Sea of Greed

Priya stopped, scanned down and found more pertinent information. “Three years later, she was almost broke. Shortly before being forced into bankruptcy, she sold a design for a new type of lithium battery. It’s been used in half the world’s computers and most of the phones ever since.”

“Act 1,” Kurt said. “Soar and fail. Act 2, Rebuild your fortune. It’s a classic story.”

“According to another article,” Priya continued, “she then began spending money on even more varied pursuits. She bought a Formula 1 racing team, funded a historical preservation society that salvaged several wrecks. And then built a one-of-a-kind amphibious aircraft as large as a 747.”

Joe sat up. “I saw a photo of that in the paper. The Monarch. It’s here now.”

“Should be,” Priya said. “She lives here. Not sure if it’s for the weather or tax reasons, but Novum Industria is incorporated in Bermuda. And according to this, she owns a private island here in the sound called Baker’s Rock.”

Kurt moved closer, looking over Priya’s shoulder. “Show me Baker’s Rock.”

Pulling up the satellite map revealed Baker’s Rock less than a mile from where the Lucid Dream was berthed.

“Zoom in.”

Priya tapped the zoom key until the outline of Baker’s Rock filled the monitor.

Kurt gazed at the setup. It showed a palatial estate built into the side of a hilly island with a semicircular bay surrounded in white marble like the seats of an amphitheater. The Monarch sat in the bay, its wings stretching from one side of the bay to the other, just barely fitting inside the confines of the curved space.

Up above it, a deck of travertine surrounded a large plantation-style house, fronted by an expansive pool, lit in purple and pink and shaped like a hibiscus flower.

“Nice digs,” Priya said. “My apartment would fit into the shallow end of her pool.”

“I know what you’re planning,” Joe said, “but she has another date coming, remember? Oliver Warren.”

Kurt grinned. “Not once you two figure out how to intercept him.”

25

KURT MADE HIS WAY to the top deck of the Lucid Dream, wearing swim trunks and carrying fins and a waterproof pack.

“Not exactly what I was expecting,” Priya said.

She was a few feet away, sitting at a table overlooking the Great Sound. “Where’s the face paint, commando gear and twelve-inch knife to fight off the sharks or the bad guys?”

“Hoping to avoid sharks and bad guys,” Kurt said. “And if I’m right, the face paint is being applied in Tessa’s luxurious bedroom suite. As for the rest of the gear, I have everything I need I here.” He patted the waterproof pouch.

“I lifted that earlier,” Priya said. “Surprisingly cold on such a warm night.”

“As it should be,” Kurt insisted.

Priya smiled. She had her own gear in front of her, including her ever-present laptop, a second computer that was connected to a portable satellite receiver, a handheld radio, a phone and an iPad.

“I’ll keep an eye on you. And once you activate the listening device, I’ll be able to hear what you say, so keep it PG-13.”

“I’ll try,” Kurt said.

He raised a pair of binoculars and studied Baker’s Rock in the distance. They’d moved the Lucid Dream to a new spot, gaining an unimpeded view. Kurt could see the entire side of the island and the half-circular bay that lay at its feet. The Monarch sat there, lit up on both sides by floodlights. A trophy on display.

Scanning the layers of stone behind the aircraft, Kurt saw two sets of stairs running up from the water and an arrangement of columns on the highest level that added to the sense that he was looking at a Greek or Roman palace.

As Kurt studied the island through the binoculars, Priya studied it on her computer, viewing the feed from one of the drones. Her view was far more detailed.

“There’s a guard standing on the promontory on the right-hand side of the bay,” she said. “Another one by the stairs and one patrolling the grounds. The one on patrol has a dog.”

“I should have packed some treats,” Kurt said.

He wasn’t worried about the guards, but he did need to appear in the right place at the right time. He could be sure there were cameras situated at various points around the bay and possibly on the Monarch. He decided it would be best to emerge from the water where one of the guards might catch him.

Putting the binoculars down, he checked his watch. “Time to go. Stay in touch with Joe, he may need assistance… or bail money.”

Priya held up the phone. “I’ve got him right here.”

Shouldering his waterproof pack, Kurt took the stairs to the lowest deck, climbed down a ladder and dropped into the calm waters of Bermuda’s Great Sound.

Once he was in the water, he pulled on a pair of compact fins, pushed away from the yacht and began his swim. He moved methodically, using a forward crawl, keeping up a brisk pace.