Therri skewered Austin with a leveled gaze of her laser-bright eyes. “Henry David Thoreau, John Muir and Edward Abbey were considered radical nut cases in their times. But I concede your point. SOS tends to be too activist for the taste of many. Okay, you say you don't endorse radicals. Do you endorse injustice, because that's exactly what's involved here.”

“In what way?”

“Marcus did not ram that Danish ship on purpose. I was in the pilot- house when it happened. He and the others did everything they could to avoid that collision.”

“Have you told this to the Danish authorities?”

“Yes. They said they didn't need me to testify and told me to leave the country.”

“Okay,” Austin said. “I believe you.”

“Just like that? You don't seem like someone who accepts the world at face value.”

“I don't know what else to say without offending you.”

“Nothing you say can offend me.”

“Glad to hear that. But what gives you the idea that I would care whether the case against Ryan is just or not?”

“I'm not asking you to care about Marcus.” Therri's tone hinted that there was a bit of hard steel behind her soft features. Austin suppressed a smile. “What exactly do you want from me, Therri?”

She brushed a lock of hair out other face and said, “I'd like you to make a dive on the Sea Sentinel”

“What purpose would a dive serve?”

“It might prove that Marcus is innocent.” “In what way?”

She spread her hands. “I don't know. But you might find some- thing', all I know is that Marcus is telling the truth. To be honest, much of his radicalism is hot air. He's really a hard-nosed pragma- list who calculates the odds very carefully. He's not the kind of per- son who goes around ramming navy ships in a fury. Besides, he loved the Sea Sentinel. He even picked the ridiculous psychedelic color scheme himself. No one on the ship, including me, intended for any- one to get hurt.”

Austin leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands behind his head and stared at Therri's earnest face. He liked the way her perfect lips turned up in a Mona Lisa smile even when she was serious. Her girl- next-door appearance couldn't disguise the sensuous woman who lurked behind remarkable eyes. There were a thousand reasons why he should simply thank her for the coffee, shake her hand and wish her good luck. There were maybe three good reasons why he might consider her request. She was beautiful. She might have a case. And, right or wrong, she was passionate about her cause. His plane flight was two days away. There was no reason his short stay in the Faroes had to be boring.

Intrigued, he sat forward, and ordered another round of coffees.

“Okay, then,” Austin said. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

NUMA 4 - White Death

8

A FEW HOURS LATER, Austin was a world away from the