“How do they intend to move all that water?”

“A Gogstad company has already developed the technology to transport millions of gallons across the oceans in huge sealed bags. In addition, Gogstad shipyards have been building fifty thousand-gross-ton tankers that can serve double duty hauling oil and water.”

“That's got to be pretty expensive.”

“They say water flows uphill to money. The customers will pay any price. Most of it won't quench the thirst of some poor bastard scratching a living in a dust bowl. It's for high tech, one of the biggest polluters, incidentally.”

“The whole thing is incredible.”

“Hold on to your seat, Joe, because that's only part of it.” He tapped the map of North America with his finger. “Here's the big market. The U.S.A. Remember what I said about Gogstad controlling the Canadian water supply? There's a plan to divert massive quantities of water from Hudson Bay through the Great Lakes to the U.S. Sun Belt.” His finger moved to Alaska. “California and the other desert states have sucked the Colorado River practically dry, so another scheme would take glacier water from the Yukon and move it to the American West through a vast system of dams, dikes, and giant reservoirs. A tenth of British Columbia would be flooded, and there would be massive natural resource and human disruptions. The new hydroelectric plants would garner huge amounts of energy. Guess who is strategically placed to benefit from the energy and construction money?”

“I think I know the answer.”

“Uh-huh. They'll reap billions! The plans for this boondoggle have been around for years. They've never advanced be cause they're so destructive and expensive, but they are getting some powerful support, and there's a chance they'll go through.”

“Gogstad again?”

“Now you're getting it,” Cohen said. He was becoming more excited. “This time the opposition won't be there. Gogstad has bought up newspapers and TV stations. It can create a drumbeat that won't be easy to resist. The political clout Gogstad can bring to bear is phenomenal. They've got ex-presidents, prime ministers, secretaries of state on their boards. There's no way to fight it. You put that kind of political and financial clout in the hands of someone willing to use street gang methods, and you'll know why I'm so damned nervous.”

He stopped to catch his breath. His face was flushed with excitement. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. He stared at Zavala as if daring him to argue with him.

Then Cohen's whole body seemed to deflate. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I've been close to this mess for too long. I think I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This is the first chance I've had to get it out of my system.”

Zavala nodded. “The sooner the story is published, the better. How soon before you run it?”

“Soon. We're putting the final pieces in place. We want to know why Gogstad has built so many supertankers.”

“That certainly fits in with their plans to ship bulk water.”