Giordino shook his head. “Sorry to say, it’s more than just a social call.”
Ana led them into her office and pulled a pair of chairs close to her desk.
“How goes the hunt for Mankedo?” Pitt asked.
“We’ve had some interesting developments in the last few days but no luck in locating Mankedo, I’m afraid.” She sorted through some papers and pulled out a photo of a workboat tied to a crowded dock. “Look familiar?”
“That looks like the workboat that was docked at Thracia when we raided the yard,” Pitt said.
“It was found abandoned in Karaburun, a Turkish port near the Bosphorus.”
“So he fled to Turkey,” Giordino said. “Any chance of finding him there?”
She shook her head. “Istanbul is an easy place to disappear.”
“It seems a lot of people are disappearing lately,” Giordino said.
“Speaking of which, take a look at this.”
She handed them a copy of a short news article. It told of the discovery of Bulgarian Min
istry of Culture archeologist Georgi Dimitov, whose body was found washed ashore on a beach in Chios.
“Found dead in Greece?” Giordino said. “What do you make of that?”
“It’s very odd. Some local fishermen reported an explosion at sea the night before his body was found. The Greeks are investigating.”
“You may want to keep close tabs on that investigation,” Pitt said. “Dimitov wandered off the Macedonia after we discovered the Russian airman on the wreck of the Fethiye and we never heard from him again.”
“Do you think there’s some sort of connection?”
Pitt and Giordino looked at each other.
“When we were tied up in Mankedo’s warehouse,” Pitt said, “do you recall seeing a piece of wreckage behind the truck?”
“I don’t remember much.”
“There was a weathered sheet of aluminum. It looked to be a cargo hatch, from an aircraft built fifty or sixty years ago.”
“The plane that belonged to the Russian airman?”
“Yes. After our discovery of the deceased flier, not only did Dimitov vanish, but the Macedonia was hijacked. While it may be that Mankedo simply wished to use our ship to attack Sevastopol, he may also have wanted us away from the Ottoman wreck and the Russian bomber, which we now know is nearby.”
“For what purpose?”
“To get at the bomber’s cargo.”
“Do you know what is was?”
“I have an idea.” Pitt described the site of the wreck and its empty bomb bay.
“An atomic bomb,” she whispered. “You think that’s what was hidden on the back of Mankedo’s truck?”
“It’s a distinct possibility. We need to learn more about the aircraft to be sure.”
“That certainly ups the stakes,” Ana said, scribbling some notes.
“Any leads on the truck or our bald friend?” Giordino asked.