The Singaporean officer snaked her left arm through the rungs so her right arm was free. The man shifted to her right side and grasped the rung above her. She used her free arm to help him up. Bob Herbert was right. This was easier than trying to move them both. Meanwhile, Herbert reached behind the man and hooked a hand under his good arm. That gave the man all the extra lift he needed. With Loh pushing from below, he was able to make it into the doorway. Herbert pulled him in. Loh followed.

“You okay?” Herbert asked when Loh climbed in.

“Yes,” she said. “Are you sure there isn’t time to get the other man?”

“Very sure,” the pilot said, glancing at the fuel gauge. “We need to pull out. Now.”

The naval officer understood. She unhooked the ladder, pulled it in, and shut the door. She piled it against the door, then fell into the empty seat across from Herbert. She looked at him as the pilot swung the helicopter to the southwest. “Thank you, Bob.”

“Yes, thank you,” said the new arrival.

Loh and Herbert looked at him. The man was sitting in the seat that Herbert had vacated to help him aboard. He was soaked and shivering. He had his left elbow cupped in his right hand.

“Do you have a towel back here?” Herbert asked the pilot.

“I’m afraid not,” the pilot replied.

“A bottle of water?” Herbert asked.

“I finished it a hundred miles back.”

Herbert regarded the man and shrugged. “Sorry.”

“That’s all right,” he said weakly. “I’m just glad to be here. I thought I was a dead man.”

“How about that arm?” Herbert asked. “We can rig a sling for you.”

“It’s my shoulder, actually,” the man said. “It was hurt when the boat was upended. It will keep.”

“We’ll get that taken care of ashore,” Jelbart said. “In the meantime, talk to us. Who are you?”

“I am Peter Kannaday, captain of the Hosannah,” the man said weakly. “And you people are?”

“I’m Warrant Officer Jelbart. The gentleman across from you is Bob Herbert, and the lady is Female Naval Officer Loh.”

“Australia, America, and—Singapore?”

Loh nodded.

“I thank you all,” the man said with a little nod to each.

“Tell me, Captain. What were you doing out here?” Jelbart asked.

“And who was that individual in the water with you?” Loh asked as she removed the damp pilot’s gloves. She flexed her cold fingers. “You said he betrayed you.”

“He betrayed me, and he betrayed Australia,” the man replied coldly, his eyes fixed on something far away.

“How?” Loh asked.

The man blinked quickly as though waking from a trance.

“Captain Kannaday?” Loh pressed.

“Forgive me,” the man said. Suddenly, he began to sob. “Officers, if you would indulge me. This has been a terrible night. I would like to shut my eyes for just a few minutes.”