Read Online Shadow Zone by Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen - Free Book Online Page B

realized it was coming from the opposite direction. She glanced around the deck. The other revelers had heard it, too, and they gathered along the portside railing. Captain Danbury fired up a spotlight and shined it into the darkness.
    Hannah walked toward him. “What is it?”
    “I can’t see it yet.” Danbury nodded toward the lights of a larger boat several miles away. “Whoever it is, they might have come from there. That boat’s been anchored for the past couple of hours.”
    As they watched, a beacon flashed from about fifty yards away. Danbury flashed his spotlight in return, then angled the spot toward the small craft, which Hannah saw was about ten feet in length. She could see three men on board. Two were seated, but the third, a distinguished-looking man in a dark suit, stood looking up at them.
    He smiled. “Permission to come aboard, Captain Danbury.”
    Danbury stepped from behind the spotlight and looked at the three men. “State your purpose.”
    “I’m Agent Elijah Baker with the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. I need to speak with Hannah Bryson. And Melis Nemid, if she’s here.” The man gestured toward Fair Winds . “That’s her boat, isn’t it?”
    Hannah glanced at Melis and Ebersole, who had joined her at the railing. They looked just as bewildered as she was feeling.
    The man smiled as he held up a wallet displaying a badge and an ID card. “I’m the real deal, I promise. Would you mind throwing down a ladder?”
    Danbury nodded to a couple of his crew members. They threw open the lid of the strongbox, pulled out a rope ladder, then hooked it over the railing. The three men from the smaller boat climbed aboard the Copernicus . By now the music had stopped, and all eyes were on them.
    The man who had identified himself as Elijah Baker extended his hand to Danbury. “Sorry to crash your party.” He glanced at Hannah. “You’re Hannah Bryson. I recognize you from your documentaries.” He turned to Melis and again showed his ID. “Ms. Nemid?”
    “Yes, what are you doing here?”
    “I’ll try to take as little of your time as possible. Is there somewhere we can go to talk? An office?”
    Ebersole stepped forward. “I’m the COO of AquaCorp. We’re funding this expedition. Is there something you wish to discuss with me?”
    “Absolutely nothing. My business is with Ms. Bryson and Ms. Nemid. They can bring you up to speed after we’ve spoken. I’m very busy. I really don’t want to waste any more time. Ladies?”
    Hannah nodded toward the stairwell. “Follow me.”
    Hannah had intended to lead Baker and Melis to the conference room, but at the last minute she decided to detour to the dining area. For some reason, Baker’s crisp air of command annoyed her. She had dealt with Feds before, both on expeditions and after Conner’s death, and she wasn’t about to let him dictate to her and Melis. She threw open the door of the galley, where covered platters of food were prepped and ready to be carted up to the party. Hannah pulled back a corner of one of the plastic wraps. “Want a salami-and-cheese finger sandwich?”
    Baker shook his head. “No, thank you. This won’t do. Is there someplace more private we can go?”
    “No one will bother us here. What’s on your mind?”
    Baker glanced at Melis for support, but she only smiled. “You really should try the salami. It’s quite good.”
    Baker shook his head. “I heard you had a problem with authority, Ms. Bryson.”
    Hannah nibbled at a bit of cheese. “First of all, we would have to recognize you as having some kind of authority. We’re on an archaeological expedition in international waters. I don’t like orders. We’re happy to help you out in whatever it is you’re doing, but don’t pretend we’re in any way obligated to jump when you snap your fingers.”
    He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not pretending anything. I just want your cooperation. I did come a long way to talk to you.”
    “I’ve