likely at forty degrees south latitude, rather than north.
Which meant that woman claiming to be Jeanne Carrera was lying about being a professional aviator, or intentionally deceiving him about their location. Either way, he had already told her far too much.
TWELVE
Gabrielle Greene swept into Shah’s office with all the subtlety of a thunderstorm. “Have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Two of your jihadists attacked Jade Ihara in Scotland.”