MacD let out an exasperated sigh. “Have you seen any military or police forces in any of our dustups? We want to stay clear of them as much as you do.”
Polk hesitated as he thought about MacD’s story. “I’m not convinced. Give me something valuable.”
“All right,” MacD said. “You’ve seen our ship, right? What do you want to know about the Norego?”
“What weapons does it have?”
MacD started with the items he knew April Jin had seen in combat. “Anti-aircraft laser, Kashtan Gatling guns, counter-illuminative paint.” Then he added items from the previous version of the Oregon. “A 120mm cannon, torpedoes, surface-to-surface missiles. She’s not just a spy ship. She’s a warship.”
“Built by the Americans.”
“Not at all. Built for us at a Vladivostok naval base under Admiral Yuri Borodin. Unfortunately, Borodin is currently dead, so you can’t fact-check that with him.”
Which was all true, but not for the version of the Oregon that Jin had fought against. It was the previous ship that had been constructed in Russia.
“What do you know about our operation?” Polk asked.
“We know you have a lot of that gas. We beat that info out of Bob Parsons.”
“How did you know about the factory?”
“We’ve got some good tech people. They traced Alloy Bauxite back to Lu.”
“Do you know anything about our future plans?”
MacD shrugged. “Ah don’t know your target. Ah’m just a grunt. They don’t tell me everything.”
“If you don’t have the antidote, then why do you want our operation to succeed?”
“Because we do have the formula for the antidote. That makes it worth something on the black market. Ah’m sure my boss would be willing to make a business deal with you. You do whatever you’re doing, then we connect you with the right people and get a commission on the sale. He might even be willing to help you get your mission done for the right price.”
“How do I get in touch with him?”
“Get me wherever we’re going, stitch me up, give me a hot meal, and then Ah’ll tell you who to call.”
“Give me a name.”
“Ah can’t do that. You can call him Chairman.”
“And if he won’t make a deal?” Polk asked.
“Ah wouldn’t be telling you all this if Ah didn’t think he’d be interested,” MacD said, knowing how much was riding on Polk believing this tale. “If Ah’m wrong, you won’t have any more use for me.”
Polk nodded. “That is the only thing you’ve said that I know for sure.”
FIFTY-SIX
The fire and dead bodies caused quite a stir on Christmas Island, but Renee LaBelle was able to convince the authorities that Juan and his team were friends of hers, and their arrival just before the chaos was purely coincidental. Given that the corpses seemed to be Chinese nationals and that their jet had taken off without permission after leaving a vehicle on the runway, the local police had their hands full taking the investigation of the event in other directions.
Inside the airport, Juan said good-bye to Renee and Bob Parsons. The rest of the team had made it back in the Mercedes and were waiting for him on the tiltrotor.
“Thanks for all your help,” Juan said to Parsons. “You sure you don’t want a ride somewhere?”
Parsons looked at Renee, then shook his head. “I’ve got a bit of catching up to do here. Besides, I don’t have anywhere else to go at present.”
“We’ll keep looking for more of the Rand’s palm trees,” Renee said. “It’s rare, but if we find any that are nut-bearing, we know how to get in touch.”
“I’m sorry about MacD,” Parsons said. “I hope you get him back.”