"You're going away again." She could see it in his eyes.

"It is only to Gloucester, Massachusetts this time, moya lyubov. It is suspected that there is a THRUSH satrap there, and Napoleon and I have been sent to investigate."

"Gloucester, Massachusetts?"

"It is a tiny island off the coast of New England. I have never been there, but I imagine it is quite picturesque."

Trina sighed. "I had so hoped that you would be here for the baby's birth."

"And I will be, golubushka. The baby is not due for another month. It will not take that long to find and flush out the satrap."

After dinner she started to clear the table, but Illya laid a gentle hand on her arm. "I will take care of it, Trinochka. You have had a hard day. Sit down and rest."

Trina smiled gratefully and settled in the recliner to watch Lydia while Illya washed the dishes and cleaned up in the kitchen. When he was finished, he gave Lydia a bath, put her pajamas on her, and read her a bedtime story.

"Now it is just you and me, moya kotyonok." He gave his wife a mischievous grin as he walked back into the living room. "How would you like to take a bath together?"

"Sounds wonderful," Trina mumbled with a smile.

They undressed and got into the bathtub together. Illya bathed Trina first, tenderly lathering and caressing her swollen abdomen. The baby kicked his hand as he did so, and they both laughed softly, so as not to awaken Lydia. "I think he's going to excel at gymnastics like you," Trina said.

"Or perhaps she will be a ballerina," Illya added.

"But surely you want a son this time," said Trina.

"I would not mind having another daughter at all, as long as she is healthy."

"If it's another girl, maybe we could name her Masha, for your sister."

"Maria," Illya corrected her. "Masha was her nickname."

Trina bathed him all over next, paying loving attention to every part of his body. Then he drained the tub, tenderly dried first Trina and then himself with the towel, and then, leaving her leg braces lying on the bathroom floor, picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he lay her on the bed ever so gently.

"I shall return soon," he whispered, gently kissing her forehead. He cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and brought Trina's leg braces into the bedroom, then lay on the bed beside her.

"Mm," she murmured, turning to embrace him.

Due to her advanced stage of pregnancy, he was very careful, entering from behind and thrusting very slowly and shallowly. He stimulated her with his fingers at the same time, holding his own climax back until he was sure she'd achieved hers. Then they fell asleep together in one another's arms.

"He didn't return at all last night," Elspeth Whittaker told Link Mattocks. "It isn't like him at all to stay gone all night with no explanation whatsoever."

"And everything has been fine between the two of you lately? No fussing or fighting?"

"None at all. We've gotten along exceedingly well all summer."

"Has he seemed depressed or preoccupied lately? Secretive?"

"Well, no." Elspeth had to think. "He has been upset lately about the number of dead fish washing up onto the shore. He suspects it might have something to do with that new perfume and cosmetics factory that just opened up here. Yesterday he said something about going to talk to you about it."

"Well, Mrs. Whittaker, I can assure you, we'll do our best to find him. He couldn't have gone very far. Perhaps he just needed some time to himself and will come back home when he's ready to."

"I sure hope you're right. I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible has happened to him."

"It is just as I remember it," Alexei said to Napoleon and Illya as they crossed the bridge into Gloucester.

"It looks like a lovely spot to vacation in," said Napoleon. "It must attract gobs of tourists every year."

"Trina would love it," Illya said wistfully. "I would like very much to bring her and Lydia here for a few days."

Soon they arrived at the police station, where they met with Link Mattocks. "The problem has only gotten worse," Officer Mattocks told the three agents. "A few days ago, a local man went missing. We've searched all over the island but haven't found him anywhere. We've also notified law enforcement agencies on the mainland, and they haven't turned anything up either."

"And you suspect that THRUSH is behind this disappearance?" asked Napoleon.

"His wife told us that he suspected that the new factory is polluting the water and killing the fish. We suspect that the factory may actually be a cover for something more sinister, and that the man who disappeared, Walt Whittaker, may have been on their trail."

"We must go there immediately," said Illya. "There is no time to lose."