cc.fireice-第26节

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ments　Team。　He　didn't　have　to　wait　long。　As　he　was　taking　an　equipment　inventory；　his　phone　buzzed。　It　was　Joe　Zavala　calling。
　
　〃We're　at　the　airport；〃　Zavala　said。
　
　〃What　took　you　so　long？〃
　
　Zavala　sighed　loudly。　〃That's　gratitude　for　you。　You　yanked　me　out　of　the　arms　of　the　most　beautiful　woman　on　the　planet。〃
　〃Every　woman　you've　ever　been　involved　with　was　the　most　beautiful　woman　on　the　planet。〃
　〃What　can　I　say？　I　am　a　fortunate　man。〃
　〃One　day　you'll　thank　me　for　rescuing　you　from　the　bonds　of　matrimony。〃
　〃Matrimony！　A　sobering　thought。　Don't　even　joke　about　it。〃
　〃We　can　talk　about　your　love　life　later。　How　soon　will　you　be　at　the　Argo？〃
　〃Gamay　is　nailing　down　a　cab　and　Paul　is　humping　the　luggage　out　to　the　curb。　We'll　be　there　sooner　than　you　can　spell　Constantinople。〃
　
　Within　the　hour；　Zavala　and　the　Trouts　arrived　at　the　hotel。　After　a　brief　reunion；　Zavala　said；　〃Not　that　it　matters；　but　we　were　wondering　if　you　could　give　us　a　hint　why　we　raced　halfway　across　the　world　at　warp　speed。〃
　〃I　missed　your　smiling　faces？〃
　〃Right；〃　Zavala　said。　〃That's　why　you　asked　me　to　bring　along　your　shooting　iron　and　my　own　metal　delivery　system。〃
　〃I'll　admit　I　had　an　ulterior　motive；　but　I'm　not　lying　when　I　say　it's　good　to　see　you。〃
　
　Austin　glanced　around　at　the　other　members　of　the　Special　Assignments　Team　and　grinned　with　pleasure　at　their　eager　expressions。　Then　he　began　to　outline　his　plan。
　
　…12…
　ROCKY　POINT；　MAINE
　
　THE　IMAGE　ON　the　oversized　puter　monitor　looked　like　the　profile　of　a　very　tall　tortoise。　Leroy　Jenkins　clicked　the　puter　mouse　until　the　shell　flattened　as　if　it　had　been　run　over　by　an　eighteen…wheeler。　Jenkins　made　some　putations　from　the　numbers　on　the　screen；　then　exploded　with　the　blue…lightning　curses　he　usually　reserved　for　a　tangled　lobster　pot　line。　He　turned　away　from　the　puter　and　swiveled　his　chair　so　he　was　facing　a　big　picture　window。　From　its　position　high　on　the　hill；　the　tall　white　clapboard　house　offered　an　unequaled　view　of　the　harbor　and　the　sea　beyond。
　
　The　harbor　swarmed　with　activity。　Front…end　loaders　scooped　scattered　debris　into　a　waiting　line　of　dump　trucks。　Forklifts　normally　used　to　hoist　boats　onto　multistory　racks　for　winter　storage　were　plucking　battered　wrecks　from　the　parking　lot　and　lining　them　up　where　their　owners　could　claim　them。　Cranes　had　been　brought　in　to　pick　remnants　of　the　motel　off　the　breakwaters。
　
　Jenkins's　boat　was　tied　up　at　the　town　pier　with　the　others　lucky　enough　to　have　been　out　of　the　way　when　the　big　wave　struck。　Jenkins　rubbed　his　eyes　and　turned　back　to　the　puter　to　enter　some　new　numbers。　After　a　few　minutes；　he　shook　his　head　in　frustration。　He　had　gone　through　the　modeling　process　dozens　of　times；　feeding　in　different　binations　of　data；　and　his　findings　still　didn't　make　sense。　Jenkins　was　grateful　when　the　doorbell　rang。　He　went　out　into　the　hallway　and　yelled　down　the　stairs；　〃e　in。〃
　
　The　door　opened　and　Charlie　Howes　stepped　inside。　〃Not　bothering　you；　am　I？〃　the　police　chief　said。
　

　〃Hell　no；　Charlie。　e　on　up。　I　was　just　fiddling　around　on　the　puter。〃
　
　The　chief　climbed　to　the　second…floor　office。　〃You've　done　a　nice　job　with　the　house；〃　he　said；　glancing　around　at　the　well…ordered　space　with　its　neatly　arranged　filing　cabinets　and　bookcases。
　
　〃Thanks；　Charlie。　Wish　I　could　claim　credit。〃　He　picked　up　a　framed　photograph　of　a　handsome　middle…aged　woman　who　was　smiling　directly　at　the　camera　from　a　sailboat　cockpit。　〃Mary　knew　that　I'd　need　more　than　lobstering　to　keep　my　brain　from　fossilizing。　Setting　up　my　office　in　the　attic　space　was　her　idea。　You　know　how　she　was。　She　could　make　a　silk　purse　out　of　a　sow's　ear。〃
　〃She　didn't　do　a　bad　job　of　filing　down　some　of　your　rough　edges。〃
　
　Jenkins　laughed。　〃I　consider　that　a　miracle；　given　the　material　she　had　to　work　with。〃　He　glanced　out　the　window　again。　〃Looks　like　they're　making　progress　down　there。〃
　〃Getting　the　harbor　cleared　out　real　fast。　There　was　some　worry　about　oil　spills　from　the　fuel　tanks；　but　the　environmental　people　from　the　state　got　it　under　control。　I　needed　a　break　from　the　press　people。　Started　getting　in　the　way　anyhow；　with　all　the　insurance　guys　showing　up。〃　He　jerked　his　head　toward　the　puter。　〃See　you've　been　workin'。　Got　things　figured　out　yet？〃
　〃Been　trying。　Pull　up　a　seat　and　take　a　look。　I　could　use　your　detective's　intuition。〃
　
　Despite　the　chief's　folksy　language　and　country　ways；　he　was　no　bumpkin。　Howes　had　a　master's　degree　in　criminal　science　from　the　state　university。　He　replied　with　a　skeptical　snort；　dragged　a　stool　next　to　Jenkins's　chair　and　squinted　into　the　puter　monitor。
　
　〃What's　that　thing　that　looks　like　a　pregnant　snake？〃　Jenkins　raised　an　eyebrow。　〃Rorschach　would　have　a　field　day　with　you。　What　do　you　know　about　tsunamis？〃
　〃I　know　I　never　want　to　see　one　again　！〃
　〃That's　a　good　start。　Let　me　don　my　professor's　hat；　and　I'll　give　you　a　crash　course。〃　He　wrote　out　the　words　tsu　and　nami　on　a　pad　of　paper。　〃These　words　represent　the　Japanese　characters　for　'harbor'　and　'wave。'　An　international　conference　adopted　the　term　in　1963　to　avoid　confusion。〃
　〃I　always　heard　them　called　tidal　waves。〃
　〃That　was　the　popular　term；　but　it　isn't　accurate。　Tides　e　from　gravitational　forces　such　as　the　moon；　sun　and　planets。　Even　we　scientists　were　wrong。　We　called　them　seismic　sea　waves；　which　implies　that　earthquakes　generate　all　tsunamis。　A　quake　is　only　one　cause。〃
　〃You　think　a　quake　caused　that　mess　out　there？〃
　〃Yes。　No。　Maybe。〃　He　grinned　at　the　chief's　befuddled　reaction　and　ripped　a　sheet　of　paper　off　the　pad。　〃Here's　the　real　culprit。〃　He　held　the　paper　horizontally。　〃Make　believe　this　is　the　ocean　bottom。〃　He　pushed　the　ends　in　so　that　the　middle　of　the　paper　humped　up。　〃A　quake　occurs　when　tectonic　plates　bump　together　and　deform　the　seafloor。　This　hump　pushes　up　the　column　of　water　all　the　way　to　the　surface。　The　water　tries　to　regain　its　equilibrium。〃
　〃You're　losing　me。〃
　
　Jenkins　thought　for　a　moment。　〃It's　like　Joe　Johnson；　the　town　drunk；　staggering　home　after　a　night　on　the　town。　Reason　he　zigzags　is　because　the　booze　has　affected　his　equilibrium。　He　has　to　keep　catching　himself　from　going　off　in　the　wrong　direction。　Sometimes　he　can't　stop　and　slams　into　a　wall　and　knocks　himself　out。〃　He　frowned。　〃Okay；　it's　a　rough　analogy。〃
　〃I　get　the　picture。〃
　〃Think　of　Joe　as　that　column　of　water　and　the　wall　as　the　Maine　coast。　Only　difference　is　the　wall　gets　the　worst　of　it　not；　Joe。〃
　〃How　e　every　wave　isn't　a　potential　tidal　wa　…　I　mean　tsunami　？〃
　〃I　knew　your　policeman's　logic　would　e　into　play。　Two　reasons。　Time　and　distance。　The　time　between　waves　hitting　the　beach　is　five　to　twenty　seconds。　With　a　tsunami；　that　time　can　be　ten　minutes　to　two　hours。　The　distance　between　waves　is　called　the　wavelength。　Beach　waves　can　be　three　hundred　to　six　hundred　feet　apart。　With　a　tsunami；　you're　talking　three　hundred　miles…plus。〃
　〃I've　seen　some　pretty　destructive　beach　waves。〃
　〃So　have　I。　But　even　an　ordinary　wave　crashing　on　the　beach　only　has　a　short　life　and　a　speed　of　ten　to　twenty　miles　per　hour。　Your　tsunami　has　had　hundreds　of　miles　and　hours　to　build　up　its　energy。　The　deeper　the　water；　the　faster　the　wave。　That's　why　a　tsunami　can　hit　six　hundred　miles　per　hour　as　it　crosses　the　ocean；　even　though　ships　don't　feel　it　and　you　can't　see　it　from　the　air。　Let　me　give　you　an　example。　In　1960；　an　offshore　quake　near　Chile　sent　a　wave　across　the　Pacific。　The　wave　was　no　more　than　three　feet　high。　Twenty…two　hours　later；　when　the　wave　hit　the　coast　of　Japan；　it　was　twenty　feet　high　and　killed　two　hundred　people。　The　waved　bounced　around　the　Pacific　for　days；　causing　damage　wherever　it　touched。〃
　〃If　it's　only　a　ripple　in　the　ocean；　how'd　you　figure　this　was　going　to　be　a　big　one？〃
　〃I　was　lobstering　out　on　the　ledge　where　it's　paratively　shallow。　The　wave　slowed　down　when　it　hit　the　shallows　and　started　to　peak。　It　was　moving　slower；　but　all　the　energy　it　built　up　was　still　there。　That　energy　has　to　go　somewhere。　When　the　wave　approaches　shore；　the　mousy　little　sea　grows　up　into　a　monster。　Sometimes　it　builds　up　into　a　great　towering　wave。　It　might　be　a　bunch　of　series　of　breaking　waves；　or　a　bore；　like　a　bunch　of　steps　with　a　steep　breaking　front。　It　might　suck　out　the　water　and　spit　it　back　out。〃
　〃That's　what　happened　with　us。　Like　someone　pulled　the　plug　out　of　the　harbor。〃
　
　Jenkins　nodded。　〃Tsunamis　are　fascinating　and　very　adaptive　critters。　Reefs；　bays；　entrances　to　rivers；　can　affect　the　damage；　the　slope　of　the　beach。　The　waves　can　crest　to　one　hundred　feet　or　more；　but　mostly　they　just　surge。　All　depends　on　what's　in　the　way。　They　can　wrap　around　a　headland　and　cause　damage　on　the　opposite　side　of　an　island。　When　they　get　squeezed；　they　bee　really　dangerous；　because　you've　got　all　that　intensity　built　up　in　a　small　space。〃　He　pointed　out　the　window　at　a　river　that　fed　into　the　harbor。　The　high　banks　were　littered　with　debris。　〃They　can　even　go　up　rivers；　as　they　did　here。〃
　〃Good　thing　the　condos　Jack　Schrager　built　on　the　banks　of　the　river　weren't　occupied；　or　there　would　be　a　lot　of