“Miz Murphy, it’s so kind of you to fly all the way over from Mohan, just to talk to us.”
“It’s my pleasure, Senator,” Kate Murphy said.
“We do appreciate it. I know you’re a busy person, got all kinds of important things to tend to. I bet running an oil rig, a young gal like you, you must be a heck of a . . . a heck of a . . .” He seemed to lose his train of thought.
“Well, thank you, Senator,” she said after the moment of silence had begun to stretch to an embarrassing length.
Then the senator’s vapid smile faded and his eyes seemed to clear. “Now having gotten all the necessary formalities out of the way—could I prevail on you to tell me why you and the last four witnesses from Trojan Energy have all lied to me, to this subcommittee, and to the American people?”
She felt a flush rise to her cheeks. “Excuse me?”
“Let me rephrase the question. Isn’t it true that your company, Trojan Energy, has on numerous occasions paid out ransom money to pirates over the past year?”
She stuttered, “Pirates?”
“Islamists. Jihadis. Insurgents. Call them whatever you want, but please answer my question.”
“Honestly, I’m not all that sure what—”
“And isn’t it true that these pirates are closely allied with Islamic terrorists in the Philippines, in Malaysia, and in the Sultanate of Mohan?”
“Sir, I was under the impression I wasght±ssion I w brought here to testify about oil drilling technology.”
Senator McClatchy spread his hands widely and gave her a broad smile. “You were, were you?” Senator McClatchy’s smile faded just the slightest bit. “See, and I was under the impression that you were here to truthfully and completely answer the questions I directed to you. Whatever questions I directed to you.”
“I just—”
“You just what? You just wanted to avail yourself of your constitutional right to hold your tongue so as not to incriminate yourself?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then why don’t you just tell this committee the truth? That Trojan Energy is funding terrorism.”
Kate Murphy could feel the red spots forming on her high cheekbones, the ones that always popped up right before she said something she shouldn’t. So she kept her mouth shut.
Senator McClatchy looked down at his notes. “How much do you know about a man named Abu Nasir?”
“Only that he’s some sort of terrorist in Mohan. I mean, if the guy actually exists. Some people seem to think he’s just a myth.”
“Oh, he’s not myth. I guarantee you that.” McClatchy fixed his eyes on her for a long time. “Are you aware that Trojan Energy has paid over forty-seven million dollars in ransom to Abu Nasir in the past twelve months?”
She swallowed. “If that’s true, I was not aware of it.”
“Really?”
“Those decisions are above my pay grade.” Kate Murphy had of course heard rumors that various ships owned by Trojan affiliates had been seized by pirates, and that substantial ransoms had been paid. But her bosses at Trojan had kept those details private.
“Above your pay grade. I see. Except it is a matter of the public record that Trojan Energy continues to receive U.S. government loans and loan guarantees to encourage its participation in the Obelisk project. Which means either you’re ignorant or you’re lying.”
“You’re free to draw whatever conclusions you like.”
“So you refuse to comment on whether or not American taxpayer funds have been funneled into the coffers of Islamic terrorists and pirates.”
Kate had an urge to stand up and shout that she knew nothing about any of this. But instead she kept her voice low and cool. “Refuse? No, Senator, I’m not refusing. I keep telling you, my job is to run a rig and make sure that when my bosses pull the handle, oil comes out. I just don’t have the answers to your questions.”
Senator McClatchy’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you think that a bunch of ducking and dodging is out of place when our national security is being threatened by a bunch of fanatical terrorists?”
“I’m not dodging—”
The senator cut her off. “Don’t you think it’s time to start taking action? To stand shoulder to shou217±der to shlder with our friends like the Sultan and fight our enemies instead of subsidizing them?”
Kate Murphy sighed. She knew none of this had anything to do with her personally, but it made her angry that she’d been brought here to get made a fool of on national television just so Senator McClatchy could rattle his saber and score some political points.
“Do you really think the United States of America should just sit around helplessly while these criminals and thugs take off with millions of dollars’ worth of oil revenue we pulled from the ground with our technology and expertise?”
“I keep telling you, I don’t know enough about the situation to answer that question.” Then, without thinking, she added, “But if what you’re saying is true, I damn sure hope we won’t.”
For a moment Senator McClatchy glared at her. Then a loud bleat of laughter escaped his lips. “Bless your heart,” he said. “Young lady, you make me want to stand up and salute the flag.”
When she was finally dismissed, Kate was still hot with anger. Her bosses at Trojan Energy had sent her to Washington because she knew enough about the Obelisk to be a credible witness but not enough to cause any real damage. She couldn’t decide if she was angrier at them for making her their sacrificial goat, or at these smug politicians who spent their lives gaining and maintaining power by tearing down other people. So she decided to let it go and checked her BlackBerry. For some reason she couldn’t access her email or her phone messages. Her display window read SYSTEMS ERROR. Being out of touch with her rig, even for a day, left her feeling uneasy and incomplete, the same way she imagined other women her age felt about being away from their husbands and children. Kate thought to herself that if Ben were still alive, she might have been one of those women. His face with the crooked smile appeared to her, then vanished just as quickly—along with the expectation of a life she knew would never be hers.
As she made her way down the corridor, she saw the subcommittee members emerging from the hearing room. They’d apparently adjourned after her testimony for a break. McClatchy was heading in her direction with another senator. She tried to avoid him, pretending to make a call on her broken BlackBerry. But he abruptly excused himself from his colleague and waited for her to disconnect from her imaginary call. “Sorry if I was a bit rough on you in there, Miss Murphy. Nothing personal, you understand.”
“Right. Nothing personal,” Kate said, trying to keep her voice flat.
Kate expected him to move past her, but instead he moved closer. Close enough that Kate could smell his sour breath. He lowered his voice to an intimate tone that made her skin crawl. “Listen, if you’ve got some time tonight, I was hoping you could join me for dinner. I’d like to show you around town, have a little fun.”
Kate blinked, stunned. She felt like saying, Are you out of your fucking mind, old man? But instead she heard herself thanking the senator for the invitation, politely declining, and telling him she had to catch an early morning flight. Which was true. And once she brushed past the sour-smelling senator, the thought of getting back to the Obelisk eased her mind. The anger drained from her body, replaced by the comforting knowledge that tomorrow she’d be back on her rig, the only home she’d knowle ±8217;d knn in nearly two years.
A chopper was idling on the roof waiting to take Gideon and Earl Parker to McGuire Air Force Base. It was a white Sikorsky bearing unobtrusive air force markings. No sooner had they strapped in than the bird was aloft. It was a stunning view, the chopper sailing below the tops of the tallest buildings.