"You'd think the National Weather Service could give an accurate report ten miles from its forecast office," Blackowl groused as he sipped his fourth coffee of the night. "They said 'light mist." if this is light mist, I'd like to know what in hell they call fog so thick you can dish it with a spoon?"

The agent in charge of radio commudications turned and lifted the earphones on his headset. "The chase boat says they can't see beyond their bow. They request permission to come ashore and tie up."

"Can't say I blame them," said Blackowl. "Tell them affirmative."

He stood and massaged the back of his neck. Then he patted the communications agent on the shoulder. "I'll take over the radio.

You get some sleep."

"As advance agent, you should be bedded down yourself."

"I'm not tired. Besides, I can't see crap on the monitors anyway."

The agent looked up at a large digital clock on the wall. "Zero one fifty hours. Ten minutes till the next post change."

Blackowl nodded and slin into the vacated chair. He had no sooner settled the earphones on his head than a call came from the Coast Guard cutter anchored near the yacht.

"Control, this is River Watch."

"This is Control," Blackowl replied, recognizing the voice of the cutter's commander.

"We're experiencing a problem with our scanning equipment."

"What kind of problem?"

"A high-energy signal on the same frequency as our radar is fouling reception."

A look of concern crossed Blackowl's face. "Could someone be jamming you?"

"I don't think so. It looks like cross traffic. The signal comes and goes as if messages are being transmitted. I suspect that some neighborhood radio freak has plugged onto our frequency by accinent."

"Do you'read any contacts?"

"Boat traffic this time of night is nil," answered the commander.

"The only blip we've seen on the oscilloscope in the last two hours was from a city sanitation tug pushing trash barges out to sea."

"What time did it go by?"

"Dinn't. The blip merged with the riverbank a few hundred yards upstream. The tug's skipper probably tied up to wait out the fog."

"Okay, River Watch, keep me assessed of your radar problem."

"Will do, Control. River Watch out."

Blackowl sat back and mentally calculated the potential hazards.

With river traffic at a standstill, there was little danger of another ship collining with the Eagle. The Coast Guard cutter's radar, though operating intermittently, was operating. And any assault from the river side was ruled out because the absence of visibility made it next to impossible to home in on the yacht. The fog, it seemed, was a blessing in disguise.

Blackowl glanced up at the clock. It read one minute before the post change. He quickly reread the security plan that listed the names of the agents, the areas they were scheduled to patrol and the times.