“It’s all a clever disguise. I have been on that ship before.”
“Look, we’ve all heard the rumors. A normal-looking cargo ship bristling with weapons that is used to spy on countries around the world. Some say it’s British, some say American or Russian. No one knows its name. No one can agree on what it looks like. All we have are vague secondhand stories about the ship getting into sea battles with Chinese destroyers, Iranian submarines, and Burmese gunboats. Supposedly, it has missiles and torpedoes and lasers, armor three feet thick, and can withstand anything short of a nuclear blast. Does that barely floating embarrassment look like a warship to you?”
Gao’s expression was deadly serious. “I didn’t see any torpedoes or lasers, but I was stationed aboard the destroyer Chengdo, and I was one of the Marines sent onto that ship to capture it. We were repelled by a well-trained force armed with the latest weaponry.”
Lozada laughed. “I could return with two men from the police force and seize that vessel without a problem.”
“I advise against that. Your admiral has information that you don’t. I suggest you call and report my conclusions.”
Lozada narrowed his eyes at Gao. “Give me one reason why I should believe you.”
“The ship’s name—Dolos. Do you know what it means?”
“Of course. A ‘dolos’ is a molded concrete block. We pile them up to form breakwaters.”
“There’s another meaning. I did a search on my phone on the way here. Dolos is the Greek god of deception. You are meant to think it’s harmless.”
Lozada checked his own smartphone and came up with the same result. He frowned. It was flimsy evidence, but he could be in serious trouble if he didn’t report back to Admiral Ruiz and then was proven to be wrong.
“All right,” he said, and dialed the number he’d been given. He asked for Admiral Ruiz and was connected immediately. A distinct hiss came over the line before he heard a click.
“This is Admiral Dayana Ruiz,” a female voice said in Spanish. “Who is this?”
“Admiral, this is Commander Manuel Lozada,” he said nervously. “Señor Gao is confirming that this is the spy vessel.”
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s nothing more than a cargo ship two voyages away from going under.”
“Did you take his photo as I ordered?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Send it to me now.”
Lozada messaged the picture to her.
After a slight pause, she said, “That’s him. Holland is the same man as the one in my photo. We have intelligence identifying him as the captain of the spy vessel.”
Lozada felt a rush of adrenaline. Admiral Ruiz was the most powerful woman in the Venezuelan Navy and next in line to be defense minister. He could write his ticket if he captured a foreign spy. “I’ll have them arrested at once.”
Her voice stabbed through the phone like an ice pick. “You will do nothing, Commander. I’m aboard the frigate Mariscal Sucre. We are currently three and a half hours from Puerto La Cruz. If the rumors are true, we will need all the firepower at my disposal. I plan to capture the vessel myself.”
Lozada swallowed
hard at her bloodcurdling tone. “I must warn you, Admiral, the Dolos is carrying four thousand tons of fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate is volatile. If a fire is started by gunfire, it could blow up and destroy the entire harbor.”
“How long before she is scheduled to depart?”
“Four hours.”
“Then we’ll lie in wait outside the harbor. Let her get her cargo on board and set sail. We’ll intercept her in open water.”
“And if they do have all those mythical weapons on board?”
“It doesn’t matter. Mariscal Sucre is more than capable of sinking her.”
Once he was sure Lozada wouldn’t be returning for an even bigger bribe, the man who had introduced himself as Captain Buck Holland returned to the office and set his hat and wig on the desk, revealing a blond crew cut.