Shock Wave (Dirk Pitt 13)

"The Hawaiians do that very thing at the fire crater of Kilauea," said the American.

"Did they find his body?" asked the Japanese electronics magnate.

The chairman shook his head. "According to Australian officials, he never got out of his house, which was directly in the path of a lava flow. His body, or what's left of it, lies under twenty meters of volcanic ash and lava rock."

"Is it true all three of his daughters died too?" asked the Italian.

"One died in the house with Arthur. The other two were found dead on a burned-out hulk of a yacht.

Apparently, they were trying to escape the holocaust. There is, I might add, an air of mystery about the affair. My sources inside the Australian government claim one daughter died from gunshot wounds."

"Murdered?"

"The rumor is they were self-inflicted."

The head of the Japanese electronics empire nodded at the director of the diamond cartel. "Can you tell us, sir, now that Arthur Dorsett is out of the picture, what the future outlook is for your market?"

The fastidiously attired diamond authority from South Africa returned a genuine smile. "Couldn't be better. The Russians have turned out to be nowhere near the threat originally predicted. Their attempts to run roughshod over the market have backfired. After selling much of their hoard of rough stones to diamond cutters in Tel Aviv and Antwerp at discounted prices, but still substantially higher than what Arthur Dorsett intended, they have outrun their production. The upheaval of Russian industry has brought their diamond production to a virtual standstill."

"What about Australia and Canada?" asked the Dutchman.

"The mines in Australia are not as extensive as originally predicted, and the Canadian diamond rush is vastly overblown. They are not showing diamonds of any quality or quantity. At present there is no plan to build a large commercial diamond mine in Canada."

"Do the sweeping changes in South Africa's political structure have any effect on your operations?"

"We have worked closely with Nelson Mandela right from the beginning of the downfall of apartheid. I can safely say that shortly he will introduce a new tax system that will be most advantageous to our earnings."

The sheik representing the oil cartel leaned across the table. "This all sounds encouraging, but will your profits enable you to assist in carrying out the Multilateral Council's goal of a one-world economic order?"

"Rest assured," replied the South African, "the diamond cartel will meet all commitments. The demand for diamonds worldwide is rising ever higher, and our profits are expected to soar for the first ten years of the new century. There is no doubt that we can carry our share of the monetary burden."

"I thank the gentleman from South Africa for his report of confidence," said the chairman.

"So where does Dorsett Consolidated go from here?" asked the sheik.

"Legally," replied the chairman, "the entire business passes into the hands of Dorsett's two grandsons."

"How old are they?"

"A few months this side of seven years old."

"That young?"

"I didn't know any of his daughters were married," said the Indian real-estate developer.

"They weren't," said the chairman flatly. "Maeve Dorsett bore twins out of wedlock. The father comes from a wealthy family of sheep ranchers. My sources say that he is an intelligent and reasonable man. He has already been named to act as guardian and administer assets of the estate."

The Dutchman stared down the table at the chairman. "Who has been named to handle the boys'

corporate affairs?"

"A name you're all well familiar with." The chairman paused and smiled sardonically. "Until the grandchildren come of age, the day-to-day business activities of Dorsett Consolidated and its subsidiary divisions will be managed by the Strouser family of diamond merchants."

"There's retribution for you," said the American elder statesman.

"What plans are in place should the diamond market collapse on its own? We can't control prices forever."

"I'll answer that," said the South African. "When we can no longer maintain a grip on diamond prices, we turn from natural stones excavated by expensive mining operations to those produced in a laboratory."