Chapter Two

The safe, dripping wet in the afternoon sun, was lowered onto the deck of a ship by a winch cable.

They were on the Russian research vessel Akademik Mistislav Keldysh. A crowd had gathered, including most of the crew of Keldysh, the sub crews, and a hand-wringing money guy named Bobby Buell who represented the limited partners. There was also a documentary video crew, hired by Lovett to cover his moment of glory.

Everyone crowded around the safe. In the background Mir Two was being lowered into its cradle on deck by a massive hydraulic arm. Mir One had already recovered with Lewis Bodine following Brock Lovett as he bounded over to the safe like a kid on Christmas morning.

Bodine waved a bottle of champagne. "Who's the best? Say it. Say it."

"You are, Lewis."

Bodine gave Lovett an ebullient kiss on the cheek, then popped the cork on the champagne bottle. Champagne sprayed everywhere.

Lovett stuck a cigar in his mouth. "You rolling?"

The cameraman nodded. "Rolling."

Brock nodded to his technicians, and they set about drilling the safe's hinges. During this operation, Brock amped the suspense, working the lens to fill the time.

"Well, here it is, the moment of truth. Here's where we find out if the time, the sweat, the money spent to charter this ship and these subs, to come out here to the middle of the North Atlantic...were worth it. If what we think is in that safe...is in that safe...it will be."

Lovett grinned wolfishly in anticipation of his greatest find yet. The door was yanked loose. It clanged onto the deck. Lovett moved closer, peering into its interior. He dug into the safe, pulling out an ancient portfolio and handfuls of wet paper. Nothing. He felt around the inside of the safe. After long moment, his face said it all.

"Shit." He stood up.

Bodine watched him, half with sympathy, half with amusement. "You know, boss, this same thing happened to Geraldo and his career never recovered."

Lovett was too disappointed to be amused. He noticed the cameraman still filming him.

"Turn the camera off," he snapped, walking away.

*****

Technicians were carefully removing some papers from the safe and placing them in a tray of water to separate them safely. Nearby, other artifacts from the staterooms were being washed and preserved.

Buell was on the satellite phone with the investors. Lovett was yelling at the video crew.

"You send out what I tell you when I tell you. I'm signing your paychecks, not 60 Minutes. Now get set up for the uplink."

Buell covered the phone and turned to Lovett. "The partners want to know how it's going?"

"How it's going? It's going like a first date in prison, what do you think?" Lovett grabbed the phone from Buell and went instantly smooth. "Hi, Dave? Barry? Look, it wasn't in the safe...no, look, don't worry about it, there're still plenty of places it could be...in the floor debris in the suite, in the mother's room, in the purser's safe on C Deck..."

Buell interjected, "Jimmy's office briefcase..."

Lovett glared at him, then noticed something the technicians had found. "Hang on a second."

A tech coaxed some letters in the water tray to one side with a tong...revealing a conte crayon drawing of a woman.

Brock looked closely at the drawing, which was in excellent shape, though its edges had partially disintegrated. The woman was beautiful, and beautifully rendered. In her late teens or early twenties, she was nude, though posed with a kind of casual modesty. She was on an Empire divan, in a pool of light that seemed to radiate outward from her eyes. Scrawled in the lower right corner was the date: April 14, 1912. And the initials JD.

The girl was not entirely nude. At her throat was a diamond necklace with one large stone hanging in the center.

"Give me the photo of the necklace!" Brock gestured to the techs, hope lighting his eyes.

Buell glanced at the drawing. "Looks like we might have something here."

Lovett grabbed the reference photo from the clutter on the lab table. It was a period black-and-white photo of a diamond necklace on a black velvet jeweler's display stand. He held it next to the drawing. It was clearly the same piece, a complex setting with a massive central stone, which was almost heart-shaped.

Lovett looked at the two pictures, realizing what he had found.

"I'll be God damned."