4

A brief drizzle dampened an otherwise temperate afternoon at Istinye Harbor, just north of Istanbul. Walking slowly across the compact marina, Ana and Ralin spotted their quarry, a bright turquoise-hulled oceanographic research ship tied at the largest berth.

A short, burly man hoisting aboard a crate watched as they drew near.

“Is this the Macedonia ?” Ana asked in English.

Al Giordino regarded the stranger. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a bun, exposing a delicate face. She had high Slavic cheekbones, softened by a small nose and mouth. But her radiant blue eyes drew his attention. Giordino could see she possessed a mix of determination and vulnerability.

“You’ve come to the right place,” Giordino said.

“I’m Ana Belova, special investigator with Europol, and this is Lieutenant Petar Ralin from the Bulgarian Organized Crime Directorate. We are investigating the sinking of the Crimean Star .”

Giordino introduced himself. “Europol. Is that an offshoot of Interpol?”

“No, the European Police Office is a law enforcement agency of the European Union. Our primary focus is organized crime and counterterrorism.”

“Come on aboard. I’ll let you talk to the boss.” Giordino guided them to the Macedonia ’s wardroom, where Pitt and Captain Stenseth were seated, examining a chart. Giordino made the introductions, and coffee was brought for the investigators before they all sat around a table.

“How can we be of assistance?” Pitt asked. “We already gave a full report to the Turkish Coast Guard.”

Ana felt his deep green eyes look right through her. She was surprised to feel her pulse quicken as she listened to the tall, rugged man. “Our respective agencies have concerns over the loss of the Crimean Star . What can you tell us about her sinking?”

Pitt described the events of the previous night, concluding with the rescue of the assistant engineer.

“Do you think the explosion at the stern was intentional?” Ralin asked.

“I suspect so, but I have no evidence to prove it.” Pitt gazed at the investigators. “Do you mind telling us about your interest in the sinking?”

“The answer is threefold,” Ana said. “First, we’ve learned the Crimean Star was under charter to a Russian firm called Nemco Holdings. Nemco has suspected ties to the Russian Mafia. It’s believed to be involved with smuggling arms to Africa and the Middle East. You didn’t happen to examine the ship’s holds?”

“No, our aboard time was short. Have you obtained the ship’s manifest?”

“Electronic records indicate she was carrying agricultural equipment bound for Alexandria, Egypt.”

“Any chemicals or fertilizers as part of that?” Pitt asked.

“None that were listed. But I can’t say we put full faith in the manifest, given that the ship originated from Sevastopol. Why do you ask?”

“We suspect a chemical leak may have killed the crew.”

“We’ve just come from a visit to Memorial Şişli Hospital, where the engineer was admitted,” Ralin said. “The pathologist said tests on the deceased crewmen indicated that death was caused by a concentrated exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. He suspects a natural gas leak.”

“We detected the odor when we boarded the vessel,” Giordino said, “but we didn’t identify its origin. Natural gas seems a likely source, but the Crimean Star is a bulk freighter, not a liquefied natural gas carrier.”

“Yes, that is correct,” Ana said. “Our primary concern relates to another fact—the assistant engineer who survived.”

“How’s the young man holding up?” Pitt asked.

“Quite well. His exposure to the hydrogen sulfide was limited, presumably because he was working in the engine room. He is expected to make a full recovery. But the doctors discovered a second condition that is more disconcerting. It seems the engineer tested positive for trace levels of radioactivity.”

“Radioactivity?” Giordino asked. “Perhaps he worked on a nuclear-powered ship before crewing aboard the Crimean Star .”

“We explored that possibility, and a few others, but he has no history of working around radioactive materials or near nuclear power facilities.”

“You think it was something on the ship?” Pitt asked.

“That is our fear,” Ralin said. “We have information that the Crimean Star may have been used to smuggle radioactive materials for sale on the black market.”

Ana turned to Pitt. “Petar and I are part of a task force assigned to prevent the trafficking of weapons and nuclear materials in the Black Sea region.”

“There’s still unaccounted nuclear materials out there?” Giordino asked.

“Regrettably so,” Ana said. “The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought about a free-for-all in nuclear material smuggling for many years. Stronger controls today have reduced that considerably, but there is still an alarming black market demand—much of it related to materials that were stolen years ago. You may be surprised to learn there are still over a dozen arrests each year in the Black Sea region related to nuclear smuggling. The spread of nuclear materials remains a very dangerous risk, especially with the rise of extremism in the Middle East.”

“I suspect war-torn Ukraine hasn’t helped matters any,” Pitt said.

“You are correct. That’s what has us concerned about the Crimean Star . Europol has been searching for a container of highly enriched uranium that disappeared from the Sevastopol Institute of Nuclear Energy during the Russian invasion of Crimea. Intelligence believes it is being transported to Syria, and we suspect the Crimean Star was the carrier.”

Pitt nodded. “Which explains the assistant engineer’s radiation exposure.”

“Remote as it may be, it is a possibility we must explore. If the uranium was stored in the engine room or near his cabin, it might account for his trace readings.”

“What’s the significance of this uranium being highly enriched?” Giordino asked.

“HEU, as it is called, is uranium that has undergone isotope separation to increase its content of U-235. It is the form of uranium used in the most powerful nuclear devices, be it power plants or missiles and bombs.”

“So the question,” Pitt said, “is whether the Crimean Star was intentionally sunk for someone to acquire the HEU?”

“We’ve obviously strolled down a path of multiple assumptions,” Ralin said, “but the circumstantial evidence is compelling.”

“I think you’ve got plenty of reasons to be concerned.”

“Mr. Pitt,” Ana said, “can you tell us the purpose of your visit to the region?”

“NUMA was invited by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture to participate in the search for a late-Ottoman-era shipwreck that sank off the Bulgarian coast in the eighteenth century.”

Ana glanced at Ralin, then turned to Pitt. “Would you consider delaying the start of your project for a day or so to lend us some assistance?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like you to find out if there is highly enriched uranium on the Crimean Star .”

“If it was ever on the ship,” Pitt said, “it may have already been removed by those who sank her.”

“A distinct possibility,” Ralin said. “We’d like to believe your arrival disrupted those plans.”

“Why not use local resources?” Pitt asked. “The Turkish Navy surely has the capability.”

“The Turkish Navy can indeed help, but not for another week,” Ana said. “Turkey is not a part of the European Union, so our authority here is less respected. If the HEU is still aboard, it won’t be for long. There are search and rescue teams still on-site, but their efforts will be called off at dusk. We’d like the ship examined as soon as possible.” Her blue eyes met Pitt’s. “Could you return to the site and survey the vessel for us?”

Pitt turned to Giordino and Stenseth. “We’re already a day late. The Crimean Star site is almost on our way. And our Ottoman wreck isn’t going anywhere. I think we can delay our historical hunt a bit longer.” He turned to Ana. “Besides, we could always use a friend at Europol.”

A relieved look crossed the faces of Ana and Ralin. She reached across the table and clasped Pitt’s hand.

“You now have one.” zzB8O7c1ZrPtDIm0hUPP1zGfiLWk4p7oEhasFzNaCNntfEeJ+tkIXf7TwmKIp6fi