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"I beg your pardon, but are you the people from NUMA?"
"We are," answered Giordino.
"I'm Paul Conrad, the boat's first officer. Mr. Lasch advised Captain Baldwin of your joining us for the maiden voyage. Do you have any luggage?"
"Only what we carry," said Kelly, looking forward to seeing the interior of the boat.
"You'll have a stateroom, Miss Egan," said Conrad politely. "Mr. Pitt and Mr. Giordino will have to share a cabin in the crew's quarters."
"Next to the showgirls who perform in the theater?" asked Giordino with a straight face.
"No such luck," Conrad laughed. "Please follow me."
"I'll be with you in one moment," said Pitt. He turned and walked along the dock to a ladder leading to the water. A man and a woman wearing wet suits were checking their dive gear before stepping down the ladder and entering the water. "Are you the team who is going to inspect the bottom of the hull?"
A slim, handsome man looked at him and smiled. "Yes, that's right"
"My name is Dirk Pitt. I was the one who requested your services."
"Frank Martin."
"And the lady?"
"My wife, Caroline. Honey, this is Dirk Pitt from NUMA. We can thank him for the job."
"Pleased to meet you," said a lovely blonde who nicely filled out her wet suit.
Pitt shook her hand, surprised at the strong grip. "I'll bet you're an expert diver."
"Been doing it for fifteen years."
"She can dive as well as any man," Martin said proudly.
"Can you tell us exactly what it is we're looking for?" asked Caroline.
"No sense in dodging the issue," replie
d Pitt. "You'll be looking for any sort of object that's attached to the hull, specifically an explosive device."
Martin looked unfazed. "And if we find one?"
"If you find one, you'll find others. Don't touch them. We'll arrange for an underwater demolition team to remove them."
"Who do we notify?"
"The captain of the ship. It's his responsibility at that point."
"A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Pitt," said Martin.
"Likewise," Caroline spoke, with a charming smile.
"Good luck," Pitt said warmly. "You'll make my day if you don't find anything."
By the time he reached the gangway, the Martins were in the water and diving under the Golden Martin's hull.
The boat's first officer led Kelly through a luxurious solarium and up a glass elevator etched with tropical fish to a comfortable stateroom on the Manta Deck. Then he showed Pitt and Giordino to a small cabin below the passenger decks in the crew's quarters.
"I would like to meet with Captain Baldwin as soon as it's convenient," said Pitt.
