She gazed out at the sleepy harbor. “Strange being back here. This place is so peaceful.”

“So is a graveyard,” Paul said.

Throckmorton bustled over and greeted them with his usual ef- fusiveness. “The Doctors Trout! What a pleasure it is to have you aboard. I'm so glad you called. I had no idea after our discussion in Montreal that we'd be seeing each other so soon.”

“Neither did we,” Gamay said. “Your findings created quite a stir with the people at NUMA. Thanks for having us aboard on such short notice.”

“Not at all, not at all.” He lowered his voice. "I recruited a couple of my students to help out. A young man and woman. Brilliant kids. But I'm pleased to have adult scientific colleagues aboard, if you

know what I mean. I see you're still wearing your cast. How's the arm.

“It's fine,” Paul said. He glanced around. “I don't see Dr. Barker on board.”

“He couldn't make it,” Throckmorton said. “Personal commit- ment of some sort. He may try to join us later. I hope he shows up. I could use his genetic expertise.”

“Then the research hasn't been going well?” Gamay said.

“On the contrary, it's been going fine, but I'm more of a mechanic in this field, if I may use an analogy. I can bolt the frame and chassis together, but it's Frederick who designs the sports car.”

“Even the most expensive sports car wouldn't run forever without the mechanic to make the engine go,” Gamay said with a smile.

“You're very kind. But this is a complex matter, and I've run into a few aspects that have me puzzled.” He frowned. “I've always found fishermen to be superb observers of what's going on at sea. The local fishing fleet has moved on to more productive grounds, as you know. But I talked to a few old-timers, shore captains who watched the fish stocks vanish and be replaced by these so-called devilfish. Now the devilfish have dribbled down to nothing. They're dying, and I don't know why.”

“Too bad you haven't been able to catch any.”

“Oh, I never said that. Come, I'll show you.”

Throckmorton led the way through the “dry lab,” where the com- puters and other electrical equipment were kept high and dry, and into the “wet lab,” basically a small space with sinks, running water, tanks and table space used for the damp pursuits such as carving up speci- rnens for investigation. He donned a pair of gloves and reached into an oversized cooler. With a hand from the Trouts, he pulled out the frozen carcass of a salmon about four feet long and placed it on a table. “That's similar to the fish we caught,” Paul said, bending low to inspect the pale-white scales.

“We would have liked to keep this specimen alive, but it was im- possible. He tore the net apart and would have devoured the rest of the ship if he lived long enough.”