Celtic Empire (Dirk Pitt 25)

When the cab approached Dirk opened the door, tossed in her bags, and gave Riki a hug. “See you soon.”

“I hope so.” She reached up and kissed him, then slipped into the cab. As it pulled away, she looked back at Dirk as he waved.

“Airport?” the driver asked.

She waited until the boat and dock fell out of sight.

“No,” she said in a sober tone. “Take me to the Ramses Hotel.”

27

Pitt stepped past his collection of antique cars and climbed the spiral staircase at the back of the airport hangar. The stairs led to a second-floor apartment that overlooked the vehicles parked below. Entering the apartment, he was surprised to find the dining table elegantly set for dinner. A pair of tall candles burned between the two place settings, next to an open bottle of red wine.

Loren stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a steaming pot to the table. She removed a pair of oven mitts, wrapped her arms around Pitt, and gave him a lingering kiss.

“You’re right on time,” she said with a glimmer in her eye.

“What’s the special occasion?”

“I depart for Scotland tomorrow. I feel bad for leaving, as I’d expected you’d still be working in Detroit. Plus, after your escapade in College Park, I thought you could use a relaxing meal.”

“You get no argument from me. What’s for dinner?”

“Bouillabaisse. I used St. Julian Perlmutter’s recipe.”

“Then it must be good.” Pitt poured the wine, a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as she dished up the Mediterranean seafood stew.

“I don’t know if this trip is even a good idea,” Loren said as they started to eat. “I felt obliged when Evanna McKee phoned to invite me. She practically begged me to attend.”

“She’s certainly forceful. It could be a good networking opportunity, if nothing else.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean much to me. There’s something strange about that woman. I can’t quite put my finger on it. She was quite inquisitive, playing Twenty Questions with me.”

“What did she want to know?”

“She asked about the committees I serve on and my interaction with Senator Bradshaw and other key legislators. She also inquired about my political aspirations.”

“Your political aspirations?”

“I laughed and told her I had none. McKee seemed more interested in my career than I am. Do you know what else she wanted to know? She asked if I wanted to be president!”

“What did you tell her?”

“I said I’d be honored to serve in the job, but I’d never be willing to go through the election gristmill required to win it.”

“Smart girl.”

“She proceeded to name-drop all over the place and expressed a willingness to help me advance my stature. What do you think of that?”

“Promoting women to positions of leadership is apparently important to her,” Pitt said. “She may be looking for help in getting her company’s products into the U.S. Or she may see that you have considerable influence in Washington and wants you as a member of her club.”

“You’re probably right. She also seemed to be knowledgeable about NUMA’s work and peppered me with questions about you.”

“What did she want to know?”

“She asked about the Detroit project and other underwater jobs you’ve been involved with. Oh, and she asked about El Salvador and if you were going back there.”

“Go back to El Salvador?” Pitt sat back in his chair, contemplating the question. “One of the water samples from Cerrón Grande Reservoir was to have been sent to a research scientist at one of her companies.”