Kaela glanced over at the serving counter. “How's the pizza?”

“Almost as good as Spago's. Especially when you have nectar like this to wash it down.” He reached under the table and produced a bottle of Brunello Chianti Classico. “I picked up a case when we stopped in Venice.”

“You'refull of surprises, aren't you?” Kaela said, laughing.

“Sorry the dinner is not quite as advertised, but you'll have to admit that the water-view table is as promised.”

“No argument there. The view is spectacular.” She rose and said, “If you open the bottle, I'll get our dinner.” She grabbed a tray and stepped into the serving line. A few minutes later, she returned with two personal-sized pizzas and Caesar salads. Austin had the wine opened and poured their glasses. They hungrily attacked their dinner.

“This pizza is incredible,” Kaela said. She sipped the wine with a dreamy expression on her face. Suddenly, she glanced around as if she had lost something. “Have you seen Mickey and Dundee?”

“I meant to tell you. The boys grabbed something to eat earlier, then went up to the bridge to shoot some video. Seems they've charmed their way past Captain Atwood's gruff façade.”

“The camera tends to bring out the ham in people.” Austin refilled their glasses. “Tell me about your Noah's ark assignment.”

“It's the usual combination of humbug and fact that Unbelievable Mysteries packages for the mass TV audience. They splice old blurry images with new footage and do a dramatic voice-over. Heavy on the mysterious background music. There's usually a hint of a government cover-up and some danger to the crew. The viewers love it.”

“The danger was real this time.”

“Yes, it was,” she said thoughtfully. “That's why I feel so bad about Captain Kemal's cousin. It was my idea to look into the old sub base.”

“Don't blame yourself. There was no way you could have known you'd be shot out of the water.”

“Still - has anyone been able to contact Captain Kemal?”

“The bridge got in touch with him a while ago. Apparently, his radio is working now. The captain gave him the bad news.”

“Poor Mehmet. I keep playing that scene over and over again in my head. His family must be devastated.” Austin gently tried to take Kaela's mind off a situation she couldn't alter.

“If you're looking for Noah's ark, wouldn't you do better poking around Mount Ararat?”

Kaela welcomed the chance to change the subject. “No, not especially. You're familiar with the findings of William Ryan and Walter Pitman?”

“They're the Columbia University geologists who speculated that the Black Sea was originally a freshwater lake be- fore the Mediterranean broke through the Bosporus in a great flood. The people who lived along the shore had to run for their lives.”