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Julia picked up the wooden spoon and continued stirring the boiling shrimp as if she'd been at it all afternoon

"One of yourat seeing the boarding party lower a limp body into the launch

"The fool didn't watch where he was going and cracked his head on an overhead pipe," Stowe explained "

robably has a concussion"

"Have you found anything interesting aboard

"No sir, your ship is clean"

"Always happy to oblige the Aly

"Your destination is Sungari?"

"According toMaritime"

"Youthe Chinese captain a courtesy salute "I regret that we had to detain you"

Twenty minutes after the Coast Guard launch had pulled away, the pilot boat arrived fro Lien Star The pilot clie Soon the container ship was h the deep-water channel of the lower Atchafalaya River and across Sweet Bay Lake toward the docks of Sungari

Captain Hung-chang stood on the bridge wing beside the Cajun pilot as he took the autoh the h a pair of binoculars at the turquoise ship anchored just out of the channel Bold letters across the hull designated the vessel as a research ship belonging to the National Underwater and Marine Agency Hung-chang had often seen thees around the world He idly wondered whathere on the Atchafalaya River below Sungari

As he panned the glasses along the deck of the research ship, he suddenly stopped and found hi at a tall h his own binoculars What struck Li Hung-chang odd was that the crewman on the research vessel wasn't focused on the container ship itself

He see the wake directly behind the stern

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