Crescent Dawn (Dirk Pitt 21)

Hanging up the phone, Perlmutter took a long sip of his port wine, savoring its deep, sweet flavor. Then propelling his huge frame to his feet, he stepped to a ceiling-high shelf overflowing with nautical books and began humming to himself as he rifled through the titles.

IT WAS LESS THAN two hours later when the satellite phone on the Aegean Explorer rang with a return call from Perlmutter.

“Dirk, I’ve found just a morsel so far, but it might be a start,” the historian said.

“Every little bit helps,” Pitt replied.

“It’s a shipwreck, from the fourth century. It was discovered by sport divers back in the nineteen sixties.”

“Roman?”

“I’m not sure. The archaeological report I have is quite dated, but it indicates that some Roman weaponry was among the artifacts recovered. As you know, Cyprus was never deemed of much military importance to the Romans but rather as a trading source for copper and grain. And, of course, wine. So the existence of weapons on this wreck might be of significance.”

“Long shot or not, it sounds worth a look. Where is the wreck located?”

“She was found off of a town called Pissouri, which is near you on the southern coast. The wreck was located about a quarter mile off the public beach there. I found a later reference that the site was partially excavated in the nineties, however, and the artifacts put on display at the Limassol District Archaeological Museum.”

“That’s convenient,” Pitt said. “Does the location hold up to the Roman trading routes?”

“Actually, the merchant ships of the day sailing from Judaea would have typically followed along the Levant coast en route to Constantinople. Same goes for the Roman galleys, which would generally hug the coastline to stay in calmer waters. But our knowledge of maritime practices in those days is limited.”

“It may well be that they never intended to sail to Cyprus,” Pitt replied. “Thanks, Julien, we’ll look into the wreck.”

“I’ll keep nosing about for more. In the meantime, happy hunting.”

As Pitt hung up the phone, his two children stepped onto the bridge with small travel bags slung over their shoulders.

“Jumping ship before we start our survey?” Pitt asked.

“You’ve got a starting point?” Summer asked.

“The good Mr. Perlmutter just helped me lay out a search grid.”

“I talked Dirk into helping me attack the local archives,” she replied. “I thought I’d see if we could find some local references to the Manifest, or perhaps a history of local piracy. You don’t mind if we catch up with you in a day or two?”

“No, that sounds like a good

idea. Where’s your first stop?”

Summer gave her father a blank look. “To be honest, we haven’t identified the local resources to visit. You wouldn’t have any suggestions, would you?”

Pitt couldn’t help but grin at the request while he glanced at a page of notes he had written while talking to Perlmutter.

“It just so happens,” he said with a wink, “that I know exactly where you should go.”

87

SUMMER AND DIRK FOUND THE LIMASSOL DISTRICT AR chaeological Museum in a modern building east of the city center, not far from the town’s scenic municipal garden. A variety of pottery and artifacts from Cyprus’s rich history, some dating to 2000 B.C., were displayed in simple glass cases throughout the three wings of the building. Summer admired a display of terra-cotta animal figures from the Archaic Age while waiting for the museum’s curator.

“I am Giorgos Danellis. May I help you?” asked a round-faced man with a Greek accent.

Summer introduced herself and her brother. “We are interested in a fourth-century shipwreck that was discovered near Pissouri,” she explained.

“Yes, the Pissouri wreck,” Danellis replied with a nod. “The display is in room three.”

As he escorted them to the other room, he asked, “Are you with the British Museum?”

“No, we work for the National Underwater and Marine Agency,” Dirk replied.