Sandecker puffed out a plume of smoke that temporarily enveloped his head in a purple cloud. “I assume that was I rhetorical question, because you're much too savvy in the ways of this city. You know that gratitude simply does not exist inside the Beltway. We've stolen their thunder, and they resent that.”

Gunn sighed. “That's pretty much the scuttlebutt I've heard. There's even criticism behind our back that our 'bungling' is the reason that the captain and pilot are still missing with the sub.”

“Nice of us to provide an excuse for the incompetence of other agencies,” Sandecker said. “But I'm afraid it means NUMA is on its own when it comes to the Sea Hunter business. Any lead on this man, Boris?”

“He's a will-o'-the-wisp,” Austin said. “Our best chance is to concentrate on Razov. At last report, his yacht had left the Black Sea, and we're trying to track it down.”

“We're going to have to do better,” Sandecker said. Sandecker's intercom beeped softly, and the voice of his secretary came on.

“I know you're in conference, Admiral, but Mr. Yaeger is here with two other gentlemen and he says it's urgent that they see you.”

“Send them in, please,” Sandecker said. A moment later, the office door opened and Yaeger came in, followed by the diminutive Dr. Reed and a stranger. Sandecker had spent too much time on the water not to recognize Jenkins as a fisherman, especially after they shook hands and he felt the barnacle-hard calluses.

He greeted them warmly and told the men to pull up chairs. “Well, Hiram, what brings you out of your sanctum sanctorum?”

“I think Dr. Jenkins can explain it better than I can.” Jenkins was nervous at being in the presence of the legendary director of NUMA. But once he started to talk, he hit his stride. When Jenkins finished his saga, Reed gave his opinion as a geochemist. Finally, Yaeger pitched in, passing around printouts of the diagrams Max had projected onto the screen. Sandecker sat back in his chair, tenting his fingers, his eyes alert to every nuance.

When they were through with their presentation, he tapped his intercom. “Please see if Dr. Wilkins can come up from the Geology Department.”

Dr. Elwood Wilkins arrived a few minutes later. He was I slim, reserved midwesterner who looked like one of those movie character actors who always played the kindly pharmacist or family doctor. Sandecker pulled over another chair close to his desk. He passed Wilkins the printouts and gave the geologist a few minutes to study them. Wilkins finished reading the material and looked up.

Sandecker answered the question in the scientist's eyes. "These gentlemen have suggested that it is possible for the edge of the continental shelf along the East Coast to cave in, creating destructive tsunamis. While I value their opinion, it a never hurts to hear from a disinterested observer. What do d you think?”