“You’re a cad and a bounder, Joe, but I would have been devastated if anything had happened to you.” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Now, how can I be of help in solving an ocean crime? As you pointed out, I’m a landlubber.”

“You’re also an expert on Asian crime, which I’m not.” Zavala described the triangular mark Austin had discovered on the AUV’s blade and the connection between the underwater robot that attacked the bathysphere and the fishing company owned by Pyramid Trading.

She let out a low whistle.

“Pyramid. The baddest of the bad. You couldn’t have chosen a worse bunch to tangle with, if that’s the case. You and Kurt are damned lucky to be alive.”

“What do you know about Pyramid?”

“Let me give you some perspective,” Caitlin said. “My job is to keep Asian crime as far from U.S. shores as possible and to solve crimes when they do occur. It’s a losing battle. We’ve had Asian criminal enterprises in this country since the early 1900s, starting with the Chinese tongs.”

“Didn’t the tongs originate the term hatchet man?” Zavala asked.

“The hatchet men were the Chinese thugs who fought one another during the tong wars. The tongs started as social clubs but then became gangs. They are still thriving today as part of an international network that’s dominated by the big criminal organizations known as Triads. That’s why the triangle you described is so interesting.”

“In what way?”

“The term Triad was coined by the British, who saw that the Chinese symbol for secret society was a triangle.”

Zavala’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re right,” he said, “that is interesting.”

“The triangle symbolized the unity of heaven, earth, and man,” Caitlin said. “Pyramid uses it as a trademark for its legitimate enterprises. But it’s still involved with extortion, murder, prostitution, drugs, loan-sharking, and money laundering.”

“The tried and true,” Zavala said.

“It’s also got a worldwide network of gangs in every city. The names all start with Ghost: the Ghost Devils, the Ghost Shadows, the Ghost Dragons. You get the picture. They do the dirty work: intimidation, enforcement, murder. They’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

“What about the legal side?”

“The criminal stuff is the bedrock, but it has evolved into a nontraditional organization with foreign affiliates and legitimate businesses: manufacturing, real estate, movies, phamaceuticals. And, as you discovered, commercial fishing. Some of its divisions have gotten into trouble for producing contaminated, dangerous products.”

“Does the Pyramid leadership have a human face?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it has three. The company is said to be run by a set of triplets.”

“That’s an unusual arrangement.”