“He’s really stressed out,” Dugan said. “Apparently Braun handled the charters of China Star personally. The first Ibrahim learned of it was when the ship appeared on the position report. Like me, he thought it looked hinky and started asking questions.” Dugan paused. “That’s when it got interesting. He went to Braun, who blew up. When he failed to get satisfaction there, he approached Alex, who told him if he didn’t back off, he’d be fired.”
“More proof of Kairouz’s involvement,” Lou said, “but what’s Ibrahim make of it?”
“He doesn’t know what to think,” Dugan said. “On the surface it looks like some sort of kickback deal. His main fear is personal. He believes Braun has somehow forced Alex to enter a shady deal, and he’s afraid that he will somehow become the fall guy if the deal goes sour. He’s pretty conflicted. He’s worked for Alex a long time and knows he’s scrupulously honest. On the other hand, Alex seems to be deferring to Braun completely, and Ibrahim thinks he’s screwed no matter what he does. I guess that’s why he opened up to me so easily.”
“You’re sure no one saw you?” Harry asked.
“I can’t see how,” Dugan said. “We left the office separately and met off site.”
“Still,” Anna said, “I wish you had consulted us before the meet.”
“No time,” Dugan said, “Ibrahim seemed to be in a talkative mood, and I didn’t want to give him time to think about it.”
“Well, your instincts were probably right on that,” Anna said.
“I guess that’s it then,” Lou said. “China Star’s not even at the load port yet, so I doubt there’s an immediate threat. We’ll just keep an eye on it and see what develops. Is there anything else, Anna?”
Anna shook her head, and Harry and Lou stood up. Anna followed them to the door. Just as they reached the door, Lou turned. “By the way, good work, Tom,” he said.
Dugan nodded as Anna let the pair out and locked the door behind them.
“Let me second that,” Anna said as she returned. “It was good work.”
Dugan sighed. “Something’s obviously up with Alex, but I know he’s a victim.”
“Given the evidence, Tom, I can’t understand your certainty.”
“I just am,” Dugan said. “I know him.”
“You seem unlikely friends, really.”
“How so?”
“Well, you’re just… different, that’s all. Alex is so… so ‘European’ I guess is the word. Tactful, multilingual, almost courtly, and…” Anna stopped.
“And I’m what…” Dugan deadpanned. “Blunt? Monolingual? Abrasive?”
“Tom, please, I didn’t—”
Dugan grinned. “How ‘bout ‘American’… will that sum it up?”
Relieved, she smiled. “Quite nicely, you bloody annoying Yank. But seriously, whatever do you and Alex Kairouz have in common?”
“Dead wives,” he said softly and looked away.
He lapsed into silence, and she thought he’d said all he intended. Then he went on.
“Years ago, Alex hired me to inspect a ship. He liked my work and became a regular client. Later I was working a short project in his office that got delayed. I tried to extend my hotel, but they were booked, as were most hotels in London, so Alex invited me home.”
Dugan smiled. “Cassie was just a toddler. Mrs. Hogan served a great meal, and after Mrs. Farnsworth took Cassie to bed, Alex and I had brandy and coffee.” He smiled again. “Mostly brandy. That’s when he told me his wife had died of cancer two years earlier. His wounds were raw, and it was obvious he was burying his grief in work and raising Cassie.”
“The more we drank, the more we opened up. My wife had been dead awhile, but it all came back.” He paused. “Because I had suppressed it too. My kid sister was a rock after Ginny’s death, but some things I couldn’t share even with her, but Alex and I connected. We drank and talked and vented. About good things and bad and things we missed most. We got shitfaced and maudlin and toasted lost loves, and sober and hungover and finally” — Dugan gave a sheepish smile—”embarrassed by our behavior. We never spoke of it again. But I know Alex Kairouz, and Alex Kairouz is no terrorist.”
Anna nodded, understanding and intrigued.
“Will you tell me about Ginny?”
She was afraid she’d offended him, but slowly his face softened.
“The love of my life,” he said with a wistful smile. “Her name was Virginia.”
“How’d you meet?”
Dugan chuckled. “I ran into her. Literally. I bashed my old pickup into her brand-new Mustang convertible in a parking lot.”
“You met in a car crash?” Anna asked, incredulous.
“More like a fender bender. She was livid. The first words she ever said to me were ‘Why don’t you watch where the hell you’re going, you big jerk?’”
Anna smiled. “Not a terribly auspicious beginning.”
“Oh, but it was. There she was, green eyes flashing and the wind in her red hair, ready to kick my ass, all five foot two inches of her, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She calmed down and we traded contact info, and then she called the next day. She was having trouble with the insurance because the accident happened on a private lot with no police report. I told her just to get her car fixed and I would pay for it, provided she let me buy her dinner to apologize. Long story short, we married a year later.”
“What did she do?” Anna asked.
“She was a teacher. First grade. She loved kids,” Dugan said.
“Did she die of cancer too?”
“Accident,” Dugan said. His face clouded, and he looked away. Anna moved closer and took his hand.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “it was wrong of me to pry.”
“No. It’s OK,” he said, turning back to her. “I want to tell you, though I don’t know why. It’s just… difficult to get out.” She squeezed his hand, and he went on. “We were both off for the summer when I was offered some relief-chief work. Since the only way to a permanent chief-engineer job was to start as relief, I jumped at it. We postponed a planned trip, and I went back to sea.
“It was a container ship on a North Europe run. Sat phones were new, and the ship didn’t have one. I called Ginny from pay phones on the dock in US ports, but in Europe then you had to go to the phone company or a hotel to call the US. I couldn’t always get away from the ship, but I did call from our last European port with our ETA in New York so she could meet us, and we could spend a few hours together before the next trip.”
Dugan paused. “When I called, she told me she had a surprise for me in New York, but I couldn’t drag it out of her. Then we just talked about everything and nothing, like you do when you’re in love, just feeling connected. She was talking about visiting her sister in upstate New York when we got cut off. I kept trying back but kept getting a German recording. I got through a half hour later, but there was no answer, and I had to get back to the ship.
“We hit a storm coming back, lost some containers overboard and took minor damage. We were delayed, but I knew Ginny would call the company for an updated ETA before she left home. When we docked, the Coast Guard and a crowd of insurance surveyors boarded to inspect the damage. When the crowd cleared and I hadn’t seen Ginny, I grabbed my coffee can of quarters and headed for the pay phone. I got no answer at home, so I called Ginny’s sister.” Dugan paused. “That’s when I found out.
“We had a renovated apartment, hardwood floors and rugs everywhere, all sizes. Ginny loved the damned things. She slipped on one and smashed her head on the coffee table. When she didn’t show up and her sister couldn’t reach her, she called the police. They found Ginny.
“Ginny wasn’t great with administrative details. Her sister was still listed as next of kin, and she didn’t know how to reach me or when I’d return. After the autopsy, she went ahead with the funeral. Ginny was buried the day before I arrived. I didn’t even get to say good-bye.”