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"Don't get your hopes up," Pitt replied sourly

Giordino pulled back the throttle two notches above the idle position and flicked the ignition key on and off to siine As soon as he saw Pitt in his wet suit stepping over the catwalk on the side of the shantyboat out of sight of the guard, he turned the wheel toward the wharf A few seconds later, when he glanced doard, Pitt was gone

He watched Pitt's bubbles approach the barge, and then steadily scatter as he passed under its botto deeper and deeper Then the bubbles rising beside the barge disappeared altogether

Giordino slowly raised a hand to shield the sun froe and along the pilings without scratching the paint on the hull Then he dropped down a ladder to the catwalk, ju lines around a pair of rusty bollards

The guard caate and rushed up to the shantyboat He cautiously eyed Rouard looked Asian but he spoke with a West Coast accent He was a good four inches taller than Giordino but much thinner He wore a baseball cap and World War II pilot's sunglasses

"You must leave This is a private dock The owners do not allow boats to moor here"

"Ah cain't help it," Giordino ive me twenty minutes, and Ah'll have it fixed"

The guard was not to be refused He began untying the lines "You must leave"

Giordino walked over and grasped the guard's wrist in an iron grip "Qin Shang will not be happy when I report your offensive behavior to one of his inspectors"

The guard looked at Giordino queerly "Qin Shang? Who the hell is Qin Shang? I was hired by the Butterfield Freight Corporation"

Noas Giordino's turn to lanced over the side into the water where he'd last seen Pitt's air bubbles and wondered if they'dmistake "You were hired to do what? Keep crows off the corn?"

"No," said the guard defensively, unable to shake Giordino's grip and conte with a madman and should draw his bolstered revolver "Butterfield uses the old buildings to store furniture and equipuards ork the other shifts, is to keep vandals off the property"

Giordino released the guard's arm He was far too wise and cynical to fall for the lie He was almost thrown off the track in the first moments of the conversation But now he kneith solid conviction there was ar mill at Bartholomeaux than met the eye

"Tell me, friend Would it be worth a bottle of Black Label Jack Daniel's whiskey to let ine?"

"I don't think so," the guard said testily as he rubbed his wrist