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not only knew how to listen , but he actually remembered what she said for more than ten seconds.
    Alison had to admit, he was nothing like she had expected when they first met.  He worked for the Navy, a branch of the military she loathed.  Of course, to be truthful, she hated all military branches.  But as it turned out, John Clay wasn’t just some Marine jarhead.  In fact, he was not only a man; he was a bona fide anomaly.  He was smart, considerate, and devastatingly handsome.  And those shoulders! 
    “I’m really sorry, Alison.”  Clay swayed side to side in his seat as his plane turned and bounced onto the runway.  “I’ll call you in the next day or two, okay?”
    “Okay,” Alison said, still wearing a trace of a frown.  “Be safe.”
    “Always.”
    “Bye.”  She ended the call and remained staring at the phone. 
    “I take it he’s not coming,” Lee said behind her.
    She sighed and dropped her hand, sliding the phone back into her pocket.  “No.”
     
     
    The plane was a C-20 Gulfstream III, which had arrived less than thirty minutes after their video call with Langford.  Clay powered off his phone and closed his eyes, pressing his head gently into the leather headrest.  He regretted hearing the disappointment in Alison’s voice.
    After a long moment and from the table between them, Clay picked up the folder containing his copy of the report on the Russian sub and flipped it open again.  He remained quiet, thinking. 
    “So, what I can’t figure out,” Caesare said, speaking first, “is what the hell kind of interest Brazil would hold for a Russian sub, and an old one at that?”
    “I’ve been wondering the same thing.  Russia has a pretty good relationship with Brazil, so why the secrecy?”
    “Because that’s what you do when you’re hiding .”
    “But what were they hiding from?” Clay pondered.  “And why a fifty-year-old submarine everyone else in the world thought had been decommissioned?”
    “Maybe it was because everyone thought it had been decommissioned,” Caesare said, with a touch of sarcasm.  He raised his bottle of beer and took a swig.  “But if I was Russia and wanted to go stealth, I sure as hell wouldn’t do it in a November class sub.  They’re noisy.”
    Clay tilted his head back and absently examined the ceiling.  “Brazil has the second largest navy in the Americas.  Their entire fleet and infrastructure are well known.  What could the Russians be trying to find out?”
    “It’s also odd that they haven’t said anything.”
    “Agreed.  If there really was some secret to hide, wouldn’t they want to get their crew out quickly?”
    “Unless speaking up makes it worse.”  Caesare tilted his bottle, examining it.  “Even if it did, why not just make up some PR story or misdirection?  Governments do that all the time.”
    “True.  But it means we’re still asking the same question.  What do they want to know about Brazil?”
    Caesare placed the bottle in a cup holder and leaned his seat back.  “Maybe there’s a simpler explanation.”
    Clay raised an eyebrow, waiting.
    “Maybe their navigator’s just an idiot.”
    Clay laughed.  Outside, the dual engines of the Gulfstream reached maximum thrust, and the plane abruptly began to roll forward as the pilot released the brakes.  The aircraft sped down the runway, building speed until it lifted smoothly into the air.
    As he watched the ground quickly fall away, Clay tried to relax, but couldn’t seem to dismiss something.  It was a nagging question that should have been answered in the report, but wasn’t. 
     

4
     
     
     
     
    After Alison left the guys in the lab, she headed back downstairs.  She was disappointed at not being able to see John, but a small side of her actually felt relieved.  They’d been dating for a year but given their jobs, and her move off the mainland, they hadn’t spent much time together lately.  Their relationship was moving slowly and