Pitt had no choice but to wearily resign himself and turn his battered body over to the doctor's care. In the cabin he fought a halfhearted battle against unconsciousness, but the administered sedatives won a beachhead, and soon he was sheathed in a deep sleep.

9

9

Pitt stared at the gaunt and repulsive face that echoed his image from a small mirror hanging in the cabin's head. The black hair dangled down his face and ears, adding an unkempt crown above the deep green eyes that were circled and etched with jagged red blood vessels. He had not slept long; his watch showed a time lapse of only four hours. It was the heat that woke him, the morning blanket of hot air, drifting across the sea from Africa and digging its burning fingers into his skin. He discovered the ventilator that was closed, and he opened it, but the damage was already done. The hot dry air had a head start and the air-conditioning would never catch up and cool the cabin, at least not until early evening. He pushed the tap and splashed water over his face, letting the coolness soak into his pores as it dribbled down his back and shoulders.

He briskly dried his damp skin and tried to recall in sequence what had happened the night before. Willie and the Maybach-Zepplin. The villa. Drinking with von Till. Teri's beauty, her paled features. Then the labyrinth, the dog and the escape. Athena; did her owner ever find her? The dory, this morning, the yellow Albatros and the explosion. Now the waiting for Gunn and his crew to salvage the plane and find the body of its mystery pilot. What was the connection with von Till? What were the old kraut's motives? And Teri. Did she know about the trap? Was she trying to warn him? Or, did she bait him into being used and pumped for information by her uncle?

He shook all thoughts and questions from his mind. The bandages itched and he fought the agonizing urge to scratch…God, it was hot…if only he had a nice cold drink. The only item of clothing the doctor hadn't cut off his body was his shorts. He rinsed them out in the basin and put them on wet. Within minutes they were completely dry.

A light knock came from the door. It slowly swung open and the red-haired cabin boy poked his head around the bulkhead. "Are you awake, Major Pitt?" he queried softly.

"Yes, but just barely," Pitt replied.

"I…I didn't mean to bother you," the boy said hesitantly. "The doc asked me to check on you every fifteen minutes to make sure you were resting comfortably."

Pitt threw a withering stare at the cabin boy. "Who the hell can rest comfortably in this furnace with the air-conditioning turned off?"

A lost bewildered look crossed the young sunburned face. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry sir. I thought Commander Gunn left it on."