Zacynthus sat up and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I've just about reached the end of my rope. I feel as though I've just clawed my way up a steep mountain, only to find the peak enshrouded in fog. Possibly you understand, I don't know, but I've dedicated my life to tracking down scum like von Till." He paused for a moment, then went on very quietly. "I've never failed to crack a case. I can't give up now. That ship must be stopped, and yet, thanks to our lily white code of justice, it can't be stopped. God, can you imagine what will happen if that cargo of heroin reaches the States?"

"I've given it some thought."

"Screw your code of justice." Giordino seemed vexed. "Let me stick a limpet mine on that old tub's hull and bang." He formed a blast cloud with his hands. "The fish inherit the drugs."

Zacynthus nodded slowly. "You have a direct approach, but a—"

"Simple mind," Pitt interrupted again. He grinned at Giordino's scornful glance.

"Believe me, I would much prefer to see a hundred schools of doped-up fish than one drug-crazed schoolboy." Zacynthus' voice was grim. "Destroying that ship would only solve the immediate problem; it's like cutting off one tentacle of an octopus. We'd still be left with von Till and his able gang of seagoing smugglers, not to mention the unanswered riddle of his—I am forced to admit—ingenious operation. No, we must be patient. The Queen Artemisia hasn't docked at Chicago yet. We'll get another chance at her in Marseille."

"I don't think you'll have any better luck in Marseille," Pitt said doubtfully. "Even if one of your phony French dockworkers slips on board, you have the gilt-edged Pitt guarantee that he won't find anything worth writing home about."

"How would you know that for certain?" Zacynthus suddenly looked up, surprised. "Unless…unless you somehow searched the ship yourself."

"With him, anything's possible," Giordino murmured. "He was seaward of the ship when it anchored. I lost him through the night glasses for almost half an hour."

Now all four men looked at Pitt questioningly.

Pitt laughed and flipped his cigarette over the embankment. "The time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things. Gather round, gentlemen, and listen to the cloak and dagger adventures of Dirk Pitt, the naked cat burglar."

* * *

Pitt finally leaned back against the truck and became silent. For a long moment he stared at the thoughtful faces in front of him.