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"Damn, you look ugly today," he said.
She laughed. "You continue to mystify me."
"How so?"
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"One minute you're a gentleman, and the next a slob."
"I was told women crave variety."
Her eyes, clear and soft, were amused. "I do give you credit, though. You're the only man I know who doesn't kiss my fanny."
Pitts face broke into his infectious grin. "That's because I don't need any political favors."
She made a face and opened a menu. "i don't have time to be made fun of. I have to get back to my office and respond to a ton of constituents'mail. What looks good?"
"I thought I'd try the zuppa di pesce."
"My scale said I was up a pound this morning. I think I'll just have a salad."
The waiter approached.
"A drink?" Pitt asked.
"You order."
"Two Sazerac cocktails on the rocks, and please ask the bartender to pour rye instead of bourbon."
"Very good, sir," the waiter acknowledged.
Loren lain her napkin in her lap. "I've phoned for two days.
Where've you been?"
"The admiral sent me on an emergency salvage job."
"Was she pretty?" she asked, playing the age-old game.
"A coroner might think so. But drowned bodies never turned me on."
"Sorry," she said and went sober and quiet until the drinks were brought. They stirred the ice around the glasses and then sipped the reddish contents.
"One of my aides ran across something that might help you," she said finally.
"What is it?"
She pulled several stapled sheets of typewritten paper from her attache' case and passed them to Pitt. Then she began explaining in a soft undertone.
"Not much meat, I'm afraid, but there's an interesting report on the CIA's phantom navy."
"Didn't know they had one," Pitt said, scanning the pages.
"Since 1963 they have accumulated a small fleet of ships that few people inside the government know about. And the few who are aware of the fleet won't admit it exists. Besides surveillance, its primary function is to carry out clandestine operations involving the transporting of men and supplies for the infiltration of agents or guerrillas into unfriendly countries. Originally it was put together to harass Castro after his takeover of Cuba. Several years later, when it became apparent that Castro was too strong to topple, their activities were curtailed, partly because the Cubans threatened to retaliate against American fishing vessels. From that time on the CIA navy expadded its sphere of operations from Central America to the fighting in Vietnam to Africa and the middle East. Do you follow?"
"I'm with you, but I have no idea where it's leading."
"Just be patient," she said. "Several years ago an attack cargo transport called the Hobson was a part of the Navy's reserve mothball fleet at Philadelphia. She was decommissioned and sold to a commercial shipping company, a cover for the CIA. They spared no expense in rebuilding her to outwardly resemble a common cargo carrier, while her interior was filled with concealed armament, including a new missile system, highly sophisticated communications and listening gear, and a facility for launching fast patrol and landing boats through swinging bow doors.
