“He was fishing. So was I.”

“I should have known,” Perez said. “Trouble attracts trouble.”

“Why is he trouble?”

“What do you know about the Basque separatist movement?”

“It's been around a long time. Every so often, Basque terrorists blow up a public building or assassinate an innocent government of- ficial.”

“That pretty much sums it up,” Perez said. “There's been talk for decades of a separate Basque state that would straddle Spain and France. The most radical separatist group, ETA, started fighting for an autonomous Basque state in 1968. When Franco died in 1975, the new Spanish government gave the Basques more political power, but the ETA wants the whole enchilada. They've killed more than eight hundred people since taking up the cause. Anyone who is not on their side is an enemy.”

“A familiar story around the world, unfortunately.”

“The political wing of the separatist movement is the Batasuna party. Some people have compared it to Sinn Fein, the public face of the IRA. The Spanish government threw up its hands after more as- sassinations and the discovery of a big ETA weapons cache. Auton- omy wasn't working, so they banned Batasuna and started to crack down on the whole separatist movement.”

“Where does Aguirrez fit in to this bloody little picture?”

“Your instincts were right about there being more to him than meets the eye. He has been a major backer of Batasuna. The gov- ernment has accused him of financing terrorism.”

“I liked him. He didn't look like a terrorist,” Austin said, recall- ing his benefactor's bluff and down-to-earth manners.

“Sure, and Joe Stalin looked like somebody's grandfather.”

Austin remembered the yacht's tough-looking crew and the heavy- duty armament that the vessel carried. “So, are the charges true?”

“He freely admits to supporting Batasuna, but points out that it was a legitimate party when he gave them money. The government suspects he's still channeling money into the movement. They have no proof, and Aguirrez is too well-connected to bring into court with flimsy evidence.”

“What's your take on the guy?”

“In all my years in Spain, I never met him, which was why I was surprised when you said you had. I think he's a moderate who'd like to see a peaceful separatist solution, but the ETA murders have un- dermined his cause. He's afraid the crackdown will rekindle the con- flict and endanger innocent citizens. He may be right.”

Unknown

“Sounds like he's walking a very thin tightrope.”

“Some people say that the pressure's made him unhinged. He's been talking about a way to rally European public opinion in favor of a Basque nation. Did he give you any hint of what's on his mind ?” Perez narrowed his dark eyes. “Surely you didn't talk just about fishing.”

“He struck me as very proud of his Basque heritage-his yacht is named the Nat/arm. He didn't say a word about politics. We talked mostly about archaeology. He's an amateur archaeologist with strong interest in his own ancestors.”