Zak stared back without blinking. “It may be a long shot. But the Inuit ruthenium had to come from somewhere, and we’re talking one hundred and sixty years ago in the middle of the Arctic. The journal has a map of the island, showing exactly where it was mined. The Inuit didn’t have front-end loaders and dump trucks back then, so they would have had to pretty much find the stuff lying on the ground. There has to be more there. While this Mid-America Company has appeared in the area, they’re looking for zinc, and on the opposite side of the island. Yes, Mitchell, it may well be a long shot. But there could be an enormous payoff if it’s there, and an enormous cost to you if someone else gets to it first.”

“Aren’t we the only ones who know about the Inuit deposits?”

Zak squinted slightly, his lips pressed in a tight grimace.

“There is the possibility that Dirk Pitt is aware of the trail,” he said.

“Pitt?” Goyette asked, shaking his head in nonrecog nition.

“He’s the Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency in the United States. I ran into him at the research lab in Washington and noticed him giving aid to the lab manager after the explosion. He appeared again in Ontario, at the Miners Co-op, just after I took these journal entries. I tried to arrange an accident on the road out of town, but some old man helped him escape. He’s obviously aware of the importance of ruthenium in triggering the artificial-photosynthesis process.”

“He might be on to you as well,” Goyette said, a crease crossing his troubled brow.

“I can take care of that easily enough,” Zak said.

“It’s not a good idea to be blowing up high-visibility government officials. He can’t do anything from the States. I’ll have him tailed just to make sure he stays there. Besides, I’ll need you to go to the Arctic and investigate the Royal Geographical Society Islands. Take a security team with you, and I’ll send along some of my top geologists. Then figure out a way to put Mid-America out of business. I want you to find the ruthenium. Obtain it at any cost. All of it.”

“That’s the Mitchell Goyette I know and love,” Zak said with a twisted smile. “We haven’t talked about my share.”

“It’s a pipe dream at the moment. Ten percent of the royalties is more than generous.”

“I was thinking of fifty percent.”

“ That’s absurd. I’ll be incurring all of the capital costs. Fifteen percent.”

“It’s going to take twenty.”

Goyette clenched his teeth. “Get off my boat. And enjoy the cold.”

Chapter 40

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