The frogmen Read Free Page B

knowing that there was nothing he could say. He went straight to John Nash's barracks and got him out of a card game.
    "Changed my mind," Amos told him. "Are you sure this gizmo of yours can zap the chief?"
    John grinned at him. "This thing will zap anybody."
    "Show me."
    As they approached the high, barnlike building, both of them saw light through the windows. They

    ducked behind a 5-inch-gun mount and watched. "Nobody's supposed to be in there at night," John said.
    "Hingman maybe," Amos said, moving toward the building.
    There were some bushes near one of the windows, and Amos crept in under them and raised his head slowly to look in. He ducked down again and waved to John.
    "It's only the football player," he said as they moved along the building to the door. Without knocking, Amos opened it and went in.
    Death Row looked even spookier at night. A huge black man, wearing only dungaree trousers, was giving the place a sweep down with a push broom.
    He was a steward's mate, second, named Lafayette Maxwell, who had been a professional football player, a linebacker for Chicago. Now he played on the naval station team with a lot of other ex-pros.
    "Hey, Max," John called softly. "Okay to come in?"
    Max turned and leaned on the broom handle. In the dim light he looked dangerous just standing still. "If you can't read the signs that say keep out, I guess it's okay to come in."
    "Can't read a word of English," John said, closing the door. "You know Amos Wainwright?"
    "I've seen him around. How you, Mr. Wainwright?"
    "That depends," Amos said, shaking hands with him.

    "What you up to, John?" Max asked.
    "We're going to zap the chief."
    Max leaned back on the broom and grinned. "Hing-man? Well, then, is there anything I can do to help?"
    "He still giving you a hard time?"
    "He just resents me because I play ball all afternoon. He thinks that's a lot of fun, getting your brains jarred loose. It isn't exactly what I joined the Navy for. . . ."
    Max leaned down and looked hard at Amos. "Mr. Wainwright, I see you all the time around BOQ with that Personnel Officer, Lieutenant Beach. How about putting in a word for me? Tell him I'll take any kind of sea duty. Any kind. A rowboat."
    "I'm sorry, Max," Amos said. "I'm the last guy in the world who could help you. Beach is my roommate in BOQ, but he's trying to get me court-martialed right now."
    "Sorry to hear that," Max said. "What'd you do?"
    "Got tangled up in the paperwork."
    John backed away a little. "Haven't you got enough trouble? Why add to it by zapping the chief?"
    "Right now I'm one step ahead of Beach and his court-martial," Amos told them. "The only way I can stay ahead is to get sea duty. If I can make the chief mad enough, he'll ship me out."
    John went over to his locker, and as he worked the combination on the knob, said, "I don't know what he'll do to you, but I guarantee this will make him mad."

    He took what looked to Amos like a standard mine exploder down off the shelf and held it out to Amos.
    Amos carried it over to their workbench. "It's got to work, John. And he's smart."
    "Not smart enough," John said, picking up the loose ends of two wires. "Here's the leads that go to the battery and detonator. Before he gets to the other end of these wires, he's going to get zapped."
    Max stood at the bench, watching. "I want to be around when that happens. I'll even cut practice to be here."
    "Tomorrow morning," Amos said, as he watched John taking the exploder apart.
    "Here's the plunger in the bolthole," John said.
    Amos felt his disappointment like a weight. "John, he'll spot that before he even starts."
    "The beauty of this device is that he'll spot everything," John said. "He'll get more and more confident as he goes along, and that's what's going to nail his feet to the floor, and wave him like a flag. Because when he gets this thing completely apart, that's when it's going to bite him."
    Amos was doubtful. "I don't want any dirty tricks like he pulls on us, John.