Havana Storm (Dirk Pitt 23)

Mark Ramsey was mixing cocktails behind a mahogany bar. “General, good of you to come. I wasn’t sure you would be able to keep our appointment on such a somber day.” He turned off a television monitor that was displaying Fidel Castro’s body lying in state.

“My official duties were fulfilled earlier,” Gutier said. “It may be a somber day for Cuba’s history but I think a bright one for its future.”

Ramsey handed him a daiquiri. “To the prosperity of Cuba.”

“To Cuba.”

Ramsey led him to a dining table scattered with documents, where each took a seat.

“It’s been a difficult week,” Ramsey said. “I lost a drill ship under lease from the Norwegians and you lost a national icon. All this on top of the terrible accident with Minister Ortiz.”

“No man lives forever. Fidel’s imprint on Cuba shall remain long-lasting.”

“His absence leaves an inspirational void for your country. Perhaps one that a man

like yourself could fulfill.”

Gutier displayed a poker face. “Man cannot predict his destiny. Tell me about your ship incident and the state of your oil-drilling prospects.”

“The Alta was a modern drill ship that specialized in deepwater operations. She was laying the foundation for an exploratory well in quadrant R-29 of our leasehold.” He slid a chart in front of Gutier and pointed to a section northeast of Havana. “This is one of two areas for which we had acquired oil exploration rights, as signed by Minister Ortiz before his passing. I hope there will be no problem in continuing to honor the agreement.”

“Minister Ortiz represented the Cuban government. The agreement will be honored. Now, what of this sunken ship?”

“An unknown explosion sent her to the bottom in less than ten minutes. The crew got away safely, but three divers were trapped on the seafloor. If not for a passing American research ship, they would have died. As it is, there was no loss of life.”

“That is fortunate. The vessel was insured by the owner?”

“In this instance, the operator was responsible for insuring the ship while it was on the job.” Ramsey’s lips tightened at the thought of the deductible that would come out of his pocket.

“When do you plan to return to the site?” Gutier asked.

“Our second leased rig is working on our other site off the western coast. We view that region as lower potential, so we’ll transfer operations in a week or two and complete the test well that the Alta started.”

Gutier looked Ramsey hard in the eye. “I would ask that you refrain from any further work in area R-29 for at least three weeks.”

“Any particular reason?”

“It is my desire,” Gutier said gruffly.

Ramsey slid the chart in front of him. “General, I know it took considerable effort within your government to allow our consortium to come into your territorial waters. I appreciate what you’ve done for us. But we were given authorization to explore only two small offshore quadrants, neither of which our geophysicists rated highly promising. For us to have success and allow you to develop an export oil market, we need access to additional seafloor.”

“Mr. Ramsey, I might remind you that there are other parties seeking the same opportunity.”

“We’re talking deepwater operations. It’s a different ball game. It’ll take you twice as long if you go with the boys from Venezuela or Mexico . . . or the Middle East.”

“But you yourself are a mining engineer.”

“True, my expertise is with mining. In fact, I’m just a limited partner in this joint venture. I’m here only because the venture group’s CEO is recovering from a mild heart attack. But I can assure you, our group of Canadian and Norwegian oil exploration experts have extensive experience in the North Sea and Arctic. They’ll get the job done. They have deepwater experience you can’t find just anywhere.”

“But you have yet to show results.”

“In the oil business, there are no guarantees.”

Gutier gazed at the map. “Where is it you would like to drill?”

Ramsey pointed to a large area a hundred miles northwest of Havana. “Given a choice, the North Cuba Basin is at the top of our probability list.”

“I might have some sway to open up a portion for your examination. But I will require something in return.” His dark eyes bore into Ramsey.