“A sound tactic,” Sandecker said, “but I think I can point you in the right direction.” He reached into his shirt pocket and handed Castro a folded sheet of paper. “We were curious as well and performed a trace on the funds paid to the mercenaries. Tracking the payment backward from the drop account, we found it had been flushed through no less than three Cayman Islands accounts, each at a different bank. The trail then led through a Venezuelan bank, and finally to a national account in Havana. That’s as far as we could get. You’ll note the account is a registered repository of the Interior Ministry.”
Castro studied the paper wide-eyed. “Gutier! Of course. He has a history of extremism, and his ambition is legendary. If I were out of the picture, he could rely on the support of the Army to strong-arm his way to the presidency. It’s no secret he covets my job. I guess he couldn’t wait… or stand to see Ruiz take my place.”
“I’m sorry,” Sandecker said. “Treachery from within is hard to face.”
“No, I thank you for revealing this rabid dog. I’ve always had my reservations about the man, but he is a capable leader who has served the state well for many years.”
“Does his role in the military create any complications?”
“Absolutely not. My Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces has stood with me for forty years.” He softened his tone. “I’m sorry, James, but the loss of loyalty is difficult to bear.”
“I understand. It is your matter to resolve.”
“The positive is that it has created a building block to our friendship.” Castro finished his drink.
“Agreed,” Sandecker said. “Still, there are two issues on our side of the fence that may prove a hindrance in moving ahead.”
“What would that be?”
“The first comes from Asia. We’ve received a troubling communiqué from our friends in the South Korean National Intelligence Service. They got wind of a rumored deal between Pyongyang and your country. A source alleges that Cuba is providing North Korea a large quantity of high-grade uranium oxide for use in their enrichment facilities. In exchange, North Korea is offering you a small number of tactical nuclear weapons.”
“What?” Castro popped out of his chair. “That is preposterous. Your intelligence is completely mistaken.”
“You have had some small-arms trades with North Korea in the past.”
“True, but they were minute quantities. We have very little business with North Korea. I assure you, James, I have no knowledge of such an agreement. We have no uranium mining on our island to begin with. And we certainly have no need, or desire, for nuclear weapons.”
“I am happy to hear that. Intelligence errors do happen, and anything out of North Korea tends to be unreliable.”
Castro nodded. “That must be the case. It is a mad proposition, but fear not. Now, you indicated there was another matter that concerned you?”
“Yes, a secondary issue of great concern to me personally. It’s our NUMA research vessel Sargasso Sea. You are holding it captive in Cuban waters.”
A blank look fell over Castro’s face. “What do you mean?”
Sandecker explained the sudden loss of communications and the satellite photos showing it afloat in Cuban territorial waters.
Castro shook his head. “I’m sorry, James, I know nothing of this. Are you sure the vessel hasn’t just experienced equipment problems?”
“The satellite photos show no evidence of fire or damage. And the ship has multiple means of communication. We sent a Coast Guard vessel to investigate, but they were driven away by a Cuban Navy vessel. We believe the Sargasso Sea has been apprehended by hostile forces.”
“It is possible a regional naval unit is responsible, but this incident has not been reported in Havana.”
“There are fifty people aboard, some of them close friends. I’d take it as a personal favor if you could let me know what’s going on.”
“Of course. I understand your concern. I promise to look into the matter immediately upon my return to the capital.”
A short distance off the stern, a large fish jumped out of the water, catching both men’s attention.
“Do you like to sport fish, James?” Castro asked.
“It’s been a few years since I battled the big ones,” Sandecker said.
“You and I, we must go fishing on our next visit. The blue marlin in the Florida Straits is the best in the world.”
“Reason enough to meet again soon,” Sandecker said, standing and shaking hands. “I can think of nothing I’d like better.”
64
Riding in the passenger seat this time, Pitt joined the elderly couple for the drive down the hill in the Plymouth. He wore a borrowed straw hat and sunglasses as a minor attempt at cover. There were no roadblocks along the way, though they spotted a speeding military truck as they crossed the paved road.
Fariñas drove through a neighborhood of run-down block houses before stopping at a pink one near the water. An ebullient man with large ears emerged and Fariñas introduced him as his cousin.
“My boat is this way,” the man said. “Come, I can run you over right now.”
Pitt shook Fariñas’s hand and gave Maria a hug. “I won’t forget your kindness.”
“Keep up the good fight, Mr. Pitt,” she said. “And good luck to you and your daughter.”
The cousin led him to a small fishing boat beached on the sand. They dragged it into the water and climbed aboard. A rickety outboard was started and a few minutes later they pulled alongside the stern of Mark Ramsey’s yacht, Gold Digger. A muscle-laden crewman appeared and motioned for them to move away.
“Is Mark aboard?” Pitt shouted.
“Who wants to know?”
“A Bentley driver by the name of Pitt.”
The crewman gave Pitt an annoyed look, then spoke into a handheld radio. His features softened when the radio squawked a minute later and he waved the boat alongside. Pitt thanked Fariñas’s cousin and hopped aboard.
“Mr. Ramsey will be pleased to see you in the salon.” The crewman guided Pitt across the open stern deck and through a pair of French doors.
Dressed in a sport shirt and slacks, Ramsey sat at a table, poring through a stack of seismic surveys. He stood up and greeted Pitt with a warm smile. “You’re a long way from the track, Mr. Pitt. How on earth did you find me here?”
“Your red grizzly bear logo. I remembered it from your car hauler in Washington. I’ve also seen it on another vessel in the area, a mining ship called the Sea Raker.”
“Yes, that’s our flagship deep-sea mining vessel. But you must be mistaken. The Sea Raker is operating under charter in the Pacific off of Nicaragua.”
He showed Pitt to a chair, noticing his disheveled appearance and the bandage on his neck. “What exactly are you doing here?”
“In a word, mercury. I was tracking the dispersal of toxic mercury plumes that have occurred in the Caribbean. They are being created by the destruction of undersea hydrothermal vents. Your ship, the Sea Raker, is responsible for the damage.”
Ramsey shook his head. “No, the Sea Raker is in the Pacific.”
“I was aboard her two days ago not thirty miles from here. We were investigating the seafloor in a submersible and were abducted by one of the ship’s mining machines. We were brought aboard the Sea Raker a short time before being taken to shore. I managed to escape, but my daughter is still being held prisoner.”
“Why would the Sea Raker abduct you?”