Yaeger stared at him. "What's going down this time, old friend? I can't believe you're going after the LeBarons because you were dumped at a society party. Take me, I've been thrown out of the worst sleaze joints in town. And I just accept it."
Pitt laughed. "No revenge. I'm just curious. Jessie LeBaron said something that struck me odd about her husband's disappearance."
"I read about it in the Washington Post. There was a paragraph mentioning you as the hero of the hour, saving LeBaron's blimp with your rope and palm tree trick. So what's the catch?"
"She claimed that her husband wasn't among the dead I found inside the control cabin."
Yaeger paused, his eyes uncomprehending. "Doesn't make sense. If old man LeBaron flew off in that gas bag, it stands to reason he'd still be inside when it turned up."
"Not according to the bereaved wife."
"Think she's got an angle, insurance or financial?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But there is a chance that because the mystery occurred over water, NUMA will be called in to assist in the investigation."
"And we'll already be on first base."
"Something like that."
"Where does the Cyclops fit in the picture?"
"She told me LeBaron was looking for it when he vanished."
Yaeger rose from his chair. "All right then, let's get off the mark. While I design a search program, you study what we have on the ship in our data files."
He led Pitt into a small viewing theater with a large monitor mounted on the far wall and motioned for him to sit behind a console containing a computer keyboard. Then he leaned over Pitt and pressed a series of commands on the keyboard.
"We installed a new system last week. The terminal is hooked into a voice synthesizer."
"A talking computer," said Pitt.
"Yes, it can comprehend over ten thousand verbal commands, make the appropriate reply, and actually carry on a conversation. The voice sounds a little weird, sort of like Hal, the giant computer in the movie 2001. But you get used to it. We call her Hope."
"Hope?"
"Yeah, we hope she'll come up with the right answers."
"Funny"
"I'll be at the main terminal desk if you need help. Just pick up the phone and dial four-seven."
Pitt looked up at the screen. It had a bluish-gray cast. He warily picked up a microphone and spoke into it.
"Hope, my name is Dirk. Are you ready to conduct a search for me?"
God, he felt like an idiot. It was like talking to a tree and expecting a reply.
"Hello, Dirk," replied a vaguely female voice that sounded as if it was coming out of a harmonica.
"Ready when you are."
Pitt took a deep breath and made the plunge. "Hope, I'd like you to tell me about a ship named Cyclops."
There was a five-second pause, then the computer said, "You will have to be more specific. My memory disks contain data on five different vessels called Cyclops."
"This one had treasure on board."
"Sorry, none show any treasure in their cargo manifest."